In a heartfelt appearance on The Overlap podcast, Kyle Walker reflected on the painful moments of his international career with England national football team before confirming a major new chapter both internationally and at club level as reported via their official x handle.
During the conversation, The interviewer asked:
is that the game that hurts you most, the Italy game at Wembley, out of your England careers or the Spain one in, obviously, the last tournament?
Kyle Walker responded:
I think the Wembley one. The Wembley one hurt the most.
The interviewer added:
Just- ‘Cause it was so ramped up for it, wasn’t it?
Kyle Walker replied:
Yeah. I think everything obviously being at Wembley. The way obviously we’ve conceded the equalizer, where we haven’t conceded… I think we had a stat up for God knows how long that we didn’t concede a set play goal for God knows how many matches. The one game where we don’t wanna concede a set play goal, we go and concede one.
The interviewer responded:
Yeah.
Kyle Walker continued:
And just the magnitude of the game. Yeah. You know, af- especially after the Champions League final, of losing that, you kinda wanna bounce back and go and win- Yeah …something for your country. You get so close, and then it’s decided by penalties. That was the cruel one.
The interviewer added:
Yeah.
Kyle Walker concluded:
I think Spain was definitely the better team, and I think that they should have won that tournament. Yeah. But I think that one, to lose it on pens, it’s kind of, ugh, kind of a sour taste.
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Walker admitted that England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy national football team at Wembley remains the most difficult moment of his career.
According to the veteran defender, the atmosphere at Wembley made the loss even harder to accept because the team believed they were so close to lifting the trophy in front of their own supporters.
He particularly regretted England conceding from a set piece, explaining that the squad had gone a long stretch without allowing a goal from that situation before Italy equalised. The eventual penalty shootout defeat left what Walker described as a “sour taste.”
Walker also reflected on England’s defeat in the Euro 2024 final against Spain national football team, admitting Spain were the better team that night and deserved their victory. However, he emphasized that losing to Italy on penalties felt more cruel because England had been so close to winning.
Shortly after discussing those memories, Walker officially announced his retirement from international football, ending his England career with 96 caps. During his time with the Three Lions, he was a key figure under Gareth Southgate, helping the team reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final and two European Championship finals.
The defender is now preparing for a new stage of his career after completing a surprising move to Burnley on a two-year deal. The transfer marks a return to the North West for the experienced right-back, who is expected to bring leadership and top-level experience to Burnley as they aim to strengthen their position in the Premier League.
Softfootball reported that Walker’s decision to step away from international football was also influenced by his desire to focus fully on this new club chapter and spend more time with his young family.
