An indispensable guide to all things Montenegro ahead of Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier with England.
Ten things you need to know ahead of England's clash with Montenegro
Ahead of Tuesday's Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley between England and Montenegro,
skysports.com takes time out to offer 10 nuggets of information about a nation that only declared independence from Serbia in 2006. Of even more interest is the fact their best player, Mirko Vucinic, is prone to putting his shorts on his head whenever he scores. Here's hoping for a shut-out.
1. The country's name translates, quite simply, as Black Mountain, a reference not to any one mountain but to the high peaks that line its borders with Serbia and Albania. The name was given to the region by the Venetians in the Middle Ages.
2. The national team played their first ever game on March 24, 2007, and won, beating Hungary 2-1 in Podgorica. Two months later, Montenegro became FIFA's 208th member.
3. Aside from football and basketball, water polo is among the most popular sports in the country, and they won gold when hosting the FINA Water Polo World League in 2009.
4. Montenegro declared independence from Serbia in 2006, starting its third period of independence having broken free of the Byzantine Empire in 1042 and from the Ottoman Empire in 1878.
5. Although Montenegrin was established as the official national language after independence in 2007, most citizens still speak Serbian.
6. Montenegro's current ranking of 40th on FIFA's list is its highest ever.
7. Montenegro's population of fewer than 700,000 is lower than that of Birmingham.
8. Roma striker Mirko Vucinic has been captain since the team was first formed in 2007.
9. The first competition of any form in which Montenegro competed as an independent state after breaking from Serbia was Miss World in 2006.
10. Goalkeeper Vukasin Poleksic, who with 22 caps has the most of any Montenegrin player, is currently serving a two-year ban from all football for failing to report an approach from match-fixers, even though he declined to assist them. He cannot play again until June 2012.
