Bukayo Saka made the most of his first start in three games for England by scoring a hat-trick against France, but the Arsenal winger still isn't over their heartbreaking semi-final defeat to Argentina
Bukayo Saka interview
Bukayo Saka was gutted but defiant(Image: FIFA)
View 3 Images
Bukayo Saka is proud of his “incredible achievement” at the World Cup - but it still cannot remove the pain of the Argentina defeat. Saka became only the fourth English player to score a hat-trick at a World Cup - after Gary Lineker, Sir Geoff Hurst and Harry Kane - as England smashed France to finish third in the tournament.
But Arsenal winger Saka says he still cannot get over losing in the semi-finals as he also admitted he wished he had played more at the tournament this summer. Saka said: “On a personal level as well, I've worked so hard to try and get myself ready for this tournament and be available to produce moments like that.
“And for me, it's an incredible achievement. Like you said, there's only 4 other Englishmen or 3 other Englishmen that have done it. So yeah, it's a nice record to have now and yeah, I'm proud of myself to achieve that.
“But I don't think anything can lessen the pain that we felt from the other night. That one really hurt us, I'll be honest. But yeah, this was just about being professional and like I said, finishing strong and this group's got that togetherness.
“We have that mentality, that's never been a problem for us, and we showed up today, so we can be proud of ourselves to achieve that highest finish that England team. When we go into the next major tournament, this will definitely be fuel for us.
“Yeah, it's very tough to take. But we did show and we believed and I feel that we made the country believe as well that we could do it. So that belief hasn't left us. You know, we'll be back next tournament to try and get over the line.”
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JULY 18: Bukayo Saka #7 of England celebrates scoring his team's fifth goal and his hat trick goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Bukayo Saka finished his frustrating World Cup on a high(Image: Eddie Keogh - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Djed Spence, meanwhile, says the World Cup has been a “coming of age” moment for his career. England full-back Spence has been a revelation at the tournament with some brave battling performances and he was outstanding in the third-place play-off with France.
When asked if it was a coming of age moment, Spence said: “Yeah, definitely. I always believe in myself and I’m happy I get to showcase on a bigger stage. It's great to be the best since 1966. It's something that we achieved in this team.
“Obviously it's not what we wanted, but it's the World Cup, and I'm proud to be part of it. It shows the mentality of the group, the mentality of the players. We're disappointed, but we've got to put it behind us. We’ve got to look at what's in front of us. Credit to the boys today, we did that. It shows the mentality of the group.
“The whole World Cup. It’s my first major tournament, it’s a blessing, it’s an honour to do it with this team. Mexico was a great night. A lot of great memories were created. I always believed in my ability. The difficult moments don’t define you. I worked hard. I can only thank God.”
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - JULY 18: Djed Spence #25 of England displays his bronze medal after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Bronze Final between France and England at Miami Stadium on July 18, 2026 in Miami Gardens, United States. (Photo by Eston Parker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Djed Spence was proud of his tournament(Image: Eston Parker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
View 3 Images
Spence also gave his backing to Thomas Tuchel - and says they will come back stronger. He also said he wants boss Tuchel to lead them into Euro 2028. He added: “Yeah, definitely very keen. He’s a great manager and we’re building something special.
“It’s not (the medal) we wanted but it’s stepping stones. It's the best we've finished since 1966, so it's a step in the right direction. Hopefully, the next tournament we can one step further.
“We've got to learn from this tournament and we've learned a lot. We've done well, and we've just got to take it to the next tournament, and the next games that we're going to play against the other teams.”