Donald Trump has taken aim at Thomas Tuchel's "unusual" tactics during England's heartbreaking late defeat to Argentina on Wednesday night.
Speaking at a Fifa reception at Trump Tower, the US President appeared to question the England manager's decisions after the Three Lions took the lead through Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute.
England then sat back in an attempt to protect their slender advantage, but late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez prolonged the country's wait for a first World Cup triumph since 1966.
Captain Harry Kane, who had scored six times during the tournament, dropped into a deeper position as England focused on defending their lead rather than pushing for a second goal.
Mr Trump said: “You have a great player in England who I played golf with, Harry. He’s been fantastic.
“I think they perhaps made a mistake when they made him a defensive player. What do I know about soccer?
“They took the lead, they took their best player and put him on defence.
“But what do I know about coaching. That was a little unusual. But Harry is a great guy, actually.”
The US President's remarks prompted laughter from those attending the event, including Fifa president Giovanni Infantino, who was standing alongside Mr Trump.
Mr Infantino hailed this summer's tournament in North America as the “greatest human, social and cultural event that mankind has ever witnessed”.
He told the US President: “Your administration, every single person in the White House, in the administration, in the cities, in the states, everywhere contributed to create this safe and secure and joyful environment to live something that the world has never seen."
The Fifa chief also declared that “the American Dream has become reality" as he praised the "full stadiums" seen throughout the tournament.
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Kane had already caught the President's eye following England's historic 3-2 victory over Mexico in the last 16 at the Azteca.
Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after full-time: "Harry Kane of England is a GREAT player!!!"
The US President also revealed he had previously played golf with Kane, saying: "I played golf with him and I like him a lot. He's a good golfer too. He's really great."
The striker later confirmed the pair had played together in Palm Beach, describing it as a "surreal experience".
"His golf is pretty good, to be honest with you. I hope I can play golf as good as him when I'm his age, that's for sure," Kane said.
Mr Trump is not the only person to have questioned Tuchel's tactical decisions on Wednesday night.
England players are reportedly disappointed with the manager's decision to adopt a more defensive approach against Argentina.
Several senior players are understood to have been frustrated by the tactics, with sources telling the BBC they were unhappy with the team's approach.
But Tuchel said he had "no regrets" as he blamed English football's "DNA" for the Three Lions' World Cup defeat.
He said: "In this moment, my feeling was no structure in the world could have helped us.
"Because actually we were too passive and we were not physical enough, we didn't stop runners arriving in our box and the deliveries were wrong too.
"I haven't seen the data yet, but I think just right after the goal the momentum swings completely and ball possession drops dramatically.
"We couldn't find any duels anymore; that's why we dropped deeper and deeper. It was never the plan, but it happened."
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