Road to 1,000: Some key facts from England's international football
Former world champions England will be creating history on Thursday, when they take on Montenegro, in the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers, as they would be playing their 1,000th international match. As it is set to be an emotional moment for English football, we take a look at some of the key facts and stats from England's international campaign so far.
They played their first international against Scotland
We start the fact with their opening international match, which they played against their neighboring rival from the United Kingdom (UK), in the form of Scotland. The match was played at Hamilton Crescent in November 1872, which ended in a goal-less draw.
England's biggest win came against Ireland
Winning by a big margin is always special and proves the domination. On the same note, England's biggest win came against the fellow UK rivals Ireland in February 1882, which they won 13-0. Played at Bloomfield, the match saw Howard Vaughton striking on five occasions, while Arthur Brown struck on four occasions. Among other scorers were James Brown (2), Harry Cursham and Charlie Bambridge.
England have been represented by 1,244 players
In their 147-year-old history, England have been represented by more than 1,000 players, with a total of 1,244 players having donned the white jersey, representing The Three Lions. While goal-keeper Peter Shilton is the most capped player for the side, having played 125 matches, Wayne Rooney tops the list for being the all-time highest goal-scorer for the side (53).
England have had 19 managers to date
As for the managers, they have had 19 permanent managers so far, with Walter Winterbottom being the first manager, in 1946, who oversaw 139 matches in 16 years, the most by all. However, Fabio Capello (Italy) and Sven-Goran Eriksson (Sweden) are the only non-British managers to have ever taken up the role. Sam Allardyce was the manager with the shortest reign, of a match.
Some other facts of England football
England have faced Scotland on most occasions (114). They have beaten Wales on most occasions (67). Theo Walcott is the youngest player for the nation (17 years and 75 days). Stanley Matthews was the oldest scorer for the nation (41 years and 248 days). Billy Wright and Bobby Moore have featured in most matches for the side as captain (90 each).
