David Beckham has hailed England captain Harry Kane as a "true leader" following his costly penalty miss as the Three Lions crashed out of the World Cup.

Kane had earlier scored from the spot to draw England level against France but, with six minutes remaining, was unable to repeat the trick after Olivier Giroud had given the reigning world champions the lead again.

Beckham says Kane and his team-mates can be proud of the performance, and back commended manager Gareth Southgate and his staff for their work with the squad.

"Our boys will continue to grow," he posted 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."

He added on Kane: 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."