The Greatest England XI of All Time – Are They the Best Ever?

England know all about the weight of history. They won the World Cup in 1966 and have not won a major trophy since, a drought that has spanned agonising near-misses and a reputation for flattering to deceive. Yet the talent the country has produced is undeniable, and picking a single all-time XI means leaving out genuine greats in almost every position. Here is that team, in a 4-3-3, followed by the question, how do they stack up against other nations.

A quick caveat. Although there may be better overall players in certain positions, we have created the best XI possible with balance, harmony and creativity in mind.

The starting XI

Pos	Player	Peak clubs / era	Why he makes it
GK	Peter Shilton	Leicester, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Derby	All time clean sheet record holder in World Cups and England's most capped player.
RB	Kyle Walker	Tottenham, Man City	A rapid, multiple-title-winning right-back and a Champions League winner in 2023.
CB	Bobby Moore (c)	West Ham	The 1966-winning captain and one of the most cultured, composed defenders the game has seen. The greatest defender Pele said he played against.
CB	Rio Ferdinand	Leeds, Man Utd	An elegant, ball-playing centre-back and the cornerstone of a great Manchester United side. Better compliment to Moore than Terry
LB	Ashley Cole	Arsenal, Chelsea	Regarded by many as the finest left-back of his generation anywhere in the world.
CM	Steven Gerrard	Liverpool	In many people's eyes, the finest centre midfielder England has ever produced. Could do it all.
CM	Paul Gascoigne	Newcastle, Spurs, Lazio, Rangers	Widely regarded as England's most naturally talented footballer of all time. Adding some much needed flair to this lineup.
CM	Bobby Charlton	Manchester United	A 1966 World Cup winner and Ballon d'Or holder, one of England's greatest ever players.
RW	David Beckham	Man United, Real Madrid	Not many come close to Beckham's career in an England shirt.
ST	Harry Kane	Tottenham, Bayern	England's all-time leading scorer and a complete, ruthless centre-forward.
LW	Wayne Rooney	Everton, Man Utd	A ferociously talented forward and, for many years, England's record goalscorer.

 

The Lineup

 

Even though there may be better players per position, we have made an effort to balance the team effectively and ensure there is enough flair. Kane has showed this tournament how lethal his movement and heading ability can be, so the idea of Beckham whipping balls into him is tantalising. Rooney operates off the left where he had done so often for Man United, making driving runs towards defences.

Gerrard anchors a midfield trio that also contains Bobby Charlton and Paul Gascoigne. With Gerrard and Charlton both registering on the more robust style of player, we thought it best to balance with the flair of a Gascoigne over the similarly robust Lampard or Scholes. Despite the fact that both may be better players in their own right.

The backline almost picks itself. Cole and Walker are locks on either side and some combination of Moore, Ferdinand and Terry is always going to be the correct answer. We have gone for Rio and Moore as they are arguably a better balance than the similar Moore and Terry.

Shilton and Banks was a tossup in goal and honestly there was not much between them. Shilton was an absolute stalwart in there though so he gets the nod.

 

The Substitutes

• Gordon Banks
• Jordan Pickford
• Gary Neville
• Stuart Pearce
• Trent Alexander-Arnold
• Billy Wright
• Sol Campbell
• John Terry
• Tony Adams
• Jack Charlton
• Paul Scholes
• Bryan Robson
• Declan Rice
• Frank Lampard
• Kevin Keegan
• John Barnes
• Raheem Sterling
• Stanley Matthews
• Gary Lineker
• Jimmy Greaves
• Michael Owen
• Alan Shearer

Are They the Best Ever?

The case for yes. The talent is genuinely top tier. With absolute superstars in every single position. One thing that epitomises this England squad is drive. Every single player had an insane engine and robust drive that most countries do not posses.

Finishing and goalscoring is never a problem in a team that contains Kane, Rooney, Charlton etc. Neither is creativity and chance creation with the likes of Gerrard, Beckham and Gazza.

The defence is as good as any other country can muster of all time, and arguably includes top 10 players of all time in all spots. Let alone the depth of having the likes of Terry and Campbell on the bench, who walk into most other nations all time XI’s.

The case for no. The doubts are less about talent than about the two things that have always undone England. There is no single Maradona, Messi or Zidane figure to win a tournament almost on his own, and the midfield, for all its quality, lacks an elite pure ball-winner of the very top class. Another key thing this England team lacks is pace. Rooney, Kane and Beckham are not slow but definitely don’t posses the blistering pace held by other nations like France and Brazil.

The verdict. This is a genuine contender, a clear step above the outsiders and level with the best of the rest. It is perhaps a fraction behind France, Brazil and Spain, who each boast an all-time match-winning genius, but only a fraction, and on talent alone it would fear nobody.

 

This is a selection piece, so it is one defensible XI rather than the only one. The fun is in the argument.

 

Check out our World Cup section for more All-Time XI’s.