Steve Bull is an icon for Wolves fans, and his ability got him quite a few appearances for the English national team.
Bull is famously the last player to get a call-up from the third tier, and that does not look likely to be changing anytime soon.
As a player coming up from one of the lower leagues, it was a big adjustment for the forward. He barely knew anyone within the camp, and the facilities were far and away much better than he was used to.
The Old Gold legend was nervous and admitted it was ‘scary’ heading into the squad, but there was one familiar face who helped him settle in: Bryan Robson.
Bryan Robson took Steve Bull under his wing in England camps
Wolves, under Graham Turner, purchased Steve Bull from West Brom, and in the England camp, Bryan Robson, who had once played for the Baggies, looked out for the Molineux man.
While their time did not overlap at West Brom, they seemingly knew each other already due to the connection.
Bull said, “There’s one that took me under his wing, Bryan Robson. He took me under his wing because I was with him at West Brom as well, and he just says, ‘Do what you do for your club, mate. Don’t worry about these here.
‘Do what you do for your club. If you want to run down the channel, you run down the channel, ball to feet, over the top; you do whatever you do, and we’ll supply you’ and that was it. He looked out for me.”
At a time when England’s squad was filled with superstars playing at the highest level of the sport, the gesture of Robson was incredibly important to help Bull settle in, and it goes to show why he was England’s captain at the time.
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The likes of John Barnes, Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne were at the biggest clubs in England at the time, while the Wolves man was in the third tier.
It was no doubt a daunting experience, but the assistance of Robson had a huge effect on Bull, who would score four goals in 13 appearances for his country.
There will not be another player like Steve Bull
In the modern era of football, big names seem to be the biggest factor in getting a call-up for their national sides.
What happened with Steve Bull is almost certainly never going to happen again.
The forward’s talents were too good to deny him a spot in the squad for the 1990 World Cup, and it was not the fault of the Englishman that he wished to stay at Molineux.
There will never be another player like Steve Bull in the England set-up, and that is a feat that he can always be proud of.