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Marc Guehi is one of only a handful of players to have scored goals in a major final for England and will now be hoping his experience of winning the Under-17 World Cup will come in handy when the team faces Spain at Euro 2024 on Sunday.
Against the same opposition in 2017, Guehi scored a goal to help India secure the under-17 title with a 5-2 victory.
Phil Foden also scored two goals in the win and Conor Gallagher came off the bench to score a hat-trick for Gareth Southgate’s back-to-back Euro finalists and World Cup winners, who are currently in Germany.
“Very fond memories,” Guehi said after being shown video of his desperate finish for England’s fourth goal of the match.
“We played against a really strong Spanish team and they have some players who still play now who were playing then so it’s great for them.”
“It’s a great memory. It’s a great memory for myself, Phil, Conor and everyone involved. It’s great that we can be involved in that game and now this game.”
England have been underdogs in each of their Euro 2024 knockout matches, but the situation is not unknown to the trio of World Cup winners, who were part of the team that came back from two-goal deficit to beat Spain in Kolkata.
“I remember coming down the tunnel and seeing us score just before half-time and them with their heads down,” Guehi recalled.
When it comes to soccer, there are so many little things you can learn from losses, wins and events that happen in a game.
Mark Guehi
“I think this was the right moment for us to speak up and say, ‘OK, this won’t happen again.'”
“It showed the resilience of the team at that time to get through such tough moments for us, especially as kids, and then to come back and play against the exact same team so soon afterwards and get over that disappointment was fantastic.
“I’m used to playing tournament football and being away from my family and having that experience at a young age means I’m used to it so I’m less likely to get homesick.
“When it comes to football, there are definitely a lot of little things you can learn from losses, wins and things that happen in a game.
“It’s going to be very different on Sunday, but it’s still great to look back on and I’m grateful to be here today.”
The 23-year-old Guehi had never played a senior game for England until this summer but has thrived alongside John Stones at the heart of Southgate’s defence.
It has not all been plain sailing, however, as the Crystal Palace defender was booked against Slovakia – his second of the tournament – and was ruled out of the quarter-final win over Switzerland on penalties.
“I didn’t know. I just thought, ‘I need to be prepared, that’s the most important thing,'” Guehi admitted when asked if he worried that this was the end of his tournament.
“I didn’t actually know I was suspended until my mates told me after the Slovakia game, but we are a team and it was clear throughout the tournament that everyone who was asked to do their job and give their best.
“At that time, Ezri (Konsa) said, ‘Leave it to me, show me what you can do,’ and I tried to take over where he left off.”
“I’m just having fun. It does make me nervous, but at least for me, I’m just trying to use those emotions to help me.”
“I can’t speak for other people. I definitely get nervous, but when I do get nervous I try to use it to help me in some way.”