Marcus Rashford has expressed a deep sorry for missing a penalty during the England-Italy Euro final on Sunday.
His miss as well as those of other teammates like Sancho and Bukayo denied England the crest it had been chasing since 1966.
While admitting that he let the country, team and fans down, however, Rashford said he remained proud and unapologetic about being black.
He said this against the backdrop of racists attack he and the other two black lads have been subjected to since Sunday.
“I can take the critique of my performance all day long but I will never apologise for who I am,”” he said.
He noted in a post on Monday: “I don’t even know where to start and I don’t even know how to put into words how I’m feeling at this exact time.
“I’ve had a difficult season, I think that’s been clear for everyone to see and I probably went into that final with a lack of confidence.
“I’ve always backed myself for a penalty but something didn’t feel quite right. During the long run up I was saving myself a bit of time and unfortunately the result was not what I wanted.
“I felt as thought I had let my teammates down. I felt as if I’d let everyone down.
“A penalty was all I had been asked to contribute for the team. I can score penalties in my sleep so why not that one? It’s been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there’s probably not a word to quite describe how it feels.
“Final. 55 years. 1 penalty. History. All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently.
“Whilst I continue to say sorry I want to shout out my teammates. This summer has been one of the best camps I’ve experienced and you’ve all played a role in that.
