'I Played 11 Minutes For England, Then Stupidly Ruined My Own International Career'

He joined in April 2024, having previously worked at VAVEL as Deputy Editor-in-Chief, where he produced a variety of content, including pieces from press conferences and games. He also won an award for his role as lead editor for the Women's Football section of the online newspaper.

Covering football all across Europe, he has worked at stadiums such as Anfield, Old Trafford, and Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park, as well as having reported at both the 2023 men's and women's Champions League finals in Eindhoven and Istanbul.

He is infatuated with every aspect of football, but likes other sports as well, being an avid coffee-desperate Buffalo Bills supporter from across the pond and a darts' newbie. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Playing for your country is often seen as the pinnacle of a footballer’s career - a dream many chase from day one. It’s why some spend their entire playing days trying to catch the national manager’s eye, anxiously waiting by the phone during international breaks, hoping for that life-changing call-up. But while some wear their hearts on their sleeves, others shoot themselves in the foot by showing a lack of commitment to the cause.

Before the Under-21s became a key stepping stone to the senior England squad, there was the now-defunct England B team. Established in 1947 by Walter Winterbottom, the B team served as a halfway house for those knocking on the senior door, offering a platform for fringe players and emerging talents to prove they belonged in the World Cup and European Championship squads.

For some, it was the perfect springboard to full Three Lions honours. But for Chris Sutton, turning his nose up at a B team call-up - believing he was too good for second best - ultimately derailed his international ambitions. In football, pride can be a powerful motivator, but it can also be the reason you miss your time in the sunshine.

The final-ever England B team fixture resulted in a 3-1 win over Albania back in May 2007.

In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2024, Sutton - who earned a reputation as one of the foremost exponents of the glancing header as he proved to be a danger at set-pieces in a career where he played mostly for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, and Celtic - conceded that his decision to turn down a B team call-up was 'impetuous'.

During the build-up to the 1998 World Cup finals, then-England coach Glenn Hoddle wanted to see Sutton in a B game against Chile. The striker had previously picked up his only senior cap against Cameroon in November 1997 - where he only played the best part of 10 minutes - and felt he deserved inclusion in the full squad for the Chile game, thus turning down the offer. He regrets the decision now, and reflected, saying:

"I should have proved him wrong [by performing well with the B team]. What I did instead, I had the common decency to call Glenn Hoddle and tell him where to shove his England B team.

"My thought process at the time, I thought was right, because I was playing well and I thought I had been wronged. Looking back, I've done so many stupid things, but that was in the heat of the moment. My dad told me not to do it, and Roy Hodgson told me not to, but I was an idiot."

"Like I said, that wasn't my finest moment," Sutton continued. "I shouldn't have questioned his authority. I've apologised to him since. I still think I was right in what I was thinking, but you can't challenge authority like that, and he told me I'd never play for England again."

In another interview, former Premier League winner Sutton went into more detail about his clash with Hoddle. Calling his decision to snub England the 'biggest regret' of his career, he said:

“So I told him [Hoddle] where to go and, do you know what, it’s my biggest regret. It really is. I was an idiot to do that and at the end of my career, I looked back and (thought) ‘how stupid was I?’ “I’ve apologised to Glenn Hoddle subsequently since then."

The former West Ham and Aston Villa midfielder was certain he was the subject of a prank call.

Sutton never put on the Three Lions shirt ever again after being made to lie in the bed that he made. Asked about how many international caps he could have got had he shown more commitment to England, Sutton replied:

"Probably about 20 against the Cook Islands and Papua New Guinea when they were just chucking caps out to everybody. But the truth is, I knew where I was in terms of pecking orders, and that was never a big issue. I would have liked more caps, but there were better players than me. I understood that."

It's no surprise to learn that Sutton had a far better club career (after all, it didn't take much). He formed a fear-inducing strike partnership with Alan Shearer during his time at Blackburn, which culminated in his only Premier League title in the 1994/95 season, while he would go on and win the Golden Boot in the 1997/98 season.

Having also played for Norwich City, Chelsea, Birmingham City and Aston Villa during his days in the Premier League, Sutton finished his career with 83 goals and 41 assists in 255 appearances in England's top flight. At Celtic, he added four more league titles and three Scottish Cups, all while boasting a tally of 84 goals in 197 appearances for the Hoops.