Published 08 June 2021 2 min read
England Men's Senior Team
A lasting legacy
England’s squad for UEFA EURO 2020 have celebrated their unique place in the national team’s history during a special ceremony at St. George’s Park.
All 26 players were the first internationals to be presented with their own commemorative legacy cap to mark their special place in the lineage of the Three Lions.
To honour England men’s 1,000th game in November 2019, we adopted the tradition of legacy numbers.
From Robert Barker, England’s goalkeeper in football’s first international match in 1872 onwards, every individual to have represented the nation at men's senior level has their own unique number with the digits having pride of place inside the collar of every matchday shirt.
From September 2021 onwards, all senior debutants will now receive a special red velvet cap with their newly-established legacy number embroidered on the front.
To formally launch the initiative, Gareth Southgate brought his squad together on day one of their tournament base camp at St. George’s Park to present all with their own legacy caps.
From the current squad’s longest-serving international Jordan Henderson (1170) to recent debutant Sam Johnstone (1262), all were able to collectively acknowledge their part in England’s history.
As fellow Three Lions, manager Southgate (1071) and coach Chris Powell (1103) were also handed their own legacy caps.
SEE THE ENGLAND LEGACY LIST