I made my only England appearance alongside Wayne Rooney – our careers went in totally different directions
THIS former England star made his only Three Lions appearance alongside Wayne Rooney.
But their careers went in completely different directions.
Francis Jeffers and new Birmingham City boss Wazza both made their England bows in a shock 3-1 defeat to Australia in 2003.
Jeffers bagged the Three Lions’ only goal on the night, with many tipping him to have a hugely successful career.
However, it was Rooney who went on to become the nation’s delight, winning multiple trophies at Manchester United while becoming England captain.
As for Jeffers, he never made another international appearance for his country.
At the time of his debut, Jeffers was becoming a regular squad player at Arsenal following several years with Everton.
However, Arsene Wenger eventually decided to move him on to Charlton following a brief loan return to Everton.
Jeffers then spent time at Rangers and Blackburn before dropping to the Championship with Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday.
He then tried his luck in Australia with Newcastle Jets before a second spell in Scotland with Motherwell.
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Jeffers even had a go in Malta with Floriana before ending his career in 2013 with League Two Accrington Stanley.
The striker then moved into coaching, working with Everton, Ipswich Town and Oldham.
Jeffers is now a coach in Saudi Arabia’s second tier, working under Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler at Al-Qadsiah,
Reflecting on his brief spell in the national limelight, Jeffers told The Times: “It’s the pinnacle, isn’t it?
“Even though it was one cap I managed to get on the scoresheet. I got in the next squad but didn’t play.
“When I was a young lad I always said I wanted to play for Everton and England so I managed to tick them both off.
“People will say ‘he had unfulfilled talent, he should have got more caps’. But it is quite hard to get an England cap.
“To be involved with Wayne, two lads who went to the same school in Croxeth, you very rarely get that at any level.”