Celebrating 1,000 games: The top 15 players to have ever worn the England shirt

A total of 997 players have represented the England national team at least once over 999 matches in almost 150 years of English international football history, from that first match in Scotland in 1872 to the 100th against Montenegro later this week.

Some of them are legends and some are mere mortals.

Down the years we've seen humble local lads shine at Wembley alongside global football superstars and many of those in between.

We've seen star strikers bang in the goals with the three lions on their shirts, masters of clean sheets on the international stage and midfield maestros.

We've seen pioneers on and off the field, men that have lifted a FIFA World Cup for England and plenty that have come so close to glory.

But who will make it into our list of the top 15 stars to have ever worn the Three Lions shirt?

15. Sir Geoff Hurst

Coming in at 15 is the only ever player to have scored a hat-trick in a FIFA World Cup final, bringing Sir Alf Ramsey's team victory over West Germany in 1966, Sir Geoff Hurst.

The former West Ham United man would earn his place on our list for that achievement alone, it's just a bonus that he recorded a further 48 appearances and 21 goals with the three lions on his chest.

14. Michael Owen

From one lethal England goalscorer to another and ex-Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester United hitman Michael Owen, holder of 89 caps and 40 goals for his nation.

The striker's international record places him in fourth in the list of the Three Lions' top goalscorers behind only Jimmy Greaves, Sir Bobby Charlton, leader Wayne Rooney and our next legendary England man.

13. Gary Lineker

No countdown of England's top 15 players of all time would be complete without the Three Lions' highest scorer in major tournaments, Gary Lineker.

The English football icon, who ranks third on the overall goals list, has 10 in World Cups and UEFA European Championships and is also in possession of the Golden Boot from Mexico '86 - nowadays he's a regular on the television screens of the nation, mostly on Match of the Day.

12. John Barnes

Midfield dynamo John Barnes was in every sense an England pioneer both on and off the pitch, overcoming the horrid racist abuse of his time to become the Three Lions' highest cap holding black player before being surpassed by Ashley Cole.

Barnes was famous for his fearsome shots and free-kicks and Italia '90 rap, racking up close to a century of appearances and going to four major tournaments, a true English football legend.

11. Paul Scholes

The man known as the best midfielder of his generation by Pep Guardiola and "the phenomenon" by Brazilian Ronaldo, Man United icon Paul Scholes narrowly misses out on a place in the top ten.

There can be little doubt that the footballing genius should have been capped more than 66 times for his country and should have been the man to lead the Three Lions to that elusive second major tournament triumph but a number of factors prevented that from ever happening.

10. Ashley Cole

For any outfield player, especially an all-action full-back, to rack up an incredible 107 caps for his nation is a ridiculous achievement.

Only Bobby Moore, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Peter Shilton have more as Ashley Cole was the mainstay of his country's left-back position for a remarkable 13 years - the only thing that will perhaps bug him about his international career is that he never scored for England despite notching 19 times domestically.

9. Gordon Banks

The goalkeeper for English sport's finest hour at Wembley in 1966, the late great Gordon Banks is often considered his nation's best ever goalkeeper.

True, he did pull off probably the greatest save in the history of the game from a powerful Pele header at the 1970 World Cup but he also started between the sticks on the international stage 23 times and remained the optimisation of a humble, nice guy right up until his sad death in early 2019.

8. David Beckham

Known throughout the world for the global celebrity he became throughout his career and after his retirement, it's often forgotten that David Beckham featured 115 times for England and 523 times for his various clubs.

Perhaps the stylish midfielder's greatest moment in a Three Lions jersey came against Greece at home ground Old Trafford where he struck a last-gasp free-kick to secure qualification for the 2002 World Cup. Although, like many of the golden generation, he failed to properly live up to his potential on the international stage.

7. Steven Gerrard

Speaking of seminal English midfielders who captained their national team, number seven is England's fourth highest appearance holder (one behind Beckham), Steven Gerrard.

When he began his 14-year and six-major tournaments Three Lions career in 2000, Gerrard was following a long line of great Liverpool and England players and became the best of them all. However, his generation will always be synonymous with failure and the 2005 UEFA Champions League-winning skipper always seemed to save his best form for his club.

6. Frank Lampard

One of the eternal debates of early 21st century English international football will always be about who was better, Gerrard or Frank Lampard and that discussion looks set to carry on into their respective management careers.

In this case, we've gone for the latter by placing him at number six on this list of the 15 greatest England internationals of all time. He may have marginally fewer caps than his Scouse counterpart but always seemed to shine that little bit brighter for club and country.

It seemed fitting when they both bowed out of international football at the 2014 World Cup.

5. Billy Wright

Not much is remembered about the Three Lions before the World Cup glory of 1966 although there is one player from that era who's hardly forgettable, as we enter the top five.

Epochal midfielder Billy Wright captained England between 1948 and 1959 and was perhaps unlucky to miss out on 1966 by just a few years but he made his own history with 105 caps and the most English international appearances for a player of his position until the next century, setting the benchmark for the likes of Lampard and Gerrard in future years.

4. Wayne Rooney

The highest ever English international scorer with an eye-catching 53 strikes, Wayne Rooney is unfortunate to not feature higher in our countdown.

Achieving 120 caps, former captain Rooney poached at almost a goal every other game for the nation he served so admirably and was rightly brought back to be paraded against the USA last year for his final international appearance in 2018. But in spite of all he accomplished with the three lions on his shirt one can only wonder the trophies the 33-year-old could have lifted for his country had the golden generation not flopped.

3. Sir Bobby Charlton

As one of a select few England players to have been knighted, Sir Bobby Charlton is the former Three Lions top scorer and started in the 1966 World Cup final - that's some trio of feathers in his cap.

Pictured iconically above with the greatest ever English manager Sir Alf Ramsey and ex-teammate and skipper Bobby Moore, Charlton racked up an eye-watering 49 strikes for his nation in 106 games between 1958 and 1970 - he helped usher in the era that saw England record their highest finishes in both major tournaments and said goodbye to international football as his nation's highest cap holder.

2. Peter Shilton

Speaking of caps, 125 caps, yes, you read that right, 125 caps, the number of England caps Peter Shilton has in his basement -words can barely describe that feat.

For a staggering 18 years, Shilton remained in the coveted role of England's number one battling off fierce competition from the likes of Ray Clemence and at the time of his international retirement following the 1990 World Cup he held a world-record number of international caps for one country. Shilton even captained the Three Lions a number of times from between the sticks. Legend.

1. Bobby Moore

Fittingly, the word legend leads us onto our number one, the top player ever to wear the England shirt, Bobby Moore, whose statue stands proudly at the front of Wembley Stadium to honour his memory after his untimely death in 1993.

It's a testament to both the quality of the player and the man, primarily of West Ham and England, that he proudly guards the national stadium today, just shy of 50 years after his final England outing. The central defender was, without doubt, his nation's greatest captain and player having led the Three Lions to becoming the champions of the world in 1966, collected 106 caps and committed "the perfect tackle" in 1970.

We could go on all day really...