In a state of shock, Ryder, who had just helped guide Walsall to automatic promotion from the Fourth Division, initially thought his teammates were pulling a prank on him. “I thought it was a practical joke by some of my teammates,” he joked at the time. “I came back from Tenerife thinking I had the summer off and then I had a call from the club saying I had a fax through that I’d been called up to the England under-21 squad,” he recalls nearly 30 years on. Ryder went from training in his local park straight into the starting line-up against a Brazil team which featured 2002 World Cup winner and former Middlesbrough midfielder Juninho. Ryder partnered Richards in a 2-0 defeat to Brazil but was replaced by Chris Casper for the 2-0 victory over Malaysia.

Source: Express August 08, 2024 04:57 UTC