England Football Players

In England, soccer has been around for almost two centuries, so it is no strange fact that England's soccer players are considered amongst the most "complete", having a bit of everything. Every young English soccer player, will know how to tackle, regardless if he's going to be a striker and every defender will be able to head the ball into the goal almost as precisely as their offensive teammates. Of course, this is not necessarily an advantage nowadays for England, soccer players in today's era of the sport tending to specialize more and more. Sure, in Brazil, fans might be show off a passion close to fanaticism towards their teams, but there's no feeling like the feeling of hearing 50,000 English fans cheer for a corner like they would for a goal. Or applauding frenetically when one of England's soccer players on the pitch does a successful hard tackle. That's why English soccer players always play with their heart and give out their best when they're on the pitch. These qualities managed to propel a few top quality famous soccer players in the light of the World, even since soccer's early days. Let's meet some of these legendary English soccer players.(You can find more players from other nationalities at the Famous Soccer Players section). Sir Stanley Matthews (1915 – 2000) Up till this day, Stanley Matthews is still considered one of the most important players that England produced. Unlucky enough to be born in an age where soccer was not appreciated to its fullest and having caught one World War and the aftermath of both hindered his career, but nevertheless Sir Stanley Matthews holds some astonishing awards. He was the first of England's soccer players to be knighted and the only one to be knighted while still actively playing soccer. He also won the first European Footballer of the Year award and he holds the vitality record for playing professional soccer until the age of 50. Sir Bobby Charlton (1937) Arguably the best soccer player England has ever produced, Bobby Charlton was a midfielder with a breathtaking offensive appetite and he was also well known for striking the ball perfectly from long range, giving it both power and finesse. He was one of the few Manchester United players to survive the Munich air disaster in 1958, when the airplane carrying the English club crashed. After his physical and mental wounds healed, he managed to take the English team through a wonderful 1966 World Cup, eventually winning it and bringing home the first (and only so far) World or European Cup win. Kevin Keegan (1951) There's a dispute in English soccer, that questions Bobby Charlton's reign as the best English soccer player of all time. One of his contenders is Kevin Keegan, a wonderful English striker and a renowned manager over the past few decades. Keegan always had a hunger for goal and his statistics, 217 goals in 559 matches easily show that. But besides being a great goalscorer, he was also a great passer and a leader on the pitch. In addition, he is also the only English player to have been named European Player of the Year twice during his career. Gary Lineker (1960) A player that scored 10 goals in just two World Cups is worthy of everyone's respect, despite the fact that Lineker was sometimes considered "lazy" because he hardly created goals for others. If you were to compare him with one of today's players, I'd say Filippo Inzaghi would be the closest to Lineker's profile: a fast striker with a tremendous positioning talent, a 6th sense for goal and the ability to score one goal every 2 chances he has. David Beckham (1975) Despite being born near London, Beckham didn't make his debut in soccer for one of the capital's teams, but rather for Manchester United, who spotted him as a young talent ever since an early age. He played most of his career for Manchester, before joining Real Madrid in 2003. Beckham is well known for his very precise curled crosses, his assists and his ability to score from free kicks. But let's face it, it's not only soccer that brought him his stardom status over the past 8 years, but also his good looks and his extravagant lifestyle. He is one of the most successful soccer players of today, being a yearly subscriber to tops that classify footballers by their yearly income, from club money and endorsements.