Kane, Mead, Beckham, White: Ranking England's greatest players

As the Lionesses lifted the Euro 2022 trophy at Wembley, it reignited an age-old debate.

Bobby Charlton, Wayne Rooney, Lucy Bronze, Fara Williams – these world-class players have all pulled on an England shirt during their career and put in a decent shift for their country.

But who is the greatest England player of all time? We may have only won two major titles – the 1966 World Cup and Euro 2022 – but there are so many contenders.

So, we’ve turned to our trusty medium of “Tiermaker” to rank the very best of England’s footballing talents.

Both male and female players are included in this list, but is by no means an attempt to directly compare them. Instead, it is a celebration of their achievements for their respective team.

In addition, the players here have been ranked based on their performances for England alone. They may have been the GOAT for their club, but that doesn’t mean they were the crème de la crème for their country.

Without further ado, let’s work our way through the ranking of England’s greatest players.

Ashley Cole, Steph Houghton, Keira Walsh, Millie Bright, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Alex Scott

These are the players that might not have set the world on fire for England, or received much of the plaudits, but you’d always want them on your team. Dependable and dedicated, they will always be a safe bet to include in the starting line-up.

It’s often debated whether Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard was the best English midfielder, but unfortunately neither were able to truly excel when playing for their country.

Ashley Cole, Steph Houghton and Alex Scott appeared regularly for England during their careers, while Keira Walsh and Millie Bright impressed at Euro 2022 but were often overshadowed by their