Joe Baker - International Career

International Career

Baker was born in Liverpool to Scottish parents, and moved to Scotland while he was a young child. His talents meant that he was selected by the Scottish Schools team, but his birthplace made him only eligible to play for England under the rules of the time. He made his England debut against Northern Ireland in 1959, which made him the first player to be capped for England while playing for a club outside the English football league system. It also meant that he was the first player to play for England without having ever played for an English club. Owen Hargreaves is the only other player to have done this.

Baker won eight caps for the senior England side, five while he was playing for Hibs and three while with Arsenal. These later caps were won when he earned a brief recall to the England side in 1965. Despite scoring in a 2–0 win over Spain, Baker didn't make the squad for the 1966 FIFA World Cup.