Gordon: Scoring against Argentina was the pinnacle of my career; I self-taught Spanish while at Everton

On Wednesday this week, local time, Gordon attended a pre-match press conference ahead of England's match against Spain. In the third part of the press conference (we divided it into five parts due to its length), he discussed his expectations for the match.

The two English players who performed best at the World Cup are now playing for Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Do you think that's a coincidence?

It's not a coincidence. The world's best players play for the world's best clubs; that's not random. If it were that simple, everyone could do it. So there's nothing surprising about two players at the pinnacle of football playing for top teams. I watch Bellingham's matches regularly now, and of course I hope he loses, but he's had an extremely bright start to the season. I've been monitoring him closely, and his individual form is excellent.

Next question: You'll face a match at Wembley similar to the World Cup final, taking on world champions Spain on Saturday. As a player, do you want to prove on the pitch that you deserved to be in the final? How do you plan to beat them?

That's very difficult. We can never prove that we would have won if we'd made it to the final; that's just our thinking, there's no way to verify it. This match isn't a World Cup final anyway. But we can look at it differently: this is a big clash against one of the world's strongest teams. If we don't have the motivation to show our strength against such an opponent, we'll never get the chance. Spain is an extremely strong team.

I've spoken with teammates at Barcelona, and they believe the final would have been much tighter if we'd faced Spain instead of Argentina. I think Spain was very dominant in the final, so in this match, we can show them what we're capable of. Although we can't recreate a final, playing against the world's strongest team, performing well, and winning would be enough at this stage.

You said you didn't want to talk about the semi-final anymore, but after returning to St. George's Park training base, did Tuchel conduct a review and debrief with the team?

Yes, we had a meeting on the first day of training. This was important, like the "scar" we mentioned before. We can't fool ourselves; it was a big failure, and we came very close to winning. Only after an honest discussion can we move forward. The overall atmosphere of the meeting was very positive, and the manager expressed a lot of gratitude.

For me, that summer was one of the most beautiful periods of my life, filled with unforgettable moments. I felt incredibly proud and happy. It was just a stark contrast between joy and sorrow: scoring against Argentina was the pinnacle of my career, and just 20 minutes later, I hit rock bottom. So this reflection was very necessary.

You've had a bright start in LaLiga, appearing in 5 of 6 matches and contributing 4 assists, leading the team's assist charts. However, Flick will also have high demands of you. What similarities do his coaching demands have with Tuchel's?

Both are German and place extreme emphasis on high-pressure play. Both are straightforward and sincere—they're good people. I like this direct style; I benefit when coaches tell me straight where I stand. I have a good relationship with both, and both demand a lot from their players.

After all, Tuchel coached a world-class national team, and Flick manages world-class Barcelona, so naturally they set high standards for their players. When you join Barcelona, you have to understand that every match carries enormous pressure; a draw is almost equivalent to a loss, and dropping points or poor form is unacceptable. And that's exactly the challenge I want; I crave playing on the biggest stage, so I thrive under this pressure.

Second question: Your fluent Spanish surprised everyone when you first arrived in Spain. How are you learning now? How did you pick it up so quickly? Are you using any language learning apps?

I self-taught Spanish while at Everton; it was always a goal of mine. At that time I didn't have a specialist teacher. In recent months, I hired a teacher and have made significant progress. I understand most Spanish and my speaking ability is improving.

However, understanding Spanish and speaking fluently are two completely different things. When people speak quickly, sometimes I can't keep up. I'm not yet confident enough to do press conferences in Spanish.

I want what I express to be exactly the same as what I would say in English; I want to express myself from the heart, not just recite basic, generic sentences that sound robotic and stiff. I plan to only do Spanish-language interviews when my Spanish is perfect enough.

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