Arsenal were one of England's most successful clubs during the 1990s, a time which was punctuated by the emergence of an unsung hero and his subsequent consolidation as a reliable operator. That player was Ray Parlour.
Arsene Wenger's arrival in English football heralded a changing of the guard, especially in terms of nutrition and sports science. The days of 'Tuesday clubs' and post-match pints were on the way out, replaced by health foods, cleaner living and closer monitoring of player's physical markers.
Arsenal icon Ray Parlour: 'Linesman cost me England caps'
Now synonymous among football fans for his talkSPORT punditry and social media habits, alongside co-host Alan Brazil, Parlour emerged in 1992 and spent 12 years with the Gunners, playing 466 times in all.
Moving on in 2004, Parlour had brief spells at Middlesbrough and Hull City to round out his top-level career.
He won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups at Highbury, scoring a decisive goal in Arsenal's 2-0 triumph over Chelsea in the 2002 final in Cardiff.
At the peak of his powers, Parlour was called up to the England squad, making 10 appearances for the Three Lions between 1999 and 2000.
He failed to get on the scoresheet for his country but tells FourFourTwo he really ought to have done, if not for some dodgy officiating.
"This match [Finland 0-0 England, 2002 World Cup qualifying] was the closest I would ever come to scoring for England.
"Listen, I actually did score – it was one of those Frank Lampard ones where it hit the bar and came down over the line, but wasn’t given. There was no VAR or goal-line technology back then. That might have pushed me on to play the next England game and help cement my place in the team.
"Not to point fingers, but the linesman might have cost me a few caps!"
Despite his success at club level, Parlour was repeatedly overlooked for international tournaments. After an initial call-up in 1998 ahead of the FIFA World Cup, the Arsenal midfielder was left out of Glenn Hoddle's final squad and had to wait until Kevin Keegan took charge for his Three Lions debut.
England crashed out in the group stage at UEFA Euro 2000 with other players again preferred to Parlour.
"I’m proud of my England career – I got 10 caps during a very tough era up against a lot of brilliant competition and some great players – but who knows if I could have done more?"
His penultimate appearance in an England shirt came in the aforementioned fixture against Finland under the stewardship of interim boss Howard Wilkinson.
The game ended scoreless leaving England with a solitary point from their first two matches of the 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign and, subsequently, a mountain to climb to book their place at the tournament in the Far East.
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