It is the lot of every English football supporter to bemoan the lack of quality in the national side. It is understandable, of course; they last won the World Cup in 1966, and have never won a Euro tournament. It is particularly frustrating considering the amount of money plunged into the Premier League every season; while it consistently produces some of the most thrilling matches, jaw-dropping goals and talked-about controversies, the amount of home-grown top-class players produced is embarrassingly scarce. The World Cup victory has been a great source of national pride for nearly half a century, though as the years go by, and England seem to worsen with every tournament, the gleaming Jules Rimet trophy is something of a constant reminder of the standards that for so many years the national setup has failed to achieve.
Here, I take a look at five English footballers, who, on their day, were excellent - certainly good enough to at least be considered for international tournaments. Inevitably, discussing these players often conjures up 'what could have been' scenarios; could England have made a sterner challenge for trophies had two or three of them been available? As always, don't hesitate to add your suggestions, criticisms etc in the comments.