Team GB's men's football squad for 2012 Olympics - where are they now?
Many football fans actively dislike the international break – and we can’t really blame them.
Just as the domestic season reaches fever pitch, we have a two-week absence of competitive club football.
Of course, ahead of the World Cup later this year, there is plenty of exciting international fixtures to keep us occupied. But it’s not quite the same, is it?
England will face Switzerland and Ivory Coast in two friendlies at Wembley having already qualified for the tournament in Qatar.
But during this international break, we wanted to remember the frankly bizarre Team GB squad during the 2012 London Olympics.
Team GB finished top of their group having beat UAE and Uruguay and drawing to Senegal. But they crashed out of the quarter-finals having lost on penalties to South Korea.
But 11 years on, where is the entire squad now?
While some have retired, others are still playing at the top level.
Let’s take a look:
GK: Jack Butland
Butland was once considered a very exciting goalkeeping prospect while at Stoke in the Premier League. But after their relegation in 2017/18, Butland’s career has stalled.
After nine England senior caps, Butland finds himself as back-up at Crystal Palace.
GK: Jason Steele
Steele is also a Premier League back-up goalkeeper – at Brighton. He was previously at Middlesbrough, Blackburn and Sunderland in the Championship.
DF: Neil Taylor
Taylor was one of a few Wales players to make the Team GB side. Having joined Aston Villa from Swansea, Taylor is now at Middlesbrough.
DF: Ryan Bertrand
Bertrand was a regular in the Premier League with Southampton following his Champions League triumph at Chelsea. But he made a move to Leicester in the summer, where he’s struggling to play consistently.
DF: Steven Caulker
Caulker’s career is a bizarre one with the 30-year-old now finding himself at Turkish side Gaziantep, on loan from Fenerbahce. In the summer, he represented Sierra Leone in the Africa Cup of Nations despite playing once for England.
DF: Craig Dawson
Dawson has had something of a renaissance in his career, playing almost 40 times for West Ham this season.
DF: James Tomkins
Tomkins joined Crystal Palace from West Ham in 2016/17, where he remains. At 32, he’s more of a back-up player these days.
DF: Micah Richards
Richards was one of three overage players used by Team GB. He was at Man City at the time before he retired after an unsuccessful spell at Aston Villa. He’s now a well-regarded pundit.
DF: Danny Rose
Rose is still playing Premier League football at Watford but his best days are behind him with the 31-year-old struggling to play regularly.
MF: Tom Cleverley
Cleverley was highly-rated at Man Utd and even made 13 appearances for England. He’s now trying his best to keep Watford in the Premier League.
MF: Joe Allen
At 32, Allen is still going strong and captains Stoke in the Championship following four seasons at Liverpool.
MF: Ryan Giggs
Another one of the overaged players, Giggs retired from his Man Utd career after the 2013/14 season.
MF: Jack Cork
Having started at Chelsea, Cork has been a reliable presence for Southampton, Swansea and now Burnley in the Premier League.
MF: Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey left Arsenal for Juventus in 2019 but his move to Italy hasn’t been as successful as he would have hoped.
MF: Scott Sinclair
After signing for Man City, there was hope Sinclair would be the next big thing. Eleven years after the Olympics, he’s plying his trade in the Championship with Preston.
FW: Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge was probably the star of the show in this Team GB side having recently joined Liverpool. He’s now at A-League club Perth Glory in Australia.
FW: Craig Bellamy
The third and final overage player in this side. Bellamy only lasted two more seasons at Cardiff before retiring after the Olympics.
Two more seasons at Cardiff City and Bellamy hung up his boots on the back of the Olympics.
FW: Marvin Sordell
Last seen in a Burton Albion shirt, Sordell retired from football aged 28 years old in 2019 bravely opening up about his mental health as one of the reasons behind the decision.
