England’s defender Harry Maguire has revealed the squad has got the belief that they can go all the way in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022. The Three Lions will face a tough challenge against the reigning champions France in the quarterfinal on Saturday at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Maguire stated the team was content after reaching the semifinal in Russia in the 2018 World Cup but he added this team has more hunger to win the title.
“That’s the one thing I’d say is a lot different from the 2018 squad. I played when we got to the semi-final and a lot of the lads were happy. You knew that whatever happened in that semi-final, you’d go home and be classed as a hero; you’d get a good reception, and everyone would be patting you on the back. Now there’s a belief that we’ve got to win this tournament,” Maguire told The Guardian in an interview prior to the team’s quarter-final against France.
Argentina, Netherlands, Morocco, Portugal, Brazil, and Croatia are the other six teams that have qualified for the quarterfinals. The Manchester United center-back added that at least six teams will have the same belief as them to lift the coveted trophy.
“Of course, we know how tough it is going to be. There are probably five or six teams with the same belief. But in 2018 we probably weren’t one of those teams. Now there’s five or six who have that belief and we’re one of them,” Maguire further added.
Meanwhile, Maguire wasn’t in the best of forms for Manchester United in the recent past, which had raised questions about his place in the World Cup. However, England’s boss Gareth Southgate has backed Maguire and he has delivered in the World Cup. Maguire has been solid in defense and he has also provided one assist.
“You pick up bits and bobs and maybe my family read things more than me. I tell them to stay off social media – maybe they don’t because it’s a habit for most people these days. But I’m 29 years old, I’m the captain of Manchester United and I’ve made 52 appearances for my country. I’m doing everything I always wanted to do. During a career there’s only probably Lionel Messi and Cristiano [Ronaldo] who’ve not had a dip. There’s no way, especially with all the scrutiny that is on defenses these days, you’re not going to have dips. It’s how you bounce back from them,” Maguire said in the interview.
