Gareth Barry is poised to win his 36th full England cap tonight against Egypt - but the Blues midfielder insists that the thrill of representing his country remains the same.

It is ten years since the former Under-21 stalwart stepped off the bench for his senior international debut in a friendly against Ukraine, four months before his first start against France.

But Barry, who turned 29 last week, admitted: "I'm still excited by an England call-up. It's always good to see your name in the squad, especially next to such great names.

"You've got to enjoy that, and I certainly do. And Wembley is the most famous stadium in football. It's new but it will create its own history, and it's always great to play there.

Gareth has firmly established himself as an England regular under Fabio Capello, who has underlined a strict "old school" reputation by stripping John Terry of the captaincy.

Barry said: "That's probably an accurate description, but for any manager coming into the job it's good to lay down the ground rules so that you know the way he wants to work.

"At the same time he can have a laugh and a joke and he lets the players relax. He's an experienced manager. He knows the right times to do stuff, and you have to respect that.

"He's started the job really well - we qualified in good fashion. The players have got to know him well, the way he likes to work. The more we get to know him, the better for everyone."

While Egypt will be World Cup absentees, he added: "They're a good team, or they wouldn't have won the African Nations twice in a row. Even though it's a friendly, it's going to be tough."