When England players star at a major tournament, our memory is framed by the glare of summer. What we forget is that some of those bolted onto the big stage as international rookies.
Take Kobbie Mainoo. He was not even in the England squad 48 hours ago. In yesterday’s Daily Mail, following his surprise elevation from the Under-21s, former England captain Bryan Robson was talking about the 18-year-old as a Euro 2024 starter. Fanciful? History tells us not.
On March 21, 1966, how many caps did Geoff Hurst have? One. His first competitive appearance was a World Cup quarter-final against Argentina four months later.