FAKTA:
https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/world-cup-stickers-leeds-united-14692330Panini World Cup stickers for every Leeds United player ever to go to the World Cup. From Jack Charlton to Lucas Radebe, plenty of Leeds players have turned out at the World Cup
When Pontus Jansson was named in the Sweden squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia, he became the first Leeds United player to be selected for the globe's biggest sporting competition for 12 years. And that means one thing.
Leeds United once again have a player in the Panini World Cup sticker album.
The last three tournaments have been and gone without a single player from Elland Road gracing the hallowed pages of everyone's favourite four-yearly got-got-need event, meaning Leeds fans have had to be content with piles of swaps containing Saudi left-backs or third choice Costa Rica goalkeepers.
All-in-all there has been a total of 25 different Leeds United players selected for World Cup duty by their countries, which got us thinking: What do their Panini stickers look like?
Luckily the good people at the world's leading sticker company were able to help us out and provided us with images of (almost) all the Leeds players ever to go to a World Cup.
Panini first began producing their albums for the 1970 tournament in Mexico and not all players in final World Cup squads make it to the album, due to space constraints, late call-ups and the like, but we've pulled together all the details of every Leeds player to ever make it to World Cup, along with their sticker, where available.
This should tide us over until Tom Pearce, Ronaldo Vieria, Ryan Edmondson and the likes are strutting their stuff in the Qatar 2020 album...
1958 - Wilbur Cush - Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland centre-forward/centre-back was Leeds' first-ever player to go to a World Cup and started with a bang - scoring his country's first ever goal in their first game, a 1-0 win over Czechoslovakia.
1966 - Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter - England
Now we're talking. Leeds' all-time leading appearance holder Charlton was a key part of Alf Ramsey's World Cup winners and took centre stage on the greatest day in English football history.
Hunter did not play in the tournament and as per the rules those days, did therefore not get a winners' medal - but that was put right in 2009 when the rest of the squad were belatedly handed medals.
Charlton and Hunter are the only two Leeds players to get their hands on the trophy.
1970 - Jack Charlton, Allan Clarke, Terry Cooper, Norman Hunter - England
Charlton and Hunter both kept their places in the squad for the Three Lions' trophy defence in Mexico and were joined by Leeds-born Terry Cooper and Allan Clarke, who made a goalscoring international debut when he scored from the penalty spot against Czechoslovakia.
1974 - Billy Bremner - Scotland
With England failing to qualify for the big show for the '74 and '78 editions, it was left to the sizable Scottish continent to fly the flag for Leeds.
Billy Bremner led the way captaining the Tartan Army and playing in all three group games as the Scots crashed out in the group stage, despite not losing a game.
1974 - Joe Jordan - Scotland
Joe Jordan netted three of Scotland's two goals in the tournament, plus the goal against Czechoslovakia which ensured their qualification for the tournament.
1974 - David Harvey - Scotland
Another ever-present in Willie Ormond's side which beat Zaire and drew with Yugoslavia and Brazil in West Germany. Not too many goalkeepers can say they kept a clean sheet against Brazil in the World Cup finals.
1974 - Peter Lormier - Scotland
Leeds' all-time leading scorer also played in all three games in the 1974 tournament, netting the opener against Zaire.
1974 - Gordon McQueen - Scotland
A fifth and final Leeds player in Scotland's 1974 squad, Gordon McQueen turned 22 days after Scotland were knocked out and had to settle for a place on the bench.
1982 - Frank Gray - Scotland
Gray played all three of Scotland's games in Spain, but it was the same-old group stage exit for the Jock Stein's men, who beat New Zealand, drew with the Soviet Union and lost to Brazil.
His brother Eddie never made it to the tournament.
1994 - Gary Kelly - Republic of Ireland
The long-serving Leeds right-back was still a teenager when he joined up with Jack Charlton's squad for USA '94, playing in the group stage draw with Norway and the knock-out defeat to the Netherlands.
1998 - Nigel Martyn - England
Just as he did for much of his international career, Nigel Martyn spent the whole of France '98 on the bench as David Seaman's understudy.
From that position he will have got a first-hand view of David Batty's penalty miss against Argentina, six months before the midfielder re-joined Leeds.
1998 - Lucas Radebe - South Africa
The Chief captained Bafana Bafana in France, turning out in all three matches as his side opened with a loss to France before draws with Denmark and Saudi Arabia, which saw them crash out in the group stage.
1998 - Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink - Netherlands
The striker made his international debut just three weeks before the tournament and made one start and one substitute appearance in France as the Dutch made it all the way to the semi-finals where they lost on penalties to Brazil.
1998 - Gunnar Halle - Norway
The Norwegians made it out of Group A ahead of Morocco and Scotland in France, but lost to Italy in the second round.
Halle only played nine minutes in the tournament though, featuring as a late sub in the 1-1 draw with the Scots.
1998 - Martin Hiden - Austria
Hiden made his international debut three months before the tournament, but did not feature as Austria finished third in Group B, ahead of Cameroon but behind Italy and Chile.
2002 - Nigel Martyn - England
Again, Martyn was behind David Seaman in the England pecking order. After watching Ronaldinho sail the ball over the Arsenal stopper's head, many Three Lions fans wish he wasn't.
2002 - Danny Mills - England
Right-back Mills capped off an excellent season for Leeds by with a string of eye-catching performances for England in Japan and South Korea, playing in all five of their games.
2002 - Rio Ferdinand - England
After an impressive showing in the heart of the Three Lions defence and with the bills mounting up on Peter Ridsdale's desk, Ferdinand was sold to Manchester United after the 2002 World Cup.
2002 - Robbie Fowler - England
Just the one sub appearance for Fowler in 2002, as he struggled to break up the Owen-Heskey partnership, as the former Liverpool man came off the bench with England leading 3-0 at half-time against Denmark in the last-16.
2002 - Ian Harte - Republic of Ireland
The left-back was a key player as Ireland qualified out of Group E behind Germany, before losing out to Spain on penalties in the second round.
2002 - Robbie Keane - Republic of Ireland
Keane provided two of the highlights of tournament for Ireland, scoring a 92nd minute equaliser against Germany and repeating the trick against Spain, netting an injury time penalty to force extra time. He netted three times in all during the tourament.
2002 - Gary Kelly - Republic of Ireland
Harte's uncle was the third Leeds player to turn out in all four of Ireland's games in Japan and South Korea.
2002 - Lucas Radebe - South Africa
Fun fact: Lucas Radebe earned 58 international caps during his time with Leeds United, more than any other player won while at the club.
Again, The Chief captained his country in 2002, playing all three games as South Africa were again knocked out in the group stage. Radebe, who had battled a series of injuries to make the tournament, netted in the final group game against Spain, a 3-2 loss which proved to be his penultimate international cap.
2006 - Rui Marques - Angola
Despite having not found his feet yet at Leeds, Marques was included in unfancied Angola's squad for the tournament in Germany, coming off the bench for the draws against Iran and Mexico as the Sable Antelopes (yup, that's right) failed to make it out of the group stage.
2006 - Eddie Lewis - United States of America
The left-back went to his second consecutive World Cup in 2006, starting their opening game defeat to the Czech Republic before being benched for the Italy draw. He returned against Ghana but the USA were eliminated after the defeat. Went on to be Leeds' player of the season in the next campaign.
2018 - Pontus Jansson - Sweden
All of which takes us to this summer's tournament in Russia, where Jansson will be hoping to force his way into Sweden's starting line-up.
