Jason Steele’s normal matchday experience changed after Brighton & Hove Albion’s 2-1 home win against Liverpool on Saturday in light of his surprise call-up to the England squad the previous morning.
As usual, he spent the 90 minutes on the bench — for a 55th Premier League game over the past two seasons, and it would have been more if he hadn’t been ruled out from January to April 2025 with a shoulder injury — as cover for first-choice goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. But a reluctant Steele was then shoved forward by his team-mates to take part in the fist-pumping post-match celebrations with the fans following his selection by England, for the first time at senior level, at the age of 35.
The day before, a man without a Premier League appearance since August 2024, was applauded into Brighton’s pre-match team meeting after his place among 35 names, for friendlies at Wembley against Uruguay on Friday and Japan three days later, had been confirmed.
“That means more to me than anything,” Steele said following the Liverpool game. “I think that shows what you mean to people. Very emotional. That, to me, is more than anything I could ever achieve in football. I think being a proper good fella and a good person is way more important than anything else, and I think that showed.”
Plans for a family holiday during this international break have been cancelled now that Steele is seemingly in the mix to be included in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico this June and July. “My wife will look after all of that, don’t worry about that,” Steele said, adding that “no money in the world” would make him hesitate about accepting his call-up.
Jason Steele celebrates Brighton’s win over Liverpool with Danny Welbeck, Bart Verbruggen and Jan Paul van Hecke (Glyn Kirk/Getty Images)
The first person Steele spoke to about his big news was his father.
“Yes, he was very proud,” Steele said. “He’s been part of it. My mum and my wife have been really instrumental in my whole career. They’ve celebrated some amazing times, picked me up when I was low, and that’s what it’s all about… life.”
Steele also spoke on Friday to Roberto De Zerbi and Ben Roberts.
De Zerbi, Steele’s former head coach at Brighton, gave him 43 of his 63 starts in all competitions since joining the club in July 2018, mainly because of Steele’s calmness and passing accuracy with the ball at his feet suited the Italian’s build-up play from the back. Roberts was Steele’s goalkeeper coach for his first three seasons at Brighton before moving to Chelsea in September 2022. He and Roberts are kindred spirits, born in towns nine miles apart in the north-east county of Durham.
“There’s two people (De Zerbi and Roberts) that helped shape a lot of my career,” said Steele. “Special people, special humans. They recognise a lot of things that not many people recognise in a footballer and a man. Something that I’ll cherish forever.”
Steele represented England 33 times in junior age groups in his youth, sometimes in the company of Danny Welbeck, scorer of both Brighton goals against Liverpool and a notable absentee from Tuchel’s latest squad.
He was also a non-playing member of the Team GB squad for the football tournament at the London-hosted 2012 Olympics. Awestruck by the occasion, he got some selfies with six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy, the GB team’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony that summer.
Steele has not played for his country since a 1-0 defeat against Israel in Jerusalem at the Under-21 European Championship in June 2013, where England were knocked out after the group stage.
He was understudy to Jack Butland for that side, but while the now Rangers goalkeeper made the step up to senior international football, playing nine times over a six-year England career that was bookended by being part of the squads for Euro 2012 and the 2018 World Cup, it has been a much longer wait to wear the Three Lions again for Steele.
Jason Steele has been on Brighton’s bench for 67 successive Premier League matches (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
“That’s usually the programme, preparing you for those occasions,” Steele said. “It’s come a little bit later than we would have wanted! But I had a lot of good times, especially with Welbs (Welbeck). It’s something we laugh and joke about now. We spent a lot of time together as kids. We were very close. It was always my dream to represent my country. I am very fortunate to have done it — probably from every age from 15 until 21. Obviously, this is a proud moment for me as well.”
Steele learned he had made Tuchel’s latest, expanded selection, which includes five goalkeepers, from an FA representative on Friday. He was already aware he was in a provisional squad when Brighton won 1-0 at Sunderland on March 14.
It was as a Sunderland player that Steele’s career nosedived in 2017-18, when he was relegated from the second-tier Championship for a second season in succession, having suffered the same fate with Blackburn Rovers. Ridiculed by fans after a series of mistakes, his pain was captured in the Netflix documentary series Sunderland ’Til I Die.
Brighton signed Steele on a free transfer in summer 2018, and he has never looked back.
“I’m very thankful for what this football club has given me,” he said. “But at the same time, I’ve worked hard myself. I have to give myself a little bit of credit as well. It’s a nice journey, I think. It’s a run of perseverance, effort, sacrifice. All these things. You know, at 35, I still enjoy throwing myself on the ground every single day and giving my all. Ultimately, it pays off.
“I go to work every day to try my hardest, to help everyone around me get better. That’s all I try to do every day, to help myself get better.
“I’m still motivated to improve. Every single day I go out on the pitch, I’m motivated to improve off the pitch. I am still working in the gym at 35. I love it; love the sacrifice, love the hard work. And the minute I don’t will be the minute I stop playing football. So I just want to go there (with England) and show what I’m about.”