Former Premier League player wants old rule brought back for Euro 2024

Neil “Razor” Ruddock has advocated for reinstating the golden goal rule before Euro 2024, citing his own experience from his playing career spanning Liverpool, Tottenham, and West Ham.

Ruddock, a member of the victorious Liverpool team in the 1995 League Cup final against Bolton, discussed the future of extra time in football on talkSPORT Breakfast.

Amidst ongoing discussions to reduce the number of games played due to changes in football structure, there have been persistent calls to eliminate extra time altogether.

Diego Simeone, the manager of Atletico Madrid, has joined the chorus of high-profile figures advocating for change, expressing concern over the toll extra time takes on his players.

Simeone said in 2023: “It is a situation in the game that we should go to directly, and not go to extra time, I think. There is already a lot of playing time.”

Ruddock proposes an alternative solution, suggesting the revival of the golden goal to resolve matches. This rule, which has seen intermittent use in football since the 1800s, was officially implemented in 1993.

“I loved the golden goal days. In extra time as a defender you want to go up for a corner and score but the gaffer won’t let you go up,” he told TalkSPORT.

Something must be done in order to combat the extra stress put on the players body, or else soft tissue injuries could start to get out of control.