When we think of the archetypal English footballer, images of Bobby Moore, Terry Butcher, Stuart Pearce, Alan Shearer, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham come to mind and rightly so.
They wore the Three Lions with pride and would often give their all over the course of 90 minutes, often leaving the pitch caked in mud as well forlorn after an agonising penalty shootout loss or refereeing injustice. England are never short of a centre-back willing to block every shot possible or a box-to-box midfielder who will run himself into the ground for the sake of victory.
Two grafters if we’ve ever seen ’em
Yet one problem that has always plagued English football is the lack of players with that flair more frequently seen in South America or continental Europe. That creative spark that allows players to spot a defence-splitting pass or ping the ball into the top corner at a moment’s notice.
Under Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions’ approach has been modernised dramatically. But in the past, when such rare individuals came along, they have often been treated suspiciously or underrated and misused by previous England managers. It’s been said of more than one player in the list below that, were they born elsewhere in Europe, they would have been far more appreciated, starting with…
1. Paul Scholes
Position: Central midfield
Clubs played for: Man Utd
International caps: 66
Former Barcelona legend Xavi could basically write this section for us.
“A role model. For me – and I really mean this – [Paul Scholes] is the best central midfielder I’ve seen in the last 15, 20 years,” he told the Guardian in 2011.
“I’ve spoken to Xabi Alonso about him. He’s spectacular, he has it all: the last pass, goals, he’s strong, he doesn’t lose the ball, vision. If he’d been Spanish he might have been rated more highly. Players love him.”
Scholes could pass the ball like no other English contemporary and would rarely have a bad game for United. But his international career lasted until just 2004, at which point he decided to prematurely retire. This was a grave loss for England, who have struggled to reproduce a player of his calibre since then.
2. Matt Le Tissier
Position: Attacking midfield
Clubs played for: Southampton
International Caps: 8
Of all the players that England have ever had at their disposal, Le Tissier is probably the most criminally underused. Nicknamed ‘Le God’, the Guernsey-born attacking midfielder Southampton icon played with a casual grace that was completely unique.
Though not blessed with great pace, Le Tissier would make use of his gifts in terms of technical ability and vision to frequently score stunning goals for the Saints and is one of the few Premier League players to be fondly remembered by fans of a certain generation across all clubs, barring Portsmouth. The fact that he won just eight England caps is considered by some an oversight that can never be corrected.
Le Tissier played for Southampton for the entirety of his senior career and such is his iconic status for the club, current Saints attacker Manolo Gabbiadini recently dubbed him “the Maradonna of Southampton”.
3. John Barnes
Position: Left-wing
Clubs played for: Watford, Liverpool, Newcastle, Charlton, Celtic
International Caps: 79
John Barnes was born in Jamaica but moved to England at the age of 12. His crowning achievement for the Three Lions was an incredible solo goal against Brazil in 1984 and we strongly advise taking 20 seconds out of your day to watch it:
Finished? Good. We could probably rest our case right here, but then we wouldn’t get to tell you how former England captain Tony Adams once remarked that Barnes “Could pass, move, dribble, had Brazilian style movement… what more could you want?” Or that he was voted to have had the “greatest left foot” of any England player past or present in a 2016 poll by the Times.
His international career, like virtually every entry in this article, is a case of what could have been. “When I played for Liverpool I would receive the ball 20 or 30 times a game,” Barnes once said. “That was enough to maybe score a goal or provide an assist from a cross or a pass. For England, I would receive possession maybe five or 10 times a match This was mainly because Liverpool dominated possession whereas England did not.”
And although Barnes and Bobby Robson enjoyed a close relationship, the late, great former Three Lions head coach described his No.7 as the ‘greatest enigma’ of his career.
4. Chris Waddle
Position: Attacking-midfield
Clubs played for: Newcastle, Tottenham, Marseille, Sheffield Wednesday, Falkirk, Bradford, Sunderland, Burnley, Torquay
International Caps: 62
Let’s forget about the criminally bad haircut and concentrate on the man underneath the mullet, because Chris Waddle was a damn fine footballer.
The midfielder is one of the few English players to ever become a success away from the British Isles and is fondly remembered for his time at Marseille, where he won three French league titles and reached the 1991 European Cup final.
Blessed with a deft touch and wonderful vision, Waddle can still be found gracing Sunday league pitches around the country. Not bad for a 54-year-old.
5. Joe Cole
Position: Attacking midfielder
Clubs played for: West Ham, Chelsea, Liverpool, Lille, Aston Villa, Coventry
International Caps: 56
Joe Cole was a product of the famous West Ham youth setup that produced the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Rio Ferdinand, but the lad from Paddington had a set of magic feet which set him apart from the rest. There are few goals (if any) scored by England at the World Cup better than Cole’s volley against Sweden in 2006.
Even though he won multiple trophies at Chelsea, Cole has never really settled at any club while his former peers went on to achieve greater success.
He is now 37 and has retired from football but when he was on form during his heyday, Cole could mix it with the best of them. Pele, of all people, was one of the main people to point out his exceptional talent and flaws. “He has the skills of a Brazilian, but he needs to learn when to show the skills and when to play the simple game,” the South American legend told Sky Sports.
6. Paul Gascoigne
Position: Attacking midfield
Clubs played for: Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers, Middlesbrough, Everton, Burnley, Gansu Tianma, Boston
International Caps: 57
Admit it. Paul Gascoigne was the first player you thought of when you clicked on this article?
By the time the 1990 World Cup rolled around, ‘Gazza’ had already won the PFA Young Player of the Year as well as the FA Youth Cup with Newcastle. But after his heroics at Italia 90, the sky was limit for possibly the most naturally talented player England had ever produced.
Or so it seemed. An ultimately ill-fated move to Lazio did not catapult Gascoigne to much professional success and although he did revive his career in Scotland with Rangers, his own personal demons and off-field issues eventually caught up with him.
But during his heyday at Spurs, he could frequently turn a game on its head and will forever be remembered at White Hart Lane for his stunning free-kick in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal. Or his iconic volley against Scotland at Euro 96. Or his title-winning hat-trick for Rangers against Aberdeen the same year.
7. Glenn Hoddle
Position: Attacking midfield
Clubs played for: Tottenham, Monaco, Swindon, Chelsea
International caps: 53
Glenn Hoddle’s ability on the ball and cultured style set him apart from many other players in the 1980s. At a 2016 media event he was named the greatest player in the history of Tottenham, and even when Hoddle moved into management, he was arguably still the best player among the various squads at his disposal, especially at Swindon Town, where he was the Robins’ player-manager.
Described as a European Englishman on Fifa’s website, his talents saw him catch the eye of Arsene Wenger when the Arsenal man was at Monaco, and he went on to win the French League title and French Cup during his stay in the principality.
In October 2018, Hoddle suffered a heart attack while on broadcast duty for BT but he thankfully he is said to be recovering well.
The post Seven former England footballers who played with continental swagger appeared first on Squawka News.
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