Mase wrote:That was my point - that most players see it as the peak. You’ve mentioned players from years gone by - I could mention players that didn’t give a fuck - Giggs, Scholes..
But THIS particular crop of England players see it as the be all and end all.
If you were given the choice to win the league playing for City or the WC with England, I’d be surprised if you didn’t pick City. But if you’d ask Stones - win the CL (before he’d won it) with Barnsley or win a WC with England - he’s pick England.
It is not about chosing one over the other though, any successful player will want to win everything they possibly can, including those for their country and that hasn't changed recently, it's been that way since international football and comps came about.
Both giggs and scholes played quite a few games for their countries, they didn't turn their backs initially. Giggs even went back as manager until he got done for being a wife beater.
Their reasons for not continuing, I can't comment on as I don't know the circumstances.
I know growing up as a kid, finding out when City players were called up, you knew that player was a good player and we were proud our players were playing for England (not many foreign players when I was a kid).
As the years went on, more and more City players played for England, until the recent years where we had more players in the squad for England than anyone else, most of which were regular starters.
Same for the Spanish bunch, the Argentines, Portugese, and Brazillians etc.
Not just England, pretty much every City player over the last 15 years or so has played for their country.
Both Messi and Tranny are still playing for their countries.
Even the new boy Khushanov is away playing for his country this week (having also got married, whilst home). His country have never qualified for a WC and currently 58 in FIFA rankings, so pointless him going really, but he does because he wants to honour his country.
