Top 15 Best England Players of all Time

Top 15 Best England Players of all Time

With the first international break of the season currently underway, it’s a good time to delve back into history to look at the standout stars that have played for the Three Lions.

Here at Football Park, we will be giving our definitive picks for the best players who have worn the England shirt.

15- John Terry

The Chelsea Legend played for England between 2003 and 2012 where he accrued 78 caps for the Three Lions whilst scoring 6 goals.

From 2006 to 2010, Terry was England Captain. He succeeded David Beckham who will later be named on this list.

Terry was a rock at the back for the majority of international career and was even named as a member of the 2006 World Cup all star squad.

Terry was a consistent performer for England. But he was a part of England 2000’s golden generation, who were well known to have not reached their potential, failing to win major silverware. This is why he is further down on this list.

14- Ashley Cole

Cole is regarded as one of the best full backs of recent memory, having been top class for both Arsenal and Chelsea during his career.

He made 107 appearances for England, the most for a full-back in history.

Cole played in three world cups and two European Championships and was voted England’s player of the year in 2010.

Despite being one of the greatest English defenders ever, his reputation is limited based on the overall failure of England’s golden generation, similar to John Terry.

13- Steven Gerrard

Another one of England’s 2000’s golden generation, Gerrard was an outstanding box-to-box midfielder for Liverpool, and his skillset transferred well to the England team.

Gerrard made 114 appearances for the Three Lions, 38 of which were as captain. He also scored 21 goals during his international career.

Like the two previous entries in this list, Gerrard was an unbelievable player but at times he did not gel well enough with his England teammates to win a major trophy.

12- Frank Lampard

Lampard edges out Steven Gerrard in this list, as we deem him to have made more of an impact during his England career.

He earned 106 caps for England, scoring 29 goals.

Lampard was a box-to-box midfielder like Gerrard and was a key staple in England’s midfield, playing in three World Cups.

His attacking contributions were a key highlight during his career, especially for England, but his lack of a major international trophy means he is lower down in this list.

11- Paul Gascoigne

Gazza had an interesting international career to say the least. He endured injury problems as well as having rocky relationships with some of the England bosses.

Gascoigne made 57 appearances for England, scoring 10 goals.

He is remembered as being one of the greatest England players mainly due to his performance at the 1996 European Championships. England made it to the semi-finals thanks to impressive performances from attacking midfield by Gascoigne.

He even scored an all timer volley against Scotland on the way to the semi final against Scotland, which many have tipped to be one of the greatest goals scored ever.

Gascoigne did help England win the 1997 Tournoi de France. This and his overall impact on the he had at the 1996 Euros put him ahead of others in this list.

#OTD @ #Euro96

England 2 Scotland 0 #Gazza and 'that' goal

Paul Gascoigne scores one of the best and most memorable goals at the old Wembley

Cue the dentist chair celebration pic.twitter.com/rterEPneLj

— 80s&90sFootball ⚽ (@80s90sfootball) June 15, 2023

10- David Beckham

An icon of the English football, David Beckham is synonymous with the beautiful game.

He played for England from 1996-2009, making 115 appearances and scoring 17 goals. He was also captain of the team from 2000-2006.

Although he didn't score too many for the Three Lions, his impact on the whole team was undroppable. He constantly provided service to his teammates and was a set piece specialist.

Like others on this list, he failed to win a major trophy with England and this is why he is not higher.

9- Alan Shearer

When it comes to English goalscorers, there weren't too many better than Shearer.

The Geordie's tenure in the England team wasn't the longest compared to others in this list, but was impact was massive.

Shearer made 63 appearances England, scoring 30 goals during that time. This equates to an average around 0.48 goals a game, a hugely impressive stat.

Like Gazza, Shearer shone in the 1996 European Championships, in which he won the golden boot. He scored five goals and was named in the official UEFA team of the tournament.

He is higher than others on this list purely due to his goalscoring prowess and how close his contribution came to England winning a trophy in 1996.

8- Jimmy Greaves

The first player on this list who played in the 1966 World Cup for England, Greaves was a potent goalscorer throughout his international career.

He had 57 caps scoring 44 times, an hugely impressive goals to game ratio.

He was injured during the group stage of the 1966 World Cup, which means he is lower down on this list compared to the other strikers who featured for England in 1966.

7- Gary Lineker

Lineker was England's talisman in the mid 1980's and early 1990's. He scored 48 goals in 80 appearances for the Three Lions.

His goals to game ratio remains one of the best, and he is currently England's 4th highest top goalscorer ever.

He was the golden boot winner of the 1986 World Cup with 6 goals and was also key in England's progress to the semi-finals of 1990 World Cup.

Despite his heavy goalscoring he is not higher up in this list because there are other strikers who scored just as much but made more impactful contributions for England.

39 years ago today:

England on the verge of elimination are rescued by a Gary Lineker hat-trick.

They beat Poland 3-0 and Barry Davies on comms is superb. pic.twitter.com/MV3vlRyIbS

— When Football Was Better (@FootballInT80s) June 11, 2025

6- Gordon Banks

England's World Cup winning goalkeeper was integral for the victory in 1966.

Banks only conceded an average of 0.78 goals per game during his England Career, and his contributions in every game of the 1966 World Cup were key in England's trophy win.

He certainly wasn't a flashy keeper, but has role in the 1966 World Cup cannot be understated.

5- Geoff Hurst

Another member of England's 1966 World Cup winning squad, Hurst notably scored a hattrick in the 1966 final against West Germany.

He made 49 appearances in his England career, scoring 24 goals.

Hurst doesn't have the most incredible stats for England, but his hattrick in the World Cup final cannot be understated. If it wasn't for him would England have won a World Cup?

📅 On this day, in 1966, England won the World Cup thanks to a Geoff Hurst hat-trick against Germany.

The day football came home. 🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/eUgb9exHTv

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 29, 2025

4- Wayne Rooney

When you think of England, you think of Rooney. The teenage prodigy made his debut for England in 2003, at the age of 17 and is England's youngest ever goalscorer.

He went on to earn 120 caps for the Three Lions, scoring 53 goals. Rooney is currently England's second highest goalscorer.

Rooney won the England Player of the Year award four times and was a constant goal threat throughout his England Career.

Despite never winning a major trophy his performances were incredible and this makes him 4th on this list.

3- Harry Kane

The only player on this list who is still playing for England, Kane is currently England's highest goalscorer ever and that record isn't going to be beaten anytime soon.

Kane has played 108 games for England, scoring 73 times.

In the 2018 World Cup, Kane won the Golden Boot scoring 6 times throughout the tournament. He also captained England to two back-to-back European Championship finals in 2021 and 2024.

If Kane ever wins major silverware with England, he will certainly rise to 1st on this list.

2- Bobby Moore

Another player who lifted the World Cup in 1966, Moore is known as one of the greatest ever centre-backs.

He made 108 appearances for England between 1962 and 1973.

Moore was known as a composed defender who was known for his sweeping ability, this was unique for defenders at the time.

He had a key contribution in the 1966 final, picking out a key pass to Geoff Hurst to make it 4-2.

He will always go down as one of the best England Players of all time due to his unique style of play and contributions to the 1966 World Cup win.

1- Bobby Charlton

At Football Park, we think that Sir Bobby Charlton is the greatest England player ever.

Charlton made 106 appearances for England, scoring 49 times. He is currently England's third highest ever goalscorer.

An exceptionally talented player, who could strike a ball with both feet, Charlton was the best player throughout the 1966 World Cup, and was the key reason for England's win.

He didn't manage to score a goal in the final against West Germany but did hit the post at 2-2 and had key involvements throughout the game. It's probably one of the greatest performances during a match for a forward who failed to score or assist.

His goalscoring record for his country and his contributions to the 1966 World Cup final win make him the best England player ever.