England played Scotland in the first ever international football match all the way back in 1872, with the historic game ending goalless.
England played with the Three Lions on their kit that day and it has been a symbol of the national side ever since – even becoming the subject of a famous song by Baddiel and Skinner and the Lightning Seeds. But England were simply using the same crest that had been adopted by the Football Association when it was formed in 1863.
While England supporters will be familiar with the badge, not many are likely to know the reason why there are three lions on the crest. Meanwhile, there is another hidden detail in the badge that most are unlikely to have spotted. According to The Sun, each of the three lions has a different meaning.
The first represents King Henry I, who ruled the country from 1100 to his death in 1135 and was widely known as the Lion of England.
Following his coronation, the King added a lion to the Royal Arms of England.
When he got married to Adeliza of Louvain in 1121, he demanded a second lion was added to the Royal Arms to honour his father-in-law, Godfrey I, Count of Louvain. The third lion wasn’t added until 1154, when King Henry II – grandson of Henry I – married Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Henry II implemented it to honour his wife as she also had a lion on her family crest.
Eagle-eyed England supporters may have also noticed there are 10 roses included on the badge. These Tudor roses are the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and take their name from the House of Tudor, which united the House of Lancaster and the House of York after the War of the Roses (1455-1487).
