Ex-Portsmouth and Notts County man on receiving end of record-breaking 14-0 defeat to France

Gibraltar midfielder Liam Walker - a former Pompey player - challenges Dayot Upamecano in a 14-0 victory for France. Picture: FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images.

A former Pompey player has been involved in international football history – for all the wrong reasons.

France registered a thumping 14-0 rout of 10-man Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers on Saturday night.

It represents the biggest victory in France’s history and the largest win of any European Championship qualifier, surpassing Germany’s 13-0 success over San Marino in 2006.

Among the unfortunate Gibraltar side was Liam Walker, their record appearance maker and a Blues player from the 2012-13 season.

Now aged 35, he featured for 60 minutes before being withdrawn from the Allianz Riviera encounter.

At that stage the scoreline was 7-0, yet worse was to come as Kylian Mbappe claimed a hat-trick, while substitute Olivier Giroud bagged twice.

Gibraltar weren’t helped, of course, by having Ethan Santos sent off in the 18th minute when already training 3-0.

France’s nine different scorers also included Marcus Thuram, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Jonathan Clauss, Kingsley Coman (two), Youssouf Fofana, Adrien Rabiot goal and Ousmane Dembele.

Liam Walker made 28 appearances and scored twice for Pompey during one season at Fratton Park. Picture: Sarah Standing

They had already qualified from Group B, winning their group ahead of Holland, Greece and the Republic of Ireland, with Gibraltar bottom, without a point or a goal.

Walker is Gibraltar’s most high-profile player, with 73 appearances and five goals, while featured in the English Football League for two clubs.

Pompey recruited the midfielder after shining for Gibraltar in a 4-0 pre-season friendly victory over Michael Appleton’s men in July 2012.

The impressed Blues boss subsequently invited him to train with his squad during the 10-day tour, which was based in Benahavis, Malaga, Spain.

Walker then joined for the 2012-13 League One season, the vast majority of which was spent in administration before fan ownership saved the club from liquidation.

The left-footed player made 28 appearances, scoring twice, and started nine of the final 13 matches as the financially-stricken Blues suffered relegation to League Two.

Guy Whittingham, who had been appointed permanent manager following a lengthy caretaker spell, declined to offer Walker new teams and he left Fratton Park in the summer of 2013.

He subsequently spent the 2017-18 campaign with Notts County, making 15 appearances, before returning to Gibraltar, where he is currently with Lincoln Red Imps.