What is The Best England Fantasy XI of All Time?


England's men play their 1,000th match against Montenegro, which caps off 147 years since their opening match against Scotland. Of those games, the Three Lions have won 568 times, scored 2,188 goals and lost on 189 occasions.

The 19 England managers have selected 1,244 players between them - but who would you have in the all-time XI?  Here's ours, so let us know what you think in the comments section below...

Gordon Banks Career span: (1963-72). Caps/goals: 73/0. World Cups 66, 70. Euros 68.

For some, Gordon Banks is the greatest keeper of them all. For others, he's certainly up there. Banks was a world Cup winner who kept 35 clean sheets for England and made one of the greatest ever saves from arguably the greatest ever player, Pele. He was named Fifa goalkeeper of the year six years in a row from 1966 onwards.

Gary Neville (1995-2007) 85/0. WC 98, 06. EU 96, 00, 04.

Red Nev played in a back three in his early career or more regularly at right-back, and was first choice for more than a decade. England haven't been blessed with the best right backs in their history, but Gary Neville was certainly a great, and definitely one of the most consistent.

Bobby Moore (1962-73) 108/2. WC 62, 66, 70. EU 68

Well, what can we say about Bobby Moore that hasn't already been said? He was simply an icon. Moore was England's youngest captain at the age of 22 and went on to lead the team on 90 occasions - a record shared with Billy Wright. The centre back famously lifted the World Cup at Wembley in 1966 - the only England captain to do so.

Tony Adams (1987-2000). 66/5. WC 98. EU 88, 96, 00

Tony Adams was the first player to represent England who was born after the World Cup win in 1966. He played in tournaments in three separate decades and scored the last England goal at the 'old' Wembley. Captain on 15 occasions, including at Euro 96. Tony Adams is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished defenders in history.

Stuart Pearce (1987-99) 78/5. WC 90, EU 92, 96.

Stuart 'Psycho' Pearce provided one of England's most memorable moments with his penalty against Spain in 1996, six years after missing in the World Cup 90 semi-final shoot-out against West Germany. Pearce was the third-oldest outfield player to play for England when he faced Poland in 1999 at the age of 37 years and 137 days. He also captained his country 10 times.

Stanley Matthews (1934-57) 54/11. WC 50, 54.

Stanley Matthews was often referred to as the 'wizard of dribble'. With an international career spanning 23 years, Matthews is England's oldest player and goalscorer, and was also the youngest player to score on his debut in 1934. He was 42 when he played his final game and won the inaugural Ballon d'Or at the age of 41. Stanley set the bar for how a winger should play.

Bobby Charlton (1958-70). 106/49. WC 58, 62, 66, 70. EU 68.

Perhaps England's greatest ever player? Bobby Charlton is not just an English legend, but also a football icon. He made his England debut two months after surviving the Munich air disaster, won the Ballon d'Or in 1966, and of course lifted the world cup after dismantling West Germany 4-2 after extra time.

Paul Scholes (1997-2004) 66/14. WC 98, 02. EU 00, 04

Paul Scholes was a great player who England unfortunately didn't get the best out of. Scholes was often marginalised on the left during the latter stage of his international career but still scored at Euro 2000 and 2004, as well as at the World Cup of 1998. His England career may not have lived up to the standard of his Manchester United performances, but that doesn't take away from the fact Paul Scholes was one of England's most naturally gifted footballers.

Paul Gascoigne (1988-98) 57/10. WC 90. EU 96.

Gazza was probably the best player of his generation, and certainly the most gifted.  He was a genuine superstar who captured a nation's hearts in 1990. Sadly, he only played one more tournament after Italia '90, also losing a semi-final in a shoot-out to German opposition at Euro '96. Paul Gascoigne was an iconic player who scored one of England's finest ever goals against Scotland in 1996.

Jimmy Greaves (1959-67) 57/44. WC 62, 66

No English goalscorer has been more prolific than the great Jimmy Greaves. He scored on his debut at the age of 19 and barely stopped - firing six hat-tricks during his career. Sadly, Graves was injured during the 1966 World Cup and lost his place to Geoff Hurst for the final. He was England's top scorer when he stopped playing and is only behind Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker to this day - however, his goals to games ratio is superior to all of them.

Gary Lineker (1984-92) 80/48. WC 86, 90. EU 88, 92

Gary Lineker always seemed to deliver on the big occasions. He was the Golden Boot winner at the 1986 World Cup, where he scored a hat-trick against Poland, and scored four more in Italy four years later. His World Cup total of 10 goals is only bettered by seven players in history. He ended his career one goal shy of Bobby Charlton's record and is now third on the nation's all-time scoring list.
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