1990 World Cup Platt was given his first
England cap by
Bobby Robson in a friendly against
Italy in November 1989, and was then included in the England squad when Robson named his 22-player squad for the
1990 World Cup. England had been drawn in
Group F with
Ireland, the
Netherlands and
Egypt. Platt came on as a substitute against the Irish and the Dutch but remained on the bench for the game against Egypt. England won the group after a 1–1 draw with Ireland, a 0–0 draw with the Dutch and a 1–0 win against Egypt. England qualified for the
1990 FIFA World Cup knockout stage and were drawn against
Belgium. The Belgians dominated the game, hitting the post twice through
Enzo Scifo, The game ended 0–0 after ninety minutes. Platt was sent on as an
extra-time substitute. In the 120th minute, he scored a volley on the turn from a
Paul Gascoigne free-kick, his first goal for his country. Afterwards, and in reflection he said, "I started as a substitute. I can remember little snatches of the game:
John Barnes having a volleyed goal harshly disallowed, Belgium hitting the woodwork twice, I can still see Enzo Scifo hitting the post with a tremendous strike from 25 yards. I was at the other end of the bench from Bobby Robson and didn't have much contact with him. Having since been a manager I now know that the emotions he must have been going through were far more intense than mine. I came on for
Steve McMahon [in the 71st minute]." I had an eye for getting on the end of that sort of ball and the technical ability to finish those chances off. I worked hard on practising overhead kicks and volleys in training at Aston Villa but, even so, if I had re-enacted that chance against Belgium 10 times in training the next day there's a very good chance I wouldn't have scored once from it. It was just one of life's rare, perfect moments." Platt missed an opportunity to extend England's lead, shooting wide with seconds remaining. Platt kept his place in the semi-final against
West Germany. It finished 1–1, and extra-time was needed. Platt had a headed goal disallowed in extra time. The game was drawn and went to a
penalty shootout. He scored England's third penalty, despite
Bodo Illgner, the German goalkeeper, getting a hand to the ball. The next two were not converted and England went out of the tournament. Platt ended the competition on a high by scoring his third goal of the finals in a 2–1 defeat by Italy in the third-place play-off.
Roberto Baggio had given the Italians the lead after a mistake by
Peter Shilton. On 81 minutes,
Tony Dorigo crossed for Platt to place a powerful header into the corner of the Italian net, past
Walter Zenga. Italy won the game when
Paul Parker fouled
Salvatore Schillaci. Schillaci scored the penalty kick. After the World Cup, he retained his starting place in the England team, now managed by
Graham Taylor, his former manager at Villa.
Euro 1992 Platt was captain for much of this period, though
Tony Adams also skippered the side. The official England history regards him as a tireless runner and tidy passer, leading by quiet example and providing inspiration at a time when it was a rare commodity. At one point, it said: "It seemed as if he had been granted the copyright on England goals". For the
UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying, England were drawn in
UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying Group 7 with Ireland,
Turkey and
Poland. Platt contributed one goal to the qualifying phase, in a 1–1 away draw with the Irish. It was decisive, as England won the group by a single point, eliminating the other three nations. Platt also scored several goals in friendly games. He liked to run from deep midfield positions, arriving late into the penalty area to pick up upon a pass, making it difficult for defenders to pick him up. He scored two goals against the
USSR and one against
Argentina during the
1991 England Challenge Cup, which England won. Platt also scored against
Brazil, and claimed another two against
Finland in the lead-up to the tournament. At
Euro 1992 tournament, England were drawn in
UEFA Euro 1992 Group 1 with
Sweden,
France and
Denmark. In the opening game, Platt missed several chances to win the game for England. After only 12 minutes,
Peter Schmeichel saved a shot at point-blank range, with which Platt was unable to connect properly. The game ended 0–0. In the match against France, Platt nearly scored with a diving header that went inches wide of the post. The game ended 0–0. England needed to beat hosts Sweden to advance to the semi-finals. Lineker crossed for Platt to open the scoring on four minutes with a mis-kicked volley. England held a slender 1–0 lead at half-time. After half-time, the Swedes changed their personnel and formation and dominated the second half, scoring twice to win 2–1. England were eliminated.
1994 World Cup qualifying England were drawn in
Group 2 for the
1994 World Cup qualifying, along with Poland, Turkey,
San Marino, the Netherlands and
Norway. The qualifiers began at home to Norway. England dominated the game and Platt carried the goal threat, with
Alan Shearer and
Ian Wright struggling to find form. He scored the opening goal after an hour. England dominated the remainder of the game and but conceded a goal from a long-range shot from
Kjetil Rekdal. Platt continued his drive from midfield in wins over Turkey at home (4–0) and San Marino (6–0). Platt scored four goals and missed a penalty against the Sammarinese. He also scored in 2–0 away win against Turkey. John Barnes crossed from a free-kick for Platt to score with a headed goal. In a crucial home game against the Netherlands, Platt scored the second goal to put England 2–0 up. A defeat would have ended Dutch hopes of qualification after a home draw against Poland and a defeat away to Norway; however,
Dennis Bergkamp pulled a goal back before the break. England still controlled the match, but the Dutch scored a penalty four minutes from time for a 2–2 draw. In general, the team struggled to find form in the spring and summer of 1993. England drew 1–1 in
Poland, with their opponents missing several glaring chances. Days later, England lost 2–0 to Norway in
Oslo. Platt miscontrolled a pass from Gascoigne that would have put him one-on-one with the goalkeeper
Erik Thorstvedt, which, had he scored, would have given England the lead. Thereafter, the Norwegians outplayed the English, and Platt had few chances to make a difference. In the summer, Platt travelled to the United States with England to take part in the
1993 U.S. Cup, which was supposed to give England crucial experience in a hotter climate. Platt missed the "humiliating" 2–0 loss to the
United States through injury. In the second game, he came off the bench to score with his first touch against Brazil, giving England the lead. The game ended 1–1. Platt scored in the final game against Germany, equalising via a passing move with
Paul Ince that allowed Platt to tap into an empty net. England lost 2–1. At the start of the next season England improved, with a 3–0 home win against Poland in which Platt played a part. With two games left, Norway had won the group, leaving England and the Dutch competing for second place in a head-to-head. Both sides had chances and Platt went close to scoring from a corner. and Nigeria. However, a series of rivals arrived to displace him in the England team. He was not helped by a string of injuries to his left knee. as Ince was suspended. In the semi-final against Germany he started, playing 120 minutes. In the second minute of extra-time, he sent McManaman through on the right side of midfield and he delivered a cross to Anderton, who hit the post. Had it gone in, the
golden goal rule would have seen England in the final. The match ended 1–1 at the end of extra time and, once again, penalties decided the winner. As in 1990, Platt scored in a penalty shoot-out against Germany but similarly ended up on the losing side. Platt retired from international football soon afterwards, having been capped 62 times and scored 27 goals. 55 appearances were made as a starting player and seven as substitute. ==Managing and media career==