10 Best England Football Players of All Time to Ever Play the Game

As one of the powerhouses of world football, England routinely produces some of the best players. In the article below, betting giant Parimatch has listed down 10 of the most popular and iconic English talents, with explanations of why each footballer merits a place on this list.

Top 10 Football Players of All Time from England

England may only have a single World Cup, but their ability to produce top-class footballers of all time remains unquestioned. From hundreds – if not thousands – of extraordinary footballers, we have singled out 10 of the very finest. Keep reading to discover who made betting pioneer Parimatch’s list of best soccer players from England.

Top 10 Soccer Players from England

Number 10 – Frank Lampard

Attacking midfielders are usually supposed to create link-up plays, create chances and provide assists to others. This was before Frank Lampard redefined that role. His career haul of 274 goals is good enough for any top-class striker, but he scored that many from the midfield.

Like his father, Lampard started his career with West Ham United, but it was at Chelsea where he truly blossomed into a world-class attacking talent, winning three league titles as well as the coveted UEFA Champions League crown.

One astounding stat from Lampard’s career is that he finished in double figures in the goals scored column for 10 straight seasons. Another equally astounding fact is that he twice scored four goals in a single game – first against Derby County and then against Aston Villa, the club for whom Tanzania’s very own Mbwana Samatta played roughly a decade later.

Lampard makes the list by edging out names such as Paul Gascoigne and Harry Kane, whose lack of team success counted against them.

Number 9 – David Beckham

David Beckham’s style, fashion, rich lifestyle, and good looks may fool some into underrating his footballing capabilities and achievements, but underneath all the glitz was the best crosser the game has ever seen.

Becks, as he was affectionately known, was a master crosser and expert at dropping balls on the strikers’ heads with pinpoint accuracy. But his trademark was his prowess with free kicks, which he put to use a lot during his storied career.

He won six league titles with Manchester United before a falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson made him opt for a move to Real Madrid, where he won another league title. Later, he won two MLS Cups in the US and then returned to Europe to lift the Ligue 1 title with PSG to cap off a trophy-laden career across Europe and beyond.

Number 8 – Alan Shearer

Although his record should be broken someday soon by a striker of similar nature (Harry Kane), Alan Shearer remains the highest goal scorer in the English Premier League for now, with 260 strikes to his name.

A supremely prolific striker, Shearer was unique in his own ways as he opted not to play for the traditional contenders in England. Sir Alex Ferguson, one of the top-rated football coaches of all time, chased him endlessly for Manchester United, but Shearer did not budge.

His decision to play for sides such as Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United meant that he only won a single league title (with Blackburn), but his stature in English football got elevated as a result.

Number 7 – Paul Scholes

“He’s the best central midfielder I’ve seen in the last 15, 20 years,” – Xavi.

This is what Spain and Barcelona legend Xavi had to say about Paul Scholes, and when a pass master of that caliber holds such an opinion about someone, it certainly has to be true.

Sir Alex’s Manchester United sides of the 1990s and 2000s had many more dashing footballers and goal scorers such as Eric Cantona, David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, and others, but the heartbeat of all those teams was a certain ginger named Paul Scholes.

There was no pass in football that Scholes could not execute in the blink of an eye. He controlled the game and dictated its tempo much as Andrea Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, and Xavi himself did later.

He won a staggering 11 league titles – more than anyone else on the list and finished with a respectable 155 goals from deep in midfield.

Number 6 – Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard played all of his career in the English Premier League but did not win it even once. Despite that, he makes the list, which shows what kind of ability he must have had.

Gerrard had everything that a midfielder needed. He had a pass in him, he had a tackle in him, he had goals in him, and most of all, he had a leader in him. There was literally nothing that he couldn’t do.

While a league title eluded him despite his coming close, Gerrard’s greatest moment came in Europe when he willed Liverpool to the title. First, there was a clutch long-range goal against Olympiacos to keep the Reds in the competition. Then came his crowning achievement when he sparked Liverpool’s fightback in the Champions League final, dragging his team from 3-0 down at halftime to a famous victory over a star-studded AC Milan side.

Number 5 – Wayne Rooney

England has never seen a wunderkind as talented as Wayne Rooney was during his teens. Blessed with a tank of a body at such a young age, Rooney burst on the scene of the best football venues and never looked back.

He marked his arrival at the biggest stage with a stunning late winner for Everton against Arsenal at the age of 16 before earning himself a transfer to Manchester United, where he played for much of his career.

A ferocious blend of pace, power, and passion, Rooney was unstoppable on his day and one of the cleanest strikers of the ball. He also had a knack for scoring iconic goals. His venomous volley against Newcastle and overhead kick in the Manchester Derby will long live in our memories.

Number 4 – Jimmy Greaves

Not many remember his name, achievements, and ability, but those in the know are aware that Jimmy Greaves was the greatest and most prolific goal scorer ever produced by England. Greaves started his career with Chelsea and notched 132 goals in just 169 appearances across his first four top-flight campaigns. That earned him the attention of Italian giants AC Milan, for whom a homesick Greaves reluctantly played but still managed nine goals in 13 games.

A move back to England with Tottenham saw him score another 268 goals in just 381 outings before he finished with several smaller sides.

While Shearer holds the all-time scoring record in the Premiership era, even he comes nowhere close to Greaves’s haul of 357 in the English topflight division.

Number 3 – Gordon Banks

Easily the greatest English goalkeeper of all time, Gordon Banks did not see much team success in his club career. He only won a pair of League Cups – the first one with Leicester City and the other with Stoke City. Football fans in Tanzania would remember Leicester City as that was the club for which our very own Adi Yussuf began his international career.

But without digressing any further, let’s get back to the topic. Banks, despite his lack of club success, was named the FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year for six straight years – such was his command of his goal at the back.

But what he did not achieve with Leicester and Stoke, he did with the England national team. He was the primary goalkeeper for England in their sole World Cup-winning campaign in 1966. Four years later, in a crucial game against Brazil, he made a save so splendid that it even baffled the great Pele. Had it not been for his illness, England may not have lost to West Germany in the quarterfinals.

Number 2 – Bobby Moore

Bobby Moore was a defender over a decade ahead of his time. He was an excellent ball-winner but was equally comfortable with the ball. Think of him as a cross between the tough-tackling John Terry and ball-playing Rio Ferdinand. His presence alone exuded confidence in his teammates.

To date, he remains the only England captain to lead the Three Lions to World Cup glory. It was his superb marshaling of the English backline that saw their defense remain infallible until the semi-final, when it was finally breached for the first time.

In 1970 as well, despite his off-field troubles (read Bogota Bracelet), he managed to keep his composure and was the lynchpin of the England side that restricted the eventual champions Brazil to just a single goal. His tackle on the legendary Jairzinho is still fresh in the memories of England fans.

However, he played the bulk of his club career with West Ham and did not have many team accolades to show for it. An FA Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup are all he won with the Hammers, whom he captained for more than a decade.

Number 1 – Bobby Charlton

Several of the key contributors to England’s triumphant 1966 World Cup campaign had subdued club careers but not Sir Bobby Charlton.

After famously surviving a tragic plane crash, Charlton’s career reached heights arguably no English player has ever come close to. He won three league titles with Manchester United as well as an FA Cup to go with the European Cup in the 1967-68 season.

He was also named the Ballon d’Or winner in 1966 and finished as the runner-up on two other occasions.

If you zoom out and look at Charlton’s entire body of work, it’d be clear to see that there was nothing he was not able to achieve, which is why he is almost unanimously accepted as the greatest ever English footballer of all time.

But to simply define his career in terms of cups and trophies would be an injustice to his pure footballing ability on the pitch. Sir Bobby, as he was also known, was a tremendously skilled midfielder with extraordinary shooting ability, stamina, and leadership. He also was as fit as they came, which enabled him to keep on playing until the ripe old age of 43.

Summary

Top 10 lists are almost always subjective, and one expert’s selection can vary from someone else’s. However, the list above of best soccer players compiled by our experts at Parimatch gives special weightage to the players’ team achievements, individual accolades as well as impact on the game.

None of the players on the list are currently active, but some active ones, such as Harry Kane and Phil Foden, could at some point warrant an entry into the top 10.

To decide whether any active English footballers can break into the list, football fans in Tanzania should watch the English Premier League. While watching, they can also put their knowledge of the game to use by betting online today with Parimatch via our website or app.

FAQ

Who are the best England football players?

Sir Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, and Gordon Banks are among the best England football players.

Who is the most famous footballer in England?

David Beckham is the most famous footballer in England due to his footballing achievements and his fashion work.

Who is the most loved soccer player in England?

Sir Bobby Charlton is the most loved soccer player in England because of his untainted career.

Who is the richest English football player?

David Beckham is the richest English football player, with an estimated net worth of $450 million.