Beckham Wins 100th England Cap
David Beckham Is The Fifth Player To Win 100 England Caps
Apr 2, 2008
David Beckham received his 100th cap on March 26th 2008, when he took his place in the England side against France at the Stade de France.
A tepid contest saw France victorious thanks to a penalty from Frank Ribery following a foul on Nicolas Anelka by England goalkeeper David James. Beckham played just over an hour but his low-key performance was in keeping with the game as a whole, with his 38th minute booking for a shirt tug on Ribery perhaps his most memorable contribution.
Whether Beckham will add to his three-figure haul will be a choice manager Fabio Capello will ponder in the forthcoming weeks. Critics have said the former captains move to Major League Soccer in the US, to play for LA Galaxy, will undermine his chances of furthering an international career that began with a 3-0 victory over Moldova on September 1st 1996.
David Beckham is the fifth player to receive a hundred international caps and joins an illustrious elite of England greats.
Billy Wright – 105 caps (1946-1959)
Billy Wright was a defender who played for England during the World Cups of 1950, 1954 and 1958. He captained 90 times, was the first footballer in the World to reach 100 caps, and had the remarkable record of never being booked or sent off during his entire career.
He played domestically for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English first division and led them to three titles in 1954, 1958 and 1959 as well as the FA Cup in 1949.
He died from pancreatic cancer in September 1994, aged 70.
Bobby Charlton – 106 caps (1958-1970)
A survivor of the 1958 Munich air disaster, which saw the deaths of 23 people including six of his Manchester United team mates, Bobby Charlton was known in his playing days as an attacking midfielder with a thunderous shot in either foot.
A vital member of the 1966 World Cup winning side, he also played in the 1962 and 1970 tournaments. He scored 49 goals for his country, and retired from the international game after the 3-2 extra time defeat to West Germany in the 1970 World Cup quarterfinal.
He captained Manchester United to European Cup success in 1968 as they defeated Benfica 4-1, Charlton scoring twice, to become the first English club to lift the trophy.
He was awarded the OBE in 1969 for services to football and was knighted in 1994.
Bobby Moore – 108 caps (1962-1973)
An iconic figure in English football history, Booby Moore will always be remembered for leading England to their World Cup triumph in 1966.
His 108 caps remain a record for an English outfield player and his demeanour on the field still remains a template for ‘calm defending’.
His final appearance for England was in a friendly against Italy in 1974, with England’s failure to qualify for the 1974 World Cup hastening his disappearance from the international game
He led his club side West Ham United to FA Cup success in 1964, defeating Preston North End 3-2, and the following year captained them to a 2-0 victory over 1860 Munich to capture the European Cup Winners Cup.
In February 1993, he died from bowel cancer at the tragically young age of 51.
As a lasting memorial to Moore’s influence on the English game, a statue was unveiled outside the entrance of the new Wembley Stadium in 2007.
Peter Shilton – 125 caps (1970-1990)
Goalkeeper Peter Shilton is England’s most capped player.
He made his debut in 1970 but became a more regular fixture from 1973 onward, when a car accident to then keeper Gordon Banks resulted in his promotion and the beginning of an ongoing battle with Liverpool’s Ray Clemence for the England position.
Given the fact that Clemence won 61 caps for England, Shilton could well have numbered nearer the 200 mark if he had not faced such a talented rival.
Shilton played for eleven clubs in the English league, most memorably Nottingham Forest, with whom he won European Cups in 1979 and 1980.
 |
