England v Denmark is a fixture dear to the heart of Graeme Le Saux and the ex-Chelsea star recalled the moment he made his international debut in an exclusive chat with TheFA.com.
Le Saux will watch Roy Hodgson’s side in action along with six other Three Lions fans from a Club Wembley box after they won the exclusive prize courtesy of a competition run by Talksport.
And as the former left-back - capped 36 times by his country - met the winners, he looked back at his England bow against the Danes back in 1994.
Le Saux said: “It was an incredible moment for me – representing Jersey as well as England made it extra-special.
“I was given the shirt by Stuart Pearce at the training ground after Terry Venables had named his team.”
Graeme Le Saux
“I was given the shirt by Stuart Pearce at the training ground after Terry Venables had named his team and it was unforgettable. It is fair to say that he is pretty intimidating, but he told me that I deserved it on merit and he was really gracious. It made a huge difference to me and made me feel that the manager had made the right decision and filled me with confidence.
“It was the first time I’d ever played at Wembley and I remember going in to the dressing-room and just trying to take it all in. In there were a lot of messages for the players, letters and telegrams and because it was my debut I had quite a few from people back in Jersey who had helped with my development."
The former Blues, Blackburn Rovers and Southampton defender added: “Walking out of the tunnel and onto the back of the pitch behind that goal, I had to really keep my focus and I felt ten feet tall. All the memories of FA Cup Finals and famous England games that I’d watched on the television came flooding back and I had to deal with that.
“I just had so much energy and I could have played all night. Afterwards I told the reporters I was going to sleep in that shirt.”
As a full-back who knows all about making his debut against Denmark, Le Saux will know exactly what will be going through Luke Shaw’s mind as the 18-year-old prepares for his first England senior encounter.
“I have watched him quite a lot and I’ve been really impressed with him,” said Le Saux. “Physically he is very strong and is the right build. He has fantastic power and looks very confident playing in a team that is galvanised.
“It will be a test for him to adapt to players that he is not used to playing with, but the attributes he has suggest he has all the potential to go on and become an established international.
“With Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines too, in addition to Kieran Gibbs and Danny Rose, we have a real abundance of quality left-backs at the moment.”
Prize-winner Michael Owen, who coincidently shares the name of the 40-goal former England striker, says he is excited to watch Hodgson’s men in action from his exclusive box.
Owen said: “It’s my first time watching them here at the new Wembley and it will be a special atmosphere under the lights.
“I’m confident of a win and it is an exciting time to be an England fan. I’m looking forward to seeing the Southampton boys and it will be a big opportunity for them to impress.
“I reckon we’ll see plenty of goals and a 3-1 win.”
