Super Saint Rickie

After a career which has spanned six clubs, four divisions, three promotions and a beetroot factory, Southampton FC’s No.7 finally made his bow in an England shirt.

Lambert celebrates scoring on his England debut. Credit: @SouthamptonFC

Many had questioned his inclusion in the squad, some had doubted he would even get on the pitch – but once he did, there was only one outcome. Followers of Southampton FC will most likely have expected this from their talismanic front man, but even the most optimistic Saints fan wouldn’t have foreseen such a decisive impact from the 31-year-old.

The goal means that Lambert joins an elite group of players, including one time Saint Alan Shearer, to have scored on their England debut. It is an achievement not lost on the Liverpudlian:

It is beyond my wildest dreams… It has been a whirlwind. I have been trying to play it cool as if it is not a big deal but the kid inside me wants to scream out loud.”

Indeed, early on in his football career, Lambert must have been wondering whether he was really cut out for the professional game after first seeing his dreams of playing for Liverpool dashed, then succumbing to the same fate at lowly Blackpool. It was only once he found his way to The Saints that his career really took off. Successful spells at Rochdale and Bristol Rovers had failed to convince the critics, who questioned why Southampton had paid £1 million for a player untested above League One.

Lambert however silenced the doubters just as he did tonight, scoring 88 goals in 3 seasons to take Southampton all the way up to the Premier League. Last season he continued in his goal scoring ways, bagging a further 15 and finishing the season as the joint highest English marksman.

It took Rickie Lambert 15 years to make his England debut. It took him two and a half minutes to score on it.