1 Bobby Moore (108 Caps) West Ham.
An average teenager but, guided by Malcolm Allison and Ron
Greenwood and by meticulous personal attention, Moore (above)
created an art form of the game second to none.
2 Roy McFarland (28 ) Derby.
The near complete defender, who but for injury might have helped
make Don Revie's England career a success instead of ignominious
failure. An inspiration whether playing with or against you.
3 Sol Campbell (69) Spurs, Arsenal.
Maybe an enigma as a man, but a Bentley among footballers: athlete,
role model, worth a goal at either end to any team, eg World Cup
'98.
4 Neil Franklin (27) Stoke.
A chandelier among defenders, "a master, two-footed, floated about
the pitch, always wanting the ball" said Stanley Matthews. His
England career terminated by departure to Bogota.
5 Tony Adams (66) Arsenal.
Woeful baptism in Euro '88, yet developed with growing maturity,
reaching peak alongside Southgate in Euro '96 under Terry Venables,
epitomised professionalism in mastering his alcoholism.
6 Jack Charlton (35) Leeds.
No-nonsense, Gibraltar-figure, renowned for his 'little black book'
of awaited reprisals, preferred the ball on the grandstand roof to
any possibility of marginal risk.
7 Terry Butcher (77) Ipswich, Rangers.
Tailor-made hero's jacket, no player ever gave more for England,
his commitment as doggedly fulsome as Bobby Robson's praise was
over the top.
8 Gareth Southgate (57) Aston Villa, Middlesbrough.
The definitive self-made player whose tactical and positional
intelligence enabled his performances consistently to exceed his
natural talent. The ideal professional and team man.
9 Dave Watson (65) Sunderland, Manchester City.
Ace stopper, dominant in the air and on the ground. Watson (below)
forged another of the enduring partnerships, with Thompson, which
could have succeeded in Euro '80.
10 Des Walker (59) Nottingham Forest, Sampdoria, Sheffield
Wednesday.
Terrier rat-catcher, in his prime perhaps the fastest there has
been. Ideal partnership with Butcher in Bobby Robson's team that
flirted with triumph in 1990.
11 Billy Wright (105) Wolves.
Exemplary sportsman, never booked despite tenacious tackling (more
tolerant era), 59 caps at wing-half before switching to
centre-half. Great motivator, technically limited, captain 90
times.
12 John Terry (39) Chelsea. Valuably quick for a modern game so
geared to speed, a perceptive reader of opposition and a last ditch
interceptor, though needs midfield sweeper as link man.
13 Phil Thompson (42) Liverpool. Master of Bob Paisley's passing
game, and therefore predictably a fixture of Ron Greenwood's teams,
conceding only 26 goals in 36 matches 1979-82.
14 Rio Ferdinand (59) West Ham, Leeds, Manchester United.
Gifted, yet not as peerless as he would like to believe, failing to
distinguish between precision and casualness. Ferdinand (above)
needs a touch of the Campbells.
15 Emlyn Hughes (62) Liverpool, Wolves.
Dynamic, any-position leader, foreshadowing Steven Gerrard, with
similar long-ball fixation and scorer of some memorable goals, but
occasionally tactically suspect.
16 Ron Flowers (49) Wolves.
Part of the Stan Cullis furniture alongside Billy Wright, a
principally defensive wing-half in the old 4-2-4 formation,
probably restricted by conditioning to the fashionable long ball
game.
17 Norman Hunter (28 ) Leeds.
Denied longer European tenure by the presence of Moore,
'Bites-Yer-Legs' was so much more accomplished than his reputation
for excesses would suggest.
18 Brian Labone (26) Everton.
Successor to Charlton with the defending champions in World Cup '70
who should have contested the final. Intelligent and technically
sound, an old-school Evertonian.
19 Maurice Norman (23) Spurs.
Tiller of Tottenham's Double side, undramatic but 99 per cent
reliable as backbone of Alf Ramsey's team until replaced by Jack
Charlton.
20 Paul Madeley (24 caps) Leeds.
So versatile and polished in any defensive position he was probably
best at full-back, yet could have flourished in a Beckenbauer-style
attacking role.
