This cap belonged to a player who wasn’t just the first to win 100 caps for England – he was the first to win 100 caps for any country.
Billy Wright joined Wolverhampton Wanderers at the age of just 14, played his first senior game one year later before the outbreak of war, and made his first official appearance in 1946. By this point, he had established himself as one of Wolves’ leaders, and was named skipper soon after.
That same year, Billy made his England debut against Ireland. He fast became an ever-present name on the teamsheet, featuring in 70 consecutive games. He became the first to reach the century milestone in 1959, fittingly keeping a clean sheet against Scotland.
Wright went on to win 105 caps in total for England, 90 of those as captain. This cap was from his 93rd appearance against the Soviet Union at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden (a 2-2 draw).
It proved to be the 34-year-old’s final major international tournament.
