The Greatest England Players Never To Play in the Euros

England are rarely blessed with the most talented players on the planet. There have been very few over the years who have reached the very top of the game.

Sir Stanley Matthews was the first to win a Ballon d’Or followed by Booby Charlton, Kevin Keegan, and Michael Owen back in 2001.

But despite never having a complete wealth of riches, England have always had a decent team, and some superstars of top-flight British football have missed out on major tournaments.

With the 2021 UEFA European Championships approaching, we decided to take a look at the country’s finest footballers who have never made it to the prestigious international tournament.

 

Andy Cole

Andy Cole was one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history. He scored almost 200 goals and won the league an incredible five times. But with the likes of Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, and Michael Owen also on the scene, his chances for the Three Lions were limited.

Glenn Hoddle once said that he needed six or seven chances to score one goal, leaving him out of the 1998 World Cup squad, and in the end he only made 15 international appearances.

Cole will be remembered as a great in the colours of Manchester United, but when it comes to his nation, there’s not a lot to go on.

 

Steve Bruce

How Steve Bruce never played for England we do not know. Today he would walk into the England back four and most likely be captain of his nation, but during the late 1980s and early ‘90s Tony Adams, Des Walker, Sol Campbell, and Martin Keown were three of the strongest centre-backs in top-flight football.

Outside of international football Bruce had a glittering career winning both the Premier League and FA Cup three times, the League Cup twice, and the European Super Cup. Amongst football experts though he’ll always be remembered as one of the best players never to play for England.

 

Ian Wright

What a legend Ian Wright is. If he were still at the Gunners today there is no doubt Arsenal would be already certain to win the Premier League this season. He scored over 300 goals throughout his career but for England that figure is just nine in only 33 appearances.

Wright came to professional football fairly late, not joining Crystal Palace until around 22-years-old, but he certainly made up for it when signing for Arsenal for £2.5million in 1991. It seems insane that a man who never scored less than 23 goals in the seven seasons following the 1990 World Cup only started 17 times for his country. What a player Ian Wright was…

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