Famous 20th Century British Football Players

Find out more about the greatest 20th Century British Football Players, including Jamie Vardy, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Dele Alli.

This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Vote for Your Favourite 20th Century British Football Players

1 David Beckham

183 82

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: May 2, 1975

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: London, England

David Beckham is a former English footballer who was football superstar on-field and a heartthrob off-field. A former player for Manchester United, Real Madrid and Milan, among others, Beckham was a free-kick specialist, a brilliant crosser of the ball and the first English player to win league titles in four countries. His passion for football, charisma and fashion style have made him an international sensation.

2 Alan Shearer

30 14

Famous As: Football Player

Birthdate: August 13, 1970

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Gosforth, England

Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has also worked as a BBC football pundit and a football manager. The Euro 1996 Golden Boot-winner has also represented Southampton and Blackburn Rovers, winning the 1994-1995 Premier League with the latter. With 260 goals, he became the Premier League’s leading goal-scorer.

3 Michael Owen

33 16

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: December 14, 1979

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Chester, England

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4 Gary Lineker

40 26

Famous As: Football Player

Birthdate: November 30, 1960

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Leicester, England

Gary Lineker is a British former football player who currently works as a sports broadcaster. Considered one of the greatest British strikers of all time, Gary Lineker is the third-highest goal-scorer for England. During his 16-year playing career, Lineker never received a red or yellow card, due to which he was honored with the FIFA Fair Play Award in 1990.

5 Bobby Charlton

29 9

Famous As: Football Player

Birthdate: October 11, 1937

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Ashington, Northumberland, England

Widely considered one of the greatest players ever, Bobby Charlton was an important member of the England national football team that emerged victorious at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. The recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Ballon d'Or, Charlton received a knighthood in 1994. He is the second-highest goalscorer for England.

6 Steven Gerrard

46 21

Famous As: Football Player

Birthdate: May 30, 1980

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Whiston

Steven Gerrard spent most of his career as a Liverpool midfielder and also captained Liverpool and the English national team. His phenomenal performance in the 2006 FA Cup Final led it to be called The Gerrard Final. The Order of the British Empire member now manages the Scottish club Rangers.

7 Jack Grealish

54 21

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: September 10, 1995

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Birmingham, England

Jack Grealish is an English professional footballer. At present, he is affiliated with Premier League club Manchester City and the England national team. He plays as a winger or attacking midfielder. He joined the Highgate United Youth Club as a boy and started playing professionally as a teenager. He is known for his ability to run and dribble past defenders.

8 Gareth Southgate

27 10

Famous As: Football manager

Birthdate: September 3, 1970

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Gareth Southgate is an English football manager. A former player, he used to play as a defender and midfielder for Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, and Crystal Palace. He retired in 2006, after more than 500 league appearances and began his stint as a football manager. He has been managing the England national team since 2016.

9 Trent Alexander-Arnold

30 5

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: October 7, 1998

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Liverpool, England

10 Tammy Abraham

44 18

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: October 2, 1997

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Camberwell, England

Tammy Abraham is an English footballer. He currently plays as a striker for Serie A club Roma and the England national team. He is an academy graduate of Chelsea and made his first-team debut for the club in 2016. Since then, he has played for Bristol City and Aston Villa, scoring 25 goals in a single campaign for the team.

11 Ian Wright

31 14

Famous As: Footballer

Birthdate: November 3, 1963

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Woolwich, London, England

Ian Wright is an English former football player. Renowned for his speed, Wright played for popular clubs like Arsenal and helped his national team qualify for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. After retiring from the sport, Wright went on to become a TV and radio personality; he currently contributes as a commentator for ITV Sport and BBC Sport.

12 John Terry

30 12

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: December 7, 1980

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Barking

13 Harry Maguire

29 11

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: March 5, 1993

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Sheffield, England

14 James Milner

23 7

Famous As: Footballer

Birthdate: January 4, 1986

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Wortley, Leeds, England

15 Aaron Ramsey

26 7

Famous As: Footballer

Birthdate: December 26, 1990

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Caerphilly, Gwent, Wales

16 Gordon Banks

20 3

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: December 30, 1937

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Sheffield, England

Died: February 12, 2019

17 Kieran Trippier

25 8

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: September 19, 1990

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Bury, England

18 Paul Scholes

29 7

Famous As: Football Player

Birthdate: November 16, 1974

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Salford, Greater Manchester, England

Paul Scholes, former Manchester United midfielder, had a 20-year stint with the team, winning major titles, including 11 Premier Leagues, 3 FA Cups, and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues. Over the course of his 718 appearances for the team, he has won 25 trophies. He now coaches Salford City.

19 Rio Ferdinand

34 6

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: November 7, 1978

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Camberwell, England

20 Ashley Cole

31 12

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: December 20, 1980

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Stepney

21 Kyle Walker

26 4

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: May 28, 1990

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Sheffield

22 Jermain Defoe

22 8

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: October 7, 1982

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Beckton

23 Jack Wilshere

21 6

Famous As: Football - Midfielder for England

Birthdate: January 1, 1992

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England

24 Andy Carroll

20 5

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: January 6, 1989

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Gateshead

25 Eric Dier

23 6

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: January 15, 1994

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Cheltenham, England, UK

26 Kenny Dalglish

24 5

Famous As: Association football player, Association football manager

Birthdate: March 4, 1951

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Glasgow

27 Luke Shaw

24 6

Famous As: Footballer

Birthdate: July 12, 1995

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Southampton, Hampshire, England

28 Micah Richards

19 4

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: June 24, 1988

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Birmingham

29 Joe Cole

22 4

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: November 8, 1981

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Paddington

30 Danny Ings

22 5

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: July 23, 1992

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Winchester

31 Steve Bruce

21 6

Famous As: Football Centre-Back

Birthdate: December 31, 1960

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Corbridge, England, United Kingdom

32 Gary Neville

21 5

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: February 18, 1975

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Bury, England

33 Brian Clough

20 4

Famous As: Football Player

Birthdate: March 21, 1935

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Middlesbrough, England

Died: September 20, 2004

Footballer and manager Brian Clough is remembered as one of the highest goal-scorers of the Football League. He had successful stints with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, as a manager, with Peter Taylor as his assistant manager. His rivalry with Don Revie inspired the book The Damned Utd.

34 John Stones

21 5

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: May 28, 1994

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Barnsley

35 Wayne Bridge

19 4

Famous As: Association football player

Birthdate: August 5, 1980

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Southampton

36 Alex Scott

20 6

Famous As: Footballer

Birthdate: October 14, 1984

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: London, England

Alex Scott is an English TV presenter and former professional football player. Apart from playing for popular clubs like Arsenal and Birmingham City, Scott also represented the women's national football team. She also played for Great Britain at the London Olympics. In 2019, she was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.