Former England goalkeeper celebrates his 46th birthday on 1 August, having only retired from professional football two years ago.

A 53-cap international, he was the first choice selection for his nation at both Euro 2004 and 2010 World Cup under Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello respectively.

In a career which took him to Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester City and Iceland’s ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar among others, James’ greatest honour came in 2008 when he won the FA Cup as part of four-year spell at Portsmouth.

That title, along with the 1995 League Cup, proved to be the only major honours of a fine career.

Known for his outstanding reactions and reflexes, James overcame an early reputation of being error-prone to become one of the Premier League’s most reliable glovemen.

Now, in retirement, he is a regular pundit for BT Sport.

Here are the other sporting stars who are celebrating their birthday:

1976: Nwankwo Kanu, former Arsenal striker and Champions League winner with Ajax (40).
1986: Elena Vesnina, Russian tennis player and three-time grand slam champion in doubles (30).
1992: Austin Rivers, basketball player for NBA side Los Angeles Clippers (24).