Djed Spence has finally ditched his facial protection mask at the World Cup.
The Tottenham defender started England’s semi-final at left-back against Argentina.
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Spence, who also came on in the second half of their quarter-final against Norway, has featured in every game at the World Cup so far despite nursing an injury.
But as the tournament has gone on, fans will notice his mask is disappeared.
Why was Spence wearing a mask?
Spence suffered a broken jaw when playing for Spurs in May in their 2-1 defeat at rivals Chelsea.
He attempted to win the ball in his own half but was clattered by the left arm of Blues striker Liam Delap.
Spence went down clutching the left side of his face, but managed to play the rest of the Premier League fixture.
The 25-year-old returned to action in their final match of the season, a 1-0 win over Everton, and wore a mask throughout the 90 minutes.
Now at the World Cup, Spence has had to wear the protective gear as he continues his recovery.
But he was seen tweaking his mask during the quarter-final win over Norway and has now seen fit to remove it altogether.
During the semi-finals, Spence was seen starring against Argentina without the mask and has seemingly been given the all clear by England’s medical team.
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“It is a little bit uncomfortable, but it is what it is,” he said, earlier in the tournament.
“I have a broken jaw, so I have to wear it throughout the tournament.
“It is something I will have to get used to. It will be three months until it is fully healed, so it is a long time.
“It was painful, but luckily I play football with my feet and not my jaw, so it is all good.
“I have been wearing it in training, getting used to wearing it in the heat, and trying to break it in properly.
“It was a crazy challenge, but it is in the past now. I’ve just got to focus on this tournament now.”
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Broken jaw? No bother
Just three days after suffering his nasty injury, Spence was officially named in the England squad for the World Cup.
He had never played for the senior national team before the arrival of head coach Thomas Tuchel in January 2025.
Spence told eSPORTY in the USA: โIt was an amazing feeling [to be picked], a surreal feeling. I’m grateful to be here. I was happy, of course.โ
When asked if he ever doubted his place after a tough season with Spurs, Spence added: โNo, not really. It’s never a given to be picked, but I wasn’t really worried.ย
โI’ve been to the last four camps and I played well and I know the manager likes me. So, no, I wasn’t really worried.โ
Spence won his 13th England cap against Argentina.
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