The first tournament I followed should have prepared me for this. England did not even make it to Euro 84, as a superb Danish team - laughingly dismissed by the English press - qualified and piled pressure on Bobby Robson. Things can only get better?
At least Robson took us to the quarter finals at Mexico 86, yet this would give me a first taste of finals frustration. Since then it has been a mixed bag when England have reached the last eight of major tournaments. There have been a few doses of luck - both good and bad - tears, penalties, a broken bone, winking, strangely comfortable wins, and a penalty in 2022 that still has not landed.
There have been quite a few words written about the 1986 World Cup quarter final between England and Argentina. So here are a few more. Played just four years after the Falklands War, tension surrounded the match in the build-up. Thankfully there was very little controversy during the 90 minutes (insert sarcasm emoji).
Two goals from the genius that was Maradona fully demonstrated both sides to his game. His 'Hand of God' opener after a quite ridiculous back pass from Steve Hodge, and equally useless leap from Peter Shilton, left England's players furious at the injustice. Sadly, you had to say that Maradona's second was magnificent, to echo the words of Barry Davies.
Obviously there was then the hope and despair provided by Gary Lineker's goal, and the incredible goal line clearance from Olarticoechea that denied the Golden Boot winner an equaliser. Come the end of the evening, I was putting a Blu Tack word 'CHEAT' across a picture of Maradona on my wall chart. That showed him.
1990: A lucky escape
Hodge would later sell Maradona's shirt at an auction (earning £7.1 million) and referee Ali Bin Nasser flogged the match ball for £2 million, but I really need to let this go. Four years later England again made it to the last eight, and according to scout Howard Wilkinson, they basically had a bye through to the semis.
Oh dear. Cameroon had already given plenty of warning to the watching world in their run to the quarter final, and pummelled England relentlessly after falling behind to a David Platt header. Two second half goals from the Indomitable Lions left England teetering on the brink.
Seven minutes from time, Lineker rescued England from the penalty spot, and would do the same again in extra-time to set up a semi-final with West Germany. England had not been awarded a penalty for four years until Lineker stepped up to the spot in Naples. The wait was worth it.
1996: Redemption
We would get used to penalty shootout agony as the years progressed - the Italia 90 semi-final the first cut - but England actually won their Euro 96 quarter final against Spain via this method. For one man in particular the chance to right a wrong proved therapeutic.
Stuart Pearce could have been forgiven for sitting out the penalty shootout at Wembley after his Turin experience. In truth, England had been lucky to hold Spain - the visitors having a a goal incorrectly disallowed - but the 0-0 draw did provide Pearce with a chance for partial closure.
On scoring his penalty, Pearce exploded in a terrifying fashion that released six years of pain, with England going on to win 4-2 in the shootout. Of course the Germans would again ruin the story, but for one glorious summer we could all dream a little.
2002: Hero to villain
If Pearce had managed to banish some of his past demons, another hero of Euro 96 would experience the other side of the coin. David Seaman had been a star during England's run to the last four, but his mistake in the 2002 World Cup quarter final against Brazil proved costly.
England had taken the lead through Michael Owen, and looked like holding that advantage until half-time. But David Beckham jumped out of a tackle in Brazil's half, Paul Scholes also missed the chance to stop the resulting break, and Rivaldo slotted home the equaliser that burst England's bubble.
However, it would be the winner that many focused on after the dust had settled. Ronaldinho's free-kick - deliberate or not - deceived Seaman, looping over his head and bringing back memories of a goal he had conceded in the 1995 European Cup Winners' Cup final, a goal that it is far too soon to talk about.
England failed to take advantage when Ronaldinho was later sent off, the team limply exiting the tournament. Seaman was in tears, and England fans may have struggled to drown their sorrows seeing as the match kicked off at 7.30am.
2004: Broken dreams
Portugal 2004. Rooney at his youthful best, lighting up the international stage. A back four of Gary Neville, Terry, Campbell, and Ashley Cole. Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, and Beckham in midfield. Owen once again giving England the lead in a quarter final.
It is hard not to wonder about the what-ifs. Would England have won if Rooney had not broken a bone in his foot? What if Campbell's late goal had been allowed? Was the penalty spot really to blame for Beckham's abysmal effort in the shootout? Euro 2004 felt like a missed opportunity. It still hurts.
2006: What a winker
Rooney and his foot had dominated the news in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup. Breaking his toe a month before the tournament, a nation was desperate for the forward to regain fitness and board the plane to Germany. But be careful what you wish for.
The hype surrounding Rooney since 2004 was understandable. But the expectation was suffocating. When Rooney tangled with Ricardo Carvalho in the 62nd minute, there was genuine shock when he was shown the red card. England battled on bravely to take the match to penalties. But the less said about that the better.
Lampard, Gerrard and Carragher all missed, allowing Cristiano Ronaldo to slot home the winning penalty. The fact that Ronaldo had winked towards his own bench after Rooney's dismissal added salt to this wound. The end of the Sven years and the golden generation.
2012: Hart breaker
"I never feared a penalty shootout - I relished them," Joe Hart recently commented on the BBC website. But for most of an English persuasion they strike fear. England's Euro 2012 quarter final against Italy was pretty uninspiring, like most things during the Roy Hodgson reign. But the disappointment remains.
Hart may have enjoyed penalty shootouts, but with England leading 2-1 against the Italians, the unnecessarily handsome and cool Alessandro Pirlo dinked a Panenka that seemed to spook England. Ashleys Young and Cole then missed, as another tournament ended in an oh-so familiar way.
2018 and 2020: Boring, boring England
The Gareth Southgate years may only be truly judged as time passes. Has he wasted a generation of talent or achieved success that goes beyond the norm for the English national team? Either way, you cannot deny his achievements at finals tournaments.
A 2-0 win over Sweden in the 2018 World Cup quarter final and a 4-0 hammering of Ukraine at the same stage of Euro 2020 (or 2021) were strange experiences. No dramas, no penalty shootouts, no red cards, and remarkably stress free. This would never do.
2022: Paying the penalty
One accusation thrown at Southgate is that draws in finals tournaments have been relatively kind to him. All is rosy in the garden until a difficult team comes along. It is hard to argue with this logic when the frustrations of Croatia, Italy and France are provided as evidence.
The defeat to France in Qatar felt slightly different. Two decent teams, evenly matched, with England often on the front foot. But there would be more penalty woe for a nation that, as this piece highlights, has simply had enough of this kind of thing.
Harry Kane had equalised from the spot and despite Olivier Giroud heading France in front, the England captain had the ideal opportunity to take the match into extra-time. A last minute penalty, Kane against club teammate Hugo Lloris, a chance to beat Rooney's England goal-scoring record.
What a complete anti-climax. As Kane's effort flew over the bar, another chapter of English quarter final hurt had been written, a story that started in Switzerland 70 years ago. Could the same country inflict some more pain at Euro 2024 on Saturday? It could be fun finding out, depending on your allegiances.
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