We've collected these pieces of trivia from various sources over the years and we've tried to verify them where possible.  But if you know better or more, please let us know.

Players

Youngest and Oldest

Age Youngest player

Theo Walcott, Arsenal, replaced Rooney as England's youngest ever player on 30 May 2006 when he came on as a 65th minute substitute against Hungary at Old Trafford, Manchester.  Walcott was 17 years and 75 days old.

Wayne Rooney, Everton, was 17 years and 111 days old when he played against Australia on 12 February 2003.  Rooney had finally ended a near-124 year record, displacing James Prinsep of Clapham Rovers, who was only 17 years and 253 days old when he played against Scotland on 5 April 1879.

Rooney is the youngest player to start for England, when he did so against Turkey on 2 April 2003. He was 17 years and 160 days.

Age Oldest player to appear

Stanley Matthews, 42 years and 103 days old, against Denmark, 15 May 1957.

Alec Morten has a disputed date of birth.  He was 68 years old at the time of his death on 24 February 1900.  Meaning he was born in either 1831 or 1832, making him 41 or 42 on 8 March 1873 against Scotland.

Age Oldest player to make his debut

Alec Morten has a disputed date of birth.  He was 68 years old at the time of his death on 24 February 1900.  Meaning he was born in either 1831 or 1832, making him 41 or 42 on 8 March 1873 against Scotland, one non-specific source says 41 years and 114 days old.  Either way - the oldest debutant. 

Leslie Compton was 38 years and 65 days old, in a 4-2 victory over Wales in Sunderland, November 15, 1950

Age Oldest youngest player to appear

Nat Lofthouse on 8 June 1953, was 27 years and 285 days old against the United States in New York. He was the youngest player in the team that day. Making him the oldest youngest to appear in any team.

Evolution of a record: In the first two matches, this record went hand-in-hand with that of the youngest player. In 1872, John Maynard (19 years 257 days), and then Walpole Vidal (19 years 186 days). Then in the third match, Alfred Stratford (20 years 183 days) held the record alone. In 1876, Beaumont Jarrett (20 years 231 days) took the record. In the 1880 match against Scotland, Albemarle Swepstone (21 years 59 days) became the new oldest youngest member of the team. Then in 1884, goalkeeper Billy Rose, against Ireland, was 22 years 84 days, making him the new record-holder, and the competitive record holder. Charlie Wreford-Brown then added 61 days to the record against the same opposition five years later. Then, Edgar Chadwick (22 years 293 days) against Scotland in 1892. In 1899, the record was broken in each of the three matches, Bill Williams in the first two (23 years 29/59 days) and Jimmy Settle in the final match (23 years 215 days). Jock Rutherford (23 years 240 days) in the 1908 tour. Wally Hardinge (24 years 35 days) against Scotland in 1910. In 1912, the record again was broken in each of the three matches, Harold Fleming (24 years 286 days) against Ireland. In the following match, the oldest youngest record took a leap, when Jock Simpson (26 years 77 days) was one of four 26 year-olds against Wales, and he maintained the record twelve days later (89 days) against Scotland. Then....in 1952-53, Nat Lofthouse, against Wales (27 years 76 days), Belgium (27 & 90 days), Scotland (27 & 234 days (the competive record)) and finally, the United States.

Age Oldest opposition player

Billy Meredith, 45 years and 229 days old, for Wales, 15 March 1920.

Age Oldest opposition player to make his debut

Ronnie Simpson, 36 years and 196 days old, for Scotland, in 1967.

 

Age Youngest opposition player

Sam Johnston, was 15 years and 154 days old, for Ireland, 18 February 1881.
Tom Owen, when playing for Wales against England on 18 January 1879 was 16 years and 233 days.
If the source is correct, then Jaroslav Jirkovský was 16 years and 242 days when he played for the Slavia Praha side that represented Bohemia against England on 13 June 1908.
The modern-day record lay with Salomon Olembe, who was 16 years and 342 days old, when playing for Cameroon on 15 November 1997.
Blendi Nallbani, most definitely the youngest opposition goalkeeper at 17 years and 331 days, for Albania, 26 April 1989. 

Age Youngest player to score

Wayne Rooney, Everton, was 17 years and 317 days old when he scored in the 53rd minute against Macedonia on 6 September 2003.

Age Youngest opposition player to score

Willie Gibson, 17 years and 153 days old when he scored in a late Ireland equaliser, on 3 March 1894. It was the first time Ireland avoided defeat at the hands of England, albeit, some match reports say the ball went through the side.

Jean Capelle, at 17 years and 202 days, scored for Belgium against England on 16 May 1931 in Brussels.

Endrick, at 17 years 256 days, scored for Brazil against England on 23 March 2024, becoming the youngest also to score at Wembley.

Age Youngest debutant to score

Marcus Rashford, Manchester United, having played just eighteen first team matches for his club, scored 138 seconds into his debut against Australia, 27 May 2016, at The Stadium of Light, Sunderland. He was 18 years and 209 days old. Beating the previous record held by Tommy Lawton, Everton, was 19 years and 16 days old when he scored a penalty against Wales on 22 October 1938.

Age Youngest player to score a penalty

Tommy Lawton, Everton, was 19 years and 16 days old when he scored a penalty on his debut against Wales on 22 October 1938.

Age Oldest player to score

Stanley Matthews was 41 years and 248 days old when he scored for England in the second minute against Northern Ireland on 10 October 1956.

Age Oldest debutant to score

Jimmy Moore was 34 years and 11 days old when he scored for England against Sweden on 21 May 1923.

Bill Nicholson is the oldest post-war scoring debutant. He was 32 years and 113 days when he scored against Portugal on 19 May 1951. 

Age Youngest Captain/Goalscoring Captain

Bobby Moore was 22 years and 47 days when he captained England to a 4-2 win against Czechoslovakia in Bratislava on 29 May 1963. The following spring, on 6 May 1964, Moore, at 23 years and 24 days, became the youngest England captain at Wembley Stadium.
Tinsley Lindley was 22 years and 100 days old when he captained England against Wales in February 1888. Lindley scored in that match, and so is the youngest captain ever to score.

After Bobby Moore, Michael Owen was 22 years and 125 days old when he captained England against Paraguay on 17 April 2002.
Marcus Rashford is the youngest BME Captain, he was 23 years and 218 days when he wore the armband against Romania on 6 June 2021, beating the previous record held by Sol Campbell, who was 23 years and 254 days old when he led England out against Belgium, 29 May 1998.
Gerry Francis was 23 years old and 272 days old when he captained England against Switzerland on 3 September 1975.
Eric Dier was 23 years and 299 days old when he captained England against Germany on 10 November 2017, and becoming the second youngest Captain at Wembley Stadium.
Steven Gerrard was 23 years old and 307 days old when he took the armband for the first time in England's match against Sweden on 31 March 2004.
Wayne Rooney was 24 years and 22 days old when he captained England for the first time against Brazil in Qatar on 14 November 2009.
Billy Wright was 24 years and 228 days when he gained the first of his ninety captaincies.

Age Youngest Opposition Captain

Olphie Stanfield, when he was only five days into his twentieth year, led his Ireland side out against England on 2 March 1889.
James Fitzpatrick captained Ireland on his debut on 7 March 1896, he was 20 years old and 79 days.
Aaron Ramsey, is most certainly the youngest post-war captain when he did so for Wales against England on 26 March 2011. He was 20 years and 90 days old, when Wales manager Gary Speed choose him to be the new national side's captain.
Andreas Ivanschitz was 20 years and 325 days old when he captained Austria against England on 4 September 2004.

Age Oldest Captain

Alexander Morten was 41 or 42 years when he captained England in their first ever home game, at the Surrey Cricket Ground, The Oval, Kennington against Scotland on 8 March 1873.

Age Oldest Post-War Captain

Peter Shilton, 40 years and 9 months old when he captained the side against Italy in the third place play-off of the 1990 World Cup.
   

Age Youngest player to play at a World Cup final tournament

Michael Owen was 18 years and 183 days old when he made a substitute appearance against Tunisia in Marseille in 1998. He started the final group match against Colombia in Lens, aged 18 years and 194 days.

Age Youngest player to score at a World Cup final tournament

Michael Owen was 18 years and 190 days old when he scored against Romania in Toulouse in 1998. He broke the record set by Jimmy Greaves in 1962.

Age Oldest player to score at a World Cup final tournament

Tom Finney was 36 years old and 64 days old when he scored in the opening match of 1958, against the USSR on 8 June 1958. He already held the record, aged 32 years old and 82 days when he scored England's final goal of the 1954 tournament against Uruguay on 26 June 1954.
Jordan Henderson becomes the oldest player to score from open play when, at the aged of 32 years and 170 days, he scored the opening goal against Senegal on 4 December 2022.

Wilf Mannion, the scorer of England's second ever tournament goal, was 32 years and 40 days old when he scored against Chile in the Maracana, on 25 June 1950. Ivor Broadis was 31 years and 181 days old when scored twice against Belgium on 17 June 1954. Jimmy Mullen was 31 years and 165 days old when he scored three days later against Switzerland. David Beckham, when he scored his free-kick against Ecuador, on 25 June 2006, was 31 years and 54 days. Matthew Upson, four years later, against Germany on 27 June 2010, was also 31 years old, and 68 days. Steven Gerrard had only just turned 30 years old when he scored against the United States at the beginning of the 2010 tournament.

Age Youngest goalkeeper to play at a World Cup final tournament

Jordan Pickford was 24 years and 103 days old when he played against Tunisia in Volgograd in 2018.

Age Youngest player on a World Cup final tournament squad

Theo Walcott, at the time of the first match in 2006, he was 17 years and 87 days old.

Age Oldest player to play at a World Cup final tournament

Peter Shilton was 40 years and 293 days old when he played against Italy, as captain, in the third place play-off match at the conclusion of the 1990 tournament.

Age Oldest player on a World Cup final tournament squad

Peter Shilton, at the time of the first match in 1990, was 40 years and 267 days old.

Age Youngest player to captain in a World Cup final tournament

Harry Kane, at the time of the first match in 2018, was 24 years and 325 days old.
  

Age Youngest player to play at a European Championship final tournament

Jude Bellingham was a 82nd minute substitute in the opening group match of Euro 2020 against Croatia on 13 June 2021. He was 17 years and 349 days old, beating the previous record held by.....

Marcus Rashford was a 73rd minute substitute against Wales in 2016 in France, he was 18 years and 229 days, taking five days off the record previously held by Wayne Rooney, who was 18 years and 234 days old when he played against France in Portugal in 2004, who remains the youngest to start.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had become the third eighteen year old to appear for England in a major tournament, following Rooney and previous to that, Michael Owen in the 1998 World Cup Finals. When he played against France in Donetsk in 2012, he was 18 years and 301 days.

Age Youngest player to score at a European Championship final tournament

Wayne Rooney was 18 years and 237 days old when he scored against Switzerland in Portugal in 2004.
Jude Bellingham was a day past his 21st birthday when he scored against Slovakia in 2024, becoming the youngest to score in the second phase of the Finals.

Age Youngest goalkeeper to play at a European Championship final tournament

Joe Hart was 25 years and 53 days old when he played against France in Donetsk in 2012.

Age Youngest player on a European Championship final tournament squad

Jude Bellingham, at 17 years and 349 days, at the time of the opening match of Euro 2020 on 13 June 2021, beating the previous record of Marcus Rashford, who at the time of the first match in 2016, was 18 years and 224 days. Wayne Rooney, at the time of the first match in 2004, was 18 years and 234 days.

Age Oldest player to play at a European Championship final tournament

Peter Shilton was 38 years and 272 days old when he played against Netherlands in Düsseldorf in 1988.  It was also the occasion of his one hundredth appearance.

Age Oldest player to score at a European Championship final tournament

Trevor Brooking was 31 years and 260 days old when he scored against Spain in Napoli on 18 June 1980. Bryan Robson was 31 years and 156 days old when he scored Netherlands during the unsuccessful 1988 tournament.

Age Oldest player on a European Championship final tournament squad

Peter Shilton, at the time of the first match in 1988, Shilton was 38 years and 272 days old.
   

Age Youngest player to play at a Nations League final tournament

Jadon Sancho was 19 years and 73 days old when he started in 2019 against the Netherlands in Guimarães.

Age Youngest player to score at a Nations League final tournament

Marcus Rashford was 21 years and 218 days old when he scored his penalty against Netherlands in Guimarães on 6 June 2019.

Age Oldest player to score at a Nations League final tournament

Marcus Rashford was 21 years and 218 days old when he scored his penalty against Netherlands in Guimarães on 6 June 2019.

Age Youngest goalkeeper to play at a Nations League final tournament

Jordan Pickford was 25 years and 91 days old when he played against Netherlands in Guimarães on 6 June 2019.

Age Youngest player on a Nations League final tournament squad

Jadon Sancho was 19 years and 73 days old at the time of the first match in 2019,

Age Oldest player to play at a Nations League final tournament

Fabian Delph was 29 years and 200 days old when he played against Switzerland, in the third place play-off match at the conclusion of the inaugural 2019 tournament.

Age Oldest player on a Nations League final tournament squad

Tom Heaton, at the time of the first match in 2019, was 33 years and 52 days old.

Age Youngest player to captain in a Nations League final tournament

Raheem Sterling, at the time of his first captaincy in 2019, was 24 years and 180 days old.

Appearances for More than One National Team

Eight England players have appeared in official matches for another national side, and two of them actually played against England.  They are Hawley Edwards, who played for England in 1874 and for Wales in 1876, both against Scotland. Jack Reynolds played for Ireland between 1890-91, and then picked for England from 1892-97, he scored for Ireland against England in 1890, he played three times against Ireland in 1893-94.  Bobby Evans was chosen for Wales from 1906 to 1910, playing four times against England, he was then picked by England in 1911-12, twice against Wales.  Jackie Sewell appeared six times for England, scoring three times, between 1951 and 1957. He then made ten appearances for Zambia between 1964 and 1965. Ken Armstrong played for England in 1955, then represented New Zealand from 1958 to 1964. In 2017, after two friendly appearances earlier in the decade, Wilfried Zaha appears for Côte d'Ivoire, and has done 30 times, scoring five goals, 2017-22 (He could have been the first to face England if he had been picked in the friendly international in March 2022). In 2019, Declan Rice started playing for England, after playing three matches for Republic of Ireland. Stephen Caulker has represented Sierra Leone ten times in 2022.

At least another eight England players have appeared for other national selections in unofficial matches and all played against England. Alexander Morten, Frederick Chappell and Arnold Smith were all picked to play for Scotland XI against England in 1870 and 1871. Stan Mortensen, who represented England between 1947 and 1953, first wore an international shirt for Wales, he came on as a substitute in a 1944 wartime match.  Bobby Moore and Tommy Smith both played for Team America in the 1976 Bi-centennial Tournament in United States, Moore captained Team America.  Mike Duxbury and Dave Watson both played for the Hong Kong Golden Select Team in 1996.

Tommy Britten played for Wales twice in 1878 and 1880, was chosen as an England reserve in 1879, and withdrew from the England side to face Wales in 1883. George Farmer was also chosen as an England reserve against Ireland and Wales in 1887. He had already made two Wales appearances in 1885, the first against England.

Gordon Hodgson was picked for England in 1930 after having amateur appearances with South Africa. Beaumont Jarrett was chosen to play in Wales' inaugural match in 1876 against Scotland, but did not play, he did however, play for England in 1876 to 1878.  Doug Holden played for an Australian B side in 1966, having already worn the Three Lions shirt in 1959.

Carl Jenkinson earned Finnish youth appearances before wearing a Three Lions shirt in November 2012.
Fikayo Tomori appeared three times for Canada under 20's, and captained the team against England in 2016, before turning out for the full England side at end of 2019.
Michael Keane, Jack Grealish and Patrick Bamford played for the Republic of Ireland at youth levels before earning their first England appearances.

Captains

Most captains in a single match

In the 2-1 friendly match against Serbia and Montenegro at Walkers Stadium in Leicester on 3 June 2003, four players wore the captain's armband, including three Liverpool players.  There was widespread dismay in the media and among some former England stars that three players deemed undeserving of the captaincy--Emile Heskey of Liverpool, Phil Neville of Manchester United and Jamie Carragher of Liverpool--were handed the captain's armband as a result of the spate of substitutions that followed the half-time retirement of Liverpool's Michael Owen, who had started the match as captain in the absence of regular captain David Beckham.  Only Owen will be listed as captain in the official match records, however.  The three who took over the armband were merely its temporary custodians.

Most captains chosen to start a match in a season

Six - in 2015-16, Roy Hodgson was faced with a string of injurys and rested players. Wayne Rooney, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Joe Hart, James Milner and Chris Smalling, were the six who wore the armband during that season.

In the 1980-81 season, Ron Greenwood used five different captains.  Starting with Phil Thompson, then Mick Mills, Kevin Keegan, David Watson and finally Ray Clemence.

1981-82 season, Greenwood also used five. They were Kevin Keegan, Phil Thompson, Peter Shilton, Phil Neal and Mick Mills.

In the 1997-98 season, in Glenn Hoddle's second season as a England coach, he also used no less than five different captains.... David Seaman, Paul Ince, Tony Adams, Alan Shearer and Sol Campbell.

In 2010-11, under the Fabio Capello's regime, one that will always be tagged alongside the idiocy that was the announcement of various captains, five were chosen in this season alone. Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Gareth Barry.

Career

Career Players who appeared both before and after World War I

Charlie Buchan, Andy Ducat, George Elliott, Sam Hardy, Joe Hodkinson, Joe McCall, Jesse Pennington, Joe Smith, Fanny Walden, Charlie Wallace and Bill Watson,

Career Players who appeared both before and after World War II

Raich Carter, Tommy Lawton and Stanley Matthews were the only three players who returned to the England team after the seven-year break in official international play resulting from World War II.  All three played in unofficial internationals during the war.

Career Longest interval between appearances

Ian Callaghan, having won his second cap against France during the 1966 World Cup, he next appeared in Ron Greenwood's first squad for England on 7 September 1977 against Switzerland, 11 years and 59 days later.

Career Longest career

Stanley Matthews made his debut against Wales on 29 September 1934, aged 19 years.  His 54th and final appearance came against Demark in Copenhagen on 15 May 1957 in a World Cup qualification match, 22 years and 229 days later.

Career Shortest career

Nathaniel Chalobah was an injury time substitute against Spain on 15 October 2018, so officially, has no England minutes. He did manage 6 minutes and 54 seconds actual minutes however.
Martin Kelly has only played two minutes officially, when he came on as an 88th minute substitute against Norway on 26 May 2012.  His actual time on the pitch was 6 minutes, 53 seconds.
Jack Cork has played only four minutes when he was an 86th minute substitute for England against Germany on 10 November 2017. Actual playing time is 8 mins & 23 secs.

Peter Ward played for about seven minutes for England, having come on around the 82nd minute of his only appearance, against Australia in 1980 - evidence of actual footage shows that Ward's England career lasted 6 minutes and 48 seconds.  

Jimmy Barrett went off injured around 8 minutes into his only appearance, against Northern Ireland in 1928.

(Many thanks to John Everest for this snippet)

Substitutes and Substitutions

Substitute First substitute appearance

Jimmy Mullen, the Wolverhampton Wanderers winger, became England's first substitute when he came on for Jackie Milburn of Newcastle United in a 4-1 victory against Belgium in Brussels on May 18, 1950. 

 

The International Football Association Board had authorized substitutions by advance agreement between opponents in friendly matches in 1932, and generally only in the first half and only for injuries. But substitutions in international play were not approved until the 1970 World Cup.

Substitute First substitute to score

Jimmy Mullen, England's first substitution was successful, against Belgium in Brussels on May 18, 1950. 

Substitute Highest scoring substitute

Jermain Defoe, 7 goals scored whilst a substitute, between 2007 and 2012.
Peter Crouch scored his fifth substitute goal against France, November 2010.

Substitute Most goals scored for England by substitutes

Three, twice. Firstly in the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester in a FA Summer Tournament match against Iceland, on 5 June 2004. Darius Vassell, twice, and Wayne Bridge scored after coming on as substitutes. Then, in San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, on 5 September 2015, Theo Walcott (twice) and Harry Kane, after also coming on as substitutes.

Substitute Most substitutes scoring against England

Three, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 17 August 2005.  Three Danish substitutes, Dennis Rommedahl,  Michael Gravgaard and Søren Larsen all scored in the 4-1 friendly demolition of England.

Substitute Most substitutions in a match

All by Sven-Göran Eriksson
11, Netherlands, 15 August 2001; Italy, 27 March 2002; Australia, 12 February 2003 and Iceland, 5 June 2004.
10, Mexico, 25 May 2001; Paraguay, 17 April 2002; Serbia & Montenegro, 3 June 2003 and Croatia, 20 August 2003 - all friendly matches.

In turn, Serbia & Montenegro used all eleven of their substitutes on 3 June 2003. David James was the only player who was not substituted, in what remains an international record. FIFA changed the rules shortly afterwards.

Relatives

Family Fathers and sons

George E. Eastham (one appearance, 1935) and George R. Eastham (19 appearances, 1963-66) were the first of the four father-and-son sets who have made full England appearances.
Brian Clough (two appearances, 1959) and Nigel Clough (14 appearances, 1989-93).
Frank R.G. Lampard (two appearances, 1972-80) and Frank J. Lampard (105 appearances, 1999-2014).
Mark Chamberlain (eight appearances, 1982-84) and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (33 appearances, 2012-19).

Ian Wright (33 appearances, 1991-98) is the step-father to Shaun Wright-Phillips (36 appearances, 2004-10).

Family Brothers

Twenty sets of brothers played for England:

Charlie (1872) & William Clegg (1873-79); William (1875-77) & Herbert Rawson (1875);
Hubert (1873-78) & Frank Heron (1876); Alfred (1877) & Ed Lyttelton (1878);
Ernest (1876), Charlie (1879-87) & Arthur Bambridge (1881, the only instance of three brothers);
Arthur (1876-83) & Harry Cursham (1880-84); Fred (1880-82) & Jack Hargreaves (1881);
Arthur (1885-90) & Percy Walters (1885-90); Alf (1882-84) & Charley Dobson (1886);
Charlie (1888) & Alf Shelton (1889-92); Robert (1893-94) & Arthur Topham (1894);
Charlie (1890-93) & Tom Perry (1898); Frank (1898-1903) & Fred Forman (1899)
Charles (1889) & Geoffrey Wilson (1900), had Kenneth not have withdrawn in February 1884, then they too would have provided three brothers.

Those that have played in the same match:

William & Herbert Rawson¹ (vs. Scotland 1875); Hubert & Frank Heron¹ (vs. Scotland 1876);
Fred & Jack Hargreaves¹ (vs. Wales 1881); Charlie & Arthur Bambridge² (vs. Wales 1883 and vs. Ireland 1884); Arthur & Harry Cursham² (vs. Wales and Scotland, 1883); Arthur & Percy Walters⁹ (vs. Ireland and Scotland 1885, vs. Scotland 1886, vs. Wales and Scotland 1887, vs. Wales and Scotland 1889, and vs. Wales and Scotland 1890); Arthur & Robert Topham¹ (vs. Wales, March 1894); Frank & Fred Forman³ (vs. Ireland (the first set of brothers to score), Wales and Scotland 1899);

Also Bobby and Jackie Charlton, Bertie and Rex Corbett,  Gary and Phil Neville, Frank and Reg Osbourne, Jack and Sep Smith, Clem and George Stephenson,

Family Cousins

Hugh Adcock and Joe Bradford, Sam Barkas and Billy Felton, George Brown and Joe Spence, Wes Brown and Bobby Zamora, Arthur and Edgar Chadwick, Arthur Cowell and Kelly Houlker, Arthur and Jimmy Cunliffe, Percy de Paravicini and Charles Morice, Les and Rio Ferdinand, Alex Leake and Jimmy Windridge, Jack and Redfearn Froggatt, Harry Hibbs and Harold Pearson, Frank Lampard and Jamie Redknapp, Charles Smith and Gilbert Smith.

Jackie Milburn and the Charlton brothers were second cousins.  Ray Kennedy was also a cousin of Clem and George Stephenson.

Family Brothers-in-Law

Charlie Bambridge and Norman Bailey. Harold Morse and Arthur & Harry Cursham. Jonathan Woodgate and Stewart Downing.

Nobby Stiles and Johnny Giles (Republic of Ireland)

Family Father and Son-in-Law

Steve Bloomer and Alf Quantrill.

Family Grandfather and Grandson

Bill Jones and Rob Jones, both of Liverpool.

Family Great Great Grandfather and Great Great Grandson

Bill Garraty and Jack Grealish, both of Aston Villa.

Family Uncle and Nephew

Colin Grainger and Ed Holliday, Frank Lampard Snr and Jamie Redknapp, Billy and Jack Balmer, Henry Linacre and the Forman brothers, Eric Houghton and Chris Woods (These two were Great Uncle and Great Nephew).

Vaughan Lodge married the niece of Bernard Middleditch in 1916, making him his nephew-in-law.
Johnny Arnold married the niece of Ernie Hart in 1939, also making him his nephew-in-law.

Max and Phil Woosnam (Wales). The Walters brothers and Alfred Owen Davies (Wales), by marriage.

Ethnicity

BME Black and Minority Ethnic players

Viv Anderson was the first of the one hundred BME players to appear for England.  His first cap came in the 1-0 victory against Czechoslovakia at Wembley on 29 November 1978, when he played for Nottingham Forest.  He later made appearances while playing for Arsenal and Manchester United.  Although he was a member of both the 1982 and 1986 World Cup squads, his only appearance in the finals of a major tournament came in the 2-1 victory over Spain in the European Championship finals of 1980 in Italy.   Altogether he made 30 England appearances spread over a 10-season international career that came to a close in the 1-1 Rous Cup draw with Colombia at Wembley on May 24, 1988.  Recently he served as assistant manager at Middlesbrough under his former England teammate and captain Bryan Robson, Anderson was awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List published 31 December 1999.  

Laurie Cunningham made his England debut later the same season in the goalless draw with Wales at Wembley on 23 May 1979. 

Cyrille Regis first appeared for England as a substitute in the 4-0 victory over Northern Ireland at Wembley on 23 February 1982. 

Luther Blissett got his first cap as a substitute in the 2-1 loss to West Germany at Wembley on 13 October 1982.  

BME BME captains

Paul Ince was the first BME player to captain England.  The occasion was the 2-0 loss to the U.S.A. in the U.S. Cup tournament on 9 June 1993 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. 

Sol Campbell has also captained England. Although in his autobiography, he claims he would have captained more matches if he was not black!

Rio Ferdinand became the first BME Captain to be given that position on a permanent basis, when he was done so by Fabio Capello, in early 2010. He was subsequently 'removed' from this position in March 2011.  He was suffering to many injuries and thus missing too many England matches to be relied upon as a figure-head and role model.

BME Most BME players starting a match

Eight black players started for England against Japan on 30 May 2010.  David James, Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Tom Huddlestone, Rio Ferdinand, Theo Walcott, Darren Bent and Aaron Lennon all made England National Team History.

BME Most BME players appearing in a match

69% - Six BME players started at The National Stadium at Wembley against Brazil on 14 November 2017. Kyle Walker, Ryan Bertrand, Joe Gomez, Jake Livermore, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marcus Rashford. All five substitutes were BME. Jesse Lingard, Dominic Solanke, Tammy Abraham, Ashley Young and Danny Rose, taking the total number of BME players used to a record eleven. Only sixteen players were used.

Before that, 60% - Seven BME players started against the United States on 28 May 2005, David James, Sol Campbell, Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Wes Brown, Jermaine Jenas and Kieran Richardson, with two further substitutes, Zat Knight and Jermain Defoe also made appearances as second half substitutes, making a total of nine players used out of fifteen.

England also used nine BME players in their 3-1 defeat to Australia in February 2003, although there was a total of 22 players used, a percentage of 41%.

With the eight players that started against Japan in May 2010, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Emile Heskey also made appearances as second half substitutes making a total of ten players used out of seventeen (59%).

Culture Foreign-born players

Of the 1285 players, only forty of them were born out of England. In chronological order:-

AG Goodwyn, William Kenyon-Slaney (both India), Richard Geaves (Mexico), Herbert Rawson (Mauritius), William Rawson (Cape Colony), Arthur Savage (Australia), FT Green (Wales), Charles Smith (Ceylon), William Lindsay (India), John Bain (Scotland), Edward Parry (Canada), James Prinsep, Stuart MacRae, Elphinstone Jackson, Alf Quantrill (all India), Frank Osbourne (South Africa), Basil Patchitt (Singapore), Billy Bryant (Belgium), Claude Ashton (India), Jack Butler (Ceylon), Reg Osbourne, Gordon Hodgson, Bill Perry, Colin Viljoen (all South Africa), Terry Butcher (Singapore), Cyrille Regis (French Guiana), Luther Blissett, John Barnes (Jamaica), Brian Stein (South Africa), Tony Dorigo (Australia), John Salako (Nigeria), Rob Jones (Wales), Graham Le Saux (Jersey), Matthew Le Tissier (Guernsey), Owen Hargreaves (Canada), Raheem Sterling (Jamaica), Wilfried Zaha (Côte d'Ivoire), Nathaniel Chalobah (Sierra Leone), Fikayo Tomori (Canada) and Marc Guéhi (Côte d'Ivoire).

Amateurs

Amateurs Last amateur to appear

Bernard Joy of the Corinthians and Arsenal, earned his only cap and became the last amateur to play for the senior England team in the 3-2 loss to Belgium in Brussels on 9 May 1936.

Edgar Kail was the last 'exclusive' amateur, playing for Dulwich Hamlet FC.  He was involved in the England side that suffered the first defeat at the hands of Spain on 15 May 1929 in Madrid.

Amateurs Last amateur to captain England

AG Bower, against Wales, on 12 February 1927, in Wrexham.  The game ended 3-3.

Amateurs Last full amateur team

18 March 1895, against Wales at The Queen's Club, Kensington. 1-1 draw.

Professionals

Professionals First professional to appear

The early years were predominantly amateurs.  Professionals did not appear for England until Jack Hunter in 1878, or Jimmy Forrest in 1884.  Sources conflict as to who was first, mainly because professionalism was outlawed and wages were subtle and under-handed.

Club affiliations

Clubs Players from Clubs in the Second Level Division

Plenty of Second Level players have played for England.  Post-war: Frank Swift (Manchester City, 8 apps, 1946-47), Ted Ditchburn (Tottenham Hotspur, 2 apps, 1948-49), Alf Ramsey (Southampton, 1 app, 1948 & Tottenham Hotspur, 7 apps, 1949-50), Jack Haines (West Bromwich Albion, 1 app, 1948), Bill Ellerington (Southampton, 2 apps, 1949), Tom Finney (Preston North End, 14 apps, 1949-51), Bernard Streten (Luton Town, 1 app, 1949), Eddie Baily (Tottenham Hotspur, 1 app, 1950), Bill Eckersley (Blackburn Rovers, 17 apps, 1950-53), Gil Merrick (Birmingham City, 23 apps, 1951-54), Jackie Sewell (Sheffield Wednesday, 3 apps, 1951-52), Syd Owen (Luton Town, 3 apps, 1954), Beddy Jezzard (Fulham, 2 apps, 1954-55), Johnny Haynes (Fulham, 32 apps, 1954-59), Geoff Bradford (Bristol Rovers, 1 app, 1955), Ron Clayton (Blackburn Rovers, 21 apps, 1955-58), John Atyeo (Bristol City, 6 apps, 1955-57), Colin Grainger (Sheffield United, 2 apps, 1956), Alan Hodgkinson (Sheffield United, 5 apps, 1957-60), Bryan Douglas (Blackburn Rovers, 10 apps, 1957-58), Alan A'Court (Liverpool, 4 apps, 1957-58), Jim Langley (Fulham, 3 apps, 1958), Graham Shaw (Sheffield United, 4 app, 1958-59), Tony Allen (Stoke City, 3 apps, 1959), Brian Clough (Middlesbrough, 2 apps, 1959) Eddie Holliday (Middlesbrough, 3 apps, 1959), Ray Wilson (Huddersfield Town, 3 apps, 1960), Mick McNeil (Middlesbrough, 8 apps, 1960-61)...(upto 8 October 1960 - to be completed).

In the last thirty years, the following have all achieved this feat: Gary Pallister (Middlesbrough), Steve Bull (Wolverhampton Wanderers), David Hirst (Sheffield Wednesday), Earl Barrett (Oldham Athletic), Stuart Pearce (Nottingham Forest), Paul Merson and Paul Gascoigne (both Middlesbrough), Michael Gray and Kevin Phillips (both Sunderland), Richard Wright (Ipswich Town), David James (West Ham United), David Nugent (Preston North End), Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff City), Rob Green (West Ham United), Jack Butland (Birmingham City and Stoke City), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace), Tom Heaton (Burnley) and Sam Johnstone (West Bromwich Albion).  All of these, with the exception of Bull, James, Nugent, Heaton and Johnstone played for clubs which were promoted at the end of the relevant season.

Clubs Players from Clubs Outside the Two Top Divisions

Jack Fort (Millwall, 1921), Ernie Simms (Luton Town, 1921), Fred Titmuss and Bill Rawlings (both Southampton, 1922), Seth Plum and Harold Miller (both Charlton Athletic, 1923), Tommy Cook (Brighton & Hove Albion, 1925), Len Graham and Fred Fox (both Millwall, 1925), George Armitage (Charlton Athletic, 1925), Dick Hill (Millwall, 1926), Len Oliver and Albert Barrett (both Fulham, 1929), Joe Payne (Luton Town, 1937), Tommy Lawton (Notts County, 4 apps, 1947-48, from Third Division South), Reg Matthews (Coventry City, 5 apps, 1956, from Third Division South), Johnny Byrne (Crystal Palace, 1961), Peter Taylor (Crystal Palace, 1976) and Steve Bull (Wolverhampton Wanderers, 1989).

Clubs Players from Clubs Outside England (37)

Joe Baker (Hibernian, 1959), Gerry Hitchens (Inter Milan, 1962), Kevin Keegan (Hamburg, 1977), David Watson (Werder Bremen, 1979), Tony Woodcock (FC Cologne, 1980), Laurie Cunningham (Real Madrid, 1980), Trevor Francis (Sampdoria, 1982), Luther Blissett (AC Milan, 1983), Ray Wilkins (AC Milan, 1984), Mark Hateley (AC Milan, 1984, Monaco, 1987, Rangers, 1992), Terry Butcher and Chris Woods (Rangers, 1986), Gordon Cowans (Bari, 1986), Gary Lineker (Barcelona, 1986), Glenn Hoddle (Monaco, 1987), Gary Stevens (Rangers, 1988), Chris Waddle (Marseille, 1989), Trevor Steven (Rangers, 1989, Marseille 1992), David Platt (Bari, 1991, Juventus, 1992, Sampdoria, 1993), Mark Walters (Rangers, 1991), Des Walker (Sampdoria, 1992), Paul Gascoigne (Lazio, 1992, Rangers, 1995), Paul Ince (Inter Milan, 1996), Steve McManaman (Real Madrid, 1998), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich, 2001), David Beckham (Real Madrid, 2003, LA Galaxy, 2007, AC Milan, 2009), Michael Owen (Real Madrid, 2004), Alan Thompson (The Celtic, 2003), Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff City, 2010), Fraser Forster (The Celtic, 2013), Joe Hart (Torino, 2016), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund, 2018-20), Kieran Trippier (Atlético Madrid, 2019-21), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund, 2020-23, Real Madrid 2023), Tammy Abraham (AS Roma, 2021-22), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan, 2021-23), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, 2023)

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club in a Single England Team

Wanderers, in March 1875, provided seven players in the starting XI against Scotland, although five of the players had second clubs.
Arsenal lead the way in the modern day with seven players starting for England against Italy in 1934. 
Manchester United had seven players on the pitch at the end of the World Cup qualifier in Albania in 2001, but two of them came on as substitutes.
Manchester City had six players finishing the match against Switzerland, a European Championship qualification match on 7 September 2010.

Oxford University had the distinction of being the first side to provide multiple players to the England starting XI. In the first match in 1872, they provided three of the players.  In the second match five months later, Wanderers provided four of the players, and in the third match, they provided five of the starting line-up, and then in the fourth match, provided the seven. Although in all cases, the players involved had second, and often, third clubs.

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club in a Single England Squad

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club in a Single England World Cup Final Tournament Team

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club in a Single England World Cup Final Tournament Squad

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club in a Single England European Championship Final Tournament Team

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club in a Single England European Championship Final Tournament Squad

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club Appearing for England

Tottenham Hotspur 80, Aston Villa 77, Corinthians 76, Liverpool 74, Everton, Manchester United 71, Arsenal 70.

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club Appearing for England in World Cup Final Tournaments

Clubs Most Players from a Single Club Appearing for England in European Championship Final Tournaments

Clubs Most Total Appearances for England by Players from a Single Club

Manchester United (1419) lead the way, followed by Liverpool (1206), Tottenham Hotspur (1049) and Arsenal (962), up to the match against Finland on 10 September 2024.

Clubs Most Total Appearances for England in World Cup Final Tournaments by Players from a Single Club

Clubs Most Total Appearances for England in European Championship Final Tournaments by Players from a Single Club

Clubs Most number of different clubs starting for England

Eleven: On 21 November 1962, Walter Winterbottom's final match, the England team that started and finished the British Championship match against Wales at The Empire Stadium at Wembley were represented by eleven different clubs. The last time to do so.

Clubs Least number of different clubs starting for England

The evolution of this record began on 15 March 1890, when England sent a team to Belfast to face Ireland. The eleven players came from just five different clubs, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.  Before this point, many of the players were still playing for two, three or four clubs.

Physical Characteristics

Characteristics Shortest player

Fanny Walden, the Tottenham Hotspur winger who made two appearances in 1914 and 1922, was reputedly England's shortest player at 5ft. 2⅛in., weighing in at 8st. 9lbs.

Jack Crawford, earning his single cap against Scotland in 1931, may have only been 5ft 2ins., weighing a mere 8st. 6lbs.

Jackie Bestall (1935) and Tommy Magee (1923-25) were 5ft 3ins.
Numerous players come in at the 5ft 4in. mark... Warren Bradley (1959), Jimmy Conlin (1906), Harry Davis (1903), Johnny Hancocks (1948-50), and Steve Smith (1896).

Characteristics Shortest opposition player

Manuel Grimaldo stood at a 5ft. 2ins. playing for Peru against England in 1962.

Willie Cook stood at a meagre 5ft 3½ins. when playing for Scotland against England in 1934.
A few more have stood at the 5ft 4ins. mark, Bobby Collins (Scotland 1957-65), Brian Flynn (Wales 1975-83), Jimmy Johnstone (Scotland 1966-74) and Hugh Morris (Wales 1896-97)

Characteristics Heaviest player

Willie Foulke, Sheffield United goalkeeper, also known as Tiny and Fatty, who made his only appearance when England beat Wales 4-0 on 29 March 1897.  We don't know what his weight was on that date, but we do know it steadily increased from 15st. in 1892, to 21st. in 1901 and, eventually, to 25st. when he ended his career in 1907 at Bradford City.

Characteristics Tallest player

Both Peter Crouch and Fraser Forster stood at a proud 6ft. 7in..
Zat Knight stood at 6ft. 6in., and was England's tallest player for 45 minutes against United States, 28 May 2005.  Crouch debuted in the next match against Colombia, 31 May 2005.

"At 6ft 6in 'Fatty' is the tallest footballer to have represented England. Although regarded as a freak show by many, Foulke was agile for his size and an expert penalty stopper. In the early 1900s, keepers didn't have to stay on the line for penalties, so as a kick was taken Foulke and his enormous bulk charged towards the penalty spot, putting opponents off." Fat Sportsmen, The Observer Sport Monthly, 6 January 2002.

It must be noted that Foulke standing at 6'6 is without source.  Whereas most official sources attribute him less standing at 6ft. 4in..

Billy Gunn (1884) and Joe Corrigan (1976-82) both stood at 6ft. 4ins.

Characteristics Tallest opposition player

Ludek Miklosko stood at a 6ft. 4ins. playing for Czechoslovakia against England in 1990.

Many have stood at 6ft 4ins., including Jarosław Bako (Poland, 1989-91), Ivan Horvat (Yugoslavia 1950-56), Bella Katzirz (Hungary 1981-83), Niall Quinn (Republic of Ireland 1988), Jose Torres (Portugal 1964-66), Peter Schmeichel (Denmark 1989-90), and Roman Wojcicki (Poland 1986-89).

Managers/Coaches

Players and Managers/Coaches

Managers Players who played under most managers/coaches

Gareth Barry had played under eight managers.  Beginning in 2000, Kevin Keegan, Howard Wilkinson, Peter Taylor, Sven-Göran Eriksson, Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello, Stuart Pearce and Roy Hodgson.

Managers Most managers per appearance

Andrew Cole made his first four appearances under four different managers for an average of one manager per appearance.  Cole made his debut against Uruguay under Terry Venables in 1995, appeared next against Italy under Glenn Hoddle at the Tournoi de France in 1997, made his third appearance against France under caretaker Howard Wilkinson in 1999 and finally earned his fourth cap against Poland under new manager Kevin Keegan in his first starting appearance a few weeks later.

Team

Opposition

Opposition First Continental opposition

Austria, 6 June 1908, in Vienna. England won 6-1.

Opposition First Continental opposition in England

Belgium, 19 March 1923, at Highbury. England won 6-1.

Opposition First North American opposition

United States, 29 June 1950, in Belo Horizonte.  England infamously lost 1-0.

Opposition First North American opposition in England

Mexico, 10 May 1961, at Wembley. England won 8-0.

Opposition First South American opposition

Chile, 25 June 1950, in Rio de Janeiro. England won 2-0.

Opposition First South American opposition in England

Argentina, 9 May 1951, at Wembley. England won 2-1. Remarkably, although England had been playing Scotland at Wembley since 1924, this was the first time England played anyone else there. Wales did not play there until 1952, whilst Northern Ireland had to wait until 1955.

Opposition First African opposition

Egypt, 29 January 1986, in Cairo. England won 4-0.

Opposition First African opposition in England

Cameroon, 6 February 1991, at Wembley. England won 2-0.

Opposition First Asian opposition

Kuwait, 25 June 1982, in Bilbao. England won 1-0.

Opposition First Asian opposition in England

Japan, 3 June 1995,  at Wembley. England won 2-1.

Opposition First Oceania opposition

Australia, 31 May 1980, in Sydney. England won 2-1.

Opposition First Oceania opposition in England

Australia, 12 February 2003, at Upton Park. England lost 3-1.

Opposition Neutral ground only

Kuwait and England have met only once on neutral ground, in Spain at World Cup 1982. Also, Algeria and England have also met only once in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup Finals. Technically speaking, Andorra has only been met on neutral territory, although still considered as away matches, this was to cater for the demanding crowd numbers, and of course, the ensuing financial rewards. Serbia is the lates country to be played on neutral territory, in Germany during Euro 2024.

Opposition Countries yet to be played, as of the spring of 2025.

Afghanistan, American Samoa, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Aruba, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chinese Taipei, Comoros, Congo, Congo DR, Cook Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Korea DPR, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macau, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mongolia, Montserret, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Sáo Tomí e Príncipe, St. Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tahiti, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Turks & Caicos Islands, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Opposition Countries yet to be played in England

Apart from the countries listed above, the countries that England have played but not on home soil are:- Algeria, Canada, China PR, Ecuador, Korea Republic, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago and Tunisia.

Matches

Matches England's Match Dates

More England matches have been played in May than any other month, 201 of the 1064 played by the beginning of the 2024-25 international season. June ranked second with 189 matches. England have played only six matches in January.

Attendance - to be completed

Attendance Highest home attendance

Attendance Highest away attendance

Attendance Highest World Cup final tournament attendance

Attendance Highest European Championship final tournament attendance

PY/CG