File photo shows former England soccer star, John Barnes (left), talking to a Greek Orthodox priest in a church in the Arab town of Sakhnin in the north of Israel on March 6, 2006. Barnes was visiting Israel with an English Football Association delegation to launch a local campaign against racism in football. - Reuters

1962-2007: 45 years of nationhood

Every day until August 6, The Gleaner looks back at significant milestones that have helped shape the nation. Don't miss this nostalgic journey.

As it had been during the glory days of West Indies cricket from 1962 to 1967 and in the 1980s, Jamaica's football team, proudly named 'The Reggae Boyz', electrified Jamaica's sporting fans when they travelled the Road to France and became the first English-speaking Caribbean country to qualify for the World Cup football finals.

Remembered by fans

An the Reggae Boyz were knocked out of the competition in their second match, they still hold a special place in the hearts of their fans in Jamaica and the diaspora.

Apart from the Reggae Boyz, other famous Jamaican footballers were Lindy Delapenha, who was Jamaica's first professional player in England, and John Barnes, member of England's football teams during the 1980s and 1990s, and who was selected by the English Football League as one of Britain's 100 legends of the 20th century.