England's one-cap wonders: The exclusive club mocked by some but cherished by its members

From the moment that a ball is kicked in a back garden, at the local park or across a paved street, the ultimate dream is to turn professional, compete for trophies and earn international recognition. The vast majority will not take a first step down that path, never mind getting close to reaching the end of the road.

A select few do scale such heights, with performances at club level allowing for admiring glances to be attracted. At that point, debate begins to rage regarding claims to much sought-after call-ups, with phones kept within earshot whenever selection time rolls around.

Matt Jarvis, who formed part of the latest Midnite Express initiative, told GOAL during an exclusive interview that he was given less than an hour’s notice when being drafted into England's ranks during March 2011. He said: “It was under [Fabio] Capello and I got a text message. I remember we played Villa on the Saturday early kick-off. I was at Wolves, we won the game 1-0, I scored. I'd gone home and then come back up to Wolves, got into the kitchen and I got a text message.

“I then got a phone call because I didn't believe it - it was from someone at the FA and they said, ‘you've got about 45 minutes before it gets announced, you need your passport, you're getting picked up’. So you don't get long! It might have changed now, it might have changed before that and just been for this camp, but I got about 45 minutes before the world knew.”

With bags being hastily packed, those that get the nod from England’s head coach of choice at any given time quickly become aware that they are following in the footsteps of legends and standing on the shoulders of giants. That starry-eyed boy on the playground is now a fully-fledged international operator.

Being a rookie is never easy, with Jarvis saying of pitching his tent at a Three Lions camp for the first - and only - time: “Intimidating, to be honest. All of the players that were in there were playing in the Champions League, really. They'd all been in the camp together, they all knew each other. I knew none of them personally, I'd not played in the same team with them, but they were all very welcoming, a really good group. And for me, you just want to get out into training as quickly as possible because it's where you're comfortable. But it was great.

“That first meeting, it was like, where do you sit? That's the first thing when you get on the bus. It's first day of school, where do you sit? I walk on the bus and I’m like, who sits here? Where's the spare seat? You don't want to bowl up and walk to the back and everyone goes, ‘oh no, sorry’. It's just those sort of things that you have to figure out and obviously training, once you get to there, it's great. And then after training, it's a bit more relaxed. So yeah, it is intimidating. At the same time, it's something that you're relishing. It's something that you've earned. Your whole life has been geared to try and play football and try and be the best that you can be. And then for me, playing for England is the pinnacle.”

Michael Ball took in a similar experience, with the Merseyside native gracing several squads before finally getting onto the field as a substitute against Spain in February 2001. He, while speaking in association with BetBrain, told GOAL of being the new arrival: “It reminded me of my debut for Everton. It felt like it's never-ending, like Christmas when you're a kid and you're waiting for the day because I was in a few squads beforehand. I was in the Kevin Keegan squad a couple of years earlier, in the Peter Taylor squad. I was on the bench a couple of times.

“I even got told to... well, nearly got told to get unchanged! I was warming up and Ray Clemence was the guy involved with the subs that played against Italy away. He ran down the sideline and he was shouting, so I thought, ‘here’s my chance’. I started to do an extra few stretches and pretended I couldn't hear him. As he got closer, I went, ‘yeah?’ And he went, ‘get Carra!’ I went, ‘ah, f*cking hell, go and get Jamie!’ So that was the closest I ever got. It just seemed like it was never going to happen.

“When Sven [Goran Eriksson] got the job, he did a large squad and you think, ‘I'm not really going to be involved in this one’ because he wanted to have a look at other players. If you talk to my friends, they’ll tell you my one-cap wonder is half a cap! But the feeling of putting the shirt on, going through the whole levels of the England set-up, was always a box I wanted to tick. I finally got that cap, and I was hoping for many more. Unfortunately, not long after, I had a knee injury and I couldn't play enough football to be involved. Sven was on the phone quite a lot, wanting me to be involved in it, but the club had to protect me, my need to carry on playing for Everton Football Club, so to pull out of a few squads was really frustrating. You just hoped that opportunity would come again.

“The emergence of Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge and stuff like that, and me moving to Scotland and being out injured for two years, it sort of stopped my England career. You always have that hope that one day it might happen, but when you've got guys like that in front of you... It was a target as a kid. Alex Ferguson used to talk to me about England and the left-backs in front of me, because there weren’t many - Stuart Pearce was coming towards the end of his career. You always have that target over the years, so, finally, to actually make my debut and get that cap was a huge enjoyment for me and the family. It felt like one that I was chasing for a long time. But I was 19 and I'd been in the squad since I was 17, so it was like waiting for Christmas that never came. When it finally did come, I was really, really pleased.”

Catching the eye domestically is one thing, but making the grade internationally is another matter entirely. You are dealing with the best of the best, the cream of the crop and superstar celebrities that have won the most prestigious of honours and graced the grandest of stages.

Does the collective standard rise dramatically from club level to the England arena? Jarvis, who found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rooney, John Terry and Frank Lampard, said: “That's what I was thinking when I went in - if I go in the middle of these rondos, I'm never getting out! They're top quality. I think yes, for my experience there was a standard jump, because at the time I was at Wolves and we were fighting relegation. When you're going into the England squad with players like you've just mentioned, yes, there is a leap.

“But that's where you as a player, you thrive off that and that's where you want to be. You're always trying to improve. You're always trying to get better. And when you're training and learning from players that have been there and done it, playing in the Champions League, scoring endless goals, the captain of their teams and also for England, that's an incredible place to be. Even silly things like little shooting drills at the end, you're watching and thinking, ‘yeah, that's impressive’. You know, hitting the target. It's not just hitting the target, though, it's whipping into the corners and scoring goals. That's not just your likes of Rooney, it was Darren Bent, all of these players that were there. It's great to watch. And it's like, ‘right, that's an incentive, that’s what you have to improve’. The pressure of one of the first days was doing crossing and finishing - and I'm out to do the crossing! You're like, ‘well, pressure's on, you have to put in a good ball or you're going to have Rooney absolutely screaming at you!’ It's great. It's what you train for. It's all you've ever wanted to do.”

Jarvis’ solitary outing for England came against Ghana at Wembley. He was given 21 minutes off the bench when replacing then-Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere. The game in question ended 1-1, with a lively contest playing out in iconic surroundings.

Having made it onto the field, Jarvis - like many of those before and after him - had scaled the tallest of sporting mountains and reached the very top. There was no way of knowing when heading back to the dressing room that this would be a case of one and done.

Asked if it is difficult to avoid the sense of having cracked international football when making a first appearance, with the expectation at the time being that there will be more to come, Jarvis said: “It didn't happen, but it wasn't for the want of trying. I think my performances were still right up there. I was just unfortunate that there were so many good wingers at the time. You've got the likes of Theo Walcott, James Milner, Ashley Young, Aaron Lennon, Stewart Downing, and that's just to name a few. I'm absolutely delighted that I was able to do that. Yes, there's an element of frustration and annoyance as you want to be back in and amongst it. But to answer your question, no, I never thought I had cracked it.

“I thought I did well. I thought I trained well. Mick McCarthy was very good when I went back at Wolves. He was like: ‘Congratulations, well done, but now you're not just Matt Jarvis that plays for Wolves, now you're Matt Jarvis, England international. People are going to step up. They're going to be going into that game thinking I'm playing against an England international, I'm not letting him get the better of me’. And he was spot on, that's exactly what happened. Teams were doubling up on me. I was finding it difficult to find space, to do what I'd normally do. But that's a compliment. I had to adapt. I had to learn and I had to change the way I played slightly. It made me a better player. Unfortunately for me, it didn't result in another cap, but it resulted in me putting in the most crosses in Europe - most successful crosses in Europe. Also being a club record signing for West Ham and doing it again - most crosses in Europe, most successful crosses in Europe at West Ham. So it wasn't for the lack of trying.”

Ball, who was introduced at half-time in Eriksson’s first game as England manager, said of his mindset: “Going around with those guys, a lot of the players who have come through, they start to establish themselves - like Michael Owen, like Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand, there's many others. Everybody was in the same squad as me, so you knew a few people. It was just one of them that you felt like you deserved to be there, but you need to prove a point to them. You need to prove a point in training, and training was tough, you had top-quality players around you. But I did feel that if I kept myself fit there was a chance. I was older than Ashley Cole, older than Wayne Bridge, so if I get the first run of games, that was your dream - if you get four or five games, you establish yourself, they give you an opportunity, and then it's up to the manager to pick who he feels is best.

“To only get that one opportunity, I felt I'd done really well. I was giving Michael Owen a bit of stick because my first touch was a one-two, and he missed a chance he never misses - so that would have been a nice Brucie bonus for me, to get an assist on my debut! But I thought I played well. We played against Spain, who weren't as Spain are today, but to win 3-0 was good. It wasn't at Wembley, it was at Villa Park. But yeah, as soon as you get your one, like anything, when you make your debut, you want it more. If you score a goal, you want to do more, you just want to go for that next target. That's how I was as a youngster and throughout my career - it's gone now, let's try and get the next one. Unfortunately I couldn't get that second cap.”

Historically, international recognition was the result of endeavours for club employers that allowed individual stock to soar. The expectation was that peak form, even if it were fleeting, would be rewarded with an opportunity to prove personal worth in the most illustrious of company.

That has not always been the case of late, with reputation and past achievements often being factored into the equation. The England squad is far from being a closed shop, but doors do not swing open as easily as they did in previous generations.

Ex-Everton, Manchester City and Rangers defender Ball admits as much, saying of modern selection criteria: “I feel it's been like that for quite a while. I've always sensed that, whether there's pressure from the FA, when you hear rumours from Brazil about Ronaldo's situation in hospital, he's got to play in the 1998 World Cup final. Is it sponsors? Are there cliques involved? I do feel that, as a player, if you're in form, you should get picked. We've got Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall right now at Everton - his average standard for the last three or four games, he's been absolutely outstanding. I feel that, while they're in form, they should be given the opportunity to at least go and train, and then go and see what they're capable of in and around them, playing with top players. If you're playing with better players, it won't just make you better, it'll make you develop, it'll make you add to your game. You're looking at all the players in your position and you go, ‘can I add that to my game and suck it up as a sponge?’

“It's always been a question in my mind for a long, long time, that players do go from reputation and players out of form still get the opportunity to get the caps. Some do deserve it. If they've got so many caps and they've done well in tournaments, they've never let England down, I understand that. But there's always the handful of players that you think, ‘feels a bit harsh that they haven't been selected, just for the manager to have a little look’. I think Thomas Tuchel’s trying, but there's a couple more players he can have a little look at. He knows players might need a rest for their clubs, it's an opportunity to give them that and have a look elsewhere. The unknown is what football's all about. I’ve spoken before about giving youngsters an opportunity. They bring the unknown, they bring something different that the opposition don't know about, and we've tried it before, it's failed, but I still think we've got to have that faith to keep trying with the youngsters as well.”

Jarvis said of competition for places and playing fields that can become skewed at times: “There's an argument for everything, isn't there? I was playing extremely well at the time. I was in the preliminary squads for quite a few camps before, but never made the actual squad. Fabio Capello actually told me, he didn't speak loads of English but he told me that - having scored on the Saturday in the early kick-off when we won 1-0 - that goal got me in. He said, ‘you were really close, but that goal got you in’. So in that case, form has got me in. At the same time, I would say if everyone was fit, would that have got me in or would it have been reputation? I don't know.

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“And some people have earned the right. It's not a guarantee, you have to be playing week in, week out and you have to be playing well. But at the same time, if you’ve got someone like Jude Bellingham, someone that’s playing every week at Real Madrid and he's had a slight dip in form, are you not going to pick him for England? I'm not so sure. I think personnel and position do make a difference. If you're a winger and you're on fire, it's hard to not see that. Whereas if you're a winger and you've got no goals, no assists for a long period of time, people will come up with that. Same with a striker. If you scored 10 in 10, it's quite hard for someone to not pick you. Whereas a midfielder and centre-halves, defenders and goalkeepers, it may be a bit more tricky and that's how you earn your right to stay in these squads.”

England’s class of one-cap wonders includes the likes of Bill Nicholson, Ian Storey-Moore, Charlie George, Chris Sutton, David Unsworth, Francis Jeffers, Lee Bowyer, David Nugent, Jon Flanagan and Jay Rodriguez. In more recent times, Lewis Cook, Patrick Bamford, Eddie Nketiah and Taylor Harwood-Bellis have become signed-up members of that club.

Those that have since retired will have hoped to achieve more, and there will be those that still hold out hope of adding their solitary cap. Whatever happens, though, nobody, can now take international status away from them. Their names are in the history books, and that makes them immortal.

Asked if England caps are still the pinnacle for any professional footballer, in an era dominated by Champions League razzamatazz, Jarvis said: “I would say so for me, absolutely. I'm staring at my cap right now. There are about 1,300 people - I don't know what the exact number is - that have ever played for England, and I'm one of them! So it's a huge honour. And for me, it is the pinnacle. I didn't play for England at any other age group. I worked my way up the leagues, got myself to the Premier League and then played in the first team at Wembley in front of 80-odd thousand fans. That is the pinnacle. I like everything that I've done at club level, I absolutely loved it, I wish I could still play now, but playing for England is the pinnacle.”

Ball said when presented with the same question: “I was really fortunate recently to get the legacy cap sent to me. I didn't really know what it was, but that's got pride of place in my home now. I'm not one of them for splashing things all around my home, memorabilia and stuff, everything's all hidden away in the loft or shoved in the corner because the missus hates the sight of it, but that's taken pride of place for now.”

The England Men's Senior Legacy Programme is run by the Football Association (FA) and sees red velvet caps - each featuring a chronological number - presented to every player that has represented the senior men’s national team. Anyone that passes 100 appearances receives a special gold cap.

Said gifts act as a permanent reminder of what was achieved. Caps have been handed out since 1886, following a proposal put forward by N. Lane Jackson (founder of the Old Corinthians), and - in England’s case - feature a red rose on royal blue velvet. They have become synonymous with international sport, not just football, and are worth as much as any trophy to those fortunate enough to have taken ownership of such fetching headgear.

Pressed on when players receive theirs, as they are not handed out on the training field, Jarvis said: “It was a while after. Mick McCarthy presented it to me in front of everyone at Wolves, which was nice. I'm now waiting for the red cap, the legacy one with the number. Who knows when I'll get that! I know that they try and do different things - whether you're going to the stadium or you get presented with it somewhere else. Who knows? But I will very much look forward to getting that one.”

As years pass and the annual turnover of players delivers new names to succeed the old, more one-cap wonders are inevitable. England have not had one since 2024, and only five this decade, but there will always be the odd flash in the pan and someone that happened to be in the right place at the right time.

They will get their moment in the sun, or under the brightest of floodlights, and will love every single moment. A solitary outing may not represent the most distinguished of international careers, but they make enough memories to last a lifetime and present opportunities in which to acquire unique mementos that no-one else on the planet can claim to have.

Pictures and videos may be all the rage nowadays, but there is a lot to be said for taking something more tangible away from England meet ups as you never know when, or if, you will be back. Jarvis made sure to take possessions with him, with the ex-Wolves and West Ham winger saying: “I've got my shirt signed by all of the lads. And then the kit man at England at the time was a Wolves fan. He got me Asamoah Gyan’s shirt, who scored in the game. So I've got Gyan’s shirt and my shirt. I've got a couple of pictures and a plaque. As a memento, I've still got my boots that I wore. I never wore them again. They're in a glass case and have still got the grass on! Just little things like that.

“I embraced it in the sense that before the game, I knew I was on the bench, but you go out, walk around the stadium, try and take everything in. The warm-up, you're looking around, you're trying to soak everything up. I can vividly remember everything about warming up. After half-time, I'm running up and down on the sideline, looking back waiting to get that call. I just remember someone waving me back and I sprinted - shirt was off, ready to go. It's all stuff I've got my memories of.

“And one of the best things for me about it all is that I was at Wembley. I could have been anywhere in the world, I could have been in Azerbaijan away. I was at Wembley. So I was able to experience it with all of my family, all of my mates, all of the Wolves fans, Gills fans, turns out West Ham fans, Norwich, everyone. I was able to experience it and everyone's got their own memory of it. It's all with me and that's a really nice thing to have. I can have my own experience, but everyone else would be having their version and then we can all talk about it. That's something that I really cherish.”

There are three uncapped players in the latest England squad - Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele, Fulham playmaker Josh King and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham (the brother of Real Madrid Galactico, Jude). They may go on to make many more, or take in none at all. If they get one cap, though, that will become a prized possession - regardless of what anyone has to say about the club that they find themselves joining.