Gary Cahill spoke to the Daily Mirror about wanting to impress for England in the World Cup and follow in the footsteps of other great English defenders. Cahill is the latest in the list of England defenders including Billy Wright, Bobby Moore, Sol Campbell, Tony Adams, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry who have become great performers for the Three Lions while wearing the armband. Though Cahill is not the captain for England it would come as no surprise if he is chosen after Steven Gerrard retires from international football.



Cahill spoke about being a leader for England as a centerback and said, “I see that I have to take up that mantle, and I embrace it. I’ve always seen those players, and I’d add Martin Keown as well, as ones I look up to. Martin, Sol, Rio and JT, all of them, they’re players I respect as great central defenders”.

The centerback also spoke about the feelings he is having about getting to play in a World Cup:

“For me to be in their shoes now is great. As a kid you dream of going to a World Cup but you never think it’s actually going to happen. Sometimes you have to pinch yourself and realize you’re actually here, in the build-up to going to the World Cup. There’s no better feeling than that. The first one I remember is 1998, Michael Owen’s goal against Argentina in St Etienne. That’s the one that stands out for me, the first one I can remember really. And now it’s my turn.”

Cahill also went on to discuss England’s chances and his own experience playing in big games:

“I’ve played in big games, like the Champions League final, but this will be different. Everyone who is English wants us to do well. Sometimes the pressure brings out the best in you. You get a kind of idea what it might be like, but the one thing you don’t know about is that tournament environment. It’s going to hit home when we’re on that plane from Miami and flying in to Rio. Then we’ll land and get the sense of how big the tournament is, the atmosphere, the fans and everything else. But it’s up to us to make people recognize the talent we’ve got as a squad. That’s how we feel. It’s so open, with so many good teams there. In that respect it’s like the latter stages of the Champions League, with so many good teams out there. If we went forward, would it surprise you? No. If Brazil did, would that surprise you? No. A lot of teams could go a long way and it wouldn’t surprise you, and we’re certainly in that category.”

If England are to perform well at the World Cup then Gary Cahill will have to be a key man for the Three Lions. Many believe that England made a mistake not reaching out to John Terry who was one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season. The Terry-Cahill partnership was the best in the league and could have paid dividends for manager Roy Hodgson in the World Cup.

Instead of Terry, Cahill will have to partner with either Phil Jagielka, Phil Jones, or Chris Smalling, none of whom have the experience or talent of Terry. This will be a great test of Cahill’s ability and will allow him to respond to critics that think Terry is the reason he had such a fantastic season. If anything, Cahill will prove to the fans of England and to the world that he is ready to take that next step and become the next heart of the England defense.

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