HOW IS IT possible for a player to have a longer international career than David Beckham but less caps than Kieron Dyer?
That is the strange sort of purgatory that Michael Carrick’s international career exists in. Remarkably, the Manchester United midfielder debuted in 2001 in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s first game in charge and last weekend he played against Lithuania in a Euro 2016 qualifier, winning his 32nd cap.
Former Newcastle and Ipswich midfielder Dyer won 33 caps in nine years and Shaun Wright Phillips received 36 in six.
The fact that the 4-0 win at Wembley was Carrick’s first international game in 17 months sums up the stop-start nature of his time in an England shirt. He has only played one game at a major tournament for England despite winning caps across a 14-year period. David Beckham managed to squeeze 115 caps into a slightly shorter 13-year time-frame.
He is like football’s version of former Irish rugby international Mick Galwey, who somehow managed to never play in a World Cup despite winning 41 caps over 11 years.
Despite being rated by Alex Ferguson as one of Europe’s top midfielders a succession of England managers haven’t deemed him worthy of a starting place, instead preferring Scott Parker and Gareth Barry among others.
And if Carrick does get onto the field at Euro 2016, he will be the first Englishman to win caps 15 years apart since goalkeeper Peter Shilton.
Shilton made his debut for England in 1970… and didn’t retire for another 20 years. So while Carrick hasn’t always been an automatic in the England side, the fact that he has outlasted so many of his contemporariness should give him some comfort.
Although once again, he has played for England longer than Beckham but has less appearances than one of the most injury-prone players in Premier League history.
Crazy stuff.
H/T to Goal for the stats.
Good luck girls tomorrow. Bronze probably the realistic target
Feel sorry for Kelly McGrory. Do all the hard work in qualifying only to be dropped for the final, cos another athlete who was more interested in personal success decides she now wants to be a team player
@WqM9AAv3: name of the game sadly
@WqM9AAv3: I’d imagine the rest of the team would get down on their knees and beg adeleke to start
@WqM9AAv3: erm, they actually want to win a medal. You pick your best available runners.
@WqM9AAv3: she wasn’t dropped. It’s a 6 person team, and you play your best cards in the final. They all do it. At least McGrory got to run. What about Lauren Cadden who didn’t get a run. Should we bring her in for the final because its the taking part that counts.
@WqM9AAv3: that’s how it rolls, she will get her medal if we do medal, if she is not subbed out, very unlikely to get a medal.
So it’s the best thing for her and the team to be subbed out
@WqM9AAv3: You are clueless. Go hibernate for another four years, and you can try and fail then to pretend you know a single thing about Athletics.
@WqM9AAv3: clown she couldn’t run semi as preparing for 400 final .
@WqM9AAv3: are you one of these lads who thinks we shouldn’t keep score in things and everyone would get the same medal after.
@WqM9AAv3: Not knockin McGrory but she was the weakest link in that semi final. Adeleke is a serous improvement for the final. Its basically the same as rotating your squad for the bigger games in soccer. Nothing wrong with it.
@WqM9AAv3: jed what planet are you living on
@WqM9AAv3: clueless
@WqM9AAv3: She probably knew that was going to happen. It’s cruel at times. But sports can be.
@WqM9AAv3: all the medalling teams, bar the 4×100 mens bronze for gb, are doing it. Very professional. Now go get Kelly her medal. Team Ireland!
@WqM9AAv3: it’s a meritocracy. You’re probably used to participation awards but at the Olympics that’s not how it works.
@WqM9AAv3: you think she should have not bothered with the individual? Hahaha wtf
@WqM9AAv3: win at all costs eh? No wonder the sport is clouded in controversy, performance enhancing narcs, men boxing women, athletes returning from doping bans to win medals (legit this time) athletes smashing their pb’s. Big big sigh
@WqM9AAv3: Men boxing women? Get the facts right before spouting nonsense. The ultimate test was done – are they capable of having a child? The answer is YES. Box away girls.
Hopefully a medal usa will win it jamaica most likely second all the other finalists will be up to get the bronze
@Square: USA and the Netherlands in that order. Bronze up for grabs.
@Ray Ridge: GB for silver, Netherlands bronze and gold to the girleens in green. US drop baton at last changeover whilst well ahead..
@Ray Ridge: stop will ya ireland will beat holland with RA in the team usa and jamaica top 2
@Ray Ridge: just saw u running there in the 10 thousand meters last
@Square: I wish I had a tan that good!
@Ray Ridge: netherlands aren’t better than gb, france and Jamaica. Americans to win and then it’s wide open.
@Ray Ridge: you tired yet over 30mins that race lol
@Kevin Dillon: im telling him that all day
@Kevin Dillon: Netherlands will medal. No doubt about it. Provided they don’t get the butter fingers. Forget about France.
@Square: You would be surprised how long I can go for baby!
@Ray Ridge: just wondering Ray are you from Portumna
@Ray Ridge: you’d expect the Dutch to medal alright but Bol has had a really tough week. She is a bit of a freak though
@Oliver Curley: Not from Portumna.
@munsterman: I think they will medal alright. Anything can happen in relays of course.
@Ray Ridge: FIND OUT 815 TOMMORRY USA JAMACIA IRELAND TOP 3
@Square: USA, Netherlands and GB.
Delighted. Girls will run a big race