I’m a former Leeds star who retired from England just to spite the manager

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has revealed he ended his England career just to get back at Fabio Capello.

The 41-time international was highly valued at the height of his international days and earned 41 caps in just four years. However, that momentum deteriorated rapidly under Capello, who shunned Robinson prior to being served his own slap in the face.

Capello, 78, was appointed England manager in 2007 and spent five years in charge before eventually resigning from the role in February 2012. The Italian employed strict diet measures, failed to learn fluent English and was often standoffish around players, a feeling Robinson knows all too well.

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The Leeds academy graduate - who made 118 appearances for the Whites - found himself ignored by Capello at a time when he was enjoying the best form of his career. Robinson was at Blackburn Rovers when he missed the plane to the 2010 World Cup, and it was only a couple of months later that he decided to end his England career for good.

"I'd been alright for Blackburn at that time under Big Sam [Sam Allardyce]. That kind of reignited my career going to Blackburn under him," he told the Let's Be Having You! The 00s Football Podcast. "He was one of the best man managers I had, so me and Fabio didn't see eye to eye anyway.

"It was no big surprise that he hadn't picked me. He was one of the big reasons I retired from international football. But I waited until he did pick me, just so I could get one back over on him. I waited until he picked me, then I retired."

Robinson was picked for a friendly against Hungary in August 2010 but declared himself ineligible as he didn't see himself "as a number three or four keeper." Joe Hart, David James and Robert Green were England's three keepers in South Africa that summer, and Allardyce was among those who criticised Capello's decision not to bring along for the World Cup.

It was largely thanks to the form of Beverley native Robinson that Rovers ended the 2009/10 Premier League campaign in 10th. England legend Gordon Banks also critiqued Capello's logic in not picking him for that year's World Cup, arguing many of Blackburn's faults in defence were nothing to do with their No1.

It's a shame Robinson's England career ultimately ended on a glum note given his final cap came in a narrow defeat to Russia in October 2007. England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 shortly after, though Robinson had kept six straight clean sheets prior to that disappointment.

Following Capello's 2012 exit, Robinson reiterated he wouldn't be returning to the national team despite calls for his comeback. However, he did later say he'd be open to selection when Roy Hodgson was at the helm in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup.

If it wasn't already clear, that evidenced the personal nature of his struggle against Capello - even at such great a cost. Capello's actions - or lack thereof - severed his connections to one of England's great talents at the time and inspired a righteous act of revenge.