Harry Maguire collapsed to his knees when the final whistle signalled that England were out of the World Cup on Saturday night. England were the better side against reigning champions France in that World Cup quarter-final in Qatar, but Aurelien Tchouameni and Olivier Giroud were ruthless when converting their opportunities and that was the difference on the night.
Manchester United's Raphael Varane couldn't stop smiling while Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford looked crestfallen. Maguire is 29 years old and he looked particularly desolate, perhaps thinking this might be his last chance at a World Cup.
Gareth Southgate attempted to have words with his players on the pitch after the full-time whistle and he took a moment to comfort Maguire, who mightn't have been at the World Cup if he wasn't in charge of England.
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Maguire has been Erik ten Hag's fourth-choice centre-back this season, with Victor Lindelof, Lisandro Martinez and Varane all playing more minutes, and his inclusion in the England squad was a controversial talking point before the tournament.
Maguire has become a bizarre scapegoat for some England fans, who booed him at Wembley earlier this year, but Southgate has shown unwavering support to the centre-back and that has been admirable, especially in a turbulent period for the player.
Southgate was asked about his faith in Maguire at his press conference following the England squad announcement in November and he said: "We've had really good communication with all of the clubs in this period. We needed to know those who are playing, what their loads are, those who are playing less regularly. Some have had unbelievably intense schedules, some less so. So, we're picking up various fitness levels and we've got to get that right on the training pitch.
"We've picked our more experienced defenders, and we think at this moment in time, the younger ones have got some really good qualities. But we don't think they've quite done enough to push the more experienced ones out. We think the tournament that we're going into and the level of the matches, that needed to be the pecking order."
Southgate said Maguire's experience contributed to his selection, which was true, but he would have been within his right to say the centre-back had always delivered for him, which is undoubtedly the biggest reason behind their strong relationship.
Regardless of the noise and criticism, Maguire has reserved his best football for England and he was excellent throughout the World Cup in Qatar. Maguire was imperious at corners, resolute at the back and he played his best football for over a year.
Southgate has got the best out of Maguire - the demands of international football are different to club football - and it seems he's played a huge role in helping the United captain rediscover his form and self-belief, more importantly, during the World Cup.
“Gareth has been amazing with myself,” Maguire said after England's defeat on Saturday. “Amazing with every player. I’m sure if you asked every player, they wouldn’t be able to speak highly enough of him. His man-management [is excellent].
"The way that this team has been built and developed over a period of time. He handles everything really well and tactically he gets all the big decisions right. He has proven that again in this tournament.”
Maguire is not a bad player, as some would have you believe, and Southgate has helped Ten Hag by giving Maguire his confidence back. The player's critics suggested he would fail at the World Cup, but he vindicated Southgate's faith in every game.
The Reds' pecking order in defence should remain the same when the domestic fixtures return, but Maguire should eventually be able to leapfrog Lindelof if he returns in the same form that saw him prove his England doubters wrong this winter.
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