 He was excluded from the squad for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, with manager Ron Greenwood selecting only three specialist central defenders, Phil Thompson, Terry Butcher and Steve Foster.Watson remains the most-capped England player never to play in a World Cup finals match.In February 2020, it was reported that Watson, aged 73, was suffering from a neurodegenerative disease with his wife suspecting that "head injuries and repeated heading of the ball" were the cause.