Heskey went on to gain recognition with the under-21 team, making his debut after starting in a 0–0 draw with Poland on 8 October 1996; a year later on 30 May 1997, he scored against the same team in a 1–1 stalemate. Making his final appearance on 29 March 2000 in a 3–0 victory over Yugoslavia in a 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification play-off, he finished his under-21 career with 17 caps, in which he scored six goals. He was capped once by the England B team, against Chile on 10 February 1998, scoring a 90th-minute goal in a 2–1 defeat.