Nearly 30 years ago a 23 year-old Trevor Brooking made exactly the same journey, destined to make his full England debut against Portugal in the Stadium of Light in Lisbon.

“Alf [Ramsey] was still in charge but was under a bit of pressure from the press so, he used that game in Lisbon to blood a few new players,” recalls Trevor, one of those who came into the frame.

“Phil Parkes got his one and only goalkpeeping cap in that game which is unbelievable really because he was such a wonderful goalkeeper. Unfortunately he was just born at the same time as Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence. Stan Bowles also played in that game, with Martin Peters captaining the side.

“It finished 0-0 and I was quite pleased with my debut. It was played in Benfica’s Stadium of Light, which was renowned throughout Europe, so it was quite something to play on that stage. I was selected for Sir Alf’s next squad but sadly he got the sack before he got to take charge of the game.”

Turning his attentions to England’s modern generation, Trevor is sure that tonight’s game is ideal preparation ahead of EURO2004.

“It’s a tough game,” he says. “Both this match and the one against Sweden next month are good challenges from and England point of view. It will be good to sample an experience of the host country and off the field events like the fans forum that we’ve held have been an excellent chance to set the right tone for the summer.

“On the pitch of course the way the groups have been drawn, if England progress, either Spain or Portugal will be waiting in the last eight, which add that little bit extra too.”

So which of the Portuguese players is Trevor looking forward to seeing?

“Figo looks as if he’s playing very well at the moment for Real Madrid and I always looked on Rui Costa as one of my favourite players too.

“They have been very successful at all the youth levels and have now got some of those young players coming through to mix with the more experienced talent that we all know about.

“It will be interesting to see one or two of the newer names who they’ll be looking at with a view to the summer. Their emphasis is on skill and technique. We know from our own experience in EURO2000 all about their ability to score goals and have a little purple patch!

“They can beat any side in the tournament in the summer and are one of several sides capable of winning it. It’s a good run-out for us and there is a chance and an opportunity for some of our own players to stake their claim.”