• Existing user of old message board?

    Your username will have transferred over to this new message board, but your password will need to be reset. Visit our convert your account page, to transfer your old password over.

Englands greatest ever player

R

rikz

Member
Location
Croydon
Country
England
Just curious who people think England's greatest ever player Is.

Ballon d'or winners, Stanley Matthews, Charlton, Keegan and Owen, not sure how good Matthews is. Keegan probably quite under appreciated, England were poor in his prime, never as good as Best and Dalglish had him soon forgotten at Liverpool. Owen, one of the best teenagers ever, yet injuries stopped him fulfilling his potential.

The best players usually play midfield and Gerrard is England's most complete player.

For me it's out of Cole, Rooney and Charlton. Cole at his peak was definitely the best in the world in his position, won everything at club level, consistent, never had a bad game for england and holds his own when compared to the best ever players in his position. Rooney by far England's best player technically, world class even as a 16 year old and won it all at club level, then Charlton the only English player to win it all for club and country. If I had to pick then it's probably Rooney but not by much.
 
rikz said:
Just curious who people think England's greatest ever player Is.

Ballon d'or winners, Stanley Matthews, Charlton, Keegan and Owen, not sure how good Matthews is. Keegan probably quite under appreciated, England were poor in his prime, never as good as Best and Dalglish had him soon forgotten at Liverpool. Owen, one of the best teenagers ever, yet injuries stopped him fulfilling his potential.

The best players usually play midfield and Gerrard is England's most complete player.

For me it's out of Cole, Rooney and Charlton. Cole at his peak was definitely the best in the world in his position, won everything at club level, consistent, never had a bad game for england and holds his own when compared to the best ever players in his position. Rooney by far England's best player technically, world class even as a 16 year old and won it all at club level, then Charlton the only English player to win it all for club and country. If I had to pick then it's probably Rooney but not by much.
Click to expand...

Keegan was one of my non palace hero’s when I was a kid, so he’d be high on my list as well, but as you say, we didn’t qualify for three major tournaments on the trot when he was in his prime, although with groups of three and four, a lot less minnows and only group winners who qualified it was a lot tougher to qualify back then so we weren’t as bad as it may sound to youngsters now

No one got me off my seat more than Gazza, a joy to watch in his prime.

But for shear class and what he achieved it has to be Bobby Moore
 
BromleyMonkey said:
Keegan was one of my non palace hero’s when I was a kid, so he’d be high on my list as well, but as you say, we didn’t qualify for three major tournaments on the trot when he was in his prime, although with groups of three and four, a lot less minnows and only group winners who qualified it was a lot tougher to qualify back then so we weren’t as bad as it may sound to youngsters now

No one got me off my seat more than Gazza, a joy to watch in his prime.

But for shear class and what he achieved it has to be Bobby Moore
Click to expand...
Agree although it would be difficult separating him and Bobby Charlton. Not just for their football ability, although any world team when they played would have had them both in it, but for what they represented outside that. Two brilliant players who were essentially ordinary blokes blessed with sublime ability. Not to say footballers should be role models for anybody but they just were.
It's an expression which has gone out of the game but they were both gentlemen.
 
Teddy Eagle said:
Agree although it would be difficult separating him and Bobby Charlton. Not just for their football ability, although any world team when they played would have had them both in it, but for what they represented outside that. Two brilliant players who were essentially ordinary blokes blessed with sublime ability. Not to say footballers should be role models for anybody but they just were.
It's an expression which has gone out of the game but they were both gentlemen.
Click to expand...
I agree, it has to be between Charlton and Moore, footballs were a lot harder back then, so I’d love to have seen how hard Bobby Charlton could hit the balls of today, he knew how to strike a ball that’s for sure.
 
We can add Dean Henderson in that list now? In seriousness, Bobby Charlton would be my top choice. I’m just going by players that were around from my early days of following England. He was a bit like the No 10 that is talked about now but slightly more forward. And what a thunder bolt shot he had 🙂
 
rikz said:
Keegan probably quite under appreciated, England were poor in his prime, never as good as Best and Dalglish had him soon forgotten at Liverpool.
Click to expand...

yes, but the two lads weren't English.

Best English player ? Rooney. World Class & memorable. Playing football on the pitch. And also playing away at the granny brothel.
 
palace chick said:
We can add Dean Henderson in that list now? In seriousness, Bobby Charlton would be my top choice. I’m just going by players that were around from my early days of following England. He was a bit like the No 10 that is talked about now but slightly more forward. And what a thunder bolt shot he had 🙂
Click to expand...
He certainly did have a cannonball shot. I think he once said he was naturally right footed but practiced so much with his left that he was equally, possibly more, capable with that.
Can't imagine there was a queue to be in the wall if he, or Peter Lorimer, was lining up a free kick. Not that they got many of those back then when fouls needed to be all out assaults to get awarded.
 
Dogburger said:
Gordon Banks
Click to expand...

After 54 years that’s STILL the greatest save I’ve ever seen
A lot of saves are called ‘great’ saves but quite often their saves keepers are expected to make or they dive and make them look better than they are, but that Pele header was a goal, it was as good as in, then banks appeared from nowhere
 
I'm not sure I can answer the question. England have only won one tournament and that was very much a team effort. We have had plenty of good players but were they that great for England ?

If I was an Argentine I would say Maradona because he pretty much won the world cup on his own in 1986.

I don't think an England player has come any near that level of performance.
 
Badger11 said:
I'm not sure I can answer the question. England have only won one tournament and that was very much a team effort. We have had plenty of good players but were they that great for England ?

If I was an Argentine I would say Maradona because he pretty much won the world cup on his own in 1986.

I don't think an England player has come any near that level of performance.
Click to expand...

Fair point, maybe if we did have that stand out world class player at various tournaments it could have been the difference, 1990, 96, and probably all four of the tournaments southgate was in charge
 
Badger11 said:
I'm not sure I can answer the question. England have only won one tournament and that was very much a team effort. We have had plenty of good players but were they that great for England ?

If I was an Argentine I would say Maradona because he pretty much won the world cup on his own in 1986.

I don't think an England player has come any near that level of performance.
Click to expand...
Agree about Maradona. It's quite a thought that Messi isn't the best player Argentina have produced.
 
Depends on the era I guess

Hard to challenge Banks, Charlton and Moore if you're of a certain age

More recently Shilton, Robson, Keegan and Gascoigne

Nowadays it would be hard to look past Kane

I guess it depends on your criteria, caps, goals, excitement factors

For example, Maradona played 91 games (some in a drug induced state) versus Messi's 189.
 
It's an interesting question, and as always the best depends on the era. I can't help thinking that players in the days of big, clunky boots and heavy-when-wet footballs had a much tougher job to play decent football than today's with their pink, fancy boots and light, plastic 'beach' balls. Many names come to mind

There were some giants in the game during the 50s and 60s such as Billy Wright and Tom Finney, but in overall terms it is hard to name anyone who had a more successful England career and, having coped with the trauma of the Munich air crash, he played and lived his life with the attitude of an all round good egg, other than Sir Bobby Charlton. For me he stands head and shoulders above any other player.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top