'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
FIFA recognises England as the home of football. “The Three Lions” or the English national football team played its first international match against Scotland in 1872. Since then, England has given birth to a lot of legendary footballers who have enriched football with their exceptional performances.
England is also home to some very big clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea and most of their great players have played for those clubs.
The English are often criticized for their “kick and run” approach to the game and their players are said to be not as skilful as their French, Spanish or Dutch counterparts. England have won the World Cup once in 1966.
They have traditionally lacked the dour efficiency of the Germans, the defensive brilliance of the Italians or the natural flair of the Brazilians. Still, they have been home to some outstanding players over the decades and in this article, we would take a look at the 4 greatest English players in each of the playing positions.
#1 Goalkeeper- Gordon Banks
Banks has been immortalized by the otherworldly save he pulled off to keep off a header by Pele in the 1970 World Cup match against Brazil, but there was more to him than that. He was the custodian for the English national team from 1963 to 1972 and earned 73 caps for them.
He also played in 2 World Cups and 3 European Championships for England. Banks was an excellent shot-stopper and very athletic. He was not a very big man but made up for his lack of size with his athleticism and agility. He was also reasonably good in the air.
Banks also had a fairly successful club career with clubs like Chesterfield, Stoke City and Leicester City. He began his senior career for Chesterfield in 1958 and retired while playing for Stoke City in 1973. He made a total of 510 appearances in his club career and was selected in PFA team of the century.
He was also a part of the 1966 World Cup winning England team and remained one of the best goalkeepers in the world throughout the 1960s. Banks is most definitely the greatest goalkeeper England has ever produced and also one of its finest footballers.
#2 Defender - Bobby Moore
The late Bobby Moore was the English World Cup winning captain in 1966 and a legend for his club West Ham United and Fulham. Pele termed him as the toughest defender he had faced and that lofty praise underlines Moore’s abilities as a footballer.
Moore was instrumental England’s triumph in 1966 and performed exceptionally in the 1970 World Cup as well. He played for England in 3 World Cups and earned 108 international caps. He also finished runners-up in Ballon d’Or 1970.
He was not very fast but compensated his lack of speed with great anticipation and match-reading. He was a towering figure in English defence and forged a great partnership with Nobby Styles at the heart of England’s defence.
He also had a great club career for West Ham United and played in 667 matches and scored 25 goals for them. He also won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and FA Cup. He hung up his boots in 1977 as the greatest defender ever born in England.
#3 Midfielder - Sir Bobby Charlton
Sir Bobby Charlton remains the greatest player in the history of England and Manchester United. He won the World Cup with England in 1966 and earned 106 caps for them in 12 years. He won the Ballon d’Or and the Golden Ball in the 1966 World Cup.
He also scored 49 international goals and remained one of the finest midfielders in the world in his prime. Charlton was known for his astute passing, great vision and good shooting prowess.
Charlton was arguably even better for his club Manchester United. He joined the club in 1956 and spent 16 seasons with them. He won 3 First Division League titles and 1 European Cup with the club. Charlton gained an enormous 758 caps for United and scored 249 goals in various competitions and remained the highest goal-scorer in their history until Wayne Rooney eclipsed his record in 2017.
Charlton, along with his teammates like George Best, Denis Law and Nobby Styles, made United the best club in England and one of the best in the world. He won the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 1966 and was also selected in the Premier League's team of the century in 2007. Chartlon was Knighted in 1994 for his immense contribution to English football.
#4 Forward - Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer quite possibly remains the greatest English forward of all time. He formed a great striking pair with Teddy Sheringham for the English national team.
Sheringham was a very opportunistic striker who could score in a flash from inside the penalty box, whereas Shearer had better ball-skills, was good in the air and could outmuscle the opposition defenders at times. He scored 30 goals in 63 internationals for England and also played in 2 World Cups for them.
Shearer had a great club career too, with clubs like Southampton, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers. After having made his debut at Southampton, he won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1994-95 and moved to Newcastle in 1996. He spent 10 very successful seasons with Newcastle and became a legendary player for them.
Overall, he scored 380 goals in 701 matches in his entire club career and remains the highest goal-scorer ever in the history of Premier League. He won the Golden Boot thrice in Premier League and also finished 3rd in Ballon d'Or in 1996. He was duly selected in PFA's team of the Century in 2007.
