Anthony Gordon has turned a frustrating Uefa Euro 2024 into motivation for England’s run at the World Cup, insisting the disappointment has sharpened his mentality rather than damaged it.
That is an important message for Thomas Tuchel’s side before Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway in Miami. Gordon’s tournament has already carried a very different feel from the summer at Euro 2024, when he made only one appearance as an 89th-minute substitute against Slovenia in the final group match.
Gordon did not hide how much that meant to him. “I’m not going to lie … I wanted the No 11 shirt here. But when I got No 18, which is what I had at the Euros, I thought: ‘It’s actually a good thing because I get to put [things] right in that number.’ It was a waste of a summer for me [in 2024],” he said.
That is the sort of response England will want to hear from a player still trying to carve out his role on the biggest stage. Gordon has not simply spoken about frustration; he has turned it into a clear point of focus.
How Gordon is using disappointment
Gordon’s own view is that setbacks have always fed into his game. “The reason I’ll always do well is because my mentality towards disappointment is very good,” he said.
He also explained that he has been able to separate the moment from the bigger picture. “I didn’t enjoy it at the time but I can use that for experience,” he said. That matters because England need players who can absorb the pressure of international football and still produce when called upon.
At the Azteca Stadium on Sunday, Gordon was drawn into the kind of fiery atmosphere that often defines tournament football. Javier Aguirre shouted at him during England’s match against Mexico, and Gordon was happy to treat it as part of the contest.
“I remember it,” Gordon said. “It was a bit of fun. I’d just run the full-back down the line so it was a bit of a compliment from him. That’s how I took it, anyway. He was talking to me and Jude [Bellingham] throughout the game. There was a lot of tension, so to speak to me and Jude … I quite liked it.”
What England have seen from him in the World Cup
England have already seen both sides of Gordon’s World Cup involvement. In the opening match against Croatia, he barely saw the ball as England won 4-2. Against Ghana, he was poor in a stalemate. Against Panama, he was an unused substitute while Marcus Rashford played.
Then came the response against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Gordon entered in the 61st minute with England trailing 1-0, and he set up two goals for Harry Kane in a 2-1 win. That swing in influence is exactly why his mentality matters so much.
England have long needed wide players who can change the rhythm of a game, not just occupy a position. Gordon’s value is that he can play with directness, stretch a defence and help create openings when the pressure rises.
His story is also a reminder that one tournament can shape the next. For Gordon, Euro 2024 left him with frustration. For England, the hope is that he has turned that into something more useful now.
Before the Norway game in Miami, that is the encouraging part for Tuchel’s side. Gordon is not pretending the disappointment disappeared. He is saying he used it, and England may yet benefit from that at the business end of the World Cup.
