England's players briefly halted the World Cup bronze medal ceremony in Miami on Saturday, insisting reserve goalkeeper Jason Steele be called onto the podium to receive a medal after their 6-4 win over France sealed third place for Thomas Tuchel's side.
During the presentation, Steele was initially left on the periphery as FIFA officials handed bronze medals to the 26 registered players. Pitch-side footage showed Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham and Jordan Henderson quickly realising he had been overlooked.
They waved him forward and guided him towards the podium, only continuing once he joined them. Henderson then placed a medal around Steele's neck as team-mates applauded, a gesture that underlined the squad's emphasis on togetherness.
Steele's Quiet Role Behind The Scenes
Steele's name had barely surfaced outside coaching circles before the ceremony. The Brighton and Hove Albion goalkeeper was called into the squad for the final international window before the World Cup but did not make Tuchel's final 26.
The coaching staff kept him with the group as a training goalkeeper throughout the tournament in the US and Mexico, working daily with the selected keepers. At Brighton, the former Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers player has long been regarded for that unselfish work as well as his shot-stopping.
Whether the medal was officially sanctioned or arranged on the spot, the message from his team-mates was that he had been part of the campaign.
Saka's Hat-Trick And England's Ten-Goal World Cup Thriller
The Steele moment came at the end of a high-scoring third-place play-off that was played days after England's semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Declan Rice opened the scoring inside three minutes, before Ezri Konsa headed in from a corner. Bukayo Saka, left out of the starting XI against Argentina, then scored twice before half-time to make it 4-0.
France responded after the break. Kylian Mbappé scored twice, reportedly becoming the top scorer in World Cup history with 22 goals, and substitute Bradley Barcola added another to put pressure on England.
In the 87th minute, Bellingham handed his penalty to Saka, who completed his hat-trick to make it 5-3. Ousmane Dembélé pulled France back to 5-4 in added time before Bellingham ran from deep in the 98th minute to score a solo goal, his seventh of the tournament, sealing the win.
A Squad Playing With 'Broken Hearts'
The bronze medal marked England's best World Cup finish since 1966, and their best ever away from home, but it did not remove the disappointment of missing the final. Saka walked away from a BBC interview when a presenter suggested third place was 'at least' something.
Assistant manager Anthony Barry, close to tears in a half-time interview, said the team were playing with 'broken hearts' and called it an honour to watch them respond as they did.
Bellingham later shared a handwritten poem titled 'The Lion's Way', written for the squad by Michael Chandler, England's driver in Kansas, thanking travelling fans and urging the country to stay behind the group, which he said could achieve 'remarkable' things if it stayed together.
Steele now returns to Brighton ahead of a long season of domestic and European football, having spent the tournament working behind the scenes, then briefly at the centre of one of its most discussed moments.
