If you weren’t around for Italia 90, you will undoubtedly have formed the impression that this was a time of unreserved joy. Your view will have been shaped by Nessun Dorma, The Van and footage from Dublin’s Walkinstown roundabout after Ireland beat Romania .
You will tell yourself that this was a time when people were happy. You may even lament that such simple emotions are unavailable to us in the modern uncertain world.