Best English Footballers of All Time - Footbalium (2024)

Bobby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, David Beckham, and more! This article is about the best English footballers of all time.

Football is an English game. The British invented this game and gave it to humanity. The island is the home of football, and everyone, old and young, male and female, loves football there.

It’s not surprising that some of the greatest players in football history also come from this country. The English have the biggest clubs and the best league in the world. They have a rich and proud history.

Who are the best English players of all time? We’ve compiled a good list.

We’ve compiled a top-ten list of the best English footballers of the all time.

The lists of the best are usually top-ten. It’s a tradition! And we want to be committed to the rules of the game and stick to the tradition. But ten is extremely small number! As a result, many great footballers are missing from this compilation.

So let’s accept that it’s just a game, and no more. Let’s play!

Read More: Best British Coaches of All Time

Honorable Mention

• Alan Shearer
• Paul Scholes
• Harry Kane
• Wayne Rooney
• Gary Lineker

Jimmy Greaves

Let’s start with the all-time top scorer in the English top flight. Jimmy Greaves is seen by many as the best English striker of all time. And, of course, one of the greatest English footballers of all time.

Greaves made his senior career at Chelsea in 1957. He was with the Blues for four years and scored 132 goals for them. During his tenure at Chelsea, Jimmy Graves won the league’s top scorer twice.

He then spent a short spell at AC Milan and won the 1961-62 Serie A campaign with Rossoneri. Greaves played 10 matches in Serie A and scored 9 goals.

But the best part of Jimmy Greaves’ career was spent at Tottenham Hotspur. He was a member of the club from 1961 to 1970 and became a legend there. With a tally of 268, Greaves was the Spurs’ all-time leading scorer for years. Harry Kane finally broke his record. Jimmy Greaves became the league’s top scorer four times during his time at Tottenham.

With a tally of 357, Greaves is the top scorer in the history of the English top flight. At the international level, Jimmy Greaves made 57 caps for his country and scored 44 goals. He was part of the champion squad in the 1966 World Cup.

Read More: Best Tottenham players of all time

Paul Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne was perhaps the most talented English footballer of all time. The naughty and troublesome boy would now be recognized as one of the greatest players in football history if he had taken a better path and made better choices in his career. In any case, he’s one of the best English footballers of all time.

Gascoigne began his career at Newcastle in 1985 and played for the Magpies until 1988. The English midfielder quickly mesmerized the eyes with his brilliant technique, creativity, incredible dribbling skills, accurate passes, and powerful strikes.

He then joined Tottenham and stayed with the club for four years. He was the star of the league back then. Gascoigne then played three years for Lazio and three years for Rangers. He is considered one of the best players in the history of both clubs.

At the international level, Paul Gascoigne played for the England national team from 1988 to 1998. Gascoigne helped his country reach the semi-finals in both the 1990 World Cup and the 1996 European Championship. In the UEFA Euro 96, he scored one of the most iconic goals in the history of the sport against Scotland.

Read More: Lazio History – All about the Club

Steven Gerrard

Gerrard is a Liverpool legend and one of the best English footballers of all time. He captained the Reds for years, displaying a masterclass in midfield.

Steven Gerrard debuted his career in 1998. He made a total of 710 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 186 goals and delivering many assists. Despite playing as a central midfielder, Stevie-G is Liverpool’s sixth all-time top scorer.

Gerrard was picked six times for the Premier League Team of the Year. During his tenure at Liverpool, he won FWA Player of the Year and UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. Described as a complete midfielder, Gerrard led his side tirelessly. In defense and offense, he was a top-level midfielder.

The pick of Steven Gerrard’s career was the final match of the 2004-05 Champions League season. AC Milan scored three goals in the first half of the match. Thanks to Steven Gerrard’s heroic performance, the Reds were able to bounce back in the second half and finally beat their Italian opponent in a penalty shootout. Gerrard was named as the Man of the Match at the end of this final. This game is known as the Miracle of Istanbul, as well as the Gerrard Final.

Steven Gerrard was an international player for 14 years. With 114 caps, he is the fourth most-capped player in the England national team.

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Stanley Matthews

Stanley Matthews is one of the greatest players of the pre-Pele era and one of the English best footballers of all time.

His football career started at age 17 and continued until age 50. Matthews played as an outside right and spent most of his career at Stoke City and Blackpool. He was an extremely talented player, known as the Magician, for his dribbling skills.

The most remarkable match in Stanley Matthews’ career was the FA Cup final in 1953. He helped Blackpool win their only major trophy. This match is known as the Matthews Final. He scored three goals for his side, assisting one more. Blackpool beat Bolton 4-3 to become champions.

Stanley Matthews won the Ballon d’Or in 1956. At the international level, he wore the national team’s jersey 54 times and scored 11 goals. He’s one of the best players in the England football team of all time.

Read More: Best Players of the 1950s

David Beckham

One of the most famous sportsmen and one of the best English footballers of all time. A beautiful face and an artist’s right foot.

Beckham debuted his senior career in 1992. He was part of the famous Class of ’92. He was the star of the legendary Manchester United in the nineties. David Beckham played for the Red Devils until 2003. He won six Premier League titles and one Champions League title with Manchester United. In the famous final of the 1998-99 Champions League season, both goals of United were scored from Beckham’s corner.

David Beckham made 394 appearances for Manchester United. 85 goals and 120 assists were the results of his efforts in the red shirt. He is considered one of the greatest players in Manchester United history.

In the summer of 2003, David Beckham joined Real Madrid in a controversial transfer. He was the last signing for the Galacticos project. Beckham played four seasons for the Spanish club. In 159 appearances, he scored 20 goals and provided 52 assists. He was one of the best English players in La Liga.

At the international level, David Beckham was the captain of the Three Lions for years. The most important goal of his career was scored in the match between England and Greece in 2001. David Beckham scored a stunning free-kick in the last minute of the last match of the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers. Thanks to his spectacular strike, England reached the top of the table and made it to the 2002 World Cup.

Beckham recorded 115 caps for his country and Scored 17 goals. He tied the captain’s armband 59 time.

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Gordon Banks

Gordon Banks is one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history and one of the best English footballers of all time. The IFFHS has named him the second-best keeper of the 20th century after Lev Yashin.

Banks spent most of his career at two clubs, Leicester City and Stoke City. He was an international player between 1963 and 1972. Gordon Banks was one of the pillars of England’s championship in the 1966 World Cup. He played for his country in all six matches in this tournament, making four clean sheets and conceding only three goals.

Gordon Banks was also part of the England squad in the 1970 World Cup. In the group-stage match between Brazil and England, he made one of the most famous saves in football history against Pele. A strange miracle that took the audience out of the realm of possibility and showed them the impossible.

Banks missed the 1970 World Cup quarter-final match due to illness. In his absence, England lost 3-2 to West Germany and were eliminated.

Gordon Banks played a total of 73 games for the England national team, recording a clean sheet in 35 of them.

Read More: Leicester City History – All about the Club

Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan is one of ten players to have won the Ballon d’Or more than once. He Won the award for two consecutive years, in 1978 and 1979. Keegan was one of the best players of his generation and one of the best English footballers of all time.

Known for his technique and dribbling skills, Kevin Keegan was a fast, creative, and dangerous player. Keegan played for Liverpool from 1971 to 1977, winning three league titles, two UEFA Cup titles, and one European Cup title with the Reds.

He then joined Hamburg and won the Bundesliga with the German club. He spent three brilliant seasons at Hamburg. With his outstanding performance, Hamburg could even reach the European Cup final.

At the international level, Kevin Keegan played 63 matches for the Three Lions and scored 21 goals. He was the greatest English player of his generation.

Read More: Best Players of the 1970s

Frank Lampard

One of the best midfielders in the history of football and one of the best English footballers of all time: The Super Frankie!

Chelsea’s all-time top scorer! What an achievement for a box-to-box midfielder. Frank Lampard was a Chelsea player from 2001 to 2014, scoring 211 goals for the Blues. Not only scoring, but Lampard was also top-class in everything. He was strong, had great ball-carrying skills, was a master of passing, contributed to the defensive, plus some occasional smashing tackles.

He has scored more goals in the Premier League than Thierry Henry. With a tally of 102, Lampard is the fourth top assist-provider in the Premier League history. Super Frankie won everything with Chelsea. Most importantly, He won the hearts of the fans at Stamford Bridge. They adore him in West London.

At the International level, Frank Lampard played 106 matches for his country and scored 29 goals. There was a midfield consisting of him, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes. They won nothing!

Read More: Best Chelsea Players of All Time

Bobby Charlton

Sir Bobby Charlton is not only one of the best English footballers of all time but also one of the best players in the history of the sport.

The survivor of the Munich Air Disaster, Bobby Charlton, was at Manchester United from 1956 to 1973. He’s the second most-capped player and the second top scorer in the club’s history, behind Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, respectively. Charlton scored 249 goals for the Red Devils in 758 appearances. His primary position was a midfielder.

Bobby Charlton won the European Cup with Manchester United in the 1967-68 campaign. Captaining his side, he scored two goals against Benfica in the final. This was ten years after the Munich Air Disaster, and the captain raised the trophy with his own hands. May the dreams live on.

Bobby Charlton was the best player in the 1966 World Cup. He received the Golden Ball of the tournament, helping his country win their only major trophy. Charlton won the Ballon d’Or that year. He was also runner-up in the following two years.

Sir Bobby Charlton played a total of 106 international matches and scored 49 goals.

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Bobby Moore

Pele said Bobby Moore was the best defender he ever played against. Sir Alf Ramsey said England would never win the World Cup without him. Without him, the defense position would lose an important part of its evolutionary process.

Bobby Moore’s playing style relied on intelligence more than anything else. He was trying to read the game and predict his opponent’s moves. Moore preferred to avoid physical duels and tackling as much as possible. He was playing tactical in an era when tactics were not so prominent.

The Wembley Stadium is arguably the greatest and most famous football stadium in the world. Do you know who has been erected outside the stadium with a bronze statue? Yes, Bobby Moore! He is a national icon in England. Moore was captain of the Three Lions for over ten years. Bobby Moore made a total of 108 caps for his country, 90 of them as the captain. He became the national team’s captain at the age of 23.

Leading his side, Bobby Moore reached the 1966 World Cup final with England. Despite playing as a centre-back, Moore delivered two assists in the final match against West Germany. He took the trophy on his hands.

At the club level, Bobby Moore played for West Ham for sixteen years (from 1958 to 1974). He is the biggest legend for the Hammers fans. West Ham has retired his number 6 jersey forever.

Read More:

• David Beckham Biography
• Best French Footballers of All Time
• Best Liverpool Players of All Time
• Paul Gascoigne Biography