"It does not trouble me that despite numerous accomplishments in my career, upon my death many will remember me chiefly as the co-creator of the England football anthem Three Lions."

Three decades after its launch David Baddiel still feels immense pride in the track and looks back fondly on the summer when football nearly came home.

"I consider it a superb case of something never intended to become hugely popular," Baddiel notes. "There was no directive from above. It was simply three individuals aiming to capture football in words and the result caught fire."

People of a certain generation recall it as the soundtrack to the English summer of 1996, an era of Britpop, Cool Britannia and England nearly claiming a major title.

For newer supporters it has become the default England anthem sung at tournaments everywhere.

Liam Edwards, born in 1997 and a member of the England Supporters Travel Club, recalls: "Even as a youngster I felt uplifted by this song. It seems woven into England football history. It stands for community, togetherness and unity around one goal - our longing to see England triumph!"

"It is a track that travels with the team and we sing it wherever the national side takes us. I have heard it in unusual spots such as Kaliningrad in Russia where 'it's coming home' echoed everywhere. We sang it again at the Qatar World Cup and during Euro 2020."

How did Three Lions originate? By 1996 Baddiel and fellow comedian Frank Skinner were household names thanks to their hit football comedy show Fantasy Football League that drew six million viewers weekly.

When Lightning Seeds frontman Ian Broudie received a request from the Football Association to compose music for an England song ahead of Euro 96 he turned to Baddiel and Skinner for the lyrics.

"Ian Broudie felt that Frank and I embodied in a grassroots sense the nation's football supporters," Baddiel explains. "We asked ourselves how to represent authentically the experience of being an England fan and decided to focus on the reality of England losing."

The 1966 World Cup victory seemed distant. On the field England faced mounting pressure after the penalty heartbreak of Italia 90 and the failure to reach the 1994 World Cup. The phrase '30 years of hurt' captured the mood perfectly.

Euro 96 on home soil offered England a chance to deliver and perhaps finally win a major tournament.

Initial reactions from the England squad and the FA were lukewarm at best. Yet players including Alan Shearer, Gareth Southgate and David Seaman soon warmed to it.

"Paul Gascoigne would wake the entire squad each morning at the team hotel by flinging open his window and blasting the song from his CD player," Shearer recalled in a 2016 BBC documentary.

The track spread rapidly and England began playing some of their strongest football in years. Shearer was at his peak after netting 31 Premier League goals for Blackburn Rovers and finally ended a long international drought by scoring in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

Next came the match against Scotland at Wembley. Baddiel and Skinner watched from the stands as Gascoigne scored a memorable goal and England secured victory. The DJ then played the song despite FA reservations and the crowd joined in, marking the moment it truly went viral.

"People often cite the birth of their children as their greatest day," Baddiel says. "This was mine. It felt utterly incredible."

England ultimately fell short in a semi-final penalty shootout loss to Germany, a moment that still stings. Yet other England songs have followed over the years.

Edwards ranks Vindaloo by Fat Les as his favourite followed by World in Motion by New Order. He likens Three Lions to Oasis' Wonderwall: universally known yet not always cited as the top pick by fans.

Baddiel claims ownership without hesitation. "It is the greatest football song," he states. "Critics and trendsetters may prefer World in Motion or Vindaloo, both fine tracks, but neither matches Three Lions in being embraced by terraces and sung by actual supporters in the stands."

As 30 years of hurt stretch toward 60, the anthem will surely echo for generations ahead no matter the results on the pitch.