FORMER Saints striker Rickie Lambert says the World Cup has provided him with the best and worst moments of his career.

The 32-year-old’s rise from obscurity has been well documented. His remarkable story continued this summer with a move to boyhood club Liverpool after his place in England’s 23-man squad heading to Brazil was confirmed.

However, England’s stay in Brazil has been short and unpleasant, with defeats to Italy and Uruguay meaning their elimination from the competition is already confirmed with a game still to play.

All that is left is Tuesday’s dead rubber against surprise package Costa Rica before they fly home at the end of a frustrating tournament.

“It’s a difficult scenario to be in, everyone’s disappointed about what’s happened and the fact that we’ve got one more game left,” said Lambert, who came on as a substitute in the defeat to Uruguay.

“But we’ve got to be professional and we’ve got to give our best and get three points to finish on a high against Costa Rica.

“It’s been the best experience of my career and probably the worst experience at the same time.

“It’s always difficult being an England fan and getting knocked out, but this time being involved is devastating to get knocked out at an early stage.

“It was probably the worst moment of my career when the final whistle went and we were knocked out of the World Cup,” he added.

“It was horrible. Maybe I might look back in years to come and think ‘I’ve played in a World Cup’, that will live with me forever. But I can’t remember any moments that are as bad as that.”