MARTIN KELLY confirmed his retirement from professional football aged 35 earlier this week.
The former defender played 62 games for boyhood club Liverpool and a further 148 for Crystal Palace – while also earning a single England cap in 2012.
Kelly came off the bench during a friendly with Norway in 2012, and was part of Roy Hodgson‘s squad for Euro 2012 that summer.
While Kelly’s long top-flight career is not to be sniffed at, the Merseyside man never managed to get back into England contention following his brief foray into international football.
This is not a rare case, with a staggering 358 players having earned a single cap for the Three Lions.
Many of these came in English football’s formative years, with 105 one-cap wonders having played for their country during the 19th century, and 249 before the Second World War.
Amazingly Charles Burgess Fry, who earned his single England cap in 1901, hung up his boots shortly after… only to play Test cricket for his country for a further 11 years.
Other one and done stars of yesteryear include Arthur Rowe and Bill Nicholson – the only two men to ever win top flight league titles with Tottenham as managers.
In more recent years it has become a rarer feat – there have been 39 one-cap wonders in the 21st century thus far – although some of these, such as Adam Wharton, you would imagine are shoo-ins to earn more.
Let’s take a look at an XI of one-cap England stars from more recent years.
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JOHN RUDDY
Goalkeeper Ruddy was selected for Euro 2012 by Hodgson following a decent season at Norwich, only to miss out due to a broken finger.
The imposing 6ft 4in stopper went on to make his debut in August of that year, replacing Jack Butland at half-time of a 2-1 friendly win over Italy.
Following more impressive form for the Canaries, Ruddy only narrowly missed out on the 2014 World Cup squad, being named on the backup list behind Joe Hart, Ben Foster and Fraser Forster.
Ruddy eventually left Norwich in 2017 for Wolves, where he spent five years primarily as No2.
Two seasons with Birmingham followed. Ruddy, now 38, is a backup stopper at Newcastle.
John Ruddy earned his only England cap in 2012[/caption]
Ruddy, 38, is now a backup at Newcastle[/caption]
CARL JENKINSON
Following a breakthrough season with Charlton, Jenkinson signed for boyhood club Arsenal for £1million in 2011.
Eight consecutive Prem starts to begin the 2012-13 season put Jenkinson, who was also eligible to play for Finland, on Hodgson’s radar.
Alongside Steven Caulker, more on him in a moment, and Ryan Shawcross, the full-back made his England debut in a 4-2 hammering at Sweden, best remembered for Zlatan Ibrahimovic‘s sensational four-goal haul, which included a gravity-defying overhead kick from range.
Jenkinson’s cameo would be his only minutes in an England shirt, and after just 70 appearances in eight years he eventually left Arsenal for Nottingham Forest in 2019.
The right-back, now 33 has since had stints in Australia and is now on the books at Bromley, where he is currently working his way back from a serious injury suffered in pre-season.
Jenkinson, 33, is now the books at Bromley[/caption]
ANTHONY GARDNER
Having come through at local club Port Vale during the late 1990s, Gardner earned a move to Tottenham.
Following a few seasons as a fringe player, the imposing 6ft 5in defender finally became a regular during the 2003-04 season, with Ledley King having been moved into midfield for much of the campaign.
Gardner was given the call for a March 2004 friendly against Sweden – replacing Jonathan Woodgate at half-time of the 1-0 defeat in Gothenberg.
The defender missed out on a place at Euro 2004 that summer, while increasing injuries hampered the rest of his Spurs career – although he did go on to play for Hull, Crystal Palace and Sheffield Wednesday before eventually retiring in 2014.
In recent years, Gardner has worked as a sports consultant for an agency.
Anthony Gardner turns away in anguish as Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates[/caption]
Gardner went on to play for Crystal Palace[/caption]
STEVEN CAULKER
Like Jenkinson, Caulker earned his one and only cap against Sweden in 2012 – and actually put the Three Lions 2-1 on the night by scoring during the first-half.
In fact, it was when Caulker, Glen Johnson and Steven Gerrard went off on 74 minutes that it all went wrong, with Ibrahimovic smacking in three late goals to win the game 4-2 for his country.
Homegrown defender Caulker had a very promising 2012-13 season with Spurs, but was sold to Cardiff the following the July for around £8million.
He would go on to be relegated twice on the spin, first with the Bluebirds then with QPR. Caulker surprisingly popped up back in the Premier League with Liverpool in 2016, with Jurgen Klopp infamously trying him as a striker.
Caulker, now 33, has led an eclectic career since, playing in Scotland, Turkey, Spain and now Iceland. In 2022 he switched his allegiance to Sierra Leone, for whom he has earned 18 caps.
Steven Caulker celebrates scoring against Sweden on his Englans debut[/caption]
Caulker subsequently switched to play for Sierra Leone[/caption]
JON FLANAGAN
Homegrown full-back Flanagan initially acted as cover for Kelly at Liverpool, before surprisingly becoming a regular as Brendan Rodgers‘ side nearly won the league in 2013-14.
Flanagan made his Three Lions debut in a pre-World Cup friendly against Ecuador in 2014, and was named on Hodgson’s standby list for the tournament.
A knee issue initially kept Flanagan out the following season, with two subsequent surgeries ruling him out for the entire campaign.
Attempts to kickstart his career with loans at Burnley and Bolton did no good, and eventually he reunited with former team-mate Gerrard at Rangers in 2018.
Knee issues continued to blight his career, and after brief spells in Belgium and Denmark, Flanagan retired aged just 29 in 2022.
Jon Flanagan earned his only England cap in a pre-2014 World Cup friendly[/caption]
Flanagan attempted to revive his career at Rangers[/caption]
MATT JARVIS
Winger Jarvis impressed with Wolves following their return to the Premier League, doing enough to attract the attention of Fabio Capello.
In coming on in a 1-1 Wembley draw with Ghana in March 2011, Jarvis became the first Wanderer to play for the Three Lions in more than 20 years.
Jarvis remained a Premier League stalwart for several more years with both West Ham and Norwich, although his spell at Carrow Road was blighted by a 31-month injury hell.
The wide man eventually finished his career with non-league Woking during the 2020-21 campaign.
Jarvis has done punditry work since hanging up his boots, while also balancing jobs mentoring players at Wolves, performing ambassadorial roles with West Ham, and becoming a business director with Golf APX.
Matt Jarvis appeared against Ghana under Fabio Capello[/caption]
Jarvis finished his career with a stint at Woking[/caption]
RYAN MASON
Midfielder Mason burst into Tottenham’s first team under Mauricio Pochettino aged 23 in the 2014-15 season following SEVEN loan spells away from White Hart Lane.
The homegrown hero became a fan favourite at Spurs due to his tenacious performances and passion for the club.
Mason made his England debut during a friendly against Italy in March 2015, assisting club team-mate Andros Townsend‘s equaliser while playing alongside fellow Spurs stars Harry Kane and Kyle Walker.
The midfielder made the difficult decision to leave Tottenham for Hull in 2016 in a bid for more first team football. During a January 2017 match at Chelsea, Mason suffered a fractured skull following an awful clash of heads, with the incident ultimately ending his playing career.
After an inspirational recovery, Mason began coaching within Tottenham’s academy, working his way up to twice act as the first team’s caretaker manager, following the sackings of Jose Mourinho and Cristian Stellini. Mason is now boss of West Brom having left Spurs during the summer, with the Baggies seventh in the Championship.
Ryan Mason made a dream England debut alongside fellow Spurs stars Andros Townsend, Kyle Walker and Harry Kane[/caption]
Mason, 34, is now in charge of West Brom[/caption]
DAVID DUNN
Having come through at Blackburn in the late-90s, talented midfielder Dunn was a regular for England’s age group sides.
After missing out on a place at the 2002 World Cup, Dunn eventually made his debut during a friendly with Portugal later that year.
Despite several more impressive years in the Premier League, Dunn was unable to earn more caps, with stiff competition from the likes of Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves not helping his cause.
Dunn spent four years at Birmingham following a 2003 switch, but later returned to Blackburn where he remained until 2015.
Following a brief spell as a player with Oldham, Dunn took charge of the Latics during the 2015-16 season. He has since held coaching roles with Blackburn, Blackpool, Barrow and Port Vale.
David Dunn earned his solitary England cap in 2002[/caption]
Dunn managed Barrow in 2020[/caption]
STEVE GUPPY
Winger Guppy earned his one and only England cap while playing for Leicester in 1999.
He earned high praise from then-boss Kevin Keegan, who said: “He is a little bit like a left-sided David Beckham. That’s quite exciting.
“Like David he doesn’t have to beat people, he can beat them with the ball as well as run past them.”
Despite this high praise, Guppy was never called up again – although he did go on to play for Celtic, Leeds and Stoke among others.
Guppy has moved into coaching since retiring, and has worked with MLS side Nashville while running his own 1v1 football camps.
Steve Guppy, middle, was compared with David Beckham by Kevin Keegan[/caption]
Guppy has coached with US side Nashville[/caption]
CHRIS SUTTON
Despite playing an integral role in Blackburn’s Premier League title win in 1995, it took until November 1997 for Sutton to earn his first England cap, during a friendly with Cameroon.
The following February, the striker refused to play in an England B team match, which led to boss Glenn Hoddle never picking him again.
Following a disappointing stint at Chelsea, Sutton signed for Celtic in 2000 – where he became a cult hero across six years.
Initially turning to coaching post-retirement, Sutton managed Lincoln City between 2009 and 2010, eventually leaving after 50 games in charge due to personal reasons.
He has since become a prolific pundit, presenting the BBC’s 606 programme and working on TV for Sky Sports.
Chris Sutton made his solitary England appearance against Cameroon[/caption]
Sutton now works as a regular on Sky Sports[/caption]
DAVE NUGENT
Striker Nugent was something of a Championship specialist during his playing career, scoring 121 goals in England’s second tier.
During a prolific season with Preston in 2006-07, Nugent remarkably received a call-up from then-boss Steve McClaren for a Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra.
The forward scored during his 11-minute cameo against the footie minnows, touching Jermain Defoe‘s already goal-bound shot into the net.
Despite future stints in the Premier League, Nugent never got close to another England call-up.
He did win the FA Cup with Portsmouth, however, while also earning Championship promotions with Leicester and Middlesbrough before eventually finishing his career with Tranmere during the 2020-21 season.
David Nugent scores his one and only England goal[/caption]
Nugent became more synonymous with scoring goals in the Championship than Premier League[/caption]
