Sir Bobby Charlton pays tribute to England

Sir Bobby Charlton has paid tribute to England for their performance at the 2018 World Cup.

The Three Lions captured the nation's attention with a string of positive performances, but suffered a 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the semi-finals of the competition on Wednesday night.

Despite failing to make the final, Charlton - who won the World Cup in 1966 - has insisted that England can be delighted with their showing in Russia.

The 80-year-old also insisted that the future is bright under current boss Gareth Southgate.

As a former @England player, I wanted to say how proud I am of what @GarethSouthgate and his team accomplished this @FIFAWorldCup. I'm sure the players will be disappointed not to have reached the final, but there is so much to be hopeful about for the future.

— Sir Bobby Charlton (@SirBobby) July 12, 2018

Charlton scored 49 times in 106 appearances for the English national team between 1958 and 1970.