Three players have competed at the World Cup whilst on Town’s books
- Three players have played in World Cup during time at Town
- Mooy, Lössl and Zanka all selected in final 23-man World Cup squads
- Ray Wilson was the last Town player to feature in a World Cup
With Aaron Mooy, Jonas Lössl and Mathias Zanka all heading for the World Cup in Russia, htafc.com takes a look at former Huddersfield Town players who have competed on the world’s greatest stage, during their time with the Terriers.
Since England first entered the competition in 1950, three England internationals have represented the Three Lions on the World Cup stage, whilst on the books at Huddersfield Town.
The first of those was Bill McGarry (left of mainimage). The defender was part of the final 17-man England squad that travelled to Switzerland for the 1954 World Cup.
McGarry played more than 350 times for Town during a 10-year spell with the Club. He played a key role in the Club’s promotion-winning 1952/53 season which saw the Terriers return to the First Division.
Unfortunately, his second and final World Cup appearance came in the Three Lions’ 4-2 defeat to Uruguay as England bowed out of the competition in the knockout stages.
Ron Staniforth (right of main image) was also part of the 1954 World Cup squad, the second Town player to feature at the competition.
The full-back played for the Terriers between 1952 and 1955, making more than 100 appearances. He played every game in Town’s 1952/53 campaign and, much like McGarry, impressed then-England Manager Walter Winterbottom with his league performances enough to earn a place on the plane to Switzerland.
Staniforth, who also played for Stockport County, Sheffield Wednesday and Barrow, went on to feature in three of England’s four matches at the competition.
The third and final player to appear at a World Cup for England while on the books for Town was, of course, Ray Wilson.
The World Cup-winning defender, albeit as an Everton player after leaving Town in 1964, made more than 250 appearances for Huddersfield in 12 years at the Club.
He also registered 63 appearances for the National Team, making him Town’s most decorated England international of all time.
He also featured for England at the 1962 World Cup, this time as a Huddersfield Town player. He played a key role in the Three Lions’ journey at the competition, featuring in all three group games against Hungary, Argentina and Bulgaria, as well as the 3-1 Quarter-Final defeat against Brazil.
Wilson only made his international debut two years before, in a 1-1 draw with Scotland, but he soon became a regular part of the England team and was called up by Winterbottom for the 1962 tournament in Chile.
Alf Ramsey took up the reigns as England Manager in 1963 and kept faith in Wilson. The full-back left Town in 1964, but played every game of England’s World Cup-winning campaign in 1966 and was the oldest player in the squad as England went on to lift the trophy for the first and, to this day, only time.
The three Terriers in David Wagner’s squad that have travelled to the World Cup, will be the first Town players from outside of the UK to compete in the tournament.
You can find out how their campaigns look by CLICKING HERE!
