The best England team from the past 40 years

Euro 2024 is almost upon us and, just for a bit of fun, we’ve had a go at naming the best England team from the past 40 years, so the player must have represented the national side at some stage from 1984 onwards.

We’ve also gone a bit old school with the formation, nothing wrong with a 4-4-2, along with 11 subs.

GK: David Seaman In our humble opinion, this was quite an easy choice. Joe Hart and Jordan Pickford both did/do a fine job as England’s number one, and Peter Shilton is a legend, but, aside from his one disaster in the Ronaldinho moment, big Dave Seaman was an outstanding goalkeeper, and also good at saving penalties.

RB: Kyle Walker He may divide opinion as a pundit but Gary Neville was a top quality right-back, surely the prime choice from the past 40 years for England. Kyle Walker has changed that picture with his extraordinary pace, and when faced with the ultimate speed challenge against someone like Kylian Mbappe, Walker seems to get better, and faster.

CB: Rio Ferdinand An imperious centre-back, Rio Ferdinand was the defensive Rolls Royce of his era. He did all the normal jobs required for this position, heading and tackling with the best of them, but Rio was particularly strong at reading the game and bringing the ball out from defence….give it a couple more major tournaments and John Stones could be pushing for this spot.

CB: Sol Campbell The perfect partner for Rio had to be a more traditional defender, a powerful enforcer like John Terry or Tony Adams, or maybe the searing pace of a Des Walker, but we’ve gone for Sol Campbell. Like Rio, he had it all as a defensive cog and his immense size and strength made Campbell a formidable opponent.

LB: Ashley Cole Stuart Pearce is a football icon, rightly so, but Ashley Cole at his peak would be a contender for best left-back of all time, from any country. Rapid going forward and blessed with a lovely left foot, Cole was an attacking weapon, but he was also defensively brilliant, just ask some bloke called Cristiano Ronaldo, who never got a sniff against Cole.

RM: David Beckham This was probably the toughest choice from the midfield quartet. Chris Waddle, Glenn Hoddle were options, or shuffle around the formation to include a Steven Gerrard, Bryan Robson or even Jude Bellingham, but Beckham got our nod for his unbelievable right foot and leadership qualities. Beckham’s crossing ability was out of this world, so good that you forgot he didn’t have much pace or trickery, he didn’t need it!

CM: Paul Gascoigne Up until a modern-day phenomenon, Gazza was probably the most gifted English footballer of all time, including the greats of 1966. Everybody knows his skill and technique was exceptional but peak Gazza was also incredibly strong on the ball. He was the player that made a difference, the player to unlock a door.

CM: Paul Scholes Playing in a midfield era that included Gerrard and Frank Lampard, it was tough for Scholes but a football crime that he was shoved out wide to accommodate others. His passing and shooting technique was beyond sublime, a wonderful footballer. While our midfield duo might lack in tackling ability, they are both so good that we would have possession all the time anyway.

LM: Phil Foden Sticking our Torbay neck on the line, Phil Foden is, right now, the best player in the world. Hopefully, Mr Southgate plays him centrally in his preferred formation and builds a team around Foden this summer. The ability to take the ball on the half-turn, to take the ball when surrounded by opponents and still make something happen is beyond any current rival in the global game.

CF: Wayne Rooney Only recently surpassed as England’s greatest ever goalscorer by his chosen strike-partner in our team, Wayne Rooney was an extraordinary talent. He scored every type of goal in the book, created chances for others and his uncompromising approach made Rooney a nightmare striker for defenders to mark…what a player!

CF: Harry Kane Our current leader, both as a player and goalscorer, Harry Kane deserves his place, just ahead of Alan Shearer, with the likes of Gary Lineker and Michael Owen a bit further back in the queue. Kane scores goals, creates goals and does it all with highly impressive composure. Let’s hope he joins Bobby Moore in lifting a major trophy for England this summer.

Subs: Peter Shilton, Gary Neville, Stuart Pearce, John Terry, Des Walker, Jude Bellingham, Glenn Hoddle, Steven Gerrard, Chris Waddle, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer.

Manager: It has to be the wonderful Bobby Robson, closely followed by Terry Venables as his charismatic assistant.