Fikayo Tomori says being among the celebrations when Italy beat England in the Euro 2020 final is motivating him to play his part as the Three Lions looks to go one better at the World Cup.
Tomori has been called up to England's upcoming Nations League matches, which will include a home clash with Italy – the country in which the defender has impressed since joining Milan last year.
Having starred on loan with the Rossoneri during the second half of the 2020-21 season, Tomori completed a permanent move to San Siro last June, before making 31 Serie A appearances as Milan won their first Scudetto since in 11 years.
Tomori was left out of England's squad for Euro 2020, meaning he was in Milan when Gareth Southgate's team suffered penalty shoot-out heartbreak against Roberto Mancini's Italy last July.
And the former Chelsea defender says he will use that memory as motivation if afforded the opportunity to feature for England in Qatar later this year.
Recalling England's Wembley defeat, Tomori said: "When [Italy] equalised, I had a face on and didn't want to look too down.
"But as the penalties were going on, it was difficult to watch. I was near the Duomo [the cathedral in Milan, where fans celebrated the victory] and, in a way, it was nice to see them celebrating. I was right in the middle of it.
"But really I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I'd felt how it was in England as we advanced, it was madness. Then I saw Italy celebrate after the final and it's definitely a motivation for me.
"I have gone to Italy and seen them celebrate after the final, so I have seen both sides and I have seen how it can really be such a celebration.
"Imagine how big it would be if we were to win the Euros or the World Cup. Yes, it is definitely a motivation. Every footballer likes to win, but to see how a country reacts to it is something that motivates you."
Tomori also admitted to having taken some pleasure from Italy's failure to qualify for a second successive World Cup, as he recalled a joke played on Milan's Italian players after their play-off defeat to North Macedonia in March.
"It was a strange one," he said of the Azzurri's defeat. "In Italy, Macedonia is a fruit salad kind of thing. That's what it's called.
"I remember [Sandro] Tonali and [Alessandro] Florenzi were there, so people brought the Macedonia to the training ground. The newspapers were like 'whoa', but the people were saying 'well, we lost to a fruit salad'. It was taken as a joke, but it was a weird one. They just didn't expect to lose."
Tomori has only won two senior England caps to date, but starred as Milan conceded just eight league goals between the start of 2022 and the end of the Serie A season, keeping 11 clean sheets during that time.
But the defender is not worried by having been overlooked for past squads, saying he has simply focused on his club form and is using the successes of other foreign-based England stars as inspiration.
"I've seen [Jadon] Sancho, Tammy [Abraham], Jude [Bellingham], players who play abroad, still getting called up, so I wasn't panicking or thinking, 'what’s going to happen if I don’t get called up?' I was just focusing on my own performance and helping Milan as much as possible," he added.
"From there, if I do get called up, once I'm here it's about making sure I take the steps to stay here. That's been my mentality all the way through.
"I'm not putting too much pressure on myself, getting wound up about not being selected. It was just, 'stay calm, keep doing what I’m doing', and from there hopefully I can get in the squad."
Meanwhile, Tomori is hardly short of defensive role models in his adopted country, and says being around several "streetwise" Italian defenders has helped him develop his own game.
"I saw [Franco] Baresi after the last game, which was cool. You see different legends just flying about," he added.
"The way they are as defenders [in Italy], I wouldn't say it's personal but it's, 'I need to make sure what I'm doing is on the money and no one's getting past me'. They have that pride. There are little things the manager will tell me – make sure that you are blocking a run or that you are not allowing this to happen or making contact in the box.
"Watching [Leonardo] Bonucci and [Giorgio] Chiellini, they are very streetwise, you pick up stuff."
Bellamy earns maiden Wales win in 'toughest game of his career'
Craig Bellamy praised his players for overcoming some of the toughest conditions he has witnessed to earn him his first win as Wales head coach against Montenegro in the Nations League.
Kieffer Moore opened the scoring after just 36 seconds at the Stadion Kraj Bistrice, with Wales netting inside a minute for the first time since Robert Earnshaw in 2004.
But the Dragons doubled their advantage with two minutes and 27 seconds on the clock, this time Harry Wilson found the back of the net with a fine finish from distance.
It was the first time Wales had scored twice within the opening three minutes of a game since April 1961 against Northern Ireland to give Bellamy a dream start.
However, the conditions in Montenegro were far from ideal, with the rain-soaked pitch allowing Driton Camaj to pull one back for the hosts in the 73rd minute.
Wales were able to see out the remaining minutes to seal their first win of their Nations League campaign, building on their impressive showing against Turkiye.
"These are the toughest conditions I've been in. Nothing about coming here has been easy," Bellamy said.
"You could have had a lot of excuses about this trip. The change of venue, the travel here, a bus driver who took his time, the conditions. But sometimes you learn from it.
"There is a reason why this group have qualified for major tournaments. It wasn't a football match. The conditions weren't going to allow it."
Wales are now unbeaten in their last eight competitive fixtures (W4 D4), their longest such run since a run of 11 between September 2019 and November 2020.
Bellamy's appointment has seemingly revitalised Welsh football, with his expansive and exciting style of play catching the eyes of those across Europe.
The Dragons return to action next month when they face Iceland and Montenegro once again, something that Bellamy is already counting down the days for.
"Last night I was really excited about the game but also sad as it ends tomorrow," Bellamy said.
"What happens on Tuesday? They're all going to leave me and I don't want them to go.
"You want your first win of course and you want it quick. Longer-term I see us being able to affect games in a positive way."
France 2-0 Belgium: Dembele leads Les Bleus back to winning ways
Ousmane Dembele starred for France as Didier Deschamps' side overcame their opening day defeat to Italy with a 2-0 triumph over Belgium in the Nations League.
Randal Kolo Muani handed the hosts the advantage in the first half, with a moment of individual brilliance from Dembele rounding off a dominant display in Lyon.
France's much-changed side struggled in the opening exchanges, as Dodi Lukebakio and Kevin De Bruyne fired the early warning signs to the hosts.
But Les Bleus' slow start improved and they took the lead in the 29th minute after Dembele's scuffed effort was parried into the path of Kolo Muani to smash home, despite the best efforts of Wout Faes on the line.
From then on, Domenico Tedesco's side failed to lay a glove on their opponents, with Belgium ending the first half with two shots compared to France's 12.
The triumph was sealed by a moment of magic, with N'Golo Kante laying the ball to Dembele, who drove at the Red Devils defence before rifling a fierce left-footed effort beyond the grasp of Koen Casteels.
There was also a moment of history made in the 79th minute, with Matteo Guendouzi leaving the field to be replaced by Antoine Griezmann to claim his 137th French cap, going joint-third on their all-time list alongside Olivier Giroud.
Data Debrief: PSG(oals)
Each of France's last five goals, excluding own goals, have now been scored by players under contract at Paris Saint-Germain, the longest such run by the Les Bleus since between June and August 2003.
Dembele was a particular standout for the hosts, producing the most shots (four), shots on target (two) and touches in the opposition box (nine), with his 19 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Manu Kone (22).
Israel 0-2 Italy: Frattesi and Kean keep Azzurri perfect
Davide Frattesi continued his hot streak under Luciano Spalletti as his first-half strike helped Italy on their way to a 2-1 win over Israel in the Nations League.
Moise Kean netted his fifth international goal to double the Azzurri's advantage after the break, with substitute Mohamed Abu Fani scoring a late consolation for the hosts.
Despite a bright start from Israel, the visitors regained control of the contest as Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco threatened in the wide positions.
But a familiar face found himself on the scoresheet once again, with Frattesi netting his sixth goal under Spalletti's stewardship with a delicate chested finish from Dimarco's delivery.
Italy's dominance continued in the second half and was rewarded in the 62nd minute when Giacomo Raspadori's effort was saved by Yoav Gerafi, only for Kean to smash home the rebound.
Israel, however, threatened a nervy conclusion to proceedings as Italy's failure to clear a corner was punished by Abu Fani with a fine finish from the edge of the area, but the Azzurri were able to hold on for the victory.
Data Debrief: Young Italians take centre stage
Italy fielded five starting players born since 2000 for the first time in their history in Samuele Ricci, Raspadori, Sandro Tonali, Kean and Raoul Bellanova.
Kean registered an expected goals (xG) total of 0.56 to Italy's 1.56 total, recording the most shots (three) and touches in the opposition box (seven) for the Azzurri.
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