West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen admits his whole family were in tears when learning about his first England call-up earlier this year.
Following a stellar 2021/22 campaign that saw Bowen notch 12 Premier League goals and inspire the Hammers to European qualification for a second consecutive season, the winger was named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for their four UEFA Nations League matches in June against Hungary (home and away), Germany and Italy.
Bowen featured in all four matches, starting in both meetings with Hungary either side of draws with Germany and Italy, becoming the latest England international in the Hammers’ squad alongside captain Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell, who played for his country three times between 2016 and 2017.
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The former Hull City star had never played his country at youth level unlike almost all of his international colleagues, so it was his first national call-up of any kind for him and he has recalled the day he found out and how his family struggled to hide their emotions.
“Everyone just started crying,” said Bowen. “We were all out for lunch - my girlfriend, my brother, my mate, my sister. My mum was at work. My dad wouldn’t speak to me, because every time he picked the phone up, I said: ‘Hello, you all right?’ and he said: ‘No.’ He just started crying.
“I got told about nine o’clock. My girlfriend knew because I was walking around all in shock. ‘Oh my God, I don’t know what to do.’ I was like: ‘Shall I tell my dad or not?’ I didn’t tell him for a couple of hours, then I decided I couldn’t do it to him any longer. So I rang and told him and he said: ‘I’ll speak to you later,’ and I could tell he was just in bits.
“We were out for lunch. I couldn’t eat, I felt so sick. ‘What the hell is going on?’ I told my brother and he walked out the restaurant because he was crying. There were just tears everywhere. We just sent it all back. We didn’t even eat.
“The squad came out at two o’clock. Then my friends knew about it and I saw them and all my family in the evening. It was a real good day, but a lot of tears. I think it was a little cafe called The Flying Dutchman in Leominster. Three were people looking round thinking: ‘I don’t know what these lot are going through. Everyone’s crying.’”
One man who found the emotions too hard to take was Jarrod’s dad Sam, whose football career saw him have a trial with the Irons under Harry Redknapp, as well as playing for Merthyr Tydfil, Forest Green Rovers and Worcester City.
Bowen recalled having a heartfelt conversation with his dad at the time of finding out about his first England call-up and could not hide his pride at Jarrod’s first taste of representing his country.
“He just couldn’t believe it. He said: ‘I honestly didn’t think you would make an England squad this early,’” Bowen added. “Seven years is a long time, but when you look at where I’ve come from in terms of playing for Hereford in the Conference, then them being expelled and me going to Hull. Fast forward five or six years. He goes: ‘I just can’t believe it’.
“We were in his old truck. It’s an 05 plate. He’s had it since I was a kid. He used to manage my team and we were just sat in that. It’s battered by the way, the wheels are off.
“That’s when he has crying his eyes out and saying: ‘I can’t believe it, this is the truck we used to go to local games in. Look at you now - you’ve just been called up to England. I can’t take my hat off to you enough.’
“It was an emotional moment and I was like: ‘I’m just going to go outside quickly’. It was going to be tears everywhere, but obviously he was very proud.”
Internationally for Bowen, his target is to keep his place in Southgate’s squad for the September international fixtures against Italy and Germany before the World Cup in Qatar starts in November, with Bowen desperate to be on the plane for the tournament.
He hopes that a strong start to the season for club and country will only bolster his chances of representing his country at the grandest stage of them all later this yet.
“The next three or four months are really massive for me in terms of my career,” Bowen explained. “Being involved in the summer was obviously great but coming away from it left me wanting more in terms of being in the next squad and not just be in the one squad and then that’s it. I want to be in the one in September and then the World Cup, so that’s my aim, that’s my desire.
“First and foremost it’s about the club I’m playing for and pushing them on, but in the back of my mind of course I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about the World Cup.”
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