David Beckham has congratulated England for reaching the Euro 2022 final and thanked them for "inspiring" his daughter Harper.
The former England men's captain said the Lionesses' performances had been "so uplifting" as he wished them luck in the remainder of the tournament. Goals from Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo and Fran Kirby secured a 4-0 semi-final victory over Sweden at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night, taking the team to a sold-out Wembley for the final on Sunday.
Writing on his Instagram story following the win, Beckham wrote: "What a night, congratulations to the girls." He also shared his "favourite picture on a special night" which showed forward Rachel Daly dancing in an England cowboy hat on the pitch.
In a video message released before the semi-final, Beckham said: "Hey, Lionesses, it's David here. I just wanted to send you a message, firstly to say congratulations on an incredible tournament so far, it's been so uplifting, it's been so exciting, and it's been so inspiring.
"And for me personally, you know I have a daughter, so for her to be inspired by you girls and your performances has been incredible." He continued: "But it's not just the girls that are getting inspired, the boys are getting inspired as well by this and we all know that when big tournaments come around our country and our fans get behind us like no other. It really has uplifted the whole country."
Of the semi-final, he added: "We're all excited to see it and I know there's one person that is really excited to see it and that is my daughter, Harper. So thank you for inspiring her and good luck girls."
The Manchester United legend was one of many celebrities congratulating Sarina Wiegman's side, as Prince William offered his appraisal on Twitter. The Duke of Cambridge, who is the president of the Football Association, wrote: "The entire country is so proud of everything you're achieving. We believe in you and will be with you all the way!"
Current England men's captain Harry Kane also tweeted his congratulations, as did Three Lions teammate Raheem Sterling. "Yesss Lionesses," Kane wrote. "Bring on the final."
Now it's down to Wiegman and co to produce again on an even bigger stage and post-match, the Dutch coach heaped praise on her team. "I think they have shown a couple of times they are very resilient," Wiegman affirmed. "We didn't start well, we had a hard time. We found a way. The players in the game found a way to get out of their pressure. I’m so incredibly proud of them.
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"They're singing and the music is on. We've had a little celebration and then tomorrow we will recover and prepare for the final. We want to inspire the nation and make a difference. I think that's what we're doing. We want to make the country proud of us."
The Lionesses will face in France or Germany in the final, but Wiegman isn't seemingly fussed about who comes out on top in Milton Keynes on Thursday. "I don't care (who England will play)," she said. "It doesn't matter who is in front us."
