Steele’s moment: the England call 20 years in the making
24.03.26, 08:00 Updated 23.03.26, 21:35 3 Minute Read
Chris Eldergill
Jason Steele had just finished his morning gym routine when his phone buzzed. A simple message, but a seminal moment in a 20‑year career.
“I had a text on Friday morning,” Steele says. There was no early warning. “I didn’t know before anyone else.”
For a player who has built a career on steady hands, quick feet and quiet graft, the moment must have felt almost surreal, but he took it the same way he takes everything: humbly and with the same grounded perspective that has made him such a respected figure at Brighton & Hove Albion.
His first call was to his dad. “He was actually rather excited and very proud. My dad, my mum, my wife – they’ve been instrumental in my career. They celebrate the highs and pick me up when I’m low. That’s what life is all about.”
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