Danny Higginbotham will line up for Gibraltar tonight in their international friendly against Estonia.
Gibraltar will play just their third ever official international fixture on Wednesday when they face Estonia. In their team they will include Danny Higginbotham who will be playing his 450th and final game in his 16 year career.
Danny will then retire from the game, and pursue a career in punditry whilst also turning his hand to coaching for the Gibraltar national side. He had made his mind up about retiring a number of months ago but he had promised to feature in a few games for Gibraltar after they were accepted as a full UEFA member.
He captained them in their first ever game in November last year when they managed a 0-0 draw with Slovakia. Unfortunately their second game on Saturday ended in a 4-1 defeat to Faroe Islands, but it marked their first ever goal, scored by captain Roy Chipolina.
Higginbotham’s career has seen him turn out for 11 different clubs, and he will be most remembered for his spells in the Premier League firstly with Manchester United, then Derby County, Stoke City and Sunderland. He spent six years at Stoke in two different spells and captained the side during his time at the Britannia Stadium. He looks back at his time at The Potters with fond memories recalling his goal against West Ham United which took them to Wembley as one of his favourite moments of his career.
Speaking to Sky Sports News about his career highlights he said “My home debut for Manchester United at Old Trafford was a great experience as it was the club I have supported all my life, scoring the winner for Stoke against West Ham which took us to Wembley, and my international debut for Gibraltar too.”
Physically he could see himself continuing to play on, even though his last club was in the Skrill South he feels as if he could manage another year or so. Admittedly he played two games for Altrincham in that league, as it was the club he supported as a young boy. However he feels as if mentally he has had enough, and it is time to hang up his boots. “Mentally I have had enough, the body is okay – but I am ready for new things now, and it is time for me to give it a rest on the playing side.“
The new things for Higginbotham will include being part of the coaching set-up for Gibraltar for what is sure to be an exciting adventure for all involved. Their European qualifying group will see them face Germany, Poland, Republic of Ireland and Scotland.
“They have asked me to help out coaching in the Euros and I am honoured to do that, but everyone here is very honest and want to be successful, and if I can help in any way that will be great.”
image: © David Gilson
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