England’s World Cup campaign already took a hit before a single ball was kicked. Tino Livramento, the Newcastle breakout star who earned a surprise spot in the squad, is out with an injury sustained in training ahead of the opener against Croatia. Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah has been rushed in as his replacement. It’s a cruel twist for Livramento, but for England fans, the pattern is painfully familiar.
Late injury replacements are almost a tradition for the Three Lions at major tournaments. The run-up to Euro 2020 was dominated by the Trent Alexander-Arnold drama. Widely considered one of the best full-backs in Europe, Alexander-Arnold struggled to fit into Gareth Southgate’s system, with Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, and Reece James all ahead in the pecking order. He was named in the initial squad but pulled out with an injury in early June. Brighton’s Ben White replaced him. White didn’t play a minute as England reached the final. Neither did Aaron Ramsdale, who stepped in for the injured Dean Henderson after the first match.
Euro 2012 was a planning disaster. Fabio Capello resigned four months before the finals, forcing Roy Hodgson to take over on short notice. Four players from Hodgson’s initial squad were ruled out before a ball was kicked in Ukraine: John Ruddy, Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard, and Gary Cahill. Lampard and Cahill had just won the Champions League with Chelsea. Their replacements — Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, and Martin Kelly — saw only Henderson play any minutes. Martin Kelly is a classic Pointless answer if there ever was one.
The 2010 World Cup brought more heartbreak. Rio Ferdinand was set to captain the side before a rogue Emile Heskey tackle in training ruled him out entirely. Tottenham’s Michael Dawson replaced him, but England shed center-backs like a winter’s skin during a depressing group stage. Ledley King lasted 45 minutes of the opener. Jamie Carragher was suspended after two yellow cards. That left Dawson and Matthew Upson, with Capello choosing the West Ham man. Upson and John Terry’s treacle-footed defending against Germany was a key reason England went home in the round of 16.
Perhaps the wildest story came in 2002. Sven-Goran Eriksson named a provisional 23-man squad for the World Cup, with Liverpool’s Danny Murphy on standby. Two days later, Kieron Dyer and Steven Gerrard picked up injuries in their final league games. The squad traveled to Dubai on May 13, with Murphy deputizing for Gerrard and Trevor Sinclair joining for Dyer. Gerrard was left out, but Dyer made it and Murphy deputized. Sinclair flew home to his pregnant wife despite Eriksson asking him to stay. Then Murphy broke his metatarsal. Sinclair, just back in England, had to board another 6,000-mile flight to replace him. His persistence paid off — he played four World Cup games, including the wins over Argentina and Denmark and the quarterfinal loss to Brazil.
Even the 1990 World Cup had late drama. David Seaman was England’s third-choice goalkeeper until an injury forced him out after the first match. Dave Beasant replaced him. Rumors later swirled that Beasant should have been subbed on for Peter Shilton before the semifinal shootout with West Germany. The catch? Beasant wasn’t on the bench. Having famously saved a penalty in the 1988 FA Cup final, England might have fared better with him between the sticks.
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