Billy Wright won the last of his 105 England caps on this day.

Billy Wright, the Wolves half-back, was the first player to reach 100 caps for England – or indeed for any other country. He made his 105th and last appearance in a tour friendly against USA on this day in 1959.

England won 8-1 before a 13,000 crowd at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles.

William Ambrose Wright was given his first cap against Northern Ireland in 1946 when he was 22, England winning 7-2 in Belfast. He played more than 50 internationals at wing-half before moving into the centre of defence for the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. That’s where he stayed, making use of his tackling and heading attributes.

He played in a record 70 consecutive matches for England and captained the team on 90 occasions, a record he shares with Bobby Moore.

His last tour, in May 1959, included matches with Brazil, Peru and Mexico. The final match with USA had only stood at 1-1 at half-time, the home side reviving memories of the World Cup humiliation nine years earlier by taking an 18th-minute lead through Murphy of the Chicago Slovaks.

But England were easy winners in the end against the exhausted Americans. The goals flowed from Bobby Charlton (three, including a penalty), Ron Flowers (two), Warren Bradley, Derek Kevan and Johnny Haynes.