Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has expressed her support for Marcus Rashford and the England squad after their Euro 2020 Final defeat.
The Three Lions came up just short in their first major final in 55 years, losing on penalties to Italy after a 1-1 draw.
But some of the reaction has gone beyond football, with a number of players subjected to racist abuse including Manchester United star Rashford, who along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka came up short from 12 yards.
The striker commented on his missed penalty on Monday night with a remarkably honest and touching open letter posted to Twitter.
It read: "During the long run up I was saving myself a bit of time and unfortunately the result was not what I wanted.
"I felt as though I had let my teammates down. I felt as if I'd let everyone down.
"A penalty was all I'd been asked to contribute for the team. I can score penalties in my sleep so why not that one?
"It's been playing in my head over and over since I struck the ball and there's probably not a word to quite describe how it feels. Final. 55 years. 1 penalty. History.
"All I can say is sorry. I wish it had gone differently. Whilst I continue to say sorry I want to shoutout my teammates."
Sturgeon was taken aback by the heartfelt message and cast aside the traditional international rivalry to offer her support.
She replied: "Forget football rivalry…these young @England players are a credit to their country, to sport and to basic decency."
Rashford also commented on a mural in Withington which had been defaced – before the local community covered the affected area with positive notes.
"I've felt no prouder moment than wearing those three lions on my chest and seeing my family cheer me on in a crowd of 10s of thousands," he added. "I dreamt of days like this.
"The messages I've received today have been positively overwhelming and seeing the response in Withington had me on the verge of tears.
"The communities that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up. I'm Marcus Rashford, 23 year old, black man from Withington and Wythenshawe, South Manchester. If I have nothing else I have that."
