International Career
He made his debut for the England under-21's in a 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification game in Austria in September 2004 under Peter Taylor.
In the following campaign he scored a vital goal for the England under-21 team against Germany on 6 October 2006, securing a 1–0 win in the first leg of a UEFA European U21 Championship play-off. He played all four of England's matches in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship finals. In total he played 16 times for the under-21 team and scored one goal.
With Wayne Bridge retiring from international duties, Baines was called up to the senior England squad for the first time in March 2009, and made his full international debut in a friendly against Egypt at Wembley Stadium on 3 March 2010, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 win for England. He was selected in a provisional squad of 30 players for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not make the final squad of 23 players to be taken to South Africa, with Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock, who had not played in the warm-up games, taken in his place. Baines made his competitive international debut on 4 June 2011, replacing the injured Ashley Cole in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland, assisting Ashley Young for England's equalising goal.
Baines was named in Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2012 in May, but did not feature in the tournament with Hodgson using Ashley Cole for all four of England's games. In September 2012, he scored his first international goal against Moldova in a 2014 World Qualification match, a deflected free kick which was the last of England's goals in a 5–0 win.
Read more about this topic: Leighton Baines
Famous quotes containing the word career:
“In time your relatives will come to accept the idea that a career is as important to you as your family. Of course, in time the polar ice cap will melt.”
—Barbara Dale (b. 1940)