Going in to England’s first game of World Cup 2010, the one thing that had everyone speculating was; who will Capello pick to start in goal? Green, James or Hart? We have all seen mistakes from Green and James in the past, but would Fabio really put his trust in a young keeper still learning his trade on loan at Birmingham from Manchester City? We all know the answer to that.....................
Since the World Cup in South Africa last summer, Manchester City’s Joe Hart, 23, not only displaced the incredible Shay Given as Eastlands 1st choice goalkeeper, but has also made the England No.1 Jersey his own. There is no doubt his ability and his current form makes him the rightful owner of that England shirt, but he now faces a very real challenge from a goalkeeper who is firing on all cylinders. A goalkeeper dismissed from Capello’s 23 man squad in the summer and a goalkeeper that many thought had been given his chance at a big club and blew it. Although it may have taken a lot longer than some Manchester United fans would have liked, Ben Foster is now hitting the kind of form that had everyone in hype from the day he joined the Red Devils. 
After his stuttering last few seasons in the red half of Manchester, Foster, 27, found it hard to get a good run in a side where competition for the number 1 spot was fierce. Apart from his heroics in the League Cup Final versus Spurs, you can struggle to pin point games in which it was believable that this guy could be England’s next Shilton, and boss Ferguson finally sold him in the summer to Birmingham City for £6m. Since Foster’s arrival in Birmingham his performances have been inspiring and now we are beginning to see the kind of form that can genuinely propel the stopper all the way to the top, where coaches, scouts and even Sir Alex himself had predicted he would be.
It can be said that England now have exactly the same beautiful dilemma as the one that faced them back in the 70’s and 80’s. Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence battled it out for two decades to be the best goalkeeper in the country! Shilton winning out with 125 caps to Clemence’s 61.
It can only be a good thing for England that, (providing they each continue their incredible form), both Hart and Foster will be battling it out to be the country’s number 1 for the foreseeable future.
WHO WOULD YOU PICK!!??
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