England keeper David Seaman has paid tribute to Three Lions fans, revealing how 5,000 letters of support received after England’s World Cup match against Brazil had helped him to recover from the personal torment.
Seaman has vowed not to let the incident ``destroy'' his career, while insisting that even the enormous pain did not compare with having been rejected by Leeds as a youngster.

The 38-year-old keeper was – like so many fans - in tears at the end of England's quarter-final defeat by Brazil.

However, thousands of letters of support then started to flood in and Seaman, who became something of a national hero with his penalty saves at Euro '96, was buoyed by the level of public backing.

``The response has been fantastic. I've had letters from all over the place. I've just got to say a big thank you to all those people who have been in touch,'' he revealed.

``It really made a difference and has genuinely helped me over the past couple of months.

``The reception I got when we came back from Japan also helped massively. At the time, my mind was all over the place.

``I didn't know what I was going to do but I went away and had a great time on holiday in Portugal and everybody I met, and all the letters, were really nice.''
Asked if this summer was the toughest time of his career, he told Arsenal's official programme: ``We were doing really well at the World Cup and I've always wanted to win something with England, so it's hard.

``But I wouldn't say it was the toughest time. That was definitely when I was rejected by Leeds, there really is no comparison with that.

``This summer is fresher in my mind but that is the life of a goalkeeper. If I was to carry on playing for the next five or six years then it will happen again. It's how you react afterwards which is important.

``You have to react positively and get on with life. You can't let it destroy you and I feel great now.”

That will certainly come as good news to England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson as he begins to finalise his plans with a view to selecting his first squad of the new season for the match against Portugal at Villa Park on September 7.

The squad announcement will take place in the week building up to match. TheFA.com will bring you the news first and fastest.