'I will definitely take penalties at the FIFA World Cup,' says Eberechi Eze
England midfielder Eberechi Eze said he would not hesitate to take a penalty for his team at the FIFA World Cup, although he recently missed a penalty in the Champions League final. He has taken it as a learning opportunity and expressed the confidence to step up whenever needed.
Eberechi Eze has said he will have no problem taking penalties for England at the FIFA World Cup. The Arsenal midfielder missed a penalty during a penalty shootout in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest last month. But Eze said he is "grateful" for the experience, and that it is a "learning" opportunity for him. Eze said that if he is called upon to take a penalty again by Thomas Tuchel, he will have no problem.
Speaking at the England camp in Kansas City, Eze spoke of the positives of a club season that ended with Arsenal winning the Premier League. “Football is full of everything and you have to try to accept it so you can enjoy it to the maximum,” Eze said. "Playing in a Champions League final is where I want to be, that's what I want to do. We'll try again next season and if the opportunity comes to take a penalty, I'll be there again."
Eze also revealed that he has received support from several other players who have missed significant penalties in their careers, and cited the examples of Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, who missed penalties in the 2020 European Championship final but remain vital parts of the England team.
Eze said, "All the big players have missed big penalties, they've experienced moments like that. I've gotten messages from everyone talking about those moments. For me, it's not something I wish didn't happen. I'm grateful for it. I'll grow from it, learn from it and move on."
Eze faced some criticism over his slow run for his penalty, which he hit wide of goal, but he said he would not change anything. "I've taken penalties for a long time and it's a part of the journey," he said. "You have to keep improving, finding new ways to improve. I won't stress too much about it because I know I'm in this position for a reason, and I have all the training behind it."
So if England are put into a shootout situation in the knock-out rounds, Eze raises his hand. "If I get called, definitely," Eze said, when asked if he would take a penalty again. "Why wouldn't I do that?"