Some of the top football players in the nation are honoured to play for the England national team. Over the years, players like Harry Kane, Alan Shearer, and Steven Gerrard have represented the Three Lions and done the badge honour. Former England players’ alumni are the best any nation can provide.
However, not all of England’s players have always been outstanding. Some of them were indeed extremely impoverished, and it seems more strange every year that they were able to obtain a cap at all. These are the ten worst football players to have ever played for the England national team, regardless of whether it was because they were bad in a Three Lions uniform or because they shouldn’t have been called up to play in the first place.
10Keith Curle
England caps: 3
Critiquing Keith Curle excessively during his tenure with the England team is nearly unfair. He never truly had a chance at an international career. Despite being a natural centre-back, the former Manchester City player never had the opportunity to play in the position throughout his three Three Lions outings. Rather, he was used as a right-back after being forced out wide.
Through his performances for England, it was clear to everyone that he wasn’t at ease in that role. In 1992, Graham Taylor called him up for the first time and played him three times, but he did not do well in any of the games. He was never chosen to play for the national team again after those three caps.
9Carlton Palmer
England caps: 18
Football fans are still perplexed by the fact that Carlton Palmer, the man with the most caps on this list, was chosen for the Three Lions eighteen times. The former midfielder was called up to the national squad by Graham Taylor once more, and during his time there, he only managed to score one goal, against San Marino.
He disappointed supporters most of the time, thus it was unexpected to see him mentioned repeatedly. He was a member of the team that did not make it to the 1994 World Cup and played frequently in 1992 and 1993. He was never called up again after that, and many contemporary fans won’t even know his name at this time.
8Michael Ricketts
England caps: 1
When Michael Ricketts was called up to the England national team in February 2002, he was enjoying a strong season with Bolton Wanderers. He is the first, but by no means the last, one-cap wonder on this list. Despite having 12 Premier League goals for the Trotters that season, he was unable to duplicate that performance for his nation.
He only made one appearance for the Three Lions, against the Netherlands, and was pulled off the field at halftime after starting the game. He never came close to being called up again. The striker’s legacy as an England international has endured like milk since he never scored more than ten goals in a season over the remainder of his career.
7Zat Knight
England caps: 2
It’s amazing how Zat Knight went from playing non-league football to becoming an international player. After beginning his career at Rushall Olympic, the former centre-back quickly rose through the ranks of football and established himself at Fulham. Knight received two caps for his nation during his eight-year tenure with the Cottagers.
He was called up to the Three Lions team by the late, great Sven-Goran Eriksson, but things didn’t turn out the way Knight would have liked. In May 2005, he made his national debut in a friendly match against the United States. A few days later, he played in another friendly match against Colombia. He was never called up again because neither performance made much of an impression. However, he did spend much of his career in the Premier League, so it wasn’t all awful for him.
6Gavin McCann
England caps: 1
Gavin McCann, another player who received his first England cap from Eriksson, played in the Premier League for teams like Aston Villa and Bolton Wanderers for the most of his career. He consistently performed well for his teams when called upon and was a reliable performer for the level. But after the former midfielder was included in the national team lineup, it became clear that he wasn’t nearly at that level.
In 2001, he made his lone debut for England in a friendly match against Spain, which was, to put it mildly, lacklustre. Eriksson never selected McCann again since he was still getting used to his new role as manager of the Three Lions.
5David Nugent
England caps: 1
David Nugent was called up to the England national squad by Steve McClaren in 2007 following an injury sustained by Darren Bent. Given that the striker was playing in the Championship at the time, it was an incredible turn of events. Although he was a good player in the English football league’s second division, he was never able to compete in the Premier League since he was not even close to the calibre of the players around him at the time.
The same is true of his extremely brief time playing for the England national team. He made his first and only appearance against Andorra in a Euro 2008 qualifying match. Despite playing only 11 minutes, he was on the receiving end of a Jermaine Defoe strike that was headed for the goal otherwise. Later that year, McClaren was fired, and he never again played for his country.
4Francis Jeffers
England caps: 1
At the beginning, Francis Jeffers was considered to be incredibly talented and full of promise. As a young star, he even secured a major move to Arsenal. Regretfully, the striker’s career didn’t turn out as many had hoped, and he never truly developed into the outstanding forward that seemed to be his destiny. Nevertheless, he was able to earn an England cap, which is really amazing when you think about it.
The former forward managed to score in his one and only appearance for the Three Lions, which ended in a 3-1 loss to Australia. In retrospect, it’s seems unbelievable to think Jeffers ever played for the Three Lions, yet that was the high point of a career that finally let us down. There’s a reason he’s regarded as one of the worst attackers in Premier League history.
3Michael Ball
England caps: 1
Michael Ball of Everton also received his lone England appearance in the same game as McCann. The defender was also taken off the bench, but similar to McCann, it was a poor performance, and he was never given the chance to play for his nation again. It’s astonishing that the Three Lions triumphed 3-0 given the level of players that were brought into the match.
After his time with the Toffees, Ball had stints with Rangers, PSV Eindhoven, and Manchester City, but he never even threatened to return to the national team, and his one appearance is likely forgotten by fans.
2Andy Gray
England caps: 1
The fact that Andy Grey wasn’t playing well for his club, Crystal Palace, at the time made his England call-up all the more unexpected. By the time he was finally chosen to play for the Three Lions in late 1991, the club had regressed after a few of successful seasons at Selhurst Park.
In a pivotal Euro 1992 qualifying match against Poland, the striker only played one half of football for England. Regretfully, he wasted a fantastic opportunity to score from four yards out, which would have allowed him to truly etch his name in the stars. He wasted his opportunity and was never chosen again.
1Jay Bothroyd
England caps: 1
Jay Bothroyd was another England striker called up during the Championship. When Fabio Capello made the decision to include the former attacker in the national team in 2010, he was playing for Cardiff City. His call-up to the national squad came as a surprise, even though he was enjoying a great season with the Bluebirds, scoring 20 goals across all competitions that season.
Bothroyd only had one appearance for the Three Lions, coming off the bench in the second half of England’s 2-1 friendly loss to France. For the rest of his career, he never came close to making the squad. It’s just an odd inclusion.
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