What If United Kingdom went to World Cup 1982

England 1982

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index

United Kingdom All-time Team
If United Kingdom went to WC Finals 1970
England

Greater London

North East England, NorthWest England
Yorkshire and Humber

South West England
Black English players

Hungary World Cup 1950

Sweden World Cup1950
Austria-Hungary 1954
Argentina World Cup 1958
Scotland World Cup 1970
United Kingdom World Cup 1970
England World Cup 1974

Brazil 1982 with Careca, etc
United Kingdom World Cup 1982
Netherlands Euro 1984 with Cruyff, Van Basten, Gullit

Italy Euro 1992
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France World Cup 1994
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Netherlands World Cup 2002   

Catalonia World Cup 2010

Spain without Catalan players World Cup 2010

USA World Cup 2010
If Ronaldo and Messi played for Australia in 2006
Brazil 1982 with Careca,etc
Ireland/Northern Ireland Combined Team 1986 World Cup
Yugoslavia World Cup 2018

USSR World Cup 2018 

Parisian nation team in World Cup 2018

Ghana World Cup 2022

Basque National Team in Euro 2024

England with Haaland and Musiala in Euro 2024

Although the United Kingdom did not compete as a unified team in the FIFA World Cup, the individual nations within the UK, namely England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, have had their moments of success in the tournament. In 1982, all three teams from the UK qualified for the World Cup Finals.

During that time, some exceptional players represented the UK nations. Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, Kenny Dalglish, Pat Jennings, Kevin Keegan, and Peter Shilton were at the peak of their careers in 1982. These players are widely regarded as some of the greatest to emerge from the United Kingdom.

Additionally, Ian Rush, a young star at the time, showcased his talent in the 1982 World Cup. While the UK's chances of success may have been better in 1970, the 1982 team still possessed a formidable lineup of players.

It's worth noting that the UK's absence as a unified team in the World Cup is due to the separate football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each nation competes individually in international tournaments, including the World Cup.

Scotland vs Brazil, WC Finals 1982

Prediction
Once in Spain, both England and Northern Ireland had a fantastic tournament.  In the first group match, England beat France 3-1, a team that turned into one of the best teams in the tournament.  They went home with an undefeated record after having goalless draws with both eventual finalist West Germany and the host Spain in the second round.  As the reinforced "England", the United Kingdom could overcome them with better firepower, and advanced to meet France in the semifinal.  In the semifinal, France was actually a different team than the one England faced in the first round.  In the actual semifinal, they should have beaten West Germany. So it is hard to tell if this UK team could beat them.  In Final, Italy awaited them.  Again, they were the team to beat after beating Brazil in the second round.  

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland emerged as the surprise team of the tournament. They achieved a notable victory over the host nation, Spain, and advanced to the second round, where they were eventually eliminated by France. If the United Kingdom team had followed Northern Ireland's route, they would have faced France in the second round. Given England's previous victory against France in the actual World Cup, it is plausible to imagine the UK team reaching the semifinals through this path.

On the other hand, Scotland narrowly missed advancing from the group stage, primarily due to goal difference, particularly affected by Brazil's 4-1 victory over them.  The UK team would be better defensively than Scotland.   I considered this UK team as a reinforced version of England.  England only gave up a single goal in the entire tournament.  They could reduce the scoreline. Perhaps, they could advanced to the second round and beyond.   I assumed that this UK team would finish second behind Brazil the greatest national team that never won a World Cup. In the second round, they would face Poland. Again, Poland, although relatively subdued in the first round, demonstrated a resurgence in the second round.

Northern Ireland 1982

The Team

GK: Peter Shilton (England/Southampton)

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 1986 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.

GK: Pat Jennings (N.Ireland/Arsenal)
Pat Jennings is considered among the greatest goalkeeper of all-time.  The prime of his career was spent with both Tottenham Hotspurs and Arsenal.  In 1973 the Football Writers' Association named him as its footballer of the year. Three years later he won PFA's version of the award – he was the first goalkeeper to receive this accolade, and to this date remains only one of two, along with Peter Shilton. He earned 119 caps for Northern Ireland and went to two WC Finals. 

Pat Jennings in Spain

GK: Ray Clemence (England/Tottenham Hotspurs)
Ray 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: Danny McGrain (Scotland/Celtic)
McGrain was among the best ever rightback coming out of United Kingdom.  With Celtic, he won seven League Championships, five Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. He spent his final season of his career with Hamilton Accies, where he helped  them to win promotion to the premier league. He played in the 1974 and 1982 World Cups for Scotland, captaining the side in their opening match against New Zealand at the 1982 World Cup.

RB: Phil Neal (England/Liverpool)
Neal was the great right back from Liverpool between 1974 and 1985. He was one of England's most decorated player: 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: Terry Butcher (England/Ipswich)
Butcher was one of England's greatest defenders. He captained the England national team, winning 77 caps in a ten-year international career that featured three FIFA World Cups. Butcher also enjoyed success in his club career, particularly with Ipswich Town and Rangers. With Ipswich, he was a part of Bobby Robson's team that won the UEFA Cup in 1981. In 1986, he joined Rangers as one of the first wave of English players playing for Graeme Souness' Rangers in the 1980's.

Terry Butcher tackling Platini

CB: Phil Thompson (England/Liverpool)
Thompson made his professional debut in 1971 for Liverpool and never looked back.  He was a part of the decorated team that won 3 European Cups and 7 league titles.  He formed a partnership with Alan Hansen that was considered among the best ever in Europe.  he was briefly the captain for Liverpool.  He also earned 42 caps and went to Spain 1982.

CB: Willie Miller (Scotland/Aberdeen)
Except for a loan spell at the beginning of his career, Willie Miller played his entire career with Aberdeen.  His central defensive partnership with Alex McLeish was integral to Aberdeen's success in the 1980s.  They won all the major domestic honours and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983. For Scotland, he was capped 65 times.  He played in both 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals.  He was an inaugural inductee to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

SW: Alan Hansen (Scotland/Liverpool)
Among the greatest defender ever from United Kingdom, he won three European Cups and 8 English league titles with the great Liverpool team of the 1970's and 1980's. Hansen only won 26 Scotland caps. Scotland coaches of the 1980s preferred Aberdeen's central defensive partnership of Willie Miller and Alex McLeish at Aberdeen.  He played in the 1982 WC Finals, but he left off controversially the WC in 1986. 

Alan Hansen vs Brazil

LB: Kenny Sansom (England/Arsenal)
Sansom, throughout his career played for clubs such as Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers, Everton and Watford. Sansom was known for his career with Arsenal between 1980 and 1988.  He is the second most capped England national team full-back, having appeared 86 times for his country between 1979 and 1988.

RB/LB: Mick Mills (England/Ipswich)
Mick Mills holds the record for appearance with Ipswich Town.  He became the captain of Ipswich in 1971, where he formed a close relationship with manager Bobby Robson.  It was Ipswich's greatest era, winning the 1978 FA Cup and the 1981 UEFA Cup. He also played with Southampton and Stoke City.  Mills was capped 42 times between 1972 and 1982.  He played both rightback and left back for England. He captained England at the 1982 World Cup Finals.  

CM: Bryan Robson (England/Manchester United)
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 World Cup Finals in 1986 and 1990.  At the club level, he played for West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough. He spent 13 years with Manchester United.

Bryan Robson scored the fastest goal in WC history

CM: Ray Wilkins (England/Manchester United)
Ray Wilkins enjoyed success at various clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Milan, Queens Park Rangers, and Rangers. He was remembered for winning the FA Cup in 1983 for Manchester United.  From 1976 to 1986, he was an important player for England, earning 84 caps.  He played in both 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals.

CM: Trevor Brooking (England/West Ham)
Trevor Brooking played most of his career for West Ham United making 647 appearances for the club. He won the 1975 FA Cup and the 1980 FA Cup in which he scored the only goal. West Ham also reached the Final of the 1976 Cup Winners' Cup.  He was also the club's player of the season on four occasions. For England, Brooking was earned 47 caps, but only appeared twice in big tournament matches.

CM: Graeme Souness (Scotland/Liverpool)
Graeme Souness was one of Scotland's greatest players.  He played for Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough and Sampdoria, but his greatest achievement came while he played for Liverpool. He was one of the greatest ever Liverpool players.  He won three European Cups with them, captaining the team in the early 1980's.  He was also the Player-Manager for Rangers. He also earned 54 caps for Scotland. He played in 1978, 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals.

Graeme Souness vs Socrates

RM/CM: Gordon Strachan (Scotland/Aberdeen)
Gordon Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City.  In club football, Strachan played 635 league games, scoring a total of 138 goals. He spent 7 seasons with Aberdeen, winning two league titles and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1983. He was capped 50 times, representing Scotland at both World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986.

LW: John Robertson (Scotland/Nottingham Forest)
John Robertson played for Nottingham Forest when they were at the peak of their success under manager Brian Clough, notably scoring the only goal in a 1–0 victory in the 1980 European Cup Final against Hamburger SV. He also played 28 times for Scotland, scoring the winning goal against England in 1981 and against New Zealand in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Derby between two stints with the Forrest.

AM: Glenn Hoddle (England/Tottenham Hotspurs)
Hoddle often considered one of the most talented players of his generation, but not always appreciated by his fans.  He played mainly with Tottenham Hotspurs, where he won the UEFA Cup in 1984 and two FA Cups.  He also played for AS Monaco, Swindon and Chelsea. He was a fixture for the national team throughout the 1980's.  He had 53 caps.  He went to 1982 and 1986 World Cup Finals.

FW: Steve Archibald (Scotland/Tottenham Hotspurs)
Steve Archibald played for a number of clubs in England and Spain.  His best stint was with Tottenham Hotspurs, where he won two straight FA Cup between 1980 and 1982. He joined Barcelona in 1984, helping the club to reach the final of European Cup in 1986.  For the national team, he was capped 27 times. He played in two World Cup Finals in 1982 and 1986. He is a member of Scotland's Football Hall of Flame.

Steve Archibad with Danny McGrain vs New Zealand

ST: Kenny Dalglish  (Scotland/Liverpool)
King Kenny was the greatest player for Liverppol in an era where Liverpool was considered to be among the greatest club sides in history.  He won three European Cups with them. He is the cap record holder and their top ever scorer for Scotland. Dalglish won the Ballon d'Or Silver Award in 1983, the PFA Player of the Year in 1983, and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1983. In 2006 he topped a Liverpool fans' poll of "100 Players Who Shook the Kop".

ST: Ian Rush (Wales/Liverpool)
He was voted as the third greatest Liverpool player by fans in 2013. He is the Liverpool's all-time leading goalscorer, with 346 goals. He won both the PFA Player of the year and FWA Player of the Year in 1984.  he was European Golden Boot winner in the same year.  He also had short spells with Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham and Sydney Olympic. Rush made 73 appearances for Wales between 1980 and 1996.

ST/SS: Kevin Keegan (England/Southampton)
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, where he played between 1977 and 1980.  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. 

Kevin Keegan in Spain

Honorable Mention/alternatives
Frank Gray, Steve Coppell, Trevor Francis, Paul Mariner, Willie Miller, Martin O'Neil,  Alan Brazil, Viv Anderson, John Wark. Graham Rix.

Squad Explanation
-- I chose to create an UK team for the 1982 World Cup Finals because Scotland had Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish.  Liverpool was the best club team in Europe during the era and the three of them were among the best players in the world. I want to unite the trio with the English players and Pat Jennings of Northern Ireland. 
-- Northern Ireland had a fantastic tournament, but I only selected Pat Jennings for my team.  Team selections were based upon performance before the actual World Cup Finals. So I was looking at players with reputations established before the tournament. It is understandable that the majority of Northern Ireland's players were lesser known compared to their English and Scottish counterparts. For instance, Gerry Armstrong was playing in the second division with Watford at the time. Similarly, Norman Whiteside had only made his professional debut in April 1982, which means he had just two months of professional football experience before the World Cup. Realistically, when considering the United Kingdom team based on pre-tournament reputations, it is likely that the selection process may have overlooked players like Armstrong and Whiteside. The focus would have been on more established and recognizable players from England and Scotland.
-- I did Northern Ireland/Ireland combined team for the 1986 World Cup Finals.  If I do a combined 1982 team for them, it would be similar to the 1986 team. 
-- Scotland qualified for the World Cup Finals with just a single defeat.  The defeat came on the last match day when Scotland already sealed a spot in Spain.  However, Scotland never progressed through the group stage at any World Cup Finals.  On paper, they had a strong team in 1982, but they were eliminated by Brazil and the Soviet Union in the World Cup Finals.  Brazil was known as one of the greatest ever sides that never won a World Cup. I also did an imaginary alternative 1982 team for Brazil.
-- In 1982, each World Cup team only has 22 players. The team included 13 English players, 7 Scottish players and one each from Wales and Northern Ireland.  Only two players had been to a World Cup Finals. They were Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish.  Except Terry Butcher and Graham Rix, all other English players attended the Euro 1980 Finals in Italy.  England finished 1-1-1.

England Euro 1980 Finals

-- Liverpool won 4 European Cups from 1977 to 1984.  They won the First Division that year. I selected 6 players from them.  They were Phil Neal, Phil Thompson, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, Alan Hansen and Ian Rush.  Terry McDermott was on the real England 1982 team, but I did not have a space for him.

-- The PFA Team of the Year for the 1981-1982 season was as followed: Peter Shilton, Kenny Swain, David O'Leary, Alan Hansen, Kenny Sansom, Graeme Souness, Glenn Hoddle, Bryan Robson, Trevor Francis, Kevin Keegan and Cyrille Regis. Swain was an uncapped player.

-- I also created an United Kingdom team for 1994.  I do believe United Kingdom could have won the World Cup in 1970 and made a good run in the 1982 World Cup Finals.  However, the idea of this United Kingdom's 1994 World Cup team was born out of the weakness from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. In 1993, all four national teams failed to qualify for the World Cup Finals in the United States. Ian Rush was on both 1994 and this 1982 team.  He was an aging player in 1994 while he was a youngster in 1982.

Goalkeepers

-- Peter Shilton, Pat Jennings and Ray Clemence were easy choices for goalkeepers.  They were definitely in the top ten goalkeepers in the world at the time.  Dino Zoff, Toni Schumacher, Ubaldo Fillol, Rinat Dasayev, Thomas N'Kono and Luis Arconada were some of the great goalkeepers in the early 1980's.

-- The three of them had played international football since the early 1970's, but none of them had played in a World Cup Finals. Jennings was actually 37 in 1982.  Nevertheless, the trio was considered to be the greatest ever from the British Isles. Alan Rough who was Scotland's starter played in the 1978 World Cup Finals.  

Defenders

-- England of 1982 only gave up a single goal in the entire tournament.

-- Mick Mills was England's captain and the starting rightback at the World Cup, but he was mainly a leftback for Ipswich.  So I took him as my leftback alongside Kenny Sansom.  Frank Gray was also considered.  Sansom had been England's regular since 1980.  He was on the PFA Team of the Year that season as well as for 8 consecutive  years.  Phil Neal and Danny McGrain were two of bigger names in the rightback position.  It is worth mentioning that McGrain, Scotland's captain in Spain, made a mistake during the actual World Cup that resulted in a goal for New Zealand, leading to his exclusion from the following game. However, since my team selection was based on pre-tournament performances, I would not have been aware of this specific incident during the selection process.  Between October 1976 and September 1983, Neal would play an astonishing 417 games without interruption.  Viv Anderson was also serious considered.   
-- For central defenders, Terry Butcher, Alan Hansen and Phil Thompson were well-established stars back in 1982. Then, I selected Willie Miller over his club teammate Alex McLeish.  McLeish was a bench player at the actual World Cup Finals. Miller played in two of the three matches in Spain while Allan Evans started against New Zealand in the first match. Evans was a member of Aston Villa's European Cup winning team in 1982. 
-- Terry Butcher was the England's starting central defender He would remain their starter for the next decade.

-- Phil Thompson and Alan Hansen formed one of the most renowned centre-back pairings in the history of English club football. Their partnership at Liverpool was highlighted by their victory in the 1981 European Cup. Throughout the tournament, Liverpool showcased their strength by defeating Aberdeen 5-0 on aggregate. Notably, Aberdeen featured talented defenders Alex McLeish and Willie Miller.  In real life, the pair kept Hansen out of Scotland's starting lineup, but I bypassed their partnership for this team because I considered Hansen  a more superior player. Thompson had a rough season and lost his Liverpool's captaincy to Graeme Souness, but I still gambled with his inclusion alongside Hansen.  

-- David Narey was remembered for scoring a 20 yard strike against Brazil in the World Cup Finals, but he won't be making this team.
-- Steve Perryman was the FWA Player of the Year, but he only made a single appearance for England, which was in June, 1982.  He did not make it to the 1982 World Cup Finals.  So I did not take him.

-- David O'Leary was at his peak.  He was born in England, but he chose to play for the Republic of Ireland.  He was ineligible.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- Bryan Robson, Graeme Souness, Ray Wilkins and Trevor Brookings were easy choices.  They were big names in the early 1980's.

-- Graeme Souness was named as the captain of Liverpool, replacing Phil Thompson.  The pair would end up in a long time feud over this.

-- Trevor Brookings was injured, but Ron Greenwood took him to Spain.  So I also kept him. 

-- Earlier in the 1981-1982 season, Bryan Robson moved to Manchester United for a record 1.5 million pounds, where he teamed up with Ray Wilkins. 

-- Terry McDermott played in all of World Cup Qualifiers, but didn’t play in any of the games in Spain.  He was 30 years old at the time, and he slowed down that season playing in only 20 games for Liverpool. 

-- John Wark starred for Ipswich, and he also had a good World Cup.  I might be English biased, I admitted.  He could challenge Ray Wilkins and Trevor Brookings for a spot, but I stayed with the two Englishmen.  Both Wilkins and Brookings had 47 and 46 caps respectively at the time of the World Cup Finals.  He had a depth of experiences.

-- I made the decision to include Glenn Hoddle, whose style of play stood out distinctively from the other midfielders. His elegant and finesse-driven approach to the game often faced a lack of appreciation from English managers, who typically favored a more physical and robust style of play.  His inclusion was justified by his recognition in the PFA Team of the Year for the 1981-1982 season, indicating his individual excellence and the acknowledgment of his skills by his peers.

Glenn Hoddle

-- Norman Whiteside went to the World Cup Finals with Northern Ireland as the youngest player in Spain.  However, he only made his professional debut on 24 April 1982, two weeks before his 17th birthday.  So he was not ready to play for Team UK.  Paul McStay also made his professional debut three months before Whiteside.

-- I believed that all British teams should have great wingers.  George Best was recalled to play for Northern Ireland in 1981 for a World Cup Qualifier against Scotland.  He was 35 years old and had not played for Northern Ireland since 1977.  However, manager Billy Bingham dropped him after watching him playing for San Jose Earthquake during their tour in the United Kingdom. According his autobiography, Best considered to make a comeback in the English league so that he could make it to the 1982 World Cup Finals.  I did not seriously consider him (although it would be nice to include him).
-- In Spain,  Steve Coppell valiantly played in every match for England despite carrying an injury that would ultimately cut short his career. However,  if England had a suitable alternative, Coppell would not be travelling to Spain. Therefore, in my selection process, I made the decision to exclude him. Instead, I opted for Scotland's Gordon Strachan, who possessed versatility and the ability to play wide. 

-- In the context of the 1982 World Cup team selection, Tony Morley, Peter Barnes, and Laurie Cunningham were not part of the actual team. Therefore, I excluded them from consideration, taking into account their absence from the real team. Cunningham suffered injuries throughout the 1981-1982 season.  He did receive a call-up by England in 1982, but did not play.  He was playing for Real Madrid in Spain at the time.  An healthy Cunningham would be an interesting choice.  I took both Trevor Brookings and Kevin Keegan to the World Cup Finals because they were on the actual team.  Cunningham, on the other hand, was not on the actual team.  He also only played 6 times for England.  Meanwhile, Graham Rix played every matches in the World Cup Finals for England, but I decided to go for John Robertson.  In 1982, he was 29 years old.  He was a hero of Nottingham Forest winning the 1980 European Cup.  He was voted as Nottingham Forest's greatest ever player.  He scored the winning goal against England in 1981.  From that match to 2023, Scotland only beat England two more times.

Forwards

-- In the actual World Cup Finals, Trevor Francis and Paul Mariner played major roles due to Kevin Keegan's injury.  However, Francis was frequently injured during the 1981-1982 season.  According transfermarkt, he only played 9 times in the league games.  Somehow, he was on the FWA Team of the Year.  I really did not understand.  Mariner had one of his worst output that season. So I dropped both of them. Instead, I took Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Steve Archibald, and Ian Rush.  Tony Woodcock also missed out.  The other players were bigger.

-- Meanwhile, Ian Rush was the only player from Wales.  I wanted to include players from every single Home Nations.  I wanted to select at least a single Welsh players.  Moreover, he just had his breakout season. He scored 30 goals in 49 matches as Liverpool won the League title and the League Cup.   In the 1981-1982, Rush also began to form a lethal partnership with Kenny Dalglish.   He also made my United Kingdom 1994 team.

Ian Rush in 1982

-- In the actual World Cup, Kenny Dalglish scored against New Zealand, but was benched against Brazil.  He was nowhere to be seen against the Soviet Union.  For Liverpool, he had a slow start in the beginning season, but he still ended up scoring 22 goals. He had a fine season with Liverpool.  No one was going to drop him for the World Cup Finals.

-- Kevin Keegan was injured throughout the World Cup Finals. He managed to play 20 minutes against Spain. He was a two-time European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979.  He was the English league top scorer that season in which he also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.  Southampton was one of the front runner in the league at one point.  They finished 7th in the end.
-- Steve Archibald (Scotland) was also a big name.  So I included him. Tottenham Hotspurs was one of the top teams in Europe, winning the FA Cup in 1982 as well as the losing finalist in the League Cup. I admitted that he was a big question mark on this team. He had some injuries that season. I almost reconsidered and took Trevor Francis or Paul Mariner over him.

-- In the early 1980's, Alan Brazil was one of my favourite players. Sorry, I only put him on honourable mention.

-- Aston Villa won the European Cup in 1982.  Peter Withe went to the World Cup Finals, but he was not a starter in Spain. So I dropped him.

-- Cyrille Regis was not on the 1982 team, but he was on the PFA Team of the Year.  He made his debut for England in February, 1982.

Formation

4-3-3
In real life, Kevin Keegan was injured and only played in the very last match against Spain. In my imaginary world, I would start him.  Ian Rush might replace him if Keegan "continued to be injured.