Tweet
Zamora: I could have been playing for Trinidad & Tobago rather than England tonight
England-Fabio-Capello-Bobby-Zamora-cropped
Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera may be ZZ tops at Wembley tonight - but England's new boy will have another headline double act on his mind.
After a "crazy" week in which he became the father of twin daughters Gisele and Siena, Zamora will wet the babies' heads by winning his first Three Lions cap at the age of 29 against Hungary.
With Zamora's Fulham team-mate Gera in the Magyars' ranks, England's post-World Cup boos cruise will not be a doddle.
But last season's top scorer at Craven Cottage (19 goals in all competitions), always believed he was destined to follow John Terry, Ledley King and Paul Konchesky - with whom he played for Senrab, a boys team on east London's Wanstead Flats - into the England side.
Quantcast
"It's funny because I grew up playing with John, Ledley and Paul - they have all gone on to play for England although, in my eyes, there was no major difference between us," said Zamora yesterday.
"I never reached the stage where I thought I wasn't going to make it - I'm not a deep thinker about these things - but now the opportunity has come along, I want to grab it with both hands."
It could have been a different story if Zamora had jumped ship and signed for Hull 12 months ago, instead of staying loyal to Fulham, he would have endured relegation instead of blazing a memorable trail through Europe.
If he had not been crocked with achilles tendon and back injuries last September, he would have been inclined to answer the call from Trinidad & Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker last year, when England recognition seemed little more than a mirage in the desert.
And if he had been fit to join Fabio Capello's ill-starred World Cup crusade, instead of a tearful resignation to surgery on his troublesome heel, surely England's performances in South Africa could not have been more impoverished... could they?
Zamora said: "It has been a crazy week, but very enjoyable, and I want to try and take it all in and remember it all. The twins are a massive part of my life now, and with getting the call-up to play for your country is a massive honour.
"They were born last Monday, they came home on Friday, then I had a pre-season game on Saturday and that night I got a text saying I had been called up.
"Of course it was disappointing that I could not go to the World Cup because of my injury, but I guess that's life. Although it's pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at a World Cup, there was no point in going if I was going to let myself and the country down, so in that sense it was a no-brainer.
"If things had worked out differently I could have played for Trinidad & Tobago (through his father's ancestry). At that time, it looked like my only option if I wanted to play international football, but that door has closed and this one has opened."
Now Zamora can look forward to leading the line with Wayne Rooney tonight and enjoying a friendly duel with Gera, the most accomplished act in a Hungarian side which includes Ipswich duo Marton Fulop and Tamas Priskin.
He added: "I have a good connection with Zoltan. He's a very good player and we are on the same wavelength. I really like playing with him - he created a lot of goals for me last season and I did the same for him as well.
"He is a major threat for England, an intelligent player who can create and score goals. In Europe, I was lucky that Zoltan was happy to do all the running, which was absolutely brilliant for me.
"One minute he was up there with me on the front line, but when it was necessary to drop into the 'hole,' he was more than happy to do that. The training we did was all about our partnership in and around the box and getting the ball played up to my feet."
England-Fabio-Capello-Bobby-Zamora-cropped
Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera may be ZZ tops at Wembley tonight - but England's new boy will have another headline double act on his mind.
After a "crazy" week in which he became the father of twin daughters Gisele and Siena, Zamora will wet the babies' heads by winning his first Three Lions cap at the age of 29 against Hungary.
With Zamora's Fulham team-mate Gera in the Magyars' ranks, England's post-World Cup boos cruise will not be a doddle.
But last season's top scorer at Craven Cottage (19 goals in all competitions), always believed he was destined to follow John Terry, Ledley King and Paul Konchesky - with whom he played for Senrab, a boys team on east London's Wanstead Flats - into the England side.
Quantcast
"It's funny because I grew up playing with John, Ledley and Paul - they have all gone on to play for England although, in my eyes, there was no major difference between us," said Zamora yesterday.
"I never reached the stage where I thought I wasn't going to make it - I'm not a deep thinker about these things - but now the opportunity has come along, I want to grab it with both hands."
It could have been a different story if Zamora had jumped ship and signed for Hull 12 months ago, instead of staying loyal to Fulham, he would have endured relegation instead of blazing a memorable trail through Europe.
If he had not been crocked with achilles tendon and back injuries last September, he would have been inclined to answer the call from Trinidad & Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker last year, when England recognition seemed little more than a mirage in the desert.
And if he had been fit to join Fabio Capello's ill-starred World Cup crusade, instead of a tearful resignation to surgery on his troublesome heel, surely England's performances in South Africa could not have been more impoverished... could they?
Zamora said: "It has been a crazy week, but very enjoyable, and I want to try and take it all in and remember it all. The twins are a massive part of my life now, and with getting the call-up to play for your country is a massive honour.
"They were born last Monday, they came home on Friday, then I had a pre-season game on Saturday and that night I got a text saying I had been called up.
"Of course it was disappointing that I could not go to the World Cup because of my injury, but I guess that's life. Although it's pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play at a World Cup, there was no point in going if I was going to let myself and the country down, so in that sense it was a no-brainer.
"If things had worked out differently I could have played for Trinidad & Tobago (through his father's ancestry). At that time, it looked like my only option if I wanted to play international football, but that door has closed and this one has opened."
Now Zamora can look forward to leading the line with Wayne Rooney tonight and enjoying a friendly duel with Gera, the most accomplished act in a Hungarian side which includes Ipswich duo Marton Fulop and Tamas Priskin.
He added: "I have a good connection with Zoltan. He's a very good player and we are on the same wavelength. I really like playing with him - he created a lot of goals for me last season and I did the same for him as well.
"He is a major threat for England, an intelligent player who can create and score goals. In Europe, I was lucky that Zoltan was happy to do all the running, which was absolutely brilliant for me.
"One minute he was up there with me on the front line, but when it was necessary to drop into the 'hole,' he was more than happy to do that. The training we did was all about our partnership in and around the box and getting the ball played up to my feet."