Jack Grealish has insisted last year’s Wembley failings serve as the perfect inspiration to achieve World Cup glory. England suffered shoot-out heartbreak on home soil last summer by losing the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties.
Despite taking an early lead, the Three Lions surrendered their advantage as Roberto Mancini’s men clinched a second European title. Broken hearts across the country believed England would end the tournament curse but at least supporters experienced the feeling of an international final.
Almost 18 months on, Gareth Southgate’s side have got off to a great start in their World Cup campaign. Putting Wales to the sword 3-0 in midweek eased England into the last 16 against Senegal on Sunday.
Ahead of the clash, Manchester City ace Grealish - who scored in the opening game victory over Iran - revealed how the squad are using previous shortcomings as motivation to bring home the trophy. The 27-year-old also admitted it “is a dream come true” to represent his country in Qatar.
“When I look back on how good the Euros were and how together everyone was, it just makes us want to go one step further this time,” Grealish told England’s media channel. “When you're young, people say ‘what do you want to do when you're older?’ Mine was never to play at a World Cup.
“Something I wanted to do was play for Aston Villa, then to score against Birmingham City and then it was, like, to be captain of Aston Villa... to play in the Premier League... then it was playing for England, to play in the Euros for England, to play in the World Cup. So obviously, now that I've done all of them, it is just a dream come true.”
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