David Beckham suffered World Cup heartbreak in his own career (Picture: Getty)

David Beckham says England can ‘walk away with their heads held high’ after a World Cup quarter-final defeat to France and has paid tribute to ‘true leader’ Harry Kane following a cruel night for the striker.

The Three Lions suffered more World Cup heartbreak on Saturday as Gareth Southgate’s side slipped to a 2-1 defeat to defending champions France.

England appeared to have the upper hand after a Kane penalty cancelled out Aurelien Tchouameni’s first-half goal to equal Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring record.

But France retook the lead through former Arsenal and Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud, before Tottenham striker Kane blazed over a spot-kick that would have sent the quarter-final to extra-time.

The defeat means England have now reached a major quarter-final, semi-final and final under Southgate, but left each tournament empty-handed.

Beckham, who is an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup, was in the stands at the Al Bayt Stadium as England were sent home by France.

The Manchester United legend believes England should be proud of their performances in Qatar and has praised ‘true leader’ Kane for twice stepping up in the pressure moment.

‘Our boys will continue to grow,’ Beckham said on Instagram. ‘It’s always the worst feeling waking up after being knocked out of a tournament but our players , Gareth the staff and all our fans can be proud of this team.

‘It takes a true leader to step up in these moments and that’s what our captain did, the next time it will be a different ending. We walk away with our heads held high.’

Beckham, who also played for Real Madrid and LA Galaxy, made 115 appearances for England but also left multiple major tournaments disappointed.

Southgate was appointed England manager in 2016 and has a contract until after the Euro 2024 finals.

But the 52-year-old said he would ‘review and reflect’ on his side’s World Cup quarter-final exit with the Football Association before making a decision on his future.

‘These tournaments take a lot out of you and I need time to reflect,’ Southgate said. ‘We’ve done that after every tournament and that’s the right thing to do.’

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‘Our boys will continue to grow.’