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Jordan Henderson## England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed the "emotional" speech Jordan Henderson gave before the Three Lions' 6-4 win over France in the World Cup bronze match
Ian Doyle Chief Liverpool FC Correspondent and Matt Addison Liverpool FC Reporter
12:05, 19 Jul 2026
Jordan Henderson applauds England fans after the World Cup bronze final against France.
Jordan Henderson applauds England fans after the World Cup bronze final against France.(Image: Leonardo Fernandez - FIFA via Getty Images)
England manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed the "emotional" message that former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson delivered to his teammates before their thrilling World Cup victory over France.
The Three Lions claimed third place and their finest World Cup finish since winning the tournament in 1966 by defeating France 6-4 in the bronze final in Miami on Saturday. Former Reds skipper Henderson was once again sidelined with the broken arm he sustained while celebrating the round of 16 victory in Mexico a fortnight earlier.
But while old Reds colleague Ibrahima Konate had admitted before kick-off that not a single France player was keen to participate in the fixture — the center-back went on to start and was withdrawn at the interval with his side trailing 4-0 — Henderson conveyed a markedly different sentiment to England.
"Jordan Henderson gave a very impressive speech today in the hotel to put this in the right frame and put everyone in the right mindset," Tuchel explained.
"So he helped unbelievably today. That was very emotional and very, very impressive to put this game into perspective.
"I won't say what he said, but it puts into it perspective because he was part of this match eight years ago. It was very emotional and he put into perspective what you might feel in the very moment, that you might give in to the feeling 'I don't want to be here'.
Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson and Thomas Tuchel of England during the FIFA World Cup 2026 bronze final between France and England on July 18 2026 in Miami
Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson and Thomas Tuchel of England during the FIFA World Cup 2026 bronze final between France and England on July 18 2026 in Miami(Image: Eston Parker/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
"He took all of that away because he said that it means the world in the end, and he would give anything if he hadn't broken his arm to be part again in this match.
"You never know when you get a World Cup match for England. He said it much, much better than me and more emotional, and it was very impressive. He set the tone and the mindset for this match."
England's semi-final defeat to Argentina last Wednesday means they have reached at least the last four in four of their last five major international tournaments but remain without silverware in 60 years.
Tuchel added: "I said yesterday we want to close this gap. We feel there's still a gap to close to the top three teams who are ahead of us in the world rankings and that starts with today.
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"It was a big shout because there are a lot of world-class players in the attack on the other side. They (France) come from a less demanding schedule physically and had one more day (to prepare).
"Again, we could rely on what we built. This team built something special in the last seven weeks and we will never negotiate on that.
"I still stand by my words that we need to play better football under pressure, we need to manage games better under pressure and take better decisions under pressure and defend more economically and disciplined."
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Liverpool.com says: Henderson is a huge part of the locker room behind the scenes. He didn't play much, and got a bizarre injury, but it was the right decision to take him.
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Liverpool FC
Jordan Henderson
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