Before England’s last-16 tie against Germany at the previous European Championship three years ago, only a few people recognised Jarrod Bowen as he headed to his seat at Wembley Stadium with some close friends.
Those who did spot the West Ham United forward asked for autographs. He then sang the national anthem and celebrated a 2-0 England win, courtesy of late goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane; it was an experience that inspired Bowen.
Later in that summer of 2021, he returned to his uncle’s farm in Herefordshire, near the border with Wales, and trained in its potato fields with weights on his arms. It had the desired effect. His form for West Ham the following season led to his first senior England call-up in the May.
The now 27-year-old was with his father Sam, brother Harry, sister Ella, girlfriend Dani and best friend Lewis when he received the news. There were tears of joy from the loved ones around him.
Days before his call-up, Bowen was celebrating his brother’s 21st birthday when his auntie found a childhood picture of him dressed up as David Beckham.
Bowen made his England debut against Hungary that June, and now has seven senior caps.
Having been named West Ham’s player of the season for 2023-24 at the start of this month, he is now in Gareth Southgate’s 33-man provisional England squad for this summer’s European Championship in Germany (Southgate will name his final party of 26 on June 7, after two warm-up friendlies.) After getting overlooked for the 2022 World Cup, Bowen will hope his award-winning season for West Ham merits inclusion this time.
| Season | Goals | Assists | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2023-24 |
20 |
10 |
44 |
|
2022-23 |
13 |
8 |
54 |
|
2021-22 |
18 |
11 |
51 |
|
2020-21 |
8 |
6 |
40 |
|
2019-20 |
1 |
4 |
13 |
This season, Bowen has taken his game to an elite level.
He scored five headed goals in the Premier League having failed to get any last term, became the first West Ham player to reach 20 goals in a single campaign since Teddy Sheringham and Marlon Harewood in 2004-05 (and they did it in the second-tier Championship) and matched Paolo Di Canio’s 1999-2000 club record of 16 Premier League goals in a season.
“Me scoring 20 goals a season has to be the minimum if I want to be spoken about in elite company with the players in my position and earning call-ups to England,” said Bowen. “If you look at the players in my position, they constantly put those numbers out. For me, it’s about doing it this season and the season after. That’s the standard and benchmark for me now.”
Bowen said openly he was overthinking his performances leading up to that mid-season 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It led to a loss of form, with the forward failing to score or get an assist in the first seven league games of that campaign. This season, however, Bowen’s performances were markedly better, with 11 goals in his first 17 top-flight appearances.
“I missed out on the World Cup, and that summer (2022) was my first experience with international football,” said Bowen. “People deal with things differently. You don’t get too caught up with your career, but (for me) I went from playing wherever (he was a Championship player until West Ham signed him at the end of January 2020) to being close to a World Cup.
“Now I feel like I’m in a good place. I started the season well and just built confidence on top of that, week in, week out, with a smile on my face.”
From the squad named this week, Southgate’s forward options for Euro 2024 are Bowen, captain Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Ivan Toney, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, James Maddison, Ollie Watkins, Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer and Jack Grealish. The only England-qualified players to score more goals than Bowen in the 2023-24 Premier League were Palmer (22), Watkins, Foden and Dominic Solanke (all 19).
Bowen playing for England this season (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
The forward is appreciative towards now departed West Ham manager David Moyes, who helped Bowen develop after signing him from Hull City.
Under the Scot’s tutelage, Bowen has become the face of West Ham, a £100million-rated player and an England international. After it was announced that Moyes would be leaving at the end of this season, Bowen headed to his office at the training ground to express his gratitude.
“The manager had faith to bring me in from the Championship, which was initially frowned upon,” said Bowen. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve had some great memories and won a trophy together last year. When I got my first cap, he was so happy for me. I’ve enjoyed my football under him and it all goes back to him taking a chance on me in the first place.
“It comes with confidence, him trusting me and putting me in the team. Then it’s down to me to play my game. It was my 200th game for West Ham the other day and that’s down to the manager having belief in me as a player.
“I feel more calm and mature as a player. One of the best things about him is his door is always open. He’s one of the best people I’ve worked with. I’ll always be thankful for his support. I wouldn’t be here without him.”
Bowen, who signed a seven-year contract in October, thrived in big moments this season, with goals against Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. “He’s in really good form, quick, sharp and looks like he can do a lot of things,” Moyes said last September. “I’m not going to pick the England team but to play for England you have to be able to score in big games. Jarrod’s doing great for us.”
It has been a long journey for Bowen to reach this point in his career — he watched England’s 2018 World Cup group stage opener against Tunisia in a pub with friends shortly after Hull finished 18th in the 24-team Championship.
He has always been passionate about supporting the national team and has harboured hopes of representing his country.
Now that’s been achieved, the next target is to represent his country at a major tournament.
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(Top photo: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
