John Stones truly felt England could win the World Cup and has yet to process the devastating semifinal loss to Argentina ahead of their bronze medal meeting with France.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were within minutes of becoming the first English men’s team to reach the global showpiece since Sir Alf Ramsey’s heroes triumphed in 1966.
But Enzo Fernández cancelled out Anthony Gordon’s second-half strike with five minutes to go on Wednesday, before substitute Lautaro Martínez delivered a knockout stoppage-time blow as England lost 2-1.
The wounds remain raw as Tuchel’s team attempt to refocus on facing France in Saturday’s third-place play-off in Miami rather than preparing to take on Spain in the following day’s final.
“I think everyone’s been allowed that grace period and is still going through suffering, pain,” defender Stones said. “A lot of things, a lot of emotions that are very natural to everyone.
“I think us as players can get quite fixated on anger or frustration from personal situations, circumstances throughout that game.
“But very quick to forget how proud we should be, or I am of every single person within our camp, our squad. The effort, the sacrifice, everything that that goes into it — not just players — that has got us to this point.
“The love and the belief and the support from back home. The fans in the stadium. All the moments, all the memories that that have been incredible throughout this journey.
“I think the nature of the game and the nature of us as players is we take things very personally, and that’s why we are where we are and why we are always striving for better, striving for more, and rightly so.
“We were all on the same path and the same wavelength, the same belief that we could get to the very end of this and believe that we could win it and I think everyone felt that.
“That’s why to go out in a semi-final hurts even more because we believe so much and didn’t get to where we believe we should be.”
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Stones has been a key player during all of England’s recent near misses, from the 2018 run to the World Cup semifinals and quarterfinal defeat to France four years later to the back-to-back Euros final losses.
The 32-year-old, who left Manchester City at the end of the season, has no intention to call time on his international career “any time soon” and is trying to raise himself for Miami.
“My feeling or recollection of the game is so blurred still,” Stones said. “I’m in a state of all emotions, really.
“A lot of time since the game to reflect, play scenarios over in my head and it’s very easy to say ‘what if?’ and what we could have done, and me personally as well if I was in different positions.
“Yeah, it’s a tough thing to kind of get over or digest straight away and that’s the position and the cruel position that we’re in right now.
“I think it’ll become apparent and clear once the emotions die down.
“I think [France] coming round so quick is another good focus for us to go and get a bronze medal. Something that I’ve not been able to do.”
