Harry Kane said England's World Cup exit was the most painful near miss yet due to the manner of a semifinal collapse to Argentina that "wasn't us as a team."
The wounds from the agonising late loss remain raw as Thomas Tuchel's group reconvenes 10 weeks on for the start of their Nations League campaign and quest to become Euro 2028 champions.
England's latest attempt to bounce back from heartbreak begins on Saturday at Wembley against Spain, who beat them in the last European Championship final and would have awaited in the World Cup final.
Kane could not bear to watch July's title decider and instead distracted himself with a round of golf in New York having been left to stew on missing out on a place in the nearby MetLife Stadium showpiece.
"I'm so passionate about England, especially because I have been on this journey now," the long-serving skipper said.
"I have been to the finals, to semifinals and been so close. Each one hurts in a different way. This one hurt, for sure. More than any other one.
"I would probably say even more than when I missed a penalty in Qatar [in the quarterfinal against France] just in the manner that it happened.
"It just felt like it wasn't us as a team. It wasn't the team that we wanted to be and said we'd be.
"I think sometimes when you maybe go against your beliefs and you lose, it feels 10 times worse than just losing in a way where if we lose doing it our way you accept it, take it on the chin and move on.
"It's tough and it will still be tough. You have to move on."
Kane said the pain from such disappointments "stays with you" and must act as fuel as England players and staff try to find how they can be both better and themselves in the biggest moments.
"It's something that we haven't quite been able to do in latter stages of tournaments against the bigger nations and the better nations," the 121-cap striker said.
"And it may be a mixture of things. It may be personalities, it may be mentality, it may be just the direction and how we want to play in those games.
"I think it's conversations that we need to have as a group and team. Not just sit down but as we gradually go through these next games, through this next period of the Nations League, which we want to try and win.
"We want to try and take that next step because I think that'll be an important step for us as a team.
"I know there's a perception that the Nations League maybe not being as important, but when you haven't won for so long I think just the feeling of winning a trophy with England could then catapult us going into the Euros in a couple of years."
Tuchel's side begin that cycle without a variety of players, with five withdrawals compounding existing injuries for the four-game meet-up.
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Kane suggested in November 2024 that some had forgotten the importance of representing England, but this time stressed he did "not want to make it make it a big thing" about withdrawals.
The Bayern Munich striker, who was left a voice note by the absent Declan Rice, said: "Look, everyone has their own situation.
"I know how tough the summer was and I know especially in the Premier League how gruelling that schedule is.
"I'm in a different situation now where I have the winter break and I have moments to recharge and refresh. Some of the players don't get that.
"Everyone has to look after themselves and put themselves first, and I trust all the boys."
