Bukayo Saka revealed that Jude Bellingham encouraged him to take a penalty before he completed a hat-trick in England’s 6-4 win over France.
Saka returned to the starting lineup for the bronze final after being an unused substitute in the semi-final defeat to Argentina.
The Arsenal forward scored twice in the first half as England built a commanding lead with four goals before the break.
France responded with three goals from Kylian Mbappe and Bradley Barcola, cutting the deficit to one with 30 minutes remaining.
After France missed several clear chances, England were awarded a penalty when Djed Spence was fouled by Malo Gusto.
Bellingham, a second-half substitute, initially took the ball but handed it to Saka, who converted to complete his hat-trick.
Bellingham later scored a solo goal in added time as England secured a 6-4 victory and third place at the tournament.
At full time, Saka said Bellingham had insisted he take the penalty to claim his hat-trick and offered no distraction.
He described the match as a crazy game and expressed pride in delivering the country’s best World Cup finish in 60 years.
Saka started only two matches before the play-off after arriving with an Achilles injury from the club season.
The 24-year-old said he felt fit and would have preferred more minutes but chose to let his performances speak.
He defended manager Thomas Tuchel amid criticism following the semi-final loss, calling external noise part of the game.
Saka said the team built momentum across the tournament and, despite falling short, must hold their heads high and look forward.
