England and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford apologised for his penalty shootout miss but said he “will never apologise for who I am” after he was one of three players subjected to racist abuse following England’s Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.
Rashford, along with Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka missed their spot-kicks.
All three were targeted on social media after the game.
“I felt as if I’d let everyone down,” Rashford wrote in a statement.
The 23-year-old 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.”
A mural in Rashford’s hometown of Withington was defaced after his penalty miss, before it was covered in messages of support.
Earlier on Monday, England boss Gareth Southgate said the racist abuse issued after the defeat was “unforgivable”, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Football Association have also condemned it.
The Metropolitan Police is investigating the abuse and said “it will not be tolerated”, while the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) has also launched an investigation.
