Jordan Pickford joined an illustrious group of players on Sunday when he received his first England call-up.
Sunderland players have represented the Three Lions throughout the club's history from Thomas Porteous, who played in England’s first Wearside-based clash in 1891, to Jordan Henderson who has established himself as a regular in recent years.
Today, we look back at Sunderland’s involvement with England, which has spanned over three centuries.
George Holley
A prolific striker from club and country, George Holley made his international debut alongside Sunderland team-mate Arthur Bridgett.
He netted on his debut and found the net in each of his first five internationals before enduring a brief stint out of the team, but he came back with a vengeance and ended his Three Lions tenure with eight goals in just ten appearances.
Holley remains Sunderland’s leading goalscorer for England.
Raich Carter
A leader on and off the pitch, Raich Carter is a Sunderland legend having captained the club to the First Division title and the FA Cup, but he also forged a wealthy reputation at international level.
Like team-mate Holley, Carter had a brilliant scoring record for England netting seven goals in 13 appearances while also featuring alongside Sir Stanley Matthews.
And he is also synonymous with Wembley Stadium, lifting the FA Cup in 1937 with the Black Cats before winning it with Derby to become the only player to win the famous competition before and after World War II.
Dave Watson
Jordan Pickford has enjoyed a breakthrough year and after making the senior squad at the tender age of 22, the ‘keeper will be dreaming of breaking the record for England appearances while on Wearside.
That record belongs to ’73 hero Dave Watson who made more appearances – 14 – for England while at Sunderland than any other player in history.
Capped a total of 65 times, Watson, made his England debut at 27 and enjoyed a 20-year career which also included spells with Manchester City, Southampton and Stoke City.
Watson remains the oldest England player to have scored in a European Championship qualifying match after netting against Bulgaria at the age of 33.
Charlie Buchan
Despite World War I stunting Charlie Buchan’s impact on the international stage, Sunderland’s leading all-time scorer still managed an impressive haul of four goals from just six caps.
The league winner was the country’s leading player during his prime netting a stunning 209 league goals during a 14-year spell on Wearside, and he continue his rich vein of form after departing the club for Arsenal.
Buchan made his England debut on 15 February 1913 before serving with Sherwood Foresters; he was awarded the military medal and on 11 September 1918 was promoted to temporary second lieutenant for the final months of the war.
A true hero both on and off the pitch.
Kevin Phillips
Like many Black Cats who came before him, Kevin Phillips never won the amount of England caps his supreme talent deserved.
The striker remains England’s only European Golden Boot winner but he made just eight appearances for the Three Lions and never completed 90 minutes.
Phillips was selected for a major tournament travelling with the squad to Euro 2000, but he was an unused substitute on three occasions as England exited at the group stages.
Other notable players to feature for England as a Black Cat include Arthur Bridgett, Bobby Gurney, Len Shackleton, Gavin McCann, Darren Bent and Jordan Henderson.