It used to be back in the 1900s to 1960s (!) but players get a wage now.
The old players played for nothing and made their own way there.
It's all about money and nothing to do with patriotism.
They get a 'match fee' to cover expenses and 'bonuses' based on results. All England players donate their bonuses and fees to the England Charity that disperses the funds to charities nationwide.
This is a reply given by Rio Ferdinand when asked about getting paid when playing for England: “I think it should be a privilege, but in the England team, we give all of our money to charity. And we don’t get paid what we get paid playing for our clubs – let me just remind you of that. It’s not a large amount, and the money we get through our match fees now go into good causes that we disperse among loads of different charities. So it’s a step in the right direction I think.”
So I beg to differ.
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