Welbeck and Lallana open up on what it’s like to play for England at international tournaments

The 2020 European Championship is well underway and it’s promising to be one of the most open and exciting international tournaments in years.

Once again, England fans are convinced ‘it’s coming home’ but perhaps they have more reason than most to be confident this time around. Gareth Southgate has a talented young squad at his disposal and England kicked-off the group stages with a solid 1-0 win over Croatia.

The Three Lions are currently priced at 6/1 by Betway behind France to win the entire competition, so it’s no wonder the passionate fans are full of optimism this summer.

With another major football tournament underway, Betway have been speaking to some international football players such as Danny Welbeck, Adam Lallana, Lukasz Fabianski and William Carvalho to discuss what it’s like to represent your country at international competitions.

Welbeck spent much of his career playing for Manchester United and Arsenal, and he was an England regular during his prime having scored 16 goals in his 42 caps. Welbeck represented England at four major tournaments having been named in the squads for Euro 2012 and 2016 as well as the 2014 and 2018 World Cups.

Adam Lallana also has plenty of experience playing for his country after being capped 34 times for England. The former Liverpool and Southampton midfielder was part of the 2014 World Cup squad and scored three times for his country during his career.

Welbeck and Lallana spoke about how proud they were to represent their country and to have the entire nation behind them during tournaments. Welbeck also described how he was taught during his time at the Manchester United Academy to use the pressure of big occasions as a positive.

Fabianski has played 56 times for Poland and represented his nation at several tournaments. The goalkeeper says it’s always ‘special’ to play for your country and to hear the national anthem before the game, which makes it feel like the match matters a little bit more than a normal game.

White Welbeck, Lallana and Fabianski all have experience in playing international football; none have ever won a trophy with their country. However, the same cannot be said of Real Betis midfielder William Carvalho as he was part of the Portugal squad that won Euro 2016. Carvalho described it as an unforgettable experience and one which he’ll never forget.

As you can tell from the video below, playing for your country at international tournaments means the world to footballers and creates lifelong memories. It’s going to be interesting to see which footballers make their name at Euro 2020 this summer but one thing is for sure, they’ll all enjoy themselves.