Ex-Liverpool star to finally be given England cap after only match 18 years ago

Former goalkeeper is finally set to receive his Three Lions cap almost 20 years after winning it.

Kirkland came off the bench at half-time to replace Paul Robinson in a 4-0 friendly win over at Old Trafford in August 2006. However, he never received the commemorative cap to celebrate his debut.

As a result, the former star will be in attendance for England's Nations League clash with Greece at Wembley on Thursday as a guest of the Association (FA) and he will finally be presented with his cap.

According to the , it is unclear why Kirkland never received it in the first place. However, the FA have moved quickly to rectify the situation after they were made aware of the error by staff at Edge Hill University.

Kirkland was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy by the university earlier this year for his work around mental health and he was also surprised with the invitation to be the FA's guest of honour against Greece.

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The 43-year-old will receive a legacy cap with the number 1,114. Kirkland was regularly picked in England squads between 2003 and 2008, but that 2006 friendly against Greece was the only time he ever made it on the pitch.

That one appearance did earn his family a huge windfall as well after his father placed a bet on his then 13-year-old son playing for England one day at odds of 100/1. Eddie Kirkland bet a stake of £98.10 after other family members chipped in, meaning the syndicated earned around £10,000 over a decade later.

Reflecting on his father's bet, Kirkland told the Athletic: "If I'd gone into the bookies' with my dad, and they'd seen me, I'm sure he would have got a lot better odds than 100/1. I was very gangly. I wasn't in the best shape.

"I must have done OK. My dad must have seen something. I went from playing my first game in goal at nearly 14 to making my debut (for Coventry City) at 18. It was a rapid rise."

Kirkland was part of the Liverpool side that won the 2005 and he also represented Coventry, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic, City, Doncaster Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday, Preston North End and Bury before retiring in 2016.

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