Seagulls fly high with a record number of international stars

Has there ever been a Brighton and Hove Albion squad with so many international players?

With the international break upon us, has there ever been a Brighton and Hove Albion squad with so many international players?

Since moving to the Amex in 2011, the number of current and former international players to have played for the club has risen dramatically.

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Former Spanish star Vicente produced some magical displays when he played for the club for two seasons, while ex-England international Wayne Bridge also enjoyed an outstanding season for the Seagulls when on loan from Manchester City in 2012-13.

Craig Mackail-Smith and Liam Bridcutt earned international call-ups for Scotland while playing for Brighton; Tomasz Kuszczak was capped by Poland while at the Amex; and Aaron Hughes and Paddy McCourt were part of the Northern Ireland squad while with the Seagulls last season.

Albion skipper Gordon Greer is still in the Scottish set-up and is joined as a current international at the club by Israeli duo Beram Kayal and Tomer Hemed.

Reserve keeper Niki Maenpaa has been in the FInland squad this season and left-back Gaetan Bong has been capped for Cameroon.

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Andrew Crofts, who was back in the Brighton squad last month, for the first time since October last year, has also earned 27 caps for Wales and Bobby Zamora has twice been capped by England.

Young trio Jake Forster-Caskey, who is currently on loan to Milton Keynes Dons, Solly March, and Christian Walton were all called up to the England under-21 squad in September.

Glen Rea, on loan at League One Southend, has also been in the Ireland under-21 squad this season and a number of Albion's younger stars have received international call-ups this season as well.

It's a long way from the days of playing home games at Gillingham, when I remember being excited about the Albion signing an Iceland under-21 international on loan from Arsenal.

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Valur Gislason never set the world alight in seven games for the club, before returning to Arsenal, where he never appeared for the Gunners first team. He did go on to earn five senior international caps, though.

Prior to that, during the Goldstone years, several players earned international honours. Charlie Webb was the first Brighton player to appear in a full international match, for Ireland in 1909, while Tommy Cook was the club's first England international in 1925.

Mark Lawrenson made 14 appearances for the Republic of Ireland while with Brighton, and Steve Foster and Sammy Nelson, for England and Northern Ireland respectively, were the first Seagulls players to appear in a World Cup game in 1982.

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