Marcus Rashford said he was "on the verge of tears" to see the community response after racist abuse directed at England's players.
In a moving post, the Three Lions star said he "didn't even know where to start" or how to put into words how he was feeling.
The Manchester United forward also apologised to fans for missing a penalty in England's Euro 2020 final against Italy.
He wrote on Twitter: "“I’ve grown into a sport where I expected to read things written about myself. Whether it be the colour of my skin, where I grew up, or, most recently, how I decide to spend my time off the pitch" - in reference to his campaign against homelessness and child hunger in the UK.
He added: “I can take critique of my performance all day long, my penalty was not good enough, it should have gone in but I will never apologise for who I am and where I came from. 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.
“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.
“For all the kind messages thank you. I’ll be back stronger. We’ll be back stronger.”
More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling for racist abuse to carry a lifetime ban from England football matches.
Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were inundated with racist messages immediately after the penalty shootout at Wembley Stadium.
England manager Gareth Southgate and the Football Association condemned the comments sent to the players over social media while fans across the country have voiced their support for the trio.
The petition, entitled 'Ban racists for life from all football matches in England', was set up by anti-racism campaigner Shaista Aziz and her friends under the name of the Three Hijabis.
What do you think of this story? Join the debate below
