Watkins becomes latest coup for league pyramid

England striker’s rise up the divisions is a well-worn path – and one not replicated in the other leading European nations

The 16 players who represented England against San Marino on Thursday night had made a combined 1,198 league appearances outside of the top flight. Only three players in

Gareth Southgate’s side had never played in a lower division of English football, and of those who featured at Wembley, none had played more matches in the lower leagues than Ollie Watkins.

Forged in the footballing fires of Exeter City, Weston-super-mare and Brentford, Watkins played 224 league matches across the Conference South, League Two and Championship before becoming a debutant goalscorer for his country.

To look at Watkins, and the squad as a whole, is to see the value of the nation’s unique footballing culture. No other major country in Europe enjoys such depth within its professional game, and no other can call upon players with journeys as varied as those who represent England.

This is not to say that the English system produces better players than the others. England’s lack of success speaks for itself in that regard. But it is clear that, as a nation, England is producing its international players in a markedly different way to its rivals on the Continent.

Of the 14 who represented France against Ukraine on Wednesday, only four had played adult first-team football in the French lower tiers.

Spain’s team who drew with Greece on Thursday featured only three players who had played firstteam football in the Spanish lower levels, while Germany’s team against Iceland featured just six who had played first-team football in their lower leagues. Only Italy, who had 11 players of lower-league experience, came close to England.

It should serve as a reminder that the English game remains fundamentally different to the other big European leagues. The length and strength of the footballing pyramid is unmatched by other nations, as can be seen in English Football League attendance figures.

Pre-coronavirus, the average attendance at League One clubs was 8,787. For Italy’s third tier, it was 2,641. For Spain’s it was 2,330 and for France’s just 1,347. Only Germany comes close (with a third-tier average attendance of 8,696) but, when it comes to the fourth tier, League Two’s average attendance before Covid was 4,671, compared to 1,377 in Germany’s equivalent.

A caveat: many of the Spanish, French and German international players who represented their country this week had previously played for the “B” teams of their clubs in