England did not win the World Cup but they did manage to inspire and unite a country that has often felt divided of late. A large part of their impact and charm over the last few weeks has been the way they have handled themselves on social media, their preferred means of communicating with fans. The players were humble, open and at times very funny. Over the last 12 hours, as they come to terms with their defeat to Croatia and what they have achieved at the World Cup, they have been expressing their emotions to fans, each other, their manager and the country.
It hurts a lot. It will hurt for a while. We can be proud and we'll be back. Thanks for all your support. #ThreeLions #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/mJKOWtAOlK
— Harry Kane (@HKane) July 11, 2018
Was an honour to represent my country at the world cup. The squad we have is a great bunch of lads who are willing to learn and give everything and we can hold our heads high. Thank you to everyone who supported our journey 👏🏾 we dont stop here! ⬆ #ThreeLions 🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/QuZ6XOmgOj
— Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) July 11, 2018
Devastated. Absolutely gutted. Thanks to the fans for your incredible support. 🏴🦁❤️ pic.twitter.com/8fiWVdXrAY
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) July 11, 2018
Want to say a special thank you to the whole country for the support we've received so far, it's means to much to me and the whole team! 🦁🏴 pic.twitter.com/YNPy64RpI0
— Dele (@dele_official) July 8, 2018
I’m still heartbroken and never felt so gutted. But there’s something I want to say. This past month, I’ve seen videos going around, photos been sent to me. That felt so good for us here in Russia, and united us more and more, just like it did in our country. pic.twitter.com/6pY10XaXZq
— Kyle Walker (@kylewalker2) July 12, 2018
You’ve brought belief and the love of football back. Thank you boss from the whole nation ❤️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/2meUAFlIN5
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) July 12, 2018
Last night hurt and will for a while but we must take positives from the last few weeks and look forward to the future.What a great set of @England teammates and staff, it's been a journey we can be proud of. Thank you to all the fans out here and back home for your support🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/Aw43gMvg4K
— Kieran Trippier (@trippier2) July 12, 2018