Going International

By Libbie Jewell

Where are the Saints players heading?

This year, many Saints have stepped up to play internationally. For this year's World Cup, many of Southampton F.C’s Saints are heading out to play for their countries. The World Cup will start November 20th, and finish December 18th. 32 teams will fight it out to be World Champions. The current Champions are France, who won it back in 2018 after they beat Croatia 4-2. The most successful team in the world cup is Brazil, as they have won it 5 times.

The Saints midfielder, James Ward-Prowse will be on the England Team. Known for his amazing set pieces, free kicks are his middle name.The Saints Captain first joined the first team back in October 2012, after coming up from the youth teams. He represented England in the under-17, 19, 20 and 21’s. Ward-Prowse is originally from Portsmouth. As a child, he would watch Portsmouth play at Fratton Park, in fact he was a season ticket holder. This really sparks up the rivalry on the South Coast, as Southampton's captain is a Pompey. Ward- Prowse has always been a loyal Saint, playing for Southampton FC and England. Mainly playing central midfielder, he can also play attacking midfielder and right midfielder. This makes him brilliant for the England team, as his skills as a strong midfielder are shown. Manchester City manager; Pep Guardiola remarked that Ward-Prowse is "the best free-kick taker I have seen in my life". His skills can really brighten up a team, and this is why he's seen as a success for England.

Another Southampton icon; Che Adams, is playing for Scotland in the World Cup. Adams represented England under 20s back in 2015. At the time, he was playing for Championship club Birmingham City. After three seasons with Birmingham City, he moved to Southampton in July 2019. Adams represented Scotland in the 2020 Euros. It will be the strikers first time playing in the World Cup, after a hard working career to live every footballer's dream. This year he got called up to play for Scotland's National Team in the World Cup. He will be playing alongside Saints Legend Stuart Armstrong. Armstrong joined Southampton in 2018 after he left the Celtic FC. The midfielder has represented Scotland for the under 19s, 21s and first team. Adams and Armstrong are seen as perfect for the team, working together to bring Scotland's success.

However some young players are also making the cut in the upcoming years, as Tino Livramento has been making the under 21s team recently. As of today, the 19 year old is recently recovering from an ACL injury. As being previously loaned to Southampton from Chelsea Football Club, he has managed 5 appearances for England in the under-21s squad. In 2019, he moved to Southampton for £5.5 million for his outstanding performances in the under 21s. However it was not always easy for the youngster, as he's had to slowly climb the ranks. As he started off very low in the Chelsea Academy and ended up making his way after years of dedication to earning a spot in the under 21 and under 23s Chelsea squad. He was a crucial part to their success in recent years. He is a very versatile player when it comes to these situations. For example, he was not always stuck in the right back position as he could also play slightly higher up the field in right midfield, which meant for more flexibility for when the manager selected team sheets. This is one of the reasons he has become the player he is today, and would be seen as perfect for the England squad.