I had to pull out of a lads’ holiday to Magaluf… but days later I was scoring in England’s only EVER win in Brazil

SCORING for England for the first time. Against Brazil. In the Maracana.

It was a life-changing experience.

But not just for John Barnes — because another player registered his first senior international goal for the Three Lions in the 2-0 win on that famous night, which marks its 40th anniversary tomorrow.

And, if anything, the impact on Mark Hateley was greater and more instant.

Hateley, 62, recalled: “It was a crazy, crazy six weeks. Everything changed for me — from Second Division football to playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world.”

Within days of scoring the second goal in England’s only ever away triumph in Brazil, Hateley was on his way to join AC Milan from Portsmouth for a fee of £1.2million.

It was an astonishing turn of events for a young man who had defied his dad, Tony, a former top-flight striker for Aston Villa, Chelsea and Liverpool, to drop down from First Division Coventry to play for Pompey.

Hateley hit 22 goals in 38 league games for the South Coast club and caught England boss Bobby Robson’s eye with his exploits for the Under-21s.

When the Young Lions won the European Championship in 1984, he scored six goals in the knockout stages and one in the second leg of the final against Spain.

Hateley said: “I’d booked a holiday to go away with the lads. Magaluf, I think it was.

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“Sir Bobby gave me a call and asked me if I would like to go to South America as a precursor  to the World Cup qualifying campaign.

“I was disappointed not to make the trip to Spain but out of the blue everything opened up for me.”

Before flying across the Atlantic, Hateley made his senior debut as a substitute at Wembley against the USSR.

A 2-0 defeat sparked chants of “Robson out”, with the Three Lions boss already under the cosh after failing to qualify for that summer’s Euros in France.

Hateley thought he was going on the trip to learn the ropes but injury stopped Paul Mariner travelling, so the 22-year-old found himself making his first start for his country in the legendary Maracana Stadium.

Brazil were fast out of the blocks and Peter Shilton made some good early saves.

Hateley said: “It took us a while to get used to the surface.

“It was bobbly underneath but if you look at the footage, you can’t really see the football boots because the grass was that long.

“They seemed to be able to scoop the ball up off the floor very easily, like they were playing on the beach.”

Robson’s team weathered the storm and in the final minute of the first half, Hateley rose high to win and control the ball, before sweeping it out to Barnes on the left flank.

He said: “I am actually claiming the assist! I’m looking for the ball back, basically. Centre-forwards only ever lend the ball.

“But Barnesy had such ability, he went past three or four players.

“When we get to the edge of the box, I’m level with him looking for the little cutback and a side-foot into an open goal.

“But Barnesy dropped his shoulder, put the goalkeeper on his backside and scored.

“The only thanks I got from that was that I copped a right good elbow from Barnesy, right on my jaw, as he celebrated.”

Such was the quality of Barnes’ goal that it has always overshadowed Hateley’s own magic moment, in the 65th minute.

Hateley, who also shares his November 7 birthday with Barnes, said: “It was a good, old-fashioned centre-forward’s goal from a good, old-fashioned winger’s cross to the far post from Barnesy.

“He just hung it up and said, ‘Get on the end of that!’”

Brazil keeper Roberto Costa did not cover himself in glory, failing to stop Hateley’s header.

The  home team, missing stars in overseas leagues, was hardly vintage.

But the victory eased pressure on Robson and was transformative for Hateley.

He said: “Ray  Wilkins signed for AC Milan in the Easter.

“Two or three days after the Brazil game, he came to me and said, ‘Milan have contacted me — would you be interested  in joining them in the  summer?’

“This was how young  and naive I was, I said, ‘I’ve got two years left, Ray, I don’t think Portsmouth will sell me’.

“He said, ‘Apparently, that deal has already been done. It’s just about personal terms now.’

“I said, ‘Yes, is the answer!’.”

Hateley loved Milan and Milan loved Hateley.

The header he scored to win his first derby against Inter is still talked about to this day.

The self-confessed old-school British centre-forward learned plenty from boss Nils Liedholm, the former AC and Sweden striker and from Fabio Capello, then coach of the Primavera youth team, on how to play like a European No 9.

The arrival of Silvio Berlusconi as club supremo led to Hateley leaving after three seasons. But a certain young manager named Arsene Wenger made the England frontman his first signing for Monaco in 1987.

Playing alongside Three Lions team-mate Glenn Hoddle, Hateley helped the club become French champions.

All was going well until he  suffered an horrific ankle injury in a European Cup quarter-final against Galatasaray in 1989.

Hateley bounced back to become a legend at Rangers, where he won five Scottish titles and where he is about to resume the role of club ambassador.

But his success can be traced to that night in Rio de Janeiro.

Hateley added: “This is what I say to any young player, ‘You never know where you can be next week in the game of football’.

“‘Always play like it’s going to be the last game you ever play. If you do that, you’ll never leave yourself short’. It completely changed my life.

“And to be the last player to score in England’s only away win over Brazil? I’ll take that plaudit.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk