da prosport bet： After England’s Nation League games against Iceland and Denmark last week, it is normal to start thinking towards next years Euro’s – and instantly start to wonder about how well we may or may not do during the big international competitions, dreaming of watching the Three Lions lift a trophy again like most England fans do every year.
da 888casino： In football, trophies translate to success, and England has failed to win a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, the countries only major trophy to date.
When remembering the England greats, it is easy to just think about England’s golden generation or the nearly teams of the ’80s and ’90s – but this is no more.
Here, we’re going to piece together England’s greatest ever XI of capped internationals…
GK – Gordon Banks
An easy omission in goal for me, Gordan Banks was the countries World Cup-winning goalkeeper in ’66 and is often regarded as one of the greatest to play the game in his position. Banks played 73 games for England between 1963-72, and was named the 2nd best goalkeeper in the history of the game, behind Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff.
His save against Pelé in the 1970 World Cup has been regarded as the greatest save in footballing history by Pelé himself and is a moment that went down in English football folklore.
RB – Gary Neville
Having played his entire career at Manchester United, Gary Neville made his England debut in 1995 against Japan under Terry Venables. Throughout his international career, Neville played 85 times for England, making him the countries most capped right-back of all time.
Despite never winning a major trophy for England, Neville’s domestic success clearly shows he was a fantastic player and was a big part of England’s ‘Golden Generation’ of the late ’90s and ’00s.
CB – Bobby Moore
An easy choice in central defence is the legend that is Bobby Moore. Having captained the World Cup-winning team of 1966, Moore played 108 times for England, scoring two goals – and is often regarded as one of the best defenders in the history of the game.
Former Celtic manager Jock Stein was quoted saying “There should be a law against him. He knows what’s happening 20 minutes before everyone else.” – a fitting example of the quality that Moore possessed, making him England’s greatest defender of all time.
CB – John Terry
Another member of England’s golden generation, John Terry is another player often regarded as one of the countries finest defenders.
Terry made his debut for England back in 2003 and made 78 appearances for the Three Lions scoring 6 goals in the process. He also finished his domestic career as the highest-scoring defender in Premier League history during his time at Chelsea and Aston Villa between 1998 and 2018.
LB – Ashley Cole
A long time team-mate of Terry, Ashley Cole is regarded as the best left-back in English history, having played 107 games for his country, making him the most capped full-back of all time for England.
Cole made his debut in 2001 against Albania and went on to represent the Three Lions at both the European Championships and World Cup tournaments between 2001 and 2014 – but failed to score a goal for the country during this time.
His attacking style of play and revolutionary role of the full-back position has regarded him as one of the best left-backs of all time, and England’s greatest.
CDM – Nobby Stiles
Our third World Cup-winner in the starting XI, Nobby Stiles is often referred to as one of the best midfielders of all time, revolutionising the midfield role of a defensive midfielder, and perfecting his duties of man-marking opponents in games.
Most know Stiles due to his game against Portugal in the 1966 World Cup semi-final, where he essentially man-marked Eusebio out of the game, with the Portuguese legend and Ballon d’Or winner not getting a sniff of the ball the entire game.
Stiles only made 28 appearances for England during his career – but enjoyed great domestic success with Manchester United, winning the First Division twice and the European Cup with the Red Devils.
RM – Sir Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews played for England between 1934-1957, making 54 appearances with 11 goals, as well as being the oldest player to represent the Three Lions at 42 years and 104 days old.
Matthews was the first player to win the coveted Ballon d’Or trophy in 1956, beating Alfredo Di Stefano and Raymond Kopa of Real Madrid. Often referred to as “The Wizzard of the Dribble”, Matthews played the game until he was 50 years old, and is the only footballer to be knighted whilst still playing the game.
Matthes is one of England’s greatest ever players and has rightly earned his spot in the best ever XI.
CM – Sir Bobby Charlton
Often seen as one of the first attacking midfielders, Sir Bobby Charlton is one of the countries greatest ever players – playing 106 games for the Three Lions with 49 goals between 1958 to 1970. During his domestic career, Charlton played 758 games for Manchester United, scoring 249 goals, as well as winning three League titles, an FA Cup, and a European Cup, and regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
Charlton was also part of the 1966 World Cup-winning squad that has dominated some positions in this XI, and rightly so given his career and legacy left behind for both England and Manchester United.
CM – Paul Gascoigne
Known to many as Gazza, Paul Gascoigne played 57 times for England between 1988 and 1998, scoring 10 goals for the country. Gazza has often been referred to as the most naturally gifted and talented English player of his generation, and former BBC Match of the Day commentator John Motson stated that Gazza was “the best English player he ever saw… He was just the complete footballer, and it was all natural, it wasn’t because of hours of coaching, he just had it.”, and his goal against Scotland in Euro 96 goes down in English football history.
LM – Sir Tom Finney
A one-club man throughout his entire career, Tom Finney is a legend of Preston North End having spent almost his entire career at the club between 1946 and 1960, in which he made 433 league appearances with 187 goals.
Finney made his debut for England in 1946 and made a total of 76 appearances for the Three Lions, scoring 30 goals for his country. Throughout his career, he failed to win a trophy but has often been referred to as one of football’s greatest ever players – with managerial legend Bill Shankly stating “Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match, and in any age … even if he had been wearing an overcoat”.
ST – Wayne Rooney
England’s top goalscorer of all time, Wayne Rooney is one of the greatest players of the modern game. Rooney made his debut for England in 2003 and went on to play 120 games for the Three Lions with a record of 53 goals.
At club level, he played most of his career with Manchester United, becoming also their record goalscorer with 253 goals for the Red Devils in all competitions. Rooney captained England between 2014 and 2017, and played in both the European Championships and World Cup for his country, and goes down as an England legend, and one of our best strikers of all time.
So, there you have it! England’s greatest ever XI in a lovely looking 4-1-4-1 formation – it is fair to say that we have been blessed with plenty of incredible and groundbreaking players over the years, and there is still hope that in the future this XI will change and include some future greats that we currently get the pleasure of watching to grow and improve under Gareth Southgate for England.