With England captain Harry Kane being rested against North Macedonia, Kyle Walker led his nation out for the first time. We’ve looked back at the last seven players to lead England out.
Being England captain to many is the pinnacle of football for an England player. Of the many players to represent England’s men’s team, only a select few have had the honour of being England’s captain.
A new name has been added to that list tonight as Manchester City defender, Kyle Walker, takes the armband. As the man from Sheffield closes in on 100 caps, he’ll remember this one especially.
With Walker added to the list of England captains, we’ve looked back at the last seven captains. To make the list, the player had to start the game as captain, rather than be given the armband during the game.
Kyle Walker
Leading @England out for the first time 👊
Kyle Walker 🏴©️#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/rXnzBVpnEu
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) November 20, 2023
Walker is an experienced member of the England squad, with 81 caps already under his belt. His wealth of experience, playing for one of the greatest Premier League clubs of all time, is crucial.
Walker’s time for England of late hasn’t been as straightforward as his amount of caps suggests. England have three fantastic right-backs to choose between. However, Walker has managed to keep his place with Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold breathing down his neck.
Harry Kane
Kane is the permanent England captain and has another few years left at the top of the game, making it hard to see anyone taking the permanent role from him.
The Bayern striker has been captain since 2018. Despite not winning a trophy, he has enjoyed being captain of the most successful England teams.
Kane will be hoping to cap off his time as captain by winning a tournament.
Jordan Henderson
The man who has been tasked with captaining England in Kane’s absence, usually, is former Liverpool man Jordan Henderson.
Now playing in Saudi Arabia, Henderson has come under a lot of criticism for his decision to move to the Middle East. Despite the public criticism, Gareth Southgate has trusted the experienced player to be a part of the squad and captain England as recently as October 13th against Australia in a friendly.
Henderson’s place in the squad has been questioned given the level he’s now playing at, but given his experience, he’s likely to be off to Germany next summer.
At this stage, it can’t be ruled out that Southgate hasn’t realised that Jordan Henderson has left Liverpool.
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) November 17, 2023
Raheem Sterling
Despite now struggling to get back into the England squad, Raheem Sterling has been England captain on four occasions. The most recent time came in June 2022 when Sterling captained his nation against Italy.
Sterling’s England career isn’t over yet but he’ll need to impress this season for Chelsea if he wants to fight his way back into the squad.
Kieran Trippier
The Newcastle United captain has captained his country twice, most recently in 2021 against Andorra in a 5-0 win. At the time he was captain, Trippier played for La Liga side Atlético Madrid.
Trippier is another experienced player who finds himself in the squad most time. His ability to play both right and left back makes him an obvious name for the squad each time. He’s also a dead ball specialist, which can be crucial come big tournaments.
Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford England training dump. 🏃🏾📸 pic.twitter.com/GDKmnOVZbz
— MR1O (@imjustutd) November 16, 2023
One of the many attacking talents at Southgate’s disposal, Marcus Rashford, has been England captain once before.
The Manchester United attacker wore the armband in 2021 against Romania in a friendly at the Riverside Stadium.
Rashford has been in and out of the England team over the past couple of years, but he was a crucial part of the World Cup squad, mainly featuring from the bench.
There is lots of competition in the forward positions for England. Southgate will have a tough job picking players to support Kane.
Harry Maguire
The final player on our list of the seven most recent England captains is another Manchester United man, Harry Maguire. His one game as captain came against the Republic of Ireland in 2020, a 3-0 win for England.
Despite Maguire’s struggles for his club, he has been a mainstay in the England squads. He was a key part of the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euro’s team for Southgate.
Maguire looks like he’s rediscovering his form for his club, which can only be a good thing for England as they approach Euro 2024.
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