The Best Soccer Players From England

Ranker Soccer
Updated September 2, 2023 65.6K votes 3.0K voters 66.1K views
Over 3.0K Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Soccer Players From England
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Vote up the best English footballers of all time.

Who are the best football players from England? The greatest soccer players from Great Britain are some of the best soccer players of all time. While the England Men's National Team has a long and storied history of producing top international talent, fans of The Three Lions have been singing "It's Coming Home" and waiting for an international tournament win for quite some time. So, who are the best footballers from England? Who is the best English soccer player of all time?

Some of the best British soccer players include national legends like Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, and Bobby Moore. There are also current English football stars such as Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, and Declan Rice, who are making an impact in English Soccer. 

Vote up the best soccer players from the England, and help decide who is the greatest English footballer of all time!

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  • Steven Gerrard
    1

    Steven Gerrard

    Whiston, England
    1,270 votes
    • Position: Midfielder
    • Nationality: England
    Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who manages Scottish Premiership club Rangers. He spent the majority of his playing career as a central midfielder for Liverpool, with most of that time spent as club captain, as well as captaining the England national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Gerrard was awarded the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award in 2005, and the Ballon d'Or Bronze Award. In 2009, Zinedine Zidane and Pelé said that they considered Gerrard to be the best footballer in the world. A versatile and well-rounded player, highly regarded for his leadership, Gerrard is the only footballer to score in an FA Cup Final, a League Cup Final, a UEFA Cup Final and a UEFA Champions League Final, winning on each occasion.Born and raised in Whiston, Merseyside, Gerrard joined the Liverpool Academy at age 9. At age 17, he signed his first professional contract with Liverpool and made his senior debut a year later in 1998. In the 2000–01 season, Gerrard helped Liverpool secure a treble of the League Cup, the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup. A UEFA Super Cup and another League Cup followed, and Gerrard was made captain in 2003. In 2005, Gerrard led Liverpool to a historic fifth European title, scoring a crucial late goal in the group stages, and being named Man of the Match as he scored Liverpool's first goal and won a penalty kick as Liverpool came from 3–0 down to defeat Milan in what became known as the Miracle of Istanbul, regarded as one of the greatest finals in the history of the tournament. The following year, Gerrard scored two goals and assisted another in the 2006 FA Cup Final, which has been called The Gerrard Final and is widely regarded as one of the greatest cup finals in the history of the competition.Considered by many to be Liverpool's greatest ever player, Gerrard won a total of two FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Cup, one FA Community Shield and one UEFA Super Cup in his 17 seasons at Anfield. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year a record eight times, the UEFA Team of the Year and the FIFA World XI three times, was named PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2006 and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009. Despite collective and individual success, Gerrard never won the Premier League, finishing runner-up with Liverpool on three occasions. He joined Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy in 2015, spending one-and-a-half seasons there before his retirement in 2016. After retiring from playing football, Gerrard became a coach in the Liverpool youth academy and managed their under-18 team during the 2017–18 season, before becoming manager of Scottish Premiership club Rangers ahead of the 2018–19 season. At international level, Gerrard is the fourth-most capped player in the history of the England national team with 114 caps, scoring 21 goals. Gerrard made his international debut in 2000, and represented his country at the 2000, 2004 and 2012 UEFA European Football Championships, as well as the 2006, 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, captaining the team for the latter two tournaments. He was named as the permanent England captain shortly before UEFA Euro 2012, where he was named in the UEFA Team of the Tournament. Gerrard won his 100th cap in 2012, becoming the sixth player to reach that milestone for England. Gerrard announced his retirement from international football in 2014.
  • David Beckham
    2

    David Beckham

    Leytonstone, England
    1,171 votes
    • Position: Midfielder
    • Nationality: England
    David Robert Joseph Beckham (UK: ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. He played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, Milan, LA Galaxy, Paris Saint-Germain and the England national team, for which he held the appearance record for an outfield player until 2016. He is the first English player to win league titles in four countries: England, Spain, the United States and France. He retired in May 2013 after a 20-year career, during which he won 19 major trophies.Beckham's professional club career began with Manchester United, where he made his first-team debut in 1992 at age 17. With United, he won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the UEFA Champions League in 1999. He then played four seasons with Real Madrid, winning the La Liga championship in his final season with the club. In July 2007, Beckham signed a five-year contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. While a Galaxy player, he spent two loan spells in Italy with Milan in 2009 and 2010. He was the first British footballer to play 100 UEFA Champions League games. In international football, Beckham made his England debut on 1 September 1996 at the age of 21. He was captain for six years, earning 58 caps during his tenure. He made 115 career appearances in total, appearing at three FIFA World Cup tournaments, in 1998, 2002 and 2006, and two UEFA European Championship tournaments, in 2000 and 2004. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending free-kicks as a right winger, Beckham has been hailed as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He was runner-up in the Ballon d'Or, twice runner-up for FIFA World Player of the Year and in 2004 was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. He was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2008. A global ambassador for the sport, Beckham is regarded as a British cultural icon.Beckham has consistently ranked among the highest earners in football, and in 2013 was listed as the highest-paid player in the world, having earned over $50 million in the previous 12 months. He has been married to Victoria Beckham since 1999 and they have four children. He has been a UNICEF UK ambassador since 2005, and in 2015 he launched 7: The David Beckham UNICEF Fund. In 2014, MLS announced that Beckham and a group of investors would own an Inter Miami CF, which will begin in 2020.
  • Wayne Rooney
    3

    Wayne Rooney

    Croxteth, United Kingdom
    1,077 votes
    • Position: Forward
    • Nationality: England
    Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays for American MLS club D.C. United. He has played much of his career as a forward, and he has also been used in various midfield roles. He is the record goalscorer for the England national team and for Manchester United. At club level, he has won every honour available in English, European, and Continental football, with the exception of the UEFA Super Cup. Rooney and Michael Carrick are the only English players to win the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, League Cup, UEFA Europa League, and FIFA Club World Cup.Rooney joined the Everton youth team at the age of 9 and made his professional debut for the club in 2002 at the age of 16. He spent two seasons at the Merseyside club, before moving to Manchester United for £25.6 million in the 2004 summer transfer window. He won 16 trophies with the club, including five Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League in 2008. He scored 253 goals for United in all competitions to make him their top goalscorer of all time, with 183 Premier League goals being the most scored by a player for any single club. Rooney's 208 Premier League goals make him the Premier League's second top scorer of all time behind only Alan Shearer. He also has the third-highest number of assists in the Premier League, with 103.Rooney made his senior international debut for England in February 2003 aged 17, becoming the youngest player to represent England (a record since broken by Theo Walcott), and he is England's youngest ever goalscorer. He played at UEFA Euro 2004 and scored four goals, briefly becoming the youngest goalscorer in the history of the European Championship. Rooney has since featured at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups and was widely regarded as his country's best player. He has won the England Player of the Year award four times, in 2008, 2009, 2014, and 2015. With 53 goals in 120 international caps, Rooney is England's all-time record goalscorer and second most-capped player, behind Peter Shilton. Along with David Beckham, Rooney is the most red-carded player for England, having been sent off twice. In 2009–10, Rooney was awarded the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. He won the Premier League Player of the Month award five times, a record only bettered by Steven Gerrard and Harry Kane. His displays at the start of the decade saw him come fifth in the vote for the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Or and he was named in the FIFA World XI for 2011. Rooney has won the Goal of the Season award by the BBC's Match of the Day poll on three occasions, with his bicycle kick against city rivals Manchester City winning the Premier League Goal of the 20 Seasons award.
  • Frank Lampard
    4

    Frank Lampard

    Romford, London, England
    942 votes
    • Position: Midfielder
    • Nationality: England
    Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Premier League club Chelsea. As a player, he is widely considered to have been one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.Lampard was a creative and technically gifted box-to-box midfielder who began his career in 1995 at West Ham United, the club where his father, Frank Lampard Sr., also played. He is best known for his time at London rivals Chelsea, after he signed for the club in 2001 for £11 million. In his thirteen years with the team, Lampard established himself as a prolific scorer from midfield, becoming Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer, with 211 goals scored in all competitions. He also won a number of trophies, including three Premier League titles, a UEFA Champions League title, four FA Cups, a UEFA Europa League title, and two Football League Cups. In 2005, he was named FWA Footballer of the Year, and finished runner-up for both the Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year awards. Lampard was released by Chelsea in 2014, after which he played for league rivals Manchester City and Major League Soccer (MLS) club New York City before retiring in 2017.Lampard is one of seven players, and the only midfielder, to have scored 150 or more goals in the Premier League. He is fourth in the Premier League's all-time assists table, with 102 assists. Lampard also holds a number of Chelsea and additional Premier League records, and has won the FWA Tribute Award and a PFA Fans' Player of the Year award. During his career, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year three times, finished as the Premier League's top assist provider three times, and was named in the FIFPro World XI and voted as a MLS All-Star. At international level, Lampard played 106 matches for the England national team, after making his debut in 1999. He represented his country at three FIFA World Cups – in 2006, 2010 and 2014 – and in UEFA Euro 2004, where he was named in the team of the tournament. He scored 29 goals for England, and was voted England Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. He is also his nation's most prolific penalty taker, with nine goals scored from the spot. After retiring from international football, Lampard was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for his services to football.After retiring, Lampard served as a team captain on the ITV sport panel show Play to the Whistle from 2015 until 2017. He has also written a number of children's books. He began his coaching career with Championship club Derby County in 2018, to whom he led to the final of that season's play-offs. He was appointed as Chelsea's head coach a year later.
  • Alan Shearer
    5

    Alan Shearer

    Gosforth, England
    870 votes
    • Position: Forward
    • Nationality: England
    Alan Shearer, CBE, DL (born 13 August 1970) is an English retired footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and the England national team. He is Newcastle's and the Premier League's record goalscorer. He was named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year in 1994 and won the PFA Player of the Year award in 1995. In 1996, he was third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In 2004 Shearer was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.Shearer scored 283 league goals in his career (all in the first tier of English football), including a record 260 in the Premier League (of which 58 were penalties) with a joint record 11 Premier League hat-tricks, and a total of 422 in all competitions including international at all levels. Until his retirement from international football in 2000, he appeared 63 times for his country and scored 30 goals. Shearer had a goals-to-game ratio of 0.667 throughout his career. Since retiring as a player in 2006, Shearer has worked as a television pundit for the BBC. In 2009, he briefly left his BBC role to become Newcastle United's manager in the last eight games of their 2008–09 season, in an unsuccessful attempt to save them from relegation. Shearer is a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), a Deputy Lieutenant of Northumberland, a Freeman of Newcastle upon Tyne and an honorary Doctor of Civil Law of Northumbria and Newcastle Universities.
  • Harry Kane
    6

    Harry Kane

    London, England
    713 votes
    • Position: Forward
    • Nationality: England
    Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team. Born and raised in the London district of Walthamstow, Kane began his professional career at Tottenham Hotspur, where, after fast progression through the team's youth academy, he was promoted to the senior team in 2009, at age 16. He did not initially feature for the side, and was loaned out several times to clubs across the English football pyramid, including Leyton Orient, Millwall, Leicester City, and Norwich City. Kane's involvement at Tottenham began to increase following the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach in 2014. In his first full season at the club, Kane scored 31 goals across all competitions, and finished as the league's second highest goalscorer, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award. After the following campaign, at age 23, Kane finished as league's top goalscorer, and guided the club to UEFA Champions League qualification. In the 2016–17 season, Kane also completed the season as the league's top goalscorer, and helped the club finish as the competition's runners-up, while he won the PFA Fans' Player of the Year award. In the 2017–18 season, Kane registered his best campaign statistically to date, with 41 goals scored in 48 games in all competitions, and in the following season, he finished as a runner-up in the UEFA Champions League. Kane holds the record for most Premier League Player of the Month awards (six; shared with Steven Gerrard and Sergio Agüero) and has been selected for the PFA Team of the Year four times. He established himself as Tottenham's fourth all-time scorer in official competitions in January 2019. Kane has scored 22 goals in 39 games for England. He appeared and scored at every youth level, and made his senior debut in March 2015 at age 21, where he scored on his debut. Kane featured and scored at UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying, before he was selected as the squad's captain from May 2018, prior to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In the tournament, Kane led England to fourth-place, their highest finish since 1990. He also finished as the top goalscorer, winning the Golden Boot.