Bukayo Saka declared himself fully fit and admitted he wished he had featured more at the World Cup after scoring a hat trick in England's thrilling 6–4 victory over France in the third-place playoff.

Saka, who started only two of England's seven matches before the playoff and was an unused substitute in the semifinal loss to Argentina, stole the show on Saturday night. Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa, and Jude Bellingham also got on the scoresheet as England secured their best World Cup finish since lifting the trophy in 1966.

"Of course, I would love to have played more," Saka told the BBC. "But it's too late to talk about that. I try to do my talking on the pitch and it's done now—move on."

He made his fitness clear: "I'm fit, I'm fit."

England manager Thomas Tuchel explained his decision to limit Saka's minutes, saying: "Bukayo is a key player for me. He was ready to go at the World Cup. I felt the responsibility, as a coach, and with his history of where he came from, to take it slow. But he started some matches. It was a tough decision to leave him out of the semifinal. I had a feeling that Morgan Rogers had something special to give with his physicality against Argentina. Nothing has changed in this World Cup for me. Bukayo is a fantastic teammate, a fantastic player, key player, fast. That will not change."

Saka dismissed criticism of Tuchel, saying: "That's just part of the game. It's how you react to it, how you use it as fuel. Today we finished strong, and that's all we could really do."

England's third-place finish marked their best tournament result in 60 years. "As a collective, we discussed that we deserve to finish strong," Saka said. "We deserve to finish in the highest position England have had for 60 years. This group deserves nothing less."

He added: "On a personal level, I have worked so hard to get myself ready for this tournament and be available to produce moments like that. There are only three other Englishmen who have done it [scored a World Cup hat trick]. I am proud of myself."

Despite the achievement, Saka admitted the semifinal loss still stung: "I don't think anything can lessen the pain from the other night. That one really hurt us. But this game was about finishing strong. We've got that mentality—that's never been a problem for us. We have togetherness. We can be proud of ourselves."

Djed Spence added: "For it to be the best since 1966 is an honour. Tuchel is a great manager, and we've built something special. It's not what we wanted, but it's a stepping stone. Hopefully, at the next tournament, we can bring something home."