Ranking the 10 greatest England defenders in football history
Even though the English national team has had many incredible midfielders and attackers over the years who have possessed outrageous flair and technique, when fans around the world think of the English, they think of solid defensive units, and they are right to think that. Many world-class defenders have put on the iconic white strip over the years and have made themselves heroes for their country.
With that said, GIVEMESPORT will be ranking the 10 greatest England defenders in football history based solely on their achievements and performances for the national side. Included in the ranking are some of the most commonly thought of defenders, such as Bobby Moore and John Terry, however, there are also players who have been included who have achieved legendary status for their country despite not being the most well-known.
Ranking factors:
Honours won
Longevity
Legacy and fan reception of the player
Overall quality of the player
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10 Greatest England Defenders in Football History
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10 Phil Neal
International career span: 1976-1983
Phil Neal England
Phil Neal England
Phil Neal, to many, is regarded as the greatest British right-back in the history of football due to his consistent elite performances for Liverpool, but he also enjoyed a really good international career for England as well.
The flying full-back made 50 appearances for the English national team during a seven-year spell and was one of the first names on the team sheet during this spell. Despite being a world-class talent, because Neal’s international career lacked success in major tournaments and silverware, he can’t rank as high as some of the other England greats you will come across throughout this ranking, even though he was performing at a high level.
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Phil Neal's England Statistics
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9 Gary Neville
International career span: 1995-2007
Gary Neville in action for England
Gary Neville in action for England
Despite not being the most glamorous or flashy of players throughout his career, Gary Neville managed to become a key player for both club and country. Everyone knows how important he was for Manchester United, but Neville was also just as important for his national team, particularly during the 1996 European Championships.
The United legend was one of the unsung heroes of England’s great run in 1996 and provided a much-needed defensive solidity on the right flank as that side had a lot of attacking flair. Unfortunately, EURO 96 was probably the peak of Neville’s international career and the rest of his days for England were hampered by injury and early tournament exits.
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Gary Neville's England Statistics
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8 Rio Ferdinand
International career span: 1997-2011
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand
The English national team has been blessed with some tremendous centre-backs over the years and Rio Ferdinand is one of the very best. Ferdinand was one of the stars of the England side during the much-talked-about golden generation due to his unique pace and abilities with the ball at his feet.
Ferdinand played alongside many defensive greats during his international career but in particular, formed a formidable partnership with Sol Campbell which was at times unstoppable. As well as putting in top performances throughout his 14-year international career, the Manchester United legend was also once named captain and in 1998, became the first-ever teenage defender to go to a World Cup with England.
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Rio Ferdinand's England Statistics
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Related
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Michael Owen 89 appearances for England between 1998 and 2008 and is the country's sixth all-time top scorer.
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7 Ashley Cole
International career span: 2001-2014
Former England left-back Ashley Cole
Former England left-back Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole’s career longevity, not only for the clubs he played for but his country as well, is some of the most impressive we have ever seen. Cole was England’s first-choice left-back and one of the best left-backs in the world for well over a decade and during this time, was one of the national team’s most consistent performers.
Cole represented England in five major tournaments throughout his 13-year international career and made 107 appearances, meaning he is now just one of 10 English players to represent the national team on 100 or more occasions, which just shows his longevity and quality.
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Ashley Cole's England Statistics
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6 Billy Wright
International career span: 1946-1959
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From one player with over 100 England caps to another, the next player mentioned is the very first man to achieve 100 club status in terms of appearances for the English national team is Wolverhampton Wanderers icon, Billy Wright. The powerful centre-back was a mainstay for the national team for 13 years and will go down as one of the most important players to ever represent the national team.
Out of his 105 international caps, Wright captained England for 90 of those, which just shows how much of a valuable figure he was. The Wolves legend is often spoken about with great admiration for the part he played for England during the post-war era, guiding them to and being a key player in three World Cups.
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Billy Wright's England Statistics
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Related
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5 John Terry
International career span: 2003-2012
John Terry
John Terry
Despite being stripped of the captaincy on two separate occasions due to off-the-field issues, when it comes to on-the-field ability and performances, John Terry is without a doubt one of the best English defenders of all time, maybe even one of the best in football history in general.
Despite never winning silverware with England, like many other players who have already been mentioned, Terry’s performances on the pitch were top quality and when he was on the pitch, he made them hard to beat. The Chelsea legend played at four major tournaments for his country and was renowned for his ability to galvanise any defence he was a part of and make them a tough and physical unit to break down.
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John Terry's England Statistics
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Related
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4 Ray Wilson
International career span: 1960-1968
England legend Ray Wilson
England legend Ray Wilson
Taking the number four spot amongst the English national team’s greatest-ever defenders is 1966 World Cup-winning icon, Ray Wilson. Wilson operated at left-back in the iconic back four England possessed throughout their incredible 1966 World Cup campaign and despite being a hero for the national team, his quality and service are not spoken about enough.
Wilson was predominantly a defence-minded full-back, but he also had the ability to bomb up the pitch and support attacks alongside the likes of Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst. Wilson’s finest performance in an England shirt came in the 1966 World Cup final against West Germany where he managed to stay switched on for 120 minutes, leaving the field exhausted but bursting with pride after delivering the greatest achievement in English national team history.
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Ray Wilson's England Statistics
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3 George Cohen
International career span: 1962-1967
England legend George Cohen
England legend George Cohen
George Cohen’s international career may have only lasted three years, but what he managed to achieve in such a short amount of time is simply incredible. Cohen operated at right-back in England’s 1966 World Cup-winning campaign and is often looked at as the glue which held the back line together at times.
The Fulham legend played every single minute of the 1966 World Cup campaign, which is an achievement in itself, especially when you consider that arguably his strongest performance was in the final where he played 120 minutes. That World Cup epitomised what Cohen was all about as a player, exceptionally fit, full of desire and defensive solidity.
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George Cohen's England Statistics
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2 Jack Charlton
International career span: 1965-1970
England's Jack Charlton
England's Jack Charlton
Despite often being overshadowed by his younger brother Bobby, Jack Charlton will go down as one of the very best players to ever represent the English national team. The Leeds United icon is yet another one of the players mentioned who was a vital figure in the 1966 World Cup.
Just like the man he played next to, George Cohen, Charlton represented England for just five years, but his impact was immeasurable. Charlton formed a formidable and almost unstoppable centre-back partnership with Bobby Moore and the pair enjoyed several successful tournament campaigns with each other as well as the 1966 World Cup. Despite his younger brother being one of the most elegant players ever, Jack was a no-nonsense defender who was physically untouchable.
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Jack Charlton's England Statistics
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1 Bobby Moore
International career span: 1962-1973
Bobby Moore 1966 World Cup
Bobby Moore 1966 World Cup
Taking the number one spot as the greatest defender in the history of the England international team is none other than 1966 World Cup-winning hero, Bobby Moore. When English fans think of the most iconic figures to ever represent the national side, most fans’ minds are cast towards Moore and that famous photo of him being hoisted up by his teammates holding the World Cup trophy.
As mentioned, the West Ham legend formed a formidable partnership with Jack Charlton and guided England to their greatest-ever footballing achievement. Moore was way ahead of his time in terms of his style of play and attributes, as during his playing days, centre-backs were looked at as big lumps who were there to put their bodies on the line and head things away, but he possessed a phenomenal ability on the ball, regularly bringing it out from defence and spraying passes all over the pitch.
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Bobby Moore's England Statistics
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