Five Fulham players who received England call-ups
Jack Stroudley looks at the last five Fulham players to get an elusive call-up for the Three Lions.
News broke on Monday afternoon that England manager Gareth Southgate was considering three uncapped midfielders for upcoming friendlies in March, with Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed included on that list. While it would shock me, I would be absolutely delighted if Reed was to be called-up; it’s a drum I’ve been banging for years. That being said, it got me thinking: who else in recent history has received an England call-up while donning a Fulham shirt. Here are five players that spring to mind.
Marcus Bettinelli
Our most recent call-up came back in September 2018 with goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli called up by current England manager Gareth Southgate for two friendlies against Spain and Switzerland alongside keepers Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and Alex McCarthy. ‘Betts’ was Fulham’s starting keeper during our promotion season under Slavisa Jokanovic in 2017/18 and while the signings of Fabri and Sergio Rico meant that he had to battle for his place in the side, he’d done enough to impress Southgate and earn a first call-up.
Despite being in and around the squad, Bettinelli never actually got his cap and with Sergio Rico making his claim as number one during the season for Fulham, he never received another call up. In 2021, he moved down the road to Chelsea sacrificing a playing career for a spot on the bench and a healthy pay packet.
David Stockdale
Another keeper on the list. Following an injury to Mark Schwarzer as well as interest from Arsenal, youngster David Stockdale was Fulham’s first-choice goalkeeper during the start of the 2010/11 season starting with a clean sheet in the opening game at Bolton Wanderers as well as saving a penalty against Manchester United. He would then reappear in the Fulham team when Schwarzer was called up for the Asia Cup with Australia.
His performances impressed Fabio Capello who gave Stockdale the call up in February 2011 for a friendly against Denmark, but he never played. He was called up a second time to the squad by Capello for a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland, but withdrew due to his wedding clashing with the fixture and was never called upon again. Stockdale is still playing football at York City where he is also the head of recruitment.
Bobby Zamora
Bobby’s thee first player on this list to actually pick up a cap for England. Following our fantastic run to the Europa League final in 2009/10, Zamora got a call from Capello inviting him to be apart of the 2010 World Cup squad. Zamora declined due to a recurring Achilles injury. That being said, he did feature for England in August 2010 (after the World Cup) when he came on as a substitute at Wembley in a 2-1 win against Hungary.
Zamora would earn a second cap in 2011 where he would play 70 minutes in a 1-0 win in a friendly against Sweden before being replaced with another former Fulham player in Darren Bent. The striker would move to QPR in January 2012 scoring a 90th-minute winner in a play-off final against Derby County. He retired in 2016 following a spell at Brighton.
Jimmy Bullard
The first player to ever break my heart leaving the club. While he’s known now for being a host of Soccer AM and a bit of a prankster, Bullard was a proper player in his hay-day and loved a free-kick. He signed for Fulham from Wigan in 2006 and in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup, was contemplating a call-up to the German national side (yes seriously) as he was eligible to due a German grandparent.
That never came into fruition for him and was eventually called up to England on three separate occasions. The first of those came in 2008 for two World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia. However, despite being called-up on those three occasions, he never played a minute of football for England. Bullard retired in 2012 and outside of a short stint managing Leatherhead, he most recently spent his days as host of Soccer AM.
Zat Knight
Knight became a mainstay in a Fulham side that finished ninth and 13th in successive seasons and was rewarded with a call-up to England’s tour of the United States in 2005. Knight made his debut as a half-time substitute in 2-1 win over the United States in a game that featured lots of Fulham past and present with the likes of Kasey Keller, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, Kieron Richardson and Andy Johnson all featuring.
Knight then played a full 90 minutes days later in a 3-2 win over Colombia. The central defender left Fulham in 2007 and moved to Aston Villa for £3.5m and also played for Bolton Wanderers, Colorado Rapids, and Reading, before retiring in 2015.
