Paul Gascoigne is viewed by many as one of the top players to ever represent England. The eccentric midfielder starred at club level too, with the likes of Newcastle United, Tottenham and Rangers.
Along the way, the man affectionately known as 'Gazza' played with some world-class players. Appearing on Sky Sports' 'The Fantasy Football Club' show, the ex-England international was tasked with naming his all-time greatest teammates XI.
While he wasn't limited to just players from his own nation, the ex-Lazio man selected a full English side. This team is frightening on paper, highlighting the incredible talent the country possessed in the 1980s and 90s.
Goalkeeper
David Seaman
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David Seaman is one of the finest shot-stoppers to ever pull on a pair of gloves for the Three Lions. The Arsenal hero kept an impressive 40 clean sheets in 75 international appearances. Gascoigne was quick to sing the praises of the humble goalkeeper:
"I'm going for Seaman, what a goalkeeper. He would have been better if he'd got that mullet cut. I don't think he realised how good he was.
"He trained hard and he was funny as well. He was my fishing partner too - saved my life once when I fell in!"
Right-Back
Gary Neville
Gary Neville in action for England
Gary Neville has long been a staple in the greatest XI in Premier League history but is less recognised for his international career. Winning eight Premier League titles for a dominant Manchester United side is the biggest achievement of the right-back's career. Gazza made sure to highlight the less spoken-about aspects of Neville's game:
"I was fortunate to play with some great right-backs but it's got to be Gary Neville. Only because his fitness... you see players today as wing-backs, getting forward, getting round the back and whipping in crosses and people say this is the new game, but he was doing it 10 to 15 years ago.
"He was a guy that you would never see jogging back - he was up and down that line. He was an honest player, he moaned a lot but it has to be Gary Neville."
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Centre-Back
Terry Butcher
Terry Butcher
When the name Terry Butcher comes into a conversation, the first thing that springs to mind is the image of the defender donning a blood-stained bandage on his head with a lot of the blood dripping onto his white England shirt. One of the hardest players in British football history, Gascoigne made sure to include Butcher to avoid causing any annoyance to the intimidating centre-back:
"He was a great leader but I picked Terry because when I first got in the England squad, in the dressing room and we're getting ready to go, Terry Butcher looked at me and he said: 'This is my house. No one comes into my house and takes anything. This is my house. You remember who you're playing for.'
"Terry was a big lad, but he had a good touch on him and he was great in the air. Just like Tony (Adams), he would put his head anywhere. He would kick his granny, him."
Centre-Back
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt
Gary Mabbutt is perhaps the most surprising name of the whole XI as Gascoigne shared the pitch with Tony Adams, who misses out on the side. However, the Gateshead-born hero gave the former Tottenham stalwart his flowers due to his incredible ability to shut him down on the training pitch:
"He was definitely underrated, he could have played more times for England. In training, he was the only guy I couldn't beat, I just couldn't beat him.
"One of the reasons I'm picking him is because in training, when I was free to do anything, I just couldn't get the ball past him."
Left-Back
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce bearing the scars of Basile Boli's headbutt at Euro 1992
One of the toughest-tackling players England have ever produced. There's a reason Stuart Pearce is nicknamed 'psycho' as the former Nottingham Forest left-back was fearless during his playing days while also being a very tidy player on the ball. His ex-England colleague Gascoigne echoed that sentiment:
"I dare not leave this guy out. I was fortunate enough to play with Stuart Pearce.
"What I like about Stuart Pearce as well is he came from a tough background, from where he was to playing in the World Cup. I'll go for Pearce, he was a solid guy and I wouldn't have liked to have messed with him"
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Central Midfielder
Bryan Robson
Bryan Robson of England
Bryan Robson doesn't only make it into Gazza's all-time English XI, but the Premier League-winning captain was singled out as Gascoigne's 'favourite' player. He led by example on the pitch, handing out advice to his colleagues where necessary, as his old teammate stated:
"For someone to come back from three broken legs and still play the way he played was phenomenal... captain of England.
"The guy was phenomenal and everyone looked up to him as a player, a great bloke. He is a one-off."
Right Midfielder
Chris Waddle
Chris-Waddle
Chris Waddle was one of the most skillful players Britain has ever seen. The wide player was sensational, weaving in and out of helpless defenders as if they weren't there. Gazza was often left in awe of Waddle's ability on the ball:
"This guy was phenomenal.
"His skill was unbelievable. Even late on in his career, he was still playing unbelievable football, still scoring goals and he was probably one of my best friends too. What a player."
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Left Midfielder
John Barnes
John Barnes in and England shirt
Liverpool fans from that era know exactly how good John Barnes was, as he's largely seen as one of the Reds' greatest-ever players. However, the left-footed genius isn't always brought into conversations about the best players to pull on a Three Lions shirt. It's fair to say Gascoigne disagrees and even believes the current England team could do with a player with Barnes' qualities:
"You can't leave the guy out. For what he did, he grafted back. The goal he scored against Brazil, I mean what a goal that was. I would have been proud of that one.
"Barnesy had both feet as well. We don't have that now for England, do we? Someone that is perfect with both feet. If you ever wanted a break for five minutes, just give it to Barnes or Waddle."
Attacking Midfielder
Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley in action for England
Another that may not be among the first crop of players to come to mind when considering England's all-time greats. Peter Beardsley was a joy to watch with a ball at his feet, with his creativity off the charts. Gascoigne highlighted the selfless nature of the Geordie playmaker:
"Probably the most unselfish player I have ever met in my life. He would rather set someone up for them to take the headlines, than himself. People didn't realise how much work the guy put in.
"One hell of a player. In today's game, he could have named his own price."
Striker
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker poses for a photograph in an England shirt
It's clear there's still a very strong relationship between Gary Lineker and Gascoigne. So much so, that the latter felt comfortable enough to make a joke about the lack of long-range goals on Lineker's CV. Amongst his praise for the 48-goal England striker:
"Unbelievable amount of goals from outside the box... zero! He was always in the right place at the right time.
"He worked really hard and what a finisher. And he is a really good lad."
Striker
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
It was almost impossible for the Premier League's top goalscorer to miss out. A fellow Geordie hero, Alan Shearer's knack for finding the back of the net was even better than Lineker's, but what a strike partnership they would've made in both their peaks. Gascoigne waxed lyrical about his ex-teammate's goalscoring prowess:
"This guy could score. Outside the box, inside the box, he had a free-kick on him like a rocket. What I liked about Shearer was he didn't like getting messed about. He gave it as good as he took it.
"Last week, I was watching his '100 Greatest Goals' on Sky and some of them were absolutely phenomenal."
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Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 11-12-24.