6 greatest players who never received an international cap

#5 Steve Bruce (England)

Steve Bruce of Manchester United

The next on the list is a Manchester United legend, who represented the Red Devils for nine successful seasons, and captained the club for two years until his departure in 1996. An absolute rock in the center of defense, Bruce won plenty admirers for his no-holds-barred style of defending, and formed a notable partnership with Gary Pallister at the heart of United’s backline in the early years of the club’s dominance of English football. However, while his defensive partner would go on to represent England on 22 occasions, Bruce was shockingly never called up to the national team.

He ended his spell at United with 12 trophies, including three Premier League titles, one League Cup and one Cup Winners Cup, and became the first Englishman of the 20th century to captain a side to the domestic double.

How a man who achieved so much at the biggest club in England was not called up to represent his country at full international level (although he turned out once for the now defunct England B) remains a mystery.

He was offered the chance to represent Ireland (through his mother’s place of birth), but a UEFA youth tournament he participated in for England rendered him ineligible, although he also stated in his autobiography that he did not pursue it in order not to cause United problems in exceeding the max number of foreign players allowed at a club. Bruce has since gone into coaching upon retirement to mixed results.