A slight trivia aside: who holds the UEFA record for most national team selections? Thuram, who holds that record for France, could surpass 150 by the end of this year.

And it looks like Casillas might break his record, he's already in the high 70s and just turned 27 last week...

Looking at some potential candidates with remarkably long international careers, Zoff has less than 120 azzuri selections, Yashine under 100. I thought those two might be closer to Thuram's amazing run.

Babel out of the Dutch squad after a training ground injury, if it hasn't already been mentioned.

Anelka is wearing number 8 for France tonight (and just fell over when presented with a golden chance at the edge of the area).

Quite sadly this is something that I always find interesting. The numbers chosen for in international tournaments. Most countries choose the same three numbers tournament after tournament for goalkeepers.

Goalkeepers
1-16-23: Czech Republic
1-12-22: Portugal
1-18-21: Switzerland
1-12-23: Turkey
1-21-23: Austria
1-12-23: Croatia
1-12-23: Germany
1-12-22: Poland
1-16-23: France
1-14-17: Italy
1-13-16: Netherlands
1-12-23: Romania
1-12-13: Greece
1-12-16: Russia
1-13-23: Spain
1-12-13: Sweden

Sebastian Frey is number 16 for France which suggests that he is first choice as keeper now taken over from Fabian Barthez (another 16). Mandanda is "France's #1" despite being uncapped.

ursus arctos wrote:

QUOTE:
Anelka is wearing number 8 for France tonight (and just fell over when presented with a golden chance at the edge of the area).

Anelka is wearing a number 39 shirt on his sticker in the Panini album. Quite disgusting really.

I notice that Del Piero is sticking with the number 7 shirt (despite Totti's international retirement). De Rossi is number 10.

The Observer's Euro 2008 this morning lists all squads and players' numbers and clubs. It ascribes 8 to Anelka also, Benzema is 9 as per Subside Sport's website a few weeks ago so they had a tip from Adidas, obviously.

Coupet (no. 23) actually started for France last night, and is expected to do so in the Euros.

Govou has the burden of Platini and Zidane's number 10.

Are numbers on shirts an anachronism at big tournaments like these, now that every player puts their name on the back of the shirt? They were only really ever there for the crowd, and commentators, to recognise which player was which, but with the names on shirts (and the ever-increasing celebrity status of the players themselves, anyway) it's not as if you need to know what number Ronaldo's playing in to spot him on the pitch.

For a while, numbers corresponded to playing positions (so the 11 on the pitch at kick-off would ALWAYS be numbered 1 to 11), but the Dutch started to rip that up with total football, and then squad numbers have just made it silly. Liverpool are as likely to have numbers 15 and 18 up front as 9 and 10.

I must say, as an American that grew up with sports where players picked whatever numbers they damn well pleased (starting lineup of numbers on the Lakers, the team that I loved more than any other as a kid: 33-42-45-4-32), I don't see the indignation with players picking numbers that don't correspond to their position. But that's just me.