Steve Bruce is among the greatest English defenders to never earn an international cap, which means the former Manchester United captain missed out on featuring at a World Cup.
When it comes to top Manchester United defenders, Steve Bruce belongs on that list. The no-nonsense centre-back, who had an eye for goal, made 309 appearances after being signed by Sir Alex Ferguson from Norwich City.
As a member of Ferguson’s first successful team at Old Trafford, Bruce won three Premier League titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup.
It remains a mystery as to how he never got the nod for England, but Bruce also had a chance to represent Ireland at the 1994 World Cup.
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Jack Charlton wanted Steve Bruce to play for the Republic of Ireland
In one of the great World Cup ‘what if’ stories, Bruce missed out on a chance to go to the 1994 World Cup as part of Jack Charlton’s Republic of Ireland squad.
Bobby Robson and Graham Taylor had overlooked Bruce for the England national team for such a long time that Bruce had given up on one of his dreams to play at a World Cup.
It was to United’s benefit because it means Bruce could focus on his domestic football.
However, when Charlton sensed an opportunity ahead of the 1994 World Cup in the United States, he reached out to Bruce in an attempt to get the defender to represent the Republic of Ireland.
Charlton discovered that Bruce’s mother was from Ireland, so he picked up the phone and called the United defender without initially speaking to Ferguson.
This was Bruce’s last chance – at 34 – to play at a World Cup, but Ferguson put his foot down and blocked Charlton’s attempt.
Ferguson wasn’t being cruel for the sake of it. The former United manager made the decision based on a logistical nightmare caused by UEFA’s strict regulations at the time.
In the early 1990s, UEFA enforced a three-foreigner rule for European club competitions.
Crucially, for Bruce, players from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales were regarded as foreign when playing for English clubs in Europe.
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What has Steve Bruce said about missing out on the 1994 World Cup opportunity?
Bruce spoke about how close he came to playing for Ireland at USA ’94 previously.
The former United defender explained how Ferguson prevented it from happening.
“Of course, the next day I had to go and tell Sir Alex and back in them days, (I would have) became a foreign player,” Bruce told talkSPORT.
“So I was going up the stairs to go and see the boss and tell him the news. And he quite rightly shot me down. He said, ‘listen, Steve, you cannot, cannot become a foreign player. Otherwise, you’re not gonna be part of the squad going forward.’
“If you remember when we played in the Champions League (in) them days, we had to leave out (Eric) Cantona and (Peter) Schmeichel. Barcelona, biggest night of our life.
“We’ll get smashed because we couldn’t pick the same team. Couldn’t have the team because of the foreign rule. So as quickly as it came along, it dissolved.”
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