To celebrate the midfielder turning 34 on Boxing Day, Shoot! thought it would be a good idea to uncover five facts you may not know about Portsmouth star Carl Baker.

The 6ft 2in talisman has arguably been the stand-out star for Paul Cook’s side so far this season, coming up with six goals and playing in all league games to date.

A goal on his debut certainly set fans up for what was to follow, while his brace against Mansfield Town back in November undoubtedly contributed to a man-of-the-match performance.

Baker made it quite clear that the ideal birthday present would be three points at Newport County and he was duly rewarded after the Blues fought back from 2-0 down to win at Rodney Parade, with the former Millwall man playing 74 minutes.

So, what don’t we already know about Baker…?

England C international

While playing for Stockport County, Baker was eligible to be called up for the England C team, the side that represents the country at a non-league level.

The Scouser’s first call-up actually came in 2005, however he was recalled by his club due to an FA Cup replay against Woking.

Nevertheless, Baker made his debut in a 3-1 win over Italy the following year, as well as playing in a 1-0 win over Finland in 2007.

League One runners-up medal

Baker was absolutely instrumental in Milton Keynes Dons’ promotion to the Championship in 2015, being named as their Player of the Season ahead of the likes of Dele Alli, Benik Afobe and Will Grigg.

Additionally, he was named the League One Player of the Month for November 2014 and went on to make 33 league appearances for the Dons, netting nine times in the process.

Anfield academy

Born in Merseyside, Baker grew up in Prescot and came through the Liverpool Academy as a youngster.

Although never quite making it to the first-team, he still attracted attention from local clubs and went on to join Prescot Cables in 2003, before earning a move to non-league side Southport.

Over 450 professional appearances

Despite now being 34, making so many appearances as a professional footballer is still rather impressive.

After starting at Southport in 2003, Baker went on to playing for the likes of Morecambe and Coventry City, the latter of whom he turned out 182 times for.

He is also just short of 100 professional goals, a rather remarkable tally for a midfielder.

Six more shots hitting the back of the net will see Baker reach this milestone and Pompey fans will certainly be hoping that he does it by the end of the 2016-17 season!

Firm fans’ favourite

There is certainly no doubt that Baker has hit it off with the Fratton End so far and evidence suggests that he was rather loved at his previous clubs too.

Tweets each weekend about his former sides, most notably Coventry and MK Dons, often receive numerous replies asking him to come back.

This was clear just before the Christmas rush of games after one Sky Blues fan begged him to return and save the club!