Number of caps: 1 To say the selection of Derby County's cue ball bald central midfielder for England was a shock is underplaying it. It was another selection by an interim England manager, this time Under-21 boss Peter Taylor back in 2000. At the time, Derby were bottom of the Premier League and even Johnson himself said "I don't think I'm playing as well as I can" when asked about his call up. The midfielder was just 21 at the time, as a graduate of Crew Alexandra's famous conveyor belt of player production and Taylor certainly rated his potential enough to give him a go with England. It's forgotten now, but Johnson almost scored with his first touch having come off the bench. But for a brilliant save by legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, a new star could have been born. Taylor didn't get the job permanently, and Johnson did not play for England again. A big money move to Leeds didn't work out (largely because of injuries) and he struggle to stay fit in a second stint at Derby. In the end, ongoing knee problems saw Johnson retire at just 28, having never achieved his potential as a regular England starter.
David is an office drone and freelance writer for WhatCulture and Moviepilot, among others. He's also foolishly writing a serialised novel on Jukepop and has his own irregularly updated website. He's available for freelance work. Reach out on Twitter to @davefox990
