Jadon Sancho has admitted he is yet to fully recover from the abhorrent racist abuse he faced after the Euro 2020 final.
Sancho, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford all missed in the penalty shootout as England fell to Italy at Wembley and the trio were targeted by racist attacks on social media in the immediate aftermath, while a mural of Rashford in Manchester was vandalised.
Ahead of his return to Wembley for the upcoming Champions League final against Real Madrid, Sancho confessed he still battles against the memories of the abuse he faced.
“This is still something that’s in my head sometimes,” Sancho told CNN. “I don’t think I’ve fully recovered yet on that part, but I’m trying my best to get over that.
“The backlash we got from it, it wasn’t nice. Being in London, not in a million years I would have thought that we would have received [that], especially representing our country. It’s a memory I try to block, but I can’t act like it didn’t happen. So this is one of those memories that you got to try to get past it and be positive.
“It’s football for you. People say things in the moment I am sure they don’t mean. But they have to realise that when they say those things it does impact us. After that it was the summer break and that summer was hard. Just reflecting: ‘Why did it have to be me?’
“It felt as though we’d let our country down. I know we didn’t but that’s how it felt in the moment. Of course I saw the love. And we do appreciate it – speaking on behalf of Bukayo and Marcus. But it is still something in my head sometimes. I don’t think I have fully recovered yet but I’m trying my best.
“If you think about it, after that, the only other penalty I took was against Brighton at Wembley and I did score. It’s one of those moments when you believe in yourself. I’ve been taking penalties for a long time and I just practice and practice to get more confidence.
“I’ve never really doubted myself to take a penalty so I’d definitely be ready to take a penalty if it came up. It’s going to be a great day and a great occasion for my family.”
Just what the future holds for Sancho at club level remains to be seen. His loan with Borussia Dortmund expires after Saturday’s final and, with no purchase clause included in the agreement, he is set to return to Manchester United.
Much could depend on the fate of manager Erik ten Hag, with whom Sancho clashed earlier this season.
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