00:07The greatest footballers in England history have largely been concentrated in two eras.
00:15The first is the World Cup winning side of 1966.
00:19As the only English team to win a major honour,
00:22it's only natural those champions will be well represented.
00:28The other is the more recent golden generation of club-level superstars,
00:33who never found the right coach to bring all of their individual talents together.
00:41Notable exceptions that predate the 66 side include Stanley Matthews and Billy Wright,
00:47the first Englishman to 100 caps.
00:51National heroes to fall into the generational gap include Brian Robson,
00:56scorer of England's fastest World Cup goal,
00:59John Barnes and two-time Ballon d'Or winner Kevin Keegan.
01:06England's traditional pick-and-stick approach to keepers means there are seven number ones with at least 50 caps.
01:12That includes Peter Shilton, England's most capped player of all time, with 125 appearances between 1970 and 1990.
01:26But despite Shilton's longevity, there's only one number one in the hearts of English supporters, 1966 hero Gordon Banks.
01:38The six-time FIFA goalkeeper of the year, Banks started every match of the 66 World Cup,
01:45and four years later produced one of the greatest saves of all time,
01:49when he miraculously clawed a Pele header off the line and around the post.
01:58English defenders are stereotypically rugged and uncompromising,
02:05which makes Ashley Cole such an anomaly.
02:09During his 107 appearances, the cultured left-back was often England's most eye-catching player,
02:15and regularly came out on top in some memorable duels with Cristiano Ronaldo.
02:25In a fantasy world, he would line up alongside Bobby Moore,
02:29one of the most graceful defenders of all time,
02:32and a national icon for leading his country to World Cup glory.
02:38Moore holds a place in English folklore for his good looks and East End charm,
02:43typifying the upbeat, optimistic England of the swinging 60s.
02:50Moore's modern equivalent is Rio Ferdinand.
02:54Fast and strong, Ferdinand could not only mix it physically, but play.
02:59Regularly striding after defence with the ball at his feet, prompting attacks.
03:04He and Moore highlight the value of the West Ham Academy to English football.
03:10With respect to the candidates, England have never produced a right-sided defender
03:14that has captured the public imagination.
03:17George Cohen played in the 1966 World Cup final,
03:20but managed only 37 caps in a three-year international career,
03:25which leaves Gary Neville almost by default,
03:29as the man most fans think of when they consider an English right-back.
03:38For years, debate raged over which two out of Steven Gerrard,
03:42Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes should start in the centre of England's midfield.
03:47And it remains an indictment on the managers of the early 2000s
03:50that none of them could solve that riddle.
03:55Back in 1966, England's midfield was patrolled by the incomparable Bobby Charlton,
04:01the first Englishman to lift the European Cup.
04:04He held England's goal-scoring record for 47 years.
04:11Charlton survived the Munich air disaster,
04:14fired England to the 66 World Cup final with a brace against Portugal,
04:18and lived out his retirement as his country's greatest ever footballing ambassador.
04:26Fellow Manchester United stars David Beckham and Wayne Rooney experienced up and down international careers,
04:34but both went over their doubters.
04:39Curiously, the spearhead of England's attack has often been associated with Tottenham Hotspur.
04:45Gary Lineker won the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup,
04:49while Jimmy Greaves' scoring rate of 44 goals in just 57 internationals is unrivalled.
04:57And Harry Kane has continued that through-line into the modern era,
05:01firing England to two major finals and wearing the captain's armband lightly.
05:08While another Spurs old boy deserves a mention, more special than most.
05:13Arguably England's most gifted footballer of all time, Paul Gascoigne.
05:20Unfortunately, Gaz's career never reached the heights it should have through injury and personal issues,
05:25but he was a uniquely thrilling talent.
05:30In many ways, Gascoigne is emblematic of English football's capacity to over-promise and under-deliver.
05:38Because, you suspect, even if an 11 of such legends was ever assembled,
05:44he would still find a way to crash out of a major tournament on penalties.
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