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10 Greatest England Captains in Football History [Ranked]

Key Takeaways

  • Wayne Rooney's tenure as England captain was marked by disappointment, but he remains one of the best goalscorers in history.
  • Harry Kane, the current skipper, is the most successful England captain in modern history, breaking records and leading the team to major finals.
  • Bobby Moore remains England's greatest ever captain, being the only one to lead England to a major tournament victory.

Putting on the armband and leading your team is one of a footballer’s greatest honours, but doing so for your country is an even more significant feat.

Since 1872, there have only ever been 154 players to don the armband for the England National Team, which demonstrates the magnitude of what it means to be named skipper.

Some players have had far more successful tenures than others, but only one has ever led their country to a major tournament victory.

Here is GIVEMESPORT’s curated list of the top 10 greatest captains in English football history.

Key factors

  • Length of tenure
  • Win percentage
  • England success during that time
  • Individual performances

Greatest Ever England Captains

Rank

Player

Tenure as Captain

10

Wayne Rooney

2014-17

9

Kevin Keegan

1976-1982

8

Alan Shearer

1996-2000

7

John Terry

2006-10 & 2011-12

6

Steven Gerrard

2012-14

5

David Beckham

2000-2006

4

Bryan Robson

1982-91

3

Harry Kane

2018-Present

2

Billy Wright

1948-59

1

Bobby Moore

1964-73

10 Wayne Rooney

22 captaincies - 77% win percentage

Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney arguably took over the England armband in one of their most difficult times in recent history, having taken over shortly after they were knocked out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup at the group stages.

He would go on to lead the team at Euro 2016 – one of the Three Lions’ most disappointing tournaments – which saw them put on a disasterclass against Iceland and get knocked out at the Round of 16 stage. His tenure as captain would come to an end in 2017, when he was replaced by Jordan Henderson, but England’s performances at that time are more of an indictment on the team as opposed to Rooney’s leadership itself.

As a player, though, he would wind up being one of England’s best goalscorers in history, netting 53 times in 120 appearances, surpassing the late Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record which had stood since 1970.

However, he now sits in second place all time after a certain striker-turned England skipper went on to surpass his record in even quicker succession.

9 Kevin Keegan

31 captaincies - 55% win percentage

MixCollage-25-Jul-2024-05-20-PM-1530

Kevin Keegan played for England for a decade between 1972 and 1982, in which he notched 63 caps, scoring 21 goals.

The two-time Ballon d'Or winner would be skipper for almost half of his caps, recording 31 captaincies, in which they won 55 percent of those outings, though he would captain England at just two major tournaments – Euro 1980 where they were eliminated in the group stages, and the World Cup in 1980, reaching the quarter-finals.

England failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 tournaments under his leadership.

Later on in his career, he would briefly take on the managerial role for England, succeeding Glenn Hoddle in 1999, though he would resign toward the end of 2000 after coming under fire for winning just 38.9 percent of his games in charge.

8 Alan Shearer

34 captaincies - 47% win percentage

Alan Shearer

The Premier League's greatest ever goalscorer, Alan Shearer, played for the Three Lions 63 times, and was handed the armband for 34 of those occasions, scoring 30 goals between 1992-2000.

His tenure began shortly after Euro 1996, where England had reached the semi-finals but had been knocked out by foes Germany on penalties.

He had a 47 percent win rate as skipper before he announced his international retirement at just 30-years-old, with his last appearance coming in the group stages of Euro 2000, where England were knocked out, along with Germany, after recording just one win and ultimately finishing third behind Portugal and Romania.

While his time on the international stage was relatively brief, he still recorded an impressive win rate before his retirement, and thus, deserves to be on this list.

7 Steven Gerrard

38 captaincies - 53% win percentage

Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard took over the armband from John Terry after some off-the-field legal issues, and donned it for two years between 2012-14.

During that time, arguably one of the best ever central midfielders to lace up in the beautiful game led his country through two major tournaments. The first was Euro 2012, where England missed out on a place in the semi-finals after losing a penalty shootout against eventual finalists, Italy.

Two years later, he would captain England at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, though, it would be nothing short of a disaster, with them failing to record a single win and finishing plum last in a group that also featured Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy.

Having captained the side in one of their worst-ever major tournaments, Gerrard was stripped of the captaincy, and would announce his retirement from international football shortly thereafter, finishing his career with 114 caps and 24 goals.

6 John Terry

34 captaincies - 65% win percentage

John Terry

John Terry is the only name on this list to have two tenures as skipper, totalling almost six years leading from the front between 2006-12.

While his two separate allegations cannot be overlooked, he did have the highest win percentage as captain on this list, leading the team out 34 times, in which they won 65 percent of their outings.

One of the Premier League’s greatest ever defenders, Terry would never actually lead the Three Lions into a major tournament, which also means he never suffered the embarrassment the likes of Gerrard and Rooney did.

Nonetheless, the Blues skipper would finish his tethered international career lacing his boots up 78 times, in which he found the back of the net six times.

5 David Beckham

59 captaincies - 59% win percentage

David Beckham

David Beckham’s reign as captain of the National Team is perhaps one of the most well-documented, and it was a stroke of genius by then-manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, which panned out to better his career and reputation all around the world.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star would lead England through three successive major tournaments, and while under his leadership they would only reach as far as the quarter-final stages, he will always be most notably remembered for his 2002 strike from a free kick in stoppage time against Greece to send England to the Euro 2002 Finals.

In an international career which spanned from 1996-2009, Beckham remains the third-most capped player in England history with 115 appearances, 59 of which he featured as captain, racking up a 59 percent win-rate, and finishing with 17 goals.

4 Bryan Robson

65 captaincies - 49% win percentage

Bryan Robson of England

Sixty-five of Bryan Robson’s 90 international appearances came as captain, of which he had a 49 percent win rate, winning 32 of those contests.

Boasting the nickname ‘Captain Marvel’ for club and country, the former Manchester United midfielder was known for his threat posed in the opposition’s box, scoring 26 goals for the Three Lions.

However, thwarted by injuries throughout his international career, Robson was unable to showcase his potential as England skipper, and he would play his final game for his country in October 1991, 11 years after making his senior debut.

3 Harry Kane

76 captaincies and counting

Harry Kane to be handed England Golden Cap

Harry Kane recently earned his 100th cap for his country, in which he has an incredible 62 percent win rate.

He has made more appearances at major tournaments (29) than any other player in England’s history, while he also boasts the record for being the Three Lions’ record scorer at major tournaments, having racked up 15 goals.

He took over the captaincy in the Gareth Southgate era, beginning back in 2018, and has thus far made 76 appearances as skipper.

During this time, the former Tottenham Hotspur striker became England’s all-time top goalscorer, surpassing Rooney, and is widely considered as one of the best finishers of a football in English history.

He has also led his side to two major tournament finals – Euro 2020, where they lost on penalties to Italy, and Euro 2024, where they came up short against a strong Spanish side.

But, with all things considered, Kane is by far the most successful England captain in the modern era, and with no signs of international retirement any time soon, who knows how many more goals and appearances he will have made for his country when he decides to call time on his career.

2 Billy Wright

90 captaincies - 54% win percentage

Billy Wright England Captain

Billy Wright is the oldest player on this list, with his international career spanning from 1946-1959.

The centre-half, who spent his entire club career with Wolverhampton Wanderers, in which he made 490 appearances, captained England 90 times, the first outing of which came two years after his debut, and he was the first player in England history to reach the century mark of caps, totalling 105.

During his reign as captain, he would lead his country through three successive World Cup finals – 1950, 1954, and 1958.

Furthermore, Wright holds an England record of 70 consecutive appearances for the Three Lions, while he is tied with Sir Bobby Moore for most captained games in English football history.

1 Sir Bobby Moore

90 captaincies - 63% win percentage

MixCollage-09-May-2024-11-08-AM-4758

The only captain to lift a World Cup for England has deservedly cemented the late Sir Bobby Moore as the country’s greatest ever captain.

Tied with Wright for most captaincies with 90, Moore had the highest win rate of the two, winning 63 percent of those contests, while he would also earn three more caps than his compatriot, totalling 108 appearances, and scoring two goals.

Most known for his tenure with West Ham at club level, Moore was an integral part of England winning their only World Cup in 1966. To commemorate his legacy as an England legend and one of their best ever players, it is only fitting that there is a statue of him that sits directly outside the new Wembley Stadium looking out onto Wembley Way, with football fans from all over the world reminded of what he did for this country all those years ago.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt, FBRef and WhoScored.com, and are accurate as of 09/10/2024.

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