Being called up by your country is biggest privilege footballer can ever have, claims Conor Coady
England defender Conor Coady believes that earning a call-up for their country is a footballer’s biggest privilege and it’s why he will never ever take it for granted. The Wolverhampton Wanderers captain has only nine senior caps for the Three Lions but has been a consistent presence in the team.
Despite leading and playing a key part in England's U17 team winning the 2010 European Championship, the first England men’s team to win an international tournament in just under two decades, Conor Coady struggled to earn his senior cap. The former Liverpool youth academy product failed to break into the first team and was eventually sold. A successful spell at Huddersfield saw Wolverhampton Wanderers sign him and his consistency alongside the fact that he eventually became their captain saw Coady earn his first cap at 27.
Now 29, Coady has only earned eight more but despite that the defender has been a consistent presence in the squad, earning regular call-ups over the last few years. He was also named in the Euro 2020 squad but while Coady never played, the 29-year-old admitted that just “being called up by your country is the biggest privilege” and he never takes that lightly. The defender also added that he tries to do his best and is proud of the fact that he is a part of the group.
"I never get used to the feeling because if you do, I think you become a little bit comfortable. Getting comfortable is something I've never done in my life, I never would do. Being called up by your country is the biggest privilege a footballer can ever have in their life, so I've never got comfortable and I'll never take it for granted,” Coady told Sky Sports.
"I always try to do my best every single day and that's something I'll always do, so I've never really got used to it because every time I come here it's the best feeling in the world. It's an incredible moment just to be part of this group and part of this group of lads again."
Coady also attested to the change that the England national team has undergone since Gareth Southgate took over as he believes that the feel-good factor comes naturally with the current group of players. The Three Lions once had a very testy atmosphere within the squad but that has clearly changed as Coady added that Southgate and his coaching staff, alongside others, have played a part in that process.
"It's something natural that comes with this group of players. It's something natural that comes from the manager, his staff and the people who surround the manager and his staff as well. We all enjoy spending time together and it's not changed since the Euros and didn't change before the Euros. It was always something that was a part of us and that's something the gaffer has created since being here,” he added.