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England were blessed with a talented group of players in the early 2000s – even if that was not really reflected in the Three Lions’ results in major tournaments.
The so-called Golden Generation did not make it beyond the quarter-finals at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, nor at Euro 2004.
But despite disappointment at international level, many of those players made significant contributions to the success of their clubs in that era.
Here, a look at the best English footballers from the first decade of the 2000s…
32. Trevor Sinclair
Trevor Sinclair won 12 caps for England between 2001 and 2003, with a third of those appearances coming at the 2002 World Cup.
The former West Ham, Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers winger made over 600 appearances in his professional career, with the last one coming as a late substitute in Cardiff City’s FA Cup final defeat to Portsmouth in May 2008.
31. Jermaine Jenas
Jermaine Jenas was named PFA Young Player of the Year for 2002/03 and the midfielder made his debut for England under Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2003.
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After making more than 150 appearances for Newcastle, Jenas moved to Tottenham in 2005 and played over 200 times for Spurs, winning the League Cup in 2008. He picked up 21 caps for England between 2003 and 2009.
30. Paul Robinson
England’s first-choice goalkeeper for a period in the mid-2000s, Paul Robinson won 41 caps for the Three Lions between 2003 and 2007.
Robinson impressed at Leeds United and then for Tottenham, but his form eventually dipped and he lost his place with England and was sold by Spurs to Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2008.
29. Kieron Dyer
Kieron Dyer made his England debut in 1999 and went on to make 33 appearances for the Three Lions over the next eight years.
The former Ipswich Town and Newcastle United winger was restricted by injuries later in this career, but still played 250 games for the Magpies. He was named in the PFA Premier League team of the season for 2002/03.
28. Scott Parker
An England international between 2003 and 2013, Scott Parker was probably unfortunate to win just 18 caps for the Three Lions.
The former Charlton, Newcastle, West Ham, Fulham and Tottenham midfielder was regularly overlooked for major tournaments, but did feature for England at Euro 2012.
27. Phil Neville
Phil Neville won three of his six Premier League titles at Manchester United in the early 2000s, as well as an FA Cup, before signing for Everton in 2005.
The defender went on to captain the Toffees and stayed for eight seasons at Goodison Park. He was capped 59 times by England, with over half of those coming between 2000 and 2007.
26. Shaun Wright-Phillips
Son of former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright, Shaun Wright-Phillips played for Manchester City, Chelsea, City again and then Queen Park Rangers before seeing out his career in the United States.
A Premier League and FA Cup winner with Chelsea, the winger played 36 times for England and scored six goals. He was part of the Three Lions’ squad at the 2010 World Cup.
25. Wayne Bridge
Although not always first choice at Chelsea, Wayne Bridge made over 140 appearances for the Blues and helped the west London club win several trophies during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Bridge had previously spent five seasons with Southampton and went on to join Manchester City in 2008. The left-back won 36 caps for England between 2002 and 2009.
24. Aaron Lennon
Aaron Lennon made his debut as a 16-year-old at Leeds United and went on to sign for Tottenham a couple of years later.
The speedy winger went on to make over 350 appearances for Spurs and featured in two World Cups for England, winning 21 caps for the Three Lions in total. His final cap came in February 2013, at the age of just 25, in a career which did not quite live up to its enormous early potential. On his day, though, he was unplayable.
23. Theo Walcott
Surprisingly called up for the 2006 World Cup as a 17-year-old by Sven-Goran Eriksson, Theo Walcott did not feature in the tournament but went on to play 47 times for the Three Lions and scored eight goals.
Walcott had signed for Arsenal in January of that year, but remained at Southampton until the summer. He became a fan favourite with the Gunners, staying for over a decade, scoring more than 100 goals and winning two FA Cups under Arsene Wenger.
22. Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry won 53 caps for England between 2000 and 2012 and the former Aston Villa and Manchester City midfielder made over 800 appearances in a long career spanning more than two decades.
A former Brighton & Hove Albion trainee before joining Villa, Barry won a Premier League title and an FA Cup at Manchester City and scored England’s 2,000th goal in a friendly against Sweden in 2011.
21. Jermain Defoe
One of the best finishers of his generation, Jermain Defoe was rarely first choice for England, but always seemed to perform well when called upon.
The former Tottenham, West Ham, Rangers and Sunderland striker scored 20 goals in 57 appearances for the Three Lions overall, with most of those coming between 2003 and 2010.
20. David James
David James made his England debut in 1997 but didn’t play again for the Three Lions until 2000, going on to win 53 caps in total until his final appearance in 2010.
James started for England at Euro 2004 and also featured at the 2010 World Cup. He helped Portsmouth win the FA Cup in 2008 and was in the team which lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the final two years later.
19. Ledley King
Ledley King played just 21 times for England between 2002 and 2010, but the former Tottenham captain was restricted by chronic knee problems for much of his career.
King would often miss training during the week in order to focus on games, regularly turning in impressive performances. One of the best centre-backs of his generation, he was forced to retire in 2012 at the age of just 31 after years of injury problems.
18. Jamie Carragher
Jamie Carragher spent his entire career at Liverpool, making over 700 appearances for the Reds between 1997 and 2013.
A central defender who could also play as a full-back, Carragher helped Liverpool to two FA Cups, two League Cups, a UEFA Cup and a Champions League crown in the early 2000s. Although often back-up at international level in a special generation of English defenders, he won 38 caps for England between 1999 and 2010.
17. Emile Heskey
Emile Heskey played 62 times for England between 1999 and 2010, scoring seven goals.
The former Leicester City striker netted in the Three Lions’ famous 5-1 win away to Germany in 2001 and was on target against Denmark at the 2002 World Cup. He also helped Liverpool win a treble of cups in 2001, before going on to play for Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa later in the decade.
16. Peter Crouch
Peter Crouch played for England for just five years, but the former Tottenham, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Southampton and Stoke City striker scored at an impressive rate for the Three Lions.
Crouch hit 22 goals in 42 appearances for England but was not picked beyond 2010, despite netting eight in his last 12 games. The striker’s sole trophy was an FA Cup at Liverpool. He also finished as a Champions League runner-up with the Reds in 2007.
15. Owen Hargreaves
Born In Canada to a Welsh mother and an English father, Owen Hargreaves moved to Germany as a teenager and enjoyed huge success with Bayern Munich in the early 2000s, winning four Bundesliga titles and a Champions League crown with the Bavarian giants.
The midfielder went on to win 42 caps for England and was the Three Lions’ Player of the Year in 2006. He won a Premier League title and another Champions League crown after moving to Manchester United in 2007, but was severely restricted by injuries later in his career and made only a handful of appearances after the 2007/08 season.
14. Joe Cole
One of several illustrious graduates from West Ham’s youth academy, Joe Cole left the Hammers to sign for Chelsea in 2003 and became a key performer for club and country.
The attacking midfielder won 56 caps for the Three Lions between 2001 and 2010 and scored 10 goals, including a stunning strike against Sweden at the 2006 World Cup. With Chelsea, he won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup, narrowly missing out on a Champions League winners’ medal as the Blues lost on penalties to Manchester United in the final in 2008.
13. Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer made his last appearance for England in 2000, but the striker continued to bang in the goals at Newcastle United and went on to become the Premier League’s all-time top scorer.
Shearer scored 260 in total in the competition, eventually retiring at the end of the 2005/06 season. One of England’s best-ever centre-forwards, he hit 30 in his 63 games for the Three Lions, retiring from international football to focus on his club career.
12. Michael Carrick
Underrated by many and underused by England, Michael Carrick won just 34 caps for the Three Lions between 2001 and 2014. There should have been many more.
The midfielder was certainly appreciated at Manchester United, where he made over 450 appearances and featured in five Premier League-winning campaigns, a Champions League triumph and many more successes in over a decade at Old Trafford.
11. Sol Campbell
Sol Campbell infuriated Tottenham fans by leaving for the club’s fierce rivals Arsenal on a free transfer in 2001, but the move across north London proved to be a big success for the England defender.
Campbell went on to win two Premier League titles and two FA Cups with the Gunners and was part of the Invincibles side in 2003/04. The centre-back also scored in Arsenal’s Champions League final loss to Barcelona in 2006 and won 73 caps for England between 1996 and 2007.
10. Gary Neville
Gary Neville spent his entire career at Manchester United and made 602 appearances for the Red Devils between 1993 and 2011.
One of England’s greatest-ever right-backs, Neville helped United to five Premier League titles in the 2000s and won over half of his 85 England caps in that decade.
9. Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole won over 100 caps for England between 2001 and 2014 and is one of the greatest-ever English full-backs.
The left-sided defender helped Arsenal to two Premier League titles and three FA Cups in the early 2000s, but angered Gunners fans with the nature of his move to Chelsea in 2006. Cole went on to become a key player at Chelsea and spent eight seasons at Stamford Bridge, winning another Premier League crown in 2009/2010 and later the Champions League.
8. Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes retired from England duty in 2004 but remained a key player for Manchester United throughout the decade.
The midfielder won 66 caps in total for the Three Lions and it could have been many more. Instead, he preferred to focus on club football and helped United win six Premier League titles in the 2000s, plus the Champions League in 2008 amid an array of silverware under Sir Alex Ferguson. He eventually retired in 2013 after more than 700 appearances for the Red Devils.
7. John Terry
An inspirational leader and captain at Chelsea, John Terry played a key part in the Blues’ success and made over 700 appearances for the west London club.
Known for his tenacious tackling and aerial ability, Terry won an array of silverware with the Blues and also became an important player for his country, winning 78 England caps between 2003 and 2012.
6. Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand became the world’s most-expensive defender when he moved from Leeds United to Manchester United in 2001 and the centre-back went on to win it all at Old Trafford.
Ferdinand spent 12 years at United, winning multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League crown in 2008. An excellent passer and impressive reader of the game, Ferdinand was physically strong and also quick. He won 81 caps for England between 1997 and 2011.
5. Michael Owen
Michael Owen scored 40 goals in 89 appearances for England between 1998 and 2008 and won the Ballon d’Or in 2001 after helping Liverpool to a cup treble.
Owen later spent a season at Real Madrid and went on to play for Newcastle and Manchester United, but injuries took their toll and his later career did not live up to its early promise. Still a great player for club and country, though, and one of England’s best-ever strikers.
4. David Beckham
David Beckham was England’s star player in the early 2000s and his free-kick against Greece in October 2001 sealed the Three Lions’ place at the 2002 World Cup in extremis at Old Trafford.
Beckham continued to impress at Manchester United, but was surprisingly deemed surplus to requirements by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2003 and sold to Real Madrid. The midfielder was never quite the same after that, but remained a key player for his country as captain and won the last of his 115 caps in 2009. He moved to LA Galaxy in 2007 after four years in Madrid.
3. Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard made his England debut in 2000 and went on to win over 100 caps for the Three Lions in a 14-year international career.
England managers in that time never quite seemed to get the best out of Gerrard and Lampard together, but the Liverpool midfielder still produced some special performances for his country. Although he never won a Premier League title with the Reds, his role in the club’s Champions League final win against AC Milan from 3-0 down in Istanbul was immense and his last-minute leveller against West Ham in the FA Cup final a year later en route to the title was another memorable moment.
2. Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard signed for Chelsea in 2001 and the former West Ham midfielder went on to become one of the Blues’ best-ever players – and also the club’s all-time top scorer.
A three-time Premier League winner with Chelsea in the 2000s, Lampard played for England between 1999 and 2014, winning over 100 caps for the Three Lions in that time and netting 29 goals.
1. Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene in 2003 at Everton and was soon picked by England, becoming the Three Lions’ youngest goalscorer in a game against Macedonia in September that year.
Hugely impressive before injury at Euro 2004, Rooney moved to Manchester United that summer and won an array of silverware at Old Trafford. He later came the Red Devils’ all-time top scorer and England’s too, before he was overtaken by Harry Kane in 2023.
