Fabio Capello has spoken and David Beckham is likely to win his 100th England cap on Wednesday night in Paris. If Beckham plays against France, he will become the fifth player to join the exclusive century club. Love him or hate him, Beckham has been England’s best player over the past ten years and only the hardest heart would begrudge him one more night of glory.

Glenn Hoddle gave Beckham his first cap in his first game in charge of England, a World Cup qualifying match away to Moldova in September 1996. Since then there have been some memorable highs – the last-minute free kick against Greece, the 5-1 victory in Germany, the penalty against Argentina – and some crushing lows – being dropped by Hoddle, the red card for kicking Diego Simeone, the hanging effigy, the penalty shoot-out heartaches.

Last month it appeared as if Beckham might be stranded on 99 caps when he was left out of Capello’s first squad, for the friendly against Switzerland. On Wednesday night, Capello is expected to put the 32-year-old out of his misery. For one more night, Beckham will be the only show in town, but what can he expect when he returns to the dressing-room after the final whistle at the Stade de France? Will his life change? Will he play for England again? And what happened to the other four greats after they joined the century club?

Billy Wright (105 caps)

Wright became the first player in the world to win 100 caps when he led out England at Wembley Stadium against Scotland in April 1959. The Wolverhampton Wanderers defender captained England 90 times and missed only three international matches in 13 seasons between 1946 and 1959. He retired at 35 and became the manager of England’s youth team before he replaced George Swindin as the manager of Arsenal in 1962. Wright’s record at Highbury was patchy and he was dismissed after his team finished fourteenth in the first division in 1966. Wright went into television before retiring in 1989. He died aged 70, in 1994.

Sir Bobby Charlton (106 caps)

When it comes to stature and achievement in the game, no living Englishman comes close to the Manchester United legend. Charlton won everything and his record of 49 goals for England still stands. His final England game was the 3-2 defeat by West Germany in the World Cup quarter-final in Mexico in 1970 but he carried on playing for United until he left Old Trafford to become the player-manager of Preston North End in 1973. When that did not work out, he became a television pundit and a director of Wigan Athletic as well as playing for Waterford United 31 times in 1975. Charlton ran several successful businesses, including his football schools and was appointed a United director in 1984. He was knighted in 1994.

Bobby Moore (108 caps)

The icon of English football reached his century in the 5-0 victory against Scotland at Hampden Park on Valentine’s Day in 1973. After making his last England appearance nine months later, in a 1-0 defeat by Italy at Wembley, he joined Fulham from West Ham United before trying his luck in the United States with the San Antonio Thunder and the Seattle Sounders. Moore, the only Englishman to captain a World Cup-winning team, retired in 1978 and dabbled unsuccessfully in management before becoming a newspaper columnist and a radio pundit. He died aged 51, in 1993.

Peter Shilton (125 caps)

Shilton can put his feet up and relax. Beckham is unlikely to get anywhere near his record. The former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper won his 100th cap in the 3-1 defeat by Holland in Euro ’88. He played his last international game against Italy in 1990, but carried on at club level until 1997, when he was 47. Shilton managed Plymouth Argyle between 1992 and 1995 and hit the headlines for running up gambling debts. He now works as an after-dinner speaker.

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