Former England goalkeeper Rob Green has revealed that manager Fabio Capello blanked him completely after dropping him following a high-profile error in the 2010 World Cup. Green's mistake against the USA in England's opening group match led to a 1-1 draw and effectively ended his international career.
Capello's Cold Shoulder
Green started as England's number one in South Africa after a stellar qualifying campaign that saw the Three Lions tipped as contenders. However, in the first match against the USA, Clint Dempsey's speculative long-range effort slipped through Green's grasp, resulting in a costly equaliser. Capello immediately dropped Green for David James and never spoke to him again during the tournament.
"After the USA match, he just told me I wasn't playing and that was the last time he spoke to me at the tournament," Green told The Athletic. "There was no communication from Capello. Why did he care? He was just matter of fact."
Capello's Verdict
Capello addressed the error publicly, stating: "Sometimes a forward misses, sometimes a keeper makes a mistake – that's football. The second half he played very well, but the mistake remains a mistake."
England's tournament spiralled after that draw, with another stalemate against Algeria and a narrow win over Slovenia. They were eliminated in the round of 16 after a 4-1 thrashing by Germany.
Aftermath
Capello survived a post-World Cup review but resigned before Euro 2012 after clashing with the FA over the stripping of John Terry's captaincy. Green earned just one more cap, in 2012, and later played for Queens Park Rangers and Leeds United before retiring.
