England Greatest All-time team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of  was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

England 1966

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.  

United Kingdom 
England 1974

England with Haaland and Musiala in Euro 2024

Greater London
North East England, NorthWest England.
East Midlands

Yorkshire and Humber
Black English players
United Kingdom 1970
United Kingdom 1982

Scotland, Wales,
Ireland/Northern Ireland combined team
Ireland, Northern Ireland

The sport was originally invented by the British, leading to England's early dominance. However, England did not participate in the World Cup until the 1950 Finals. It was in 1966, when England hosted the tournament, that they finally emerged victorious, winning the World Cup. Since then, their most notable performances include reaching the semifinals in 1990 and 2018. In the European Championship, the English national team made it to the semifinals of Euro 1996, which took place on home soil. Regrettably, England is often considered one of the unluckiest teams in the world.

Throughout their history, England has faced several disappointing exits from major tournaments. They were eliminated from the World Cup Finals in 1990, 1998, and 2006, as well as the European Championship in 1996, 2004, and 2012, all through penalty shootouts. In 1986, their World Cup journey was cut short by Diego Maradona's infamous handball. In 1982, England remained undefeated in the World Cup Finals but were eliminated due to a draw with Spain in the second round group match.

This is my all-time team for England. If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament. 

Euro 1996

Team
GK: Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton is considered one of the greatest keepers ever.  He is England's all-time cap record-holder with 125.  He earned his first cap in 1970 and his last 20 years later in 1990.  He took England to 4th place in the 1990 World Cup.  He played for 11 different clubs in his career, all in England.  He won two straight European Cups in 1979 and 1980 with Nottingham Forrest. He was PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1977–78, an award rarely won by a goalkeeper.

Peter Shilton

GK: Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 1972, and was named FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year on six occasions. He won the World Cup in 1966.  He also made one of the game's great saves to prevent a Pelé goal in the 1970 World Cup.  Along with Lev Yashin, he is considered the greatest keepers of his generation. The prime of his club career was spent with Leicester and Stoke City.

GK: Ray Clemence
Clemence was considered one of England's greatest keepers. He won 3 European Cups and 2 UEFA Cups in the 1970's with Liverpool and a UEFA Cup with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was voted as Liverpool's greatest keeper.  For the national team, he was locked in a battle of number 1 with Peter Shilton.  He made 61 appearances for England.

RB: Jimmy Armfield
Jimmy Armfield is considered to be Blackpool's greatest player.  He captained England for 15 times.  He was voted "the best right-back in the world" after the 1962 World Cup in Chile.  He also represented the England national team 43 times between 1959 and 1966, and captained them in 15 games. He was a member of England's 1966 World Cup team, but an injury prevented him from playing any of the games at the Finals.

Jimmy Armfield

RB: Phil Neal
Phil Neal was the great right back from Liverpool between 1974 and 1985. He was one of England's most decorated player, winning 4 First Divisions, 4 League Cups, 5 FA Charity Shields, 4 European Cups, 1 UEFA Cup and 1 UEFA Super Cups. He also played for Northampton Town and Bolton Wanderers as a full back. Neal also had a long career with England winning 50 caps and playing in the 1982 World Cup and the 1980 European Championship.

CB: Bobby Moore 
Bobby Moore was the captain of the 1966 World Cup winning team. He was regarded one of the greatest defenders of all time and a perfect gentleman.  He won a total of 108 caps for the England team, which at the time of his international retirement in 1973 was a national record.  For his club career, he played mainly for West Ham, but he also played for Fulham and had a stint in the NASL.  He won a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup with West Ham. 

Bobby Moore

CB: Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand became the youngest defender to play for the Three Lions at the time in 1997.   He played 81 times for England  between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three World Cup squads.  At one point, he was the most expensive British footballer and also broke the world's record transfer fees for a defender twice. He won the Champions' League with Manchester United in 2008. He also played for Leeds United and West Ham.

CB: Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell was a member of Arsenal's "Invincibles" that went undefeated in 2003-2004 season.  He spent 9 seasons for Tottenham Hotspurs and served as its captain before moving to its rival Arsenal on a free transfer that sparked a controversy.  He later played for Portsmouth. For England, he earned 73 caps in 11 years.  He went to three World Cup Finals: 1998, 2002 and 2006.

CB: Billy Wright
Billy Wright is the first football player in the world to earn 100 caps(105 total).  He also made a total of 105 appearances for England, captaining them a record 90 times, including during their campaigns at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cup finals.  He was one of England's finest center-backs.  He spent his whole career at Wolverhampton Wanderers from 1939 to 1959. He won the FA Cup in 1949. He was the winner of FWA Footballer of the Year in 1952 and Ballon d'Or Runners Up in 1957.

Billy Wright

LB: Eddie Hapgood
Hapgood captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s. He was one of first star players in England.  His image was used for advertisement which was a pioneer at his time. He started his Arsenal career in 1927 and ended in 1944.  Internationally, he had 30 caps with 21 times as its captain.  He captained England during the famous "the Battle of Highbury" against World Cup winner Italy in 1934.

LB: Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole was considered one of the finest leftbacks of his generation.  He was voted the England Player of the Year in 2010. He played in 3 World Cup Finals.  He played 107 caps between 2001 and 2014.  He is also England's most-capped full-back in history.  He played with Arsenal, but moved to its rival Chelsea in 2006.  In 2014, he moved to AS Roma.  He won the Champions' League in 2012 with Chelsea.  He is playing in the MLS since 2016.

Ashley Cole

CM: Duncan Edwards 
Duncan Edwards was one of the Busby Babes of Manchester United.  He made his professional debut at the age of 16. He was the youngest player to play in the Football League First Division. He died in 1958 during the Munich Air Disaster at the age of 21.  Many people considered him to be  England's greatest player.  He was a dominating central midfielder of his time. For the English national team, he was capped 18 times between 1955 and 1957, scoring 5 goals.

Duncan Edwards

CM: Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson was at one point the most expensive British player when he joined Manchester United.  He is considered to be one of England's best ever box-to-box midfielders.  He earned 90 caps for England. He went to three World Cup Finals, but he only played a major role in 1982.  He was injured in both 1986 and 1990.  He spent 13 years with Manchester United.

CM: Steve Gerrard
Steve Gerrard represented his country at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championships, as well as the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups – captaining the team at the latter two tournaments.  He led Liverpool in winning the Champions' League in 2005. He is the third highest cap holder for the Three Lions.  He won the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2006 and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009. At the end of his career, he played in the MLS for LA Galaxy.

Steve Gerrard

LW: Cliff Bastin
Cliff Bastin was one of the best player on the Arsenal team that dominated football in the 1930's.  Arsenal won 5 league titles in the decade. He was the Arsenal all-time leading scorer from 1939 to 1997. He also played for Exeter City, where he started his career in 1928. At the international level, Bastin played 21 times for England national team.

RW: Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards. Sir Matthews is widely considered the greatest English player of all-time. Between 1937 and 1957 he won 54 caps for England, playing in the World Cup in 1950 and 1954, and winning nine British Home Championship titles.  He played with Stoke and Blackpool.

Sir Matthews

RW/LW: Tom Finney
Finney was knighted in 1998.  He was widely considered one of the greatest winger in history.  He was the FWA Footballer of the Year twice: 1954, 1957.  He played his entire career with Preston North End, but his debut with them was delayed until 1946 because of the War. He won 76 caps and score 30 goals in an England career that spanned 13 years. He appeared in three World Cup Finals.

FW: Wayne Rooney
In 2002, Wayne Rooney made his professional debut as a 16 years old with  Everton.  Less than a year later, he became England's youngest international when he played against Australia.  He is England's key player for every major tournament in his prime.  As for Manchester United, he has won 5 Preimer League titles.  In 2008, he formed a partnership with Cristano Ronaldo and won the Champions' League.  He also played in the MLS before he retired.

AM: Bobby Charlton
Sir Bobby was considered one of the greatest midfielders of all-time.  He was capped 106 times by England and led England to World Cup victory in 1966.  He is also England's all-time leading scorer and all-time cap leader at the time of his retirement.  He was selected for four World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970). For club career,  he almost played his entire career with Manchester United.  He was the hero of Manchester United's the first ever European Cup trophy in 1968. He won the Ballon D'Or in 1966.

Bobby Charlton

ST/SS: Kevin Keegan 

Kevin Keegan was two-time European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979. He won the European Cup in 1977 with Liverpool. He also found successes in the Bundesliga with Hamburger SV.  He later played for Southampton and Newcastle United. He had 63 caps for England. However, his World Cup appearance was limited to 20 minutes against Spain at the World Cup Finals in 1982. 

ST/SS: Jimmy Greaves 
Jimmy Greaves was the top scorer in the English league for 6 seasons. He won the FA Cup in 1962 and 1967, and the UEFA Cup in 1963. He started with Chelsea, but alo played with AC Milan and spent 9 seasons with Tottenham Hotspurs.  He was a member of the World Cup winning team in 1966.  However, he lost his starting position after suffering an injury against France.

ST: Dixie Dean 
Dean was a star player in the pre-War era,  Dean played the majority of his career at Everton before injuries caught up with him and he moved on to new challenges at Notts County. He is best known for his exploits during the 1927–28 season, which saw him score a record 60 league goals. He scored 379 goals in 438 games, 28 goals in FA Cup matches. He also scored 18 goals in only 16 caps for the national team. 

ST: Gary Lineker 
Gary Lineker was one of England's best goal poachers.  He scored 48 goals for England(second overall) and won the Golden Boot with 6 goals at Mexico 1986.  He also played in the 1990 World Cup Finals. He was the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1985–86 and FWA Footballer of the Year in 1985–86 and 1991–92.  In England, he played with Leicester Town, Everton and Tottenham Hotspurs. He also played for Barcelona FC in Spain.

Gary Lineker

Honorable Mention
Frank Swift, David Seaman, Sam Hardy, Stuart Pearce, Ray Wilson, Kenny Sansom, Don Howe, Gary Neville, Bob Crompton, George Cohen, Alf Ramsey, Neil Franklin, Emlyn Hughes, John Terry, Jack Charlton, Tony Adams, Terry Butcher, Roy McFarland, Frank Lampard, Martin Peters, Alan Ball, Trevor Brooking, Colin Bell,  Jimmy Haynes, David Beckham, John Barnes, Glenn Hoddle, Paul Gascoigne, Tommy Lawton, Nat Lofthouse, Paul Scholas, Alan Shearer, Vivian Woodward, Stephen Bloomer, Roger Hunt, Geoff Hurst, David Jack, Wilf Mannion, Stan Mortensen, Johnny Haynes, Raich Carter, Harry Kane, Charlie Buchan, Billy Walker, Steve Bloomer.

Squad Explanation
-- Bobby Moore, Bobby Charlton, Stanley Matthews, Gordon Banks and Peter Shilton were the greatest players from England.  They were automatic selection, requiring no further explanation.
-- For most of my blog teams, I often credited players for the achievements of a specific tournament.  For example, Brazil featured many players from their World Cup winning teams.  I somewhat looked into the 1966 World Cup, but I did not really look into any other specific tournaments.  I did not give much thoughts to Euro 1996, as well as the World Cup Finals in 1990 and 2018 when England reached the semifinals. My main focus remained on analyzing the individual players themselves.  Nevetheless, Harry Kane made honourable mention after his performance at the World Cup Finals in 2018. 
-- England's crowning glory came in the form of their remarkable triumph in the 1966 World Cup. Gordan Banks, Bobby Charlton, and Bobby Moore, alongside Jimmy Armfield and Jimmy Greaves, were all part of that illustrious team. However, Armfield and Greaves faced unfortunate injuries during that time. It is important to note that the selection of these two players for my all-time team was not solely influenced by their performances in the World Cup Finals.

-- Although England boasted numerous all-time greats before the War, their presence in this selection is somewhat limited. Among my chosen picks, Eddie Hapgood, Sir Stanley Matthews, and Dixie Dean stand out. However, it is important to acknowledge that other notable figures such as Vivian Woodward, Raich Carter, David Jack, Wilf Mannion, and Stan Mortensen, to name a few, were prominent names that I regrettably did not include.

Goalkeepers

-- Peter Shilton and Gordon Banks were among the top 10 greatest ever goalkeepers in history. They were undisputed choice for the first two goalkeepers.  The 3rd goalkeeper was between Frank Swift and Ray Clemence. 

-- In the end, I took Clemence because in his prime, he was compatible to Shilton.  Despite Shilton accumulating almost double the number of caps compared to Clemence, pundits from their era regarded them as equals.  In fact,  manager Don Revie seemed to prefer Clemence during his time managing England.  Additionally, England manager Ron Greenwood would rotate Shilton and Clemence. Shilton secured the starting position in the 1982 World Cup Finals due to Clemence's commitment to playing in the FA Cup Final for Tottenham, which necessitated rest for the remaining friendly matches leading up to the World Cup.

-- Frank Swift died in the Air Munich Disaster as a journalist covering his club rival Manchester United's game.  He spent his entire career with Manchester City.  He was one of the first goalkeeper to use his hand for long throw where he calculated to have better procession for his team than kicking it.

-- Sam Hardy had 13 year international career.  His career was affected by the First World War, where he served in the Navy.  He along with David Seaman also earned honorable mentions.  I credited Seaman with his longevity, and England's run in Euro 1996.  He is England's second most capped goalkeeper.

-- Gordon Banks discovered Peter Shilton who was a school boy at the time.  Leicester ended up selling Banks to Stoke City in 1967 and started Shilton who was a teenager at the time.  After Banks retired, Shilton joined Stoke for a world record fee as Banks' replacement.  

Defenders

-- To me, Eddie Hapgood was England's greatest leftback. He was ahead of his time as an attacking fullback.  He was both Arsenal and England's captain. Ashley Cole beat out Stuart Pearce for the backup left back.  Cole's career was overlayed with Paolo Maldini and Roberto Carlos, but he was still rated as the best leftback in the world during his prime.  That should say something about him.  Ray Wilson made honourable mention. 

-- I took Phil Neal and Jimmy Armfield over Gary Neville, George Cohen and Alf Ramsey for the righback positions.  Neal was the most decorated fullback in England because of his career in Liverpool while Armfield was often considered to be the greatest fullback ever in the English league.  Don Howe was also mentioned frequently.  Jimmy Armfield was honored by the IFFHS as part of their England All-Time Best XI. Gary Neville received recognition on their Team B, while Phil Neal only earned a spot on Team C. 

-- Gary Neville was the second-longest-serving player at Manchester United behind long-time teammate Ryan Giggs and was a club captain.  Somehow, he did not earn enough respect.
-- The center-back positions were the more difficult to select.  While Bobby Moore and Billy Wright were locked starters, I had to choose between Neil Franklin, Emlyn Hughes, Sol Campbell, Tony Adams, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry and Terry Butcher. I took Campbell because I needed his size and strength.  His performances for England earned him a place on the Team of the Tournament in both the 2002 World Cup Finals and Euro 2004.  Rio Ferdinand was chosen because he was probably one of the best defenders of his generation. He was at one point the most expensive defender in the world and his performance in Manchester justified his transfer fee.  He was perhaps England's first great ball-playing centre-back.  

Rio Ferdinand

-- Neil Franklin would have been on the team, but I felt that his career was cut short by his adventure in Colombia and his injuries after Colombia also affected his reputation.  Roy McFarland was not named among this group, largely because of missing the World Cup Finals. His name was getting to be forgotten. He still received an honourable mention, but not insidious consideration for the team. Terry Butcher had the heart of a Lion.  The famous photo of him with bloody bandage around his head spoke for itself.  But was he ever the best central defender in his time? Tony Adams only played in a single World Cup Finals.  John Terry perhaps should be on the team, but I always ranked Rio Ferdinand ahead of him.  I did not count against him for his off field incidents that ended his international career.

-- Bob Crompton, I felt, was too old. Nevertheless, he played 40 times for England, which was then a record.  He was probably a central defender in the modern world.

Midfielders/Wingers

--The promising career of Duncan Edwards was tragically curtailed by the Munich Air disaster.  While some people may have expressed reservations about selecting him to this all-time team due to the brevity of his career, there is no doubting the impact he made in his all-too-short career.  Bobby Charlton himself regarded Edwards as the greatest ever player, a testament to his exceptional abilities. Serving as his backups on this team is Bryan Robson, who earned the moniker "Captain Marvel" for his contributions. Both Edwards and Robson possessed a unique blend of defensive prowess and attacking prowess, making them formidable forces on the field.

-- Steve Gerrard won a Champions' League with Liverpool in addition of what he did what England. While Gerrard and Frank Lampard were often regarded as equals in their prime, I have chosen Gerrard for this selection.  Some individuals may hold a different opinion on this matter. Lampard's decorated career included not only a Champions League victory but also three Premiership titles, making his accomplishments more extensive than Gerrard's.
-- Paul Scholas was the biggest surprise (I dropped him in 2021, but decided to keep this paragraph). Jimmy Haynes and David Beckham were more famous than Paul Scholas.  Frank Lampard normally started ahead of Paul Scholas for England. I took Scholas because he offered something different with his playing style. England seldom produced an advanced playmaker with such good passing ranges. I already had Gerrard, Robson and Edwards so I did not need Frank Lampard and Colin Bell. The other alternatives to Scholas were Glenn Hoddle and Paul Gascoigne.  In October 2021, I changed my mind.  I decided to drop Scholas and replaced him with Wayne Rooney (see below).

-- Paul Gascoigne had the talents to be England's greatest ever, but injuries and other issues prevented him from doing so. Scholas' overall career was better. Glenn Hoddle was talented, but he had a reputation for being underused by England.  Paul Gascoigne and Frank Lampard who did not get into this team should be ahead of him.  The latter two, I felt, was the best of England or even in the world during their prime. 

-- In my personal assessment, Bobby Charlton stands out as arguably the greatest footballer in England's history. His pivotal role in England's World Cup victory solidifies his status on this team.  Additionally, Charlton's leadership guided Manchester United to their groundbreaking European triumph, marking a significant turning point for English clubs on the continental stage. 

-- Nicknamed "The Wizard of the Dribble", Sir Stanley Matthews was England's first superstar,  He played until he was 40 years old.   He was also the only footballer to ever be knighted (for services to football) whilst still an active professional player.

-- Cliff Bastian was selected because I needed a left wing.  He was the best in his position during his days.  No backup winger was chosen because Finney could play on both sides.  John Barnes was world class with Liverpool, but his performance with England was sub par. So he missed out.

Cliff Bastin

-- David Beckham received mixed opinions from fans, as he was often overrated by those who valued his status as a pop icon, while being underrated by true football enthusiasts. He was one of the best crossers of the ball in his prime.  I did not have a spot for him because of Sir Stanley Matthews and Sir Tom Finney.  

-- Johnny Haynes spent a majority of his career with Fulham.  His England career was in a period when England did poorly in the World Cup Finals.  He would have been rated higher if he played for a different club or at a different era.  

Forwards

-- I chose Dixie Deane for this team as I wanted to include a pre-War player on the team.  He scored 60 goals during the 1927–28 season. I also studied Tommy Lawton who played alongside Deane in Everton.  Vivian Woodward, Raich Carter, Charlie Buchan, Steve Bloomer and Billy Walker were also considered.  Many people would think Bloomer, Lawton or Carter was better than Dean.  However, Goal.com ranked Dean as their 12th greatest footballers from England.  That influenced my decision.

-- Jimmy Greaves is the highest goalscorer in the history of English top-flight football (357 goals), and also scored more hat-tricks (six) for England than anyone else.  

-- Apart from Jimmy Greaves and Dixie Dean, all the options on strikers were on similar level.  Gary Lineker achieved significant milestones during his playing career. He won the FIFA World Cup Golden Boot in 1986, emerged as England's second-highest goal scorer with 48 goals, and clinched the European Golden Shoe in the 1985-1986 season.  At the time of writing, English footballers had won the European Player of the Year award a total of four times, with Kevin Keegan claiming this honor twice out of the four instances. That said something about Kevin Keegan.

Kevin Keegan

-- Gary Lineker probably should have won the 1986 Ballon D'or award.  That year, the award remained as European Player of the Year.  It was the year that no one stood out.  Igor Belanov won it for his performance at the 1986 World Cup Finals, where he scored 4 goals and one of each was a stunning goal against Belgium.  Dynamo Kyiv also won the Cup Winners' Cup.  Lineker finished as the Golden Boot at the same World Cup Finals.  He was the top scorer in English league while winning both PFA and FWA Player of the Year.  However, Everton was trophy-less that year.  Emilio Butragueño was third because of Real Madrid capturing the UEFA Cup as well as his 4 goal performance against Denmark in the World Cup.  The three candidates, I thought, was very close.

-- Harry Kane was the most famous player as England reached the semifinal of the 2018 World Cup and the Final of Euro 2020 in 2021 and Euro 2024.  Those resuts were the best finishes since 1966.  He was also the second-highest all-time goalscorer in the Premier League's history, but his career remained trophy-less.  I should not punish him for stayimng loyal with Tottenham Hotspurs, but the fact remained that he had not won anything. I had to put him on honorable mentions only.

-- Wayne Rooney is the most underrated striker in England's history.  The immense hype surrounding his early days at Everton may have created unrealistic expectations.  Nevertheless, he remains the all-time leading scorer for both England and Manchester United. The media has often failed to appreciate his true value. It is important to acknowledge that he did make some critical mistakes while representing England, such as the red card incident against Portugal in 2006 and his reaction towards fans in 2010, which subjected him to unfair criticism. 

Wayne Rooney

-- Comparing Rooney and Lineker raises the question: who was better? Lineker's notable performances in two World Cup Finals certainly carried significance. However, Rooney holds the title of England's all-time leading scorer and had a remarkably impressive club career, unlike Lineker, who didn't experience similar success at top clubs. It's important to consider the era Lineker played in, where top players could remain in smaller clubs. Moreover, Lineker's crucial goals in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups played a vital role for England. Without them, England's fortunes may have been quite different.

-- In October 2021, I started to revisit the topic of Wayne Rooney again.  How could I drop the all-time leading scorer of the English national team? So I dropped Scholas who had been the controversial selection for this team.

-- Sir Geoff Hurst was a World Cup hero, but his overall career was behind Jimmy Greaves.  

-- Honorable mention was not given to Michael Owen, despite his promising start to his career. Unfortunately, injuries took a toll on him after leaving Liverpool, causing his performance to decline. While I personally rate Alan Shearer higher than Owen, it's worth noting that Shearer also faced injury issues towards the end of his career. Lineker's impressive displays in two World Cup Finals gave him an edge over Shearer, Kane, and other contenders.

Starting lineup

Formation 4-4-2

The 4-4-2 formation is associated with English football.  The lineup is very old.  Peter Shilton is the youngest player.  Bobby Charlton played in this position for Manchester United. England does not produce classic wingers liked Matthews and Finney anymore.