10 Footballers You Totally Forgot Played For England
8. Neil Ruddock
Terry Venables showcased a dynamic new side on an autumn night in 1994 as England transitioned from Graham Taylor's World Cup 1994 failures towards the fun and frolics of the Euro 1996 squad. It was 16 November when Neil Ruddock made his debut as part of his experimental new team. A boisterous, full-blooded affair was the order of the night with England squeezing past their African guests with a 1-0 win. Captain David Platt made the difference with a well-taken header just before half-time.
It could have been quite different. Steve Howey was also making his first appearance in the centre of defence that night and his partnership with Ruddock did not seem watertight to fans and pundits alike. Tim Flowers in goal often seemed unsure of his team-mates' actions and his decision making reflected this with England keeping a clean sheet through desperation rather than design.
England's next game was the abandoned friendly against the Republic of Ireland in February 1995. Tony Adams and Gary Pallister would be back in the team that night and Neil 'Razor' Ruddock would be concentrating on his club career from then on.