England call worth the wait for Bullard

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Jimmy Bullard may have experienced some of the darkest days a footballer can go through - but he is a shining example to all players that the dream of representing your country should never go away.

Bullard, 29, thought his chances of playing for England had disappeared after he suffered a career-threatening injury back in September 2006 which kept him on the sidelines for 15 months.

The Fulham midfielder dislocated his kneecap following an innocuous challenge with Newcastle's Scott Parker and the initial diagnosis suggested he would be ruled out for six weeks.

But the injury proved to be far more serious than he first thought and he was forced to undergo cruciate ligament surgery, which kept him on the sidelines for over a year.

It...