BOLTON Wanderers’ long-serving wide man Ricardo Gardner was signed by manager Colin Todd in 1998 after his impressive World Cup with Jamaica.

Gardner went on to spend 14 years at Bolton between 1998 and 2012 after completing a £1million move from the previously little-known Jamaican club Harbour View.

But a number of serious injuries limited his appearances at the Reebok to 404.

Gardner started all three of Jamaica’s games at France 98 in a group that included Japan, Argentina and Croatia.

The Reggae Boyz’ first and only ever appearance at a World Cup started with a 3-1 defeat to Croatia.

A 5-0 thrashing by Argentina came next before they recorded their only win against bottom-of-the-table Japan.

However, those final three points were not enough for Jamaica to progress as they finished third in the group.

Gardner played 30 games in attempting to qualify for the next three World Cups in 2002, 2006 and 2010 but was unsuccessful on each occasion.

In all he made 112 appearances for his country, scoring nine goals and captaining the side on numerous times.

During his spell with Wanderers, Gardner scored 25 goals including a crucial strike in the 2001 play-off final victory over Preston in Cardiff. But his most memorable one came in the Allianz Arena November 2007, when he scored the opening goal in Wanderers’ unforgettable 2-2 draw with mighty Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup.

After a three month loan spell with Preston North End in early 2012, Gardner was released and has still to find a club.