ENGLAND’S World Cup squad for Qatar boasts the second-most experienced squad the country has taken to a tournament.
Gareth Southgate named his squad of 26 players who have earned a combined total of 820 caps, one shy of the record of 821.
The previous record was set in 2010, when former Three Lions boss Fabio Capello took his squad comprising of experienced players such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to South Africa.
Other highly capped players in that squad included Ashley Cole, David James, John Terry, Jermaine Defoe, and Joe Cole.
However, the amount of caps between the players didn’t count for much as the team crashed out of the tournament in the round of 16 after losing to Germany 4-1.
Amongst Southgate’s squad are some players who are well-versed on the international stage.
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Stars such as Raheem Sterling (79), Harry Kane (75), Kyle Walker (70), and Jordan Henderson (70) are the most capped players in the squad.
Despite some newcomers to the squad such as James Maddison (1), Aaron Ramsdale (3), Callum Wilson (4), and Ben White (4) not bringing a lot of play time for England with them.
The squad as a whole has plenty of experience to help the team in their ambitions to win the World Cup.
It also shows how much the team has developed since the 2020 Euros when the squad had a combined 641 caps and 449 caps in the 2018 World Cup.
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In 2018, the less experienced squad made it to the semi-finals of the competitions before being knocked out by Croatia.
However, there is one reason behind the high amount of caps. This tournament has squads of 26 men compared to that of 23 in the past.
England start their World Cup campaign against Iran in eleven days’ time on November 21.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
