England's most famous football stadium, Wembley, had been in need of redevelopment for some time.
So, it was decided that in late 2000, the famous old ground would be knocked down and reconstructed to bring it into line with other modern facilities around the world.
It meant that the English national football team would need a new home for the next few years and they would eventually embark on a tour of the country, playing their matches at a host of club grounds.
However, before that, there was the small matter of their final fixture at the old Wembley - a World Cup qualifier against rivals Germany, which was played 13 years ago today.
Manager Kevin Keegan had called on his team to see the old venue off in style, but he was under pressure as soon as his starting lineup was announced.
The Three Lions had failed to qualify from the group stages at the European Championships earlier that year, despite a win over the Germans, and as a result, Keegan's tactics and style of play had come under intense scrutiny.
The burden grew on the former Newcastle United manager when a mistake from David Seaman allowed Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann to give Germany the lead from distance with just 14 minutes of the World Cup qualifier played.
It proved to be the winning moment as England were only able to muster efforts from long range, most of which came from the boot of David Beckham.
The final whistle was met with jeers and calls from the home supporters for Keegan to resign. He duly obliged, bringing a conclusion to his stint as manager in a toilet cubicle inside the home dressing room.
He then emerged to address the media, saying: "I have had all the help I have needed but I have not been quite good enough. It's the end of the road for me.I have wished all the players the best and I know it's not good timing but there's never a good time. I look forward to life outside football."
England would eventually qualify for the World Cup under the guidance of Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson thanks to a stoppage-time free kick from Beckham against Greece at Old Trafford.
