While all around SKY Sports were hyperventilating, and Jim White was texting, ringing, speculating and guessing on the final day of the transfer window, a story of interest was quietly appearing on the UEFA website. That being that from now on players who have made 100 or more appearances for their national team will receive an award from UEFA consisting of a commemorative cap and medal, with the awards also being backdated for historical century makers, of which before the international matches a week last Friday there were 109 players across Europe, with Germany being the current leaders in the field with nine centurions.
As a rule the award will be presented to each player by the president of their national football association, with UEFA president Michel Platini commenting on the introduction of the award: “I think it is a fantastic idea, any player who has played 100 or more times for his or her country definitely deserves recognition by the football fraternity. Presenting the player with a cap and medal at forthcoming national team matches will highlight their achievement, while helping to re-focus public attention on the importance of national team football.”
Some teams will of course be well ahead of others as far as historical caps and matches are concerned with the break-up of parts of Eastern Europe over the last couple of decades. Infact of the 53 countries under the UEFA banner, 17 are missing a centurion with ten of those being from Eastern Europe, the 17 being Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, San Marino, Slovenia and Wales. Meanwhile, four of the remaining seven are minnows in national European competition, and one is relative newcomers Israel, along with Belgium and Wales whose most capped players are Jan Ceulemans (96) and Neville Southall (92) respectively.
As far as England are concerned we currently have five players who are sitting over the 100 cap mark, with the quintet being Peter Shilton (125), David Beckham (115), Bobby Moore (108), Sir Bobby Charlton (106) and Billy Wright (105). When you look down the list of current England internationals chasing down that magic 100 figure, and all cap numbers are up to date after the Wales match this week, Ashley Cole is the current leader with 91 while Steven Gerrard has 89, Frank Lampard 88, Rio Ferdinand 81 and Wayne Rooney 72, those five the only Englishmen still currently playing, Beckham aside, who have over 70 caps.
When you look at that quintet you’d have to say that Ashley Cole and Wayne Rooney are the two players most likely to overtake Peter Shilton’s record of 125 caps. Cole is still only 30 and has just 35 caps to go, along with there being little competition for his place at left-back while Rooney may be 54 caps away but considering he has already picked up 72 caps in eight years by the still young age of 25 there is every chance he could push 150 caps if he remains injury-free and his form continues to dictate that he is one of the first names on the England teamsheet.
The other three? Well, you’d have to say that all of them aren’t automatic choices any more, and that they are also the wrong side of 30 with Lampard being 33, Ferdinand 32 and Gerrard 31. So, it looks extremely likely that younger models coming in plus that trio now being at the age where injuries become more regular will stop any of them overtaking Shilton at the top of the tree. Shilton’s career span with England lasting 20 years and also often seeing him vying with Ray Clemence (61 caps) for the number one spot in the national side.
As for the other British Isles centurions, well Scotland have Kenny Dalglish who just crept in with 102 caps while Northern Ireland also have only one representative, in Pat Jennings on a bumper 119 caps. Down in the Republic though they have four centurions, the quartet being Shay Given (116), Robbie Keane (111), Kevin Kilbane (110) and Steve Staunton (102). The most capped player in European international football over the years? No, I didn’t get it either, even though he did play for Bristol Rovers for three years, it’s Latvia’s Vitalijs Astafjevs with a massive 167 caps. As for the World as a whole it’s now retired Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea on 178 caps. Beat that Rooney.