List of England national football team captains

Last updated

Harry Kane 2023.jpg
Leah Williamson (cropped).jpg
England's men's and women's captains, Harry Kane (left, pictured in 2023) and Leah Williamson (right, pictured at a 2022 friendly)
Elizabeth II presents the Jules Rimet Trophy to England captain Bobby Moore, 1966; Moore is the only captain to lead England to a World Cup victory, and has the record for being the youngest men's captain (for a period he was, officially, the absolute youngest captain). The Queen presents the 1966 World Cup to England Captain, Bobby Moore. (7936243534).jpg
Elizabeth II presents the Jules Rimet Trophy to England captain Bobby Moore, 1966; Moore is the only captain to lead England to a World Cup victory, and has the record for being the youngest men's captain (for a period he was, officially, the absolute youngest captain).
England captain Leah Williamson stands at the back of her team to be presented with the 2022 Women's Euro trophy by William, Duke of Cambridge; Williamson, the incumbent permanent women's captain, is the only captain to lead England to a Euro victory and the only captain to lead the women's team to an international title. Euro 2022 Final England v Germany (52254784564) (cropped).jpg
England captain Leah Williamson stands at the back of her team to be presented with the 2022 Women's Euro trophy by William, Duke of Cambridge; Williamson, the incumbent permanent women's captain, is the only captain to lead England to a Euro victory and the only captain to lead the women's team to an international title.

154 people have officially served as captains of the England national football teams. The current captains are Harry Kane (men's) and Leah Williamson (women's).

Contents

The first England captain was Cuthbert Ottaway; he captained England in the first ever international match, against Scotland on 30 November 1872. He went on to captain England on just one further occasion, the third international match, on 7 March 1874, against the same opposition. Alexander Morten captained England in their first international on home soil, 8 March 1873, also against Scotland, and was the first international captain to win a match. Having previously played for Scotland against England, [1] this was his only international appearance for England. Morten remains England's oldest captain.

The first unofficial women's international match was contested by England and France in 1920, with the Dick, Kerr Ladies "England" side captained by Alice Kell. [2] The England women's team was authorised in 1972 by the Women's Football Association (WFA), originally unaffiliated with the Football Association (FA), and had Sheila Parker as its first captain. The official England women's first international match was played against Scotland on 18 November 1972, in anticipation of the centenary of the equivalent men's match. Parker remained in her role for four years before being left out of the 1976 British Home Championship; her replacement, Carol Thomas (née McCune), was only 20 when she took the armband, [3] and retained it for nearly a decade. Women's players between 1972 and 1993 were not all officially recognised until 2022; there were also several prior to 1972, who were not sanctioned and are not recognised. Thomas is England's youngest official captain under the WFA; Keira Walsh is England's youngest official captain under the FA; Carol Wilson and Casey Stoney unofficially served as captains when younger than Thomas and Walsh. [lower-alpha 1]

Billy Wright set the record for most captaincies of his country in 1959, with 90. Bobby Moore, who remains England's youngest men's captain and the only England captain to have lifted the World Cup, reached 90 captaincies in 1973, sharing the record with Wright. Steph Houghton has the record for captaincies of the women's team, and outright second-most caps as captain behind Wright and Moore, with 72. Seven male players were captain in their only international cap, the last of these being in 1925.

Several women's matches have seen two players start as co-captains. [5] [6] The most players known to wear the captain's armband for England in one match is four, which has happened twice. On 3 June 2003, Michael Owen started as captain before Emile Heskey took over at half time, Phil Neville replaced him in the sixty-first minute, and Jamie Carragher was handed the armband in the eighty-seventh. [7] [8] On 30 November 2021, Millie Bright started as captain before Ellen White took over at half time, Keira Walsh replaced her in the sixtieth minute, and Alex Greenwood took the armband in the seventy-first. [9] [10]

Men's team

Captain chronology

TenureIncumbentReserve captains [lower-alpha 2]
1872–1874 Cuthbert Ottaway.jpg Cuthbert Ottaway
1873 Alexander Morten
1875 Ranji 1897 page 364-2 Charles W. Alcock.jpg Charles W. Alcock
1876 Hubert Heron
1877 William Rawson
1878–1879 Arthur Cursham
1879 Henry Wace
1880 Charles Wollaston
1880 Francis Sparks
1881 Jack Hunter
1881–1887 Norman Bailey Charles Bambridge , Jack Hudson , Percy Walters
1888 Tinsley Lindley.jpg Tinsley Lindley
1889–1890 Percy Melmoth Walters.jpg Percy Walters Jack Brodie
1890 Arthur Melmoth Walters.jpg Arthur Walters
1891 Tinsley Lindley
1891 Preston north end art (Goodall).jpg John Goodall
1891 Billy Moon c1896.jpg Billy Moon
1892 Arthur Dunn
1893 George Cotterill Bob Holmes
1894 Preston north end art (Holmes).jpg Bob Holmes
1894 John Goodall
1895 Bob Holmes
1895 Wreford-Brown.jpg Charles Wreford-Brown [lower-alpha 3]
1895 CunliffeGosling2.jpg R. Cunliffe Gosling [lower-alpha 3]
1896–1901 GOSmith.jpg G. O. Smith [lower-alpha 4] [lower-alpha 5] Charles Wreford-Brown , William Oakley , Ernest Needham
1902 RE Foster Cigarette Card.jpg R. E. Foster
1902 Frank Forman.jpg Frank Forman
1902 StiveBloomer.jpg Steve Bloomer [lower-alpha 6]
1903 Howard Spencer - Aston Villa.jpg Howard Spencer
1903–1904 Bob Crompton.jpg Bob Crompton
1905 Stan Harris
1905 Howard Spencer - Aston Villa.jpg Howard Spencer
1906 Stan Harris
1907 Bob Crompton
1908–1910 Vivian Woodward.jpg Vivian Woodward Bob Crompton
1910–1914 Bob Crompton Vivian Woodward
1914–1918: World War I
1919 Arthur Knight
1920 Jesse Pennington 1912.jpg Jesse Pennington
1920 Joe McCall
1921 CharlesBuchan.jpg Charlie Buchan
1921 ArthurGrimsdell.jpg Arthur Grimsdell
1921 Ephraim Longworth
1921–1922 George Wilson Max Woosnam
1922–1923 Arthur Grimsdell
1923–1924 George Wilson Charlie Buchan , Basil Patchitt , Graham Doggart , Frank Moss
1924 Sam Wadsworth
1924–1925 Alfred Bower
1925–1926 Sam Wadsworth Billy Walker , Claude Ashton , Tommy Lucas
1927 Alfred Bower
1927 Jack Hill Fred Kean
1928 Roy Goodall
1928–1929 Willis Edwards
1929 Jack Hill
1929 Willis Edwards
1930 David Jack (1).jpg David Jack
1930–1931 Roy Goodall Alf Strange
1931–1933 Ernie Blenkinsop David Jack , Billy Walker
1933 Roy Goodall
1934 Tom Cooper footballer.jpg Tom Cooper
1934–1939 Eddie Hapgood crop (Tolnai Vilaglapja, 1939).jpg Eddie Hapgood Jack Barker , George Male , Sam Barkas , Stan Cullis
1939–1945: World War II
1946–1948 George Hardwick (1956).jpg George Hardwick Frank Swift
1948–1959 Billy Wright (1961).jpg Billy Wright Alf Ramsey
1959–1960 Ronnie Clayton.jpg Ronnie Clayton
1960–1962 Johnny Haynes crop.jpg Johnny Haynes Jimmy Armfield
1962–1964 Jimmy Armfield, CBE, opening the Heys Sports Complex, Oswaldtwistle, Sept 2012.jpg Jimmy Armfield Bobby Moore
1964–1973 Bobby Moore vs Josef Masopust 1963.jpg Bobby Moore Ron Flowers , Jimmy Armfield , Bobby Charlton , Alan Mullery , Martin Peters , Colin Bell
1974 Emlyn Hughes (cropped).jpg Emlyn Hughes
1975 Alan Ball (cropped).jpg Alan Ball
1975–1976 Gerry Francis Kevin Keegan , Mick Channon
1976–1982 Kevin Keegan 2.jpg Kevin Keegan Emlyn Hughes , Mick Mills , Phil Thompson , Trevor Cherry , Ray Clemence , Peter Shilton
1982–1991 Bryan Robson Thailand 2009-11-01 (2).jpg Bryan Robson Ray Wilkins , Peter Shilton , Terry Butcher , Peter Beardsley
1990–1992 Gary Lineker (cropped).jpg Gary Lineker Mark Wright, Stuart Pearce
1992–1993 Stuart Pearce (31651906441).jpg Stuart Pearce Paul Ince , David Platt
1993–1995 DavidPlatt.jpg David Platt Paul Ince , Tony Adams
1995–1996 Adams, Tony.jpg Tony Adams Alan Shearer
1996–2000 Alan Shearer 2008.jpg Alan Shearer Stuart Pearce , Paul Ince , David Seaman , Tony Adams , Sol Campbell
2000 Tony Adams Sol Campbell , Martin Keown
2000–2006 David Beckham.jpg David Beckham Michael Owen , Steven Gerrard
2006–2010 JohnTerry.JPG John Terry Rio Ferdinand , Steven Gerrard , David Beckham
2010–2011 Rio Ferdinand-en.JPG Rio Ferdinand Steven Gerrard , Frank Lampard , Gareth Barry
2011–2012 John Terry Steven Gerrard , Frank Lampard , Scott Parker
2012–2014 SGerrard.JPG Steven Gerrard Frank Lampard , Wayne Rooney , Gareth Barry
2014–2017 Wayne Rooney Euro 2012 vs Italy.jpg Wayne Rooney Gary Cahill , Joe Hart , Phil Jagielka , James Milner , Chris Smalling , Jordan Henderson , Harry Kane
2017–2018 Jordan Henderson 2018-06-28 1.jpg Jordan Henderson Gary Cahill , Joe Hart , Harry Kane , Eric Dier
2018–present Harry Kane 2023.jpg Harry Kane Jordan Henderson , [13] Gary Cahill , Eric Dier , Raheem Sterling , [14] Harry Maguire , Kieran Trippier , Marcus Rashford , [15] Kyle Walker , [16] Declan Rice [17]

Captains by tournament

PlayerTournament(s) [lower-alpha 7]
Billy Wright
Johnny Haynes
Bobby Moore
Kevin Keegan
Mick Mills
Bryan Robson
Gary Lineker
Tony Adams
Alan Shearer
David Beckham
Steven Gerrard
Wayne Rooney
Harry Kane

Women's team

Captain chronology

TenureIncumbentReserve captains [lower-alpha 2]
1972–1976 Sheila Parker [23]
1976– Carol Thomas (cropped).jpg Carol Thomas (née McCune) [3]
1983: WFA becomes a "County Association" of The Football Association [24]
–1985 Carol Thomas (née McCune) [3]
1985– Debbie Bampton.JPG Debbie Bampton [21]
1990– Gillian Coultard [5] [21]
1993: The team becomes incorporated into The Football Association [25]
–1997 Debbie Bampton [5]
–2000 Gillian Coultard [5]
2000–2001 Mo Marley [5] [26]
2001–2002 Tara Proctor.JPG Tara Proctor [27] Karen Walker , [6] Faye White [6]
2002–2003 Kaz Walker.JPG Karen Walker [6] [28] Mary Phillip [6]
2002–2012 Faye White.jpg Faye White [6] [29] [30] Mary Phillip , [6] Kelly Smith , [31] Fara Williams , [6] [32] Casey Stoney , [6] [33] Rachel Yankey [34]
2012–2014 Arsenal LFC v Kelly Smith All-Stars XI (046) (cropped).jpg Casey Stoney [35] Rachel Yankey , [33] Alex Scott , [36] Steph Houghton , [33] Fara Williams , [33] Laura Bassett [33]
2014–2022 Arsenal LFC v Kelly Smith All-Stars XI (189) (cropped).jpg Steph Houghton [37] Fara Williams , [33] Karen Bardsley , [33] Jordan Nobbs , [38] [39] Jill Scott , [33] Ellen White , [33] Laura Bassett , [33] Lucy Bronze , [40] Keira Walsh , [41] Toni Duggan , [33] Millie Bright , [42] [43] Leah Williamson [42]
2022–present Leah Williamson (cropped).jpg Leah Williamson Millie Bright , [44] Ellen White , [45] Steph Houghton , [46] [lower-alpha 9] Alex Greenwood , [47] Mary Earps , [48] Keira Walsh [49]

Captains by tournament

PlayerTournament(s) [lower-alpha 7]
Carol Thomas (née McCune)
Debbie Bampton
Gillian Coultard
Debbie Bampton
Gillian Coultard
Mo Marley
Tara Proctor
Faye White
Casey Stoney
Steph Houghton
Leah Williamson
Millie Bright [lower-alpha 10]

Captains by appearances as captain

Figures include all recognised matches up to match played 9 April 2024. Only confirmed captaincies of named captains are counted.

The default order for this list is by most appearances as captain, then chronological order of first captaincy.

#PlayerEngland careerCaps as captainTotal capsFirst captaincy
1 Billy Wright 1946–1959901059 October 1948
1 Bobby Moore 1962–19739010829 May 1963
3 Steph Houghton 2007–202272 [54] 12117 January 2014
4 Harry Kane 2015–present668910 June 2017
5 Bryan Robson 1980–1991659017 November 1982
6 David Beckham 1996–20095911515 November 2000
7 Carol Thomas (née McCune)1976–198549–51 [lower-alpha 12] 56 [lower-alpha 12] 22 May 1976
8 Faye White 1997–201248 [58] 907 March 2002
9 Gillian Coultard 1981–200038+ [lower-alpha 13] 11925 November 1990
9 Steven Gerrard 2000–20143811431 March 2004
11 Alan Shearer 1992–200034631 September 1996
11 John Terry 2003–2012347816 August 2006
13 Kevin Keegan 1972–1982316324 March 1976
14 Debbie Bampton 1978–199726+ [lower-alpha 13] 9522 September 1985
15 Wayne Rooney 2003–20182312014 November 2009
15 Emlyn Hughes 1969–1980236211 March 1974
15 Leah Williamson 2018–present23 [59] 4417 September 2021
18 Bob Crompton 1902–191422412 March 1903
18 Johnny Haynes 1954–1962225615 May 1960
20 Eddie Hapgood 1933–1939203014 November 1934
21 David Platt 1989–1996196217 February 1993
21 Casey Stoney 2000–2017191307 March 2009 [lower-alpha 14]
21 Millie Bright 2016–present197713 April 2021
24 Gary Lineker 1984–1992188012 September 1990
25 Mary Phillip 1995–200817+ [lower-alpha 13] 6517 May 2003
26 Norman Bailey 1878–1887151912 March 1881
26 Jimmy Armfield 1959–1966154328 September 1961
26 Peter Shilton 1970–19901512525 May 1982
26 Tony Adams 1987–2000156612 October 1994
30 Viv Woodward 1903–1911142315 February 1908
31 G. O. Smith 1893–190113–16 [lower-alpha 4] [lower-alpha 5] 204 April 1896
31 George Hardwick 1946–1948131328 September 1946
33 Roy Goodall 1926–1933122531 March 1928
34 Sheila Parker 1972–19831133 [61] 18 November 1972
34 Fara Williams 2001–2019111725 March 2009
36 Ray Wilkins 1976–1986108422 September 1982
36 Stuart Pearce 1987–199910788 June 1991
38 Jordan Henderson 2010–present9818 October 2016
39 Jack Hill 1925–19298112 April 1927
39 Gerry Francis 1974–19768123 September 1975
39 Mick Mills 1972–198284213 May 1978
39 Michael Owen 1998–200888917 April 2002
39 Frank Lampard 1999–201481069 February 2011
44 George Wilson 1921–192471222 October 1921
44 Terry Butcher 1980–199077712 November 1986
44 Paul Ince 1992–20007539 June 1993
44 Rio Ferdinand 1997–201178126 March 2008
44 Eric Dier 2015–present74910 November 2017
49 George Male 1934–193961918 November 1936
49 Alan Ball 1965–197567212 March 1975
49 Phil Thompson 1976–198264222 November 1979
52 Percy Walters 1885–189051313 March 1886
52 Willis Edwards 1926–192951622 October 1928
52 Ronnie Clayton 1955–196053517 October 1959
52 Mo Marley 1995–20015414 June 2000
52 Gary Cahill 2010–20185619 October 2015
52 Jill Scott 2006–2022516127 October 2015
52 Lucy Bronze 2013–present51211 March 2018
52 Harry Maguire 2017–present5637 September 2019
60 Tinsley Lindley 1886–18914134 February 1888
60 Stanley Harris 1904–19064625 February 1905
60 Sam Wadsworth 1922–19264922 October 1924
60 David Jack 1924–1932495 April 1930
60 Ernie Blenkinsop 1928–19334269 December 1931
60 Thomas Cooper 1927–193441514 April 1934
60 Martin Peters 1966–197446719 May 1971
60 Tara Proctor 1995–200242030 June 2001
60 Kelly Smith 1995–2014411728 September 2008
69 Robert Holmes 1888–18953713 March 1893
69 Howard Spencer 1897–19053614 February 1903
69 Arthur Grimsdell 1920–1923369 April 1921
69 Alfred Bower [lower-alpha 15] 1923–1927358 December 1924
69 Billy Walker 1920–193231821 May 1925
69 Alfred Strange 1930–193332014 May 1931
69 Sam Barkas 1936–193731823 October 1937
69 Alf Ramsey 1948–195333215 November 1950
69 Ron Flowers 1955–196634927 May 1964
69 Bobby Charlton 1958–1970310615 January 1969
69 David V. Watson 1974–198236524 April 1981
69 Sol Campbell 1996–200737324 May 1998
69 Karen Walker 1988–200338324 February 2002
69 Ellen White 2010–202231131 July 2017
69 Keira Walsh 2017–present3734 September 2018
69 Mary Earps 2017–present3491 July 2023
85 Cuthbert Ottaway 1872–18742230 November 1872
85 Charles Bambridge 1879–188721818 February 1882
85 John Goodall 1888–18982147 February 1891
85 Arthur Dunn 1883–18922415 March 1892
85 George Cotterill 1891–18932425 February 1893
85 Charles Wreford-Brown 1889–18982 or 3 [lower-alpha 3] 418 March 1895
85 Jesse Pennington 1907–192022515 March 1920
85 Charlie Buchan 1913–19242614 March 1921
85 Basil Patchitt 19232221 May 1923
85 Frank Swift 1946–194921916 May 1948
85 Mick Channon 1972–197724628 May 1976
85 Rachel Yankey 1997–2013212929 July 2010 [34]
85 Laura Bassett 2003–20172637 March 2014
85 Jordan Nobbs 2013–present27111 March 2015
85 Joe Hart 2008–201727513 November 2015
85 Raheem Sterling 2012–present2827 June 2019
85 Alex Greenwood 2014–present29219 February 2023
85 Kyle Walker 2011–present28220 November 2023
103 Alexander Morten 1873118 March 1873
103 Charles W. Alcock 1875116 March 1875 [lower-alpha 16]
103 Hubert Heron 1873–1878154 March 1876
103 William Rawson 1875–1877123 March 1877
103 Arthur Cursham 1880–18841 or 2 [lower-alpha 17] 62 March 1878
103 Henry Wace 1878–18791 or 2 [lower-alpha 17] 35 April 1879
103 Charles Wollaston 1874–18801413 March 1880
103 Francis Sparks 1879–18801315 March 1880
103 Jack Hunter 1878–18821726 February 1881
103 John Hudson 18831124 February 1883
103 John Brodie 1889–1891132 March 1889
103 Arthur Walters 1885–1890195 April 1890
103 Billy Moon 1888–1885176 April 1891
103 R. Cunliffe Gosling 1892–18951 or 2 [lower-alpha 3] 56 April 1895
103 William Oakley 1895–19011169 March 1901
103 Ernest Needham 1894–190211618 March 1901
103 Reginald Foster 1900–1902153 March 1902
103 Frank Forman 1898–19031922 March 1902
103 Stephen Bloomer 1895–19071 or 2 [lower-alpha 6] 233 May 1902 [lower-alpha 6]
103 Arthur Knight 19191125 October 1919
103 Joseph McCall 1913–19201523 October 1920
103 Ephraim Longworth 1920–19231521 May 1921
103 Max Woosnam 19221113 March 1922
103 Graham Doggart 1923111 November 1923
103 Frank Moss 19241512 April 1924
103 Claude Ashton [lower-alpha 18] 19251124 October 1925
103 Tommy Lucas 1921–19261324 May 1926
103 Fred Kean 1923–19291921 May 1927
103 Jack Barker 1934–193611117 October 1936
103 Stan Cullis 1937–193911224 May 1939
103 Alan Mullery 1964–19711353 February 1971
103 Colin Bell 1968–197514823 May 1972
103 Trevor Cherry 1976–198012731 May 1980
103 Ray Clemence 1972–198316112 May 1981
103 Phil Neal 1976–19831502 June 1982
103 Peter Beardsley 1986–199615913 February 1988
103 Mark Wright 1984–199614521 May 1991
103 David Seaman 1988–200317510 September 1997
103 Martin Keown 1992–200214311 September 2000
103 Gareth Barry 2000–201215329 March 2011
103 Scott Parker 2003–201311129 February 2012
103 Ashley Cole 2001–2014110729 May 2013 [lower-alpha 19]
103 Alex Scott 2004–2017114031 October 2013
103 Karen Bardsley 2005–20221819 March 2015
103 Phil Jagielka 2008–201614012 October 2015
103 James Milner 2009–201616129 March 2016
103 Chris Smalling 2011–201713127 May 2016
103 Toni Duggan 2012–present1768 November 2018 [lower-alpha 20]
103 Fabian Delph 2014–201912015 November 2018
103 Kieran Trippier 2017–present1468 October 2020
103 Marcus Rashford 2016–present1606 June 2021
103 Declan Rice 2019–present15026 March 2024 [lower-alpha 21]

Captains by age

Youngest captains

Players who started as captain at under 25 years of age. [66]

#PlayerDate of birthFirst captaincyAge#W#M
Age 20
1 Carol Thomas (née McCune) [lower-alpha 22] 5 June 195522 May 197620 years, 11 months and 17 days1
Age 21
2 Keira Walsh 8 April 19974 September 201821 years, 4 months and 27 days2
Age 22
3 Bobby Moore 12 April 194129 May 196322 years, 1 month and 17 days1
4 Jordan Nobbs 8 December 199211 March 201522 years, 3 months and 3 days3
5 Tinsley Lindley 27 October 18654 February 188822 years, 3 months and 8 days2
6 Michael Owen 14 December 197917 April 200222 years, 4 months and 3 days3
7 Cuthbert Ottaway 20 July 185030 November 187222 years, 4 months and 10 days4
8 Jack Hudson 11 October 186024 February 188322 years, 4 months and 13 days5
9 William Rawson 14 October 18543 March 187722 years, 4 months and 17 days6
10 Percy Walters 30 September 186313 March 188622 years, 5 months and 13 days7
11 Stan Cullis 25 October 191624 May 193922 years, 6 months and 29 days8
12 Basil Patchitt 8 August 190021 May 192322 years, 9 months and 13 days9
13 Billy Moon 7 June 18684 April 189122 years, 9 months and 28 days10
Age 23
14 G. O. Smith 25 November 18724 April 189623 years, 4 months and 10 days11
15 Bob Crompton 26 September 18792 March 190323 years, 5 months and 4 days12
16 Charles Bambridge 30 July 185818 February 188223 years, 6 months and 19 days13
17 Marcus Rashford 31 October 19976 June 202123 years, 7 months and 6 days [lower-alpha 23] 14
18 Stan Harris 19 July 188125 February 190523 years, 7 months and 6 days [lower-alpha 23] 15
19 Norman Bailey 23 July 185712 March 188123 years, 7 months and 17 days16
20 Sol Campbell 18 September 197429 May 199823 years, 8 months and 11 days17
21 Gerry Francis 6 December 19513 September 197523 years, 8 months and 28 days18
22 Eric Dier 15 January 199410 November 201723 years, 9 months and 26 days19
23 Steven Gerrard 30 May 198031 March 200423 years, 10 months and 1 day20
24 Harry Kane 28 July 199310 June 201723 years, 10 months and 13 days21
25 R. E. Foster 16 April 18783 March 190223 years, 10 months and 15 days22
26 Debbie Bampton [lower-alpha 22] 7 October 196122 September 198523 years, 11 months and 15 days4
Age 24
27 Wayne Rooney 24 October 198514 November 200924 years and 21 days23
28 Faye White 2 February 19787 March 200224 years, 1 month and 5 days [lower-alpha 24] 5
29 Hubert Heron 30 January 18524 March 187624 years, 1 month and 4 days [lower-alpha 24] 24
30 Leah Williamson 29 March 199717 September 202124 years, 5 months and 19 days6
31 Raheem Sterling 8 December 19946 June 201924 years, 5 months and 29 days25
32 Billy Wright 6 February 19249 October 194824 years, 8 months and 3 days26
33 Claude Ashton 19 February 190124 October 192524 years, 8 months and 5 days27
34 Francis Sparks 4 July 185515 March 188024 years, 8 months and 11 days28
35 George Cotterill 4 April 186825 February 189324 years, 10 months and 21 days29
36 Sheila Parker [lower-alpha 22] [lower-alpha 25] 194718 November 1972~24 years and 11 months [lower-alpha 26] 7
37 Arthur Cursham 14 March 18532 March 187824 years, 11 months and 16 days30

Oldest captains

Players who started as captain at over 35 years of age. [68]

#PlayerDate of birthLast captaincyAge#W#M
Age 41+
1 Alexander Morten 1831 or 1832 [69] 8 March 187341 or 42 [69] 1
Age 40
2 Peter Shilton 18 September 19497 July 199040 years, 9 months and 19 days2
Age 36
3 Gillian Coultard 22 July 196313 May 200036 years, 9 months and 21 days1
4 Jesse Pennington 23 August 188310 April 192036 years, 7 months and 18 days3
5 Frank Lampard 20 June 197824 June 201436 years and 4 days4
Age 35
6 Debbie Bampton 7 October 196111 May 199735 years, 7 months and 4 days2
7 Billy Wright 6 February 192428 May 195935 years, 3 months and 22 days5
8 Billy Walker 29 October 18977 December 193235 years, 1 month and 8 days6
9 Stuart Pearce 24 April 196224 May 199735 years and 1 month7

Others

Disputed captains

These players may have officially captained England, but sources are either uncertain or differ.

PlayerEngland careerCaps as captainTotal caps
Harry Daft 1889–18921 or 0 [70] 5
Vaughan Lodge 1894–18960 or 1 [lower-alpha 4] 5
George Raikes 1895–18960 or 1 [lower-alpha 4] 4

Unofficial captains

The following players have never been named, i.e. started a match as, captain, but were given the armband partway through a match after that game's captain was either sent off or substituted. As records for such mid-game changes are not often kept, this list may be incomplete:

PlayerEngland careerDate
Gareth Southgate 1995–200425 May 2001 [71]
Robbie Fowler 1996–200227 March 2002 [72]
Danny Mills 2001–200412 February 2003 [73]
Emile Heskey 1999–20103 June 2003 [7]
Phil Neville 1996–20073 June 2003 [7]
Jamie Carragher 1999–20103 June 2003 [7]
David James 1997–201028 May 2005 [74]
Gary Neville 1995–20071 July 2006 [75]
Joleon Lescott 2007–201326 May 2012 [76]
Michael Carrick 2001–201515 August 2012 [77]
Georgia Stanway 2018–present15 November 2022 [78]
Rachel Daly 2016–present19 February 2023 [79]
Katie Zelem 2021–present19 February 2023 [80]
John Stones 2014–present23 March 2024 [81] [82]

Amateurs

For a period after the introduction of professionalism, the England team split into two teams that represented the nation internationally, one only including amateur players. This or other amateur English teams also represented Great Britain at the Olympics, when known as "England" in certain early competitions. [lower-alpha 27]

Amateur men's teams that have represented England internationally
TenureIncumbentTeam
1900 Henry Haslam Upton Park [83]
1908 Vivian Woodward.jpg Vivian Woodward England amateurs [84]

Captains of other non-official teams

Before the men's and women's teams each became officially associated, different teams represented them in international tournaments.

Men's teams [85]
TenureIncumbentTeam
1870–1871 Ranji 1897 page 364-2 Charles W. Alcock.jpg Charles W. Alcock England (representative)
Women's teams
TenureIncumbentTeam
1920 Alice-Kell-Copy.jpg Alice Kell Dick, Kerr Ladies [2] [86] [87]
1925 Carmen Pomies y Florrie Redford - El Grafico 310.jpg Florrie Redford
1933 Ethel Audaer Terry's Ladies [88] [89]
1953 Stella Briggs Dick, Kerr Ladies [90]
1957–1966 Doris Ashley Manchester Corinthians/Nomad/All Stars Ladies [21] [91] [92] [93] [94] [95]
1960 Margaret Griffiths
1969–1970 Sue Lopez British Independents [50] [lower-alpha 28]
1971 Carol Wilson
Non-official England women's teams' tournament record
PlayerTournament(s) [lower-alpha 7]
Doris Ashley
  • 1957 European Cup [93]
  • 1960 Torneo Internacional De Futbol Femenino [91] [97]
Margaret Griffiths
  • 1960 Torneo Internacional De Futbol Femenino [91] [97]
Sue Lopez
Carol Wilson

Non-official captains by appearances as captain

The following players have never captained England officially, but have started a match as named captain of a team representing England, with the match and/or team not officially recognised:

Only known, confirmed, non-official caps as captain are included.

PlayerEngland careerCaps as captainFirst captaincyRef(s)
Alice Kell 19208+~April 1920 [lower-alpha 29]
Doris Ashley 1957–19665+2 November 1957 [93] [99]
Carol Wilson 197142 June 1971 [50]
Sue Lopez 1969–19702+1 November 1969 [50]
Florrie Redford 19251+~June 1925 [87]
Margaret Griffiths 19601+April 1960 [91]
Stella Briggs 1952–19531+23 July 1953 [90]
Stanley Briggs 1899123 November 1899 [100]
Ethel Audaer 193319 August 1933 [88]

Others by age

Unofficial young captaincies

PlayerDate of birthFirst unofficial captaincyAge
Age 18
Carol Wilson [lower-alpha 22] June 19522 June 1971 [lower-alpha 30] ~18 years and 11 months
Age 20
Casey Stoney 13 May 198225 February 2003 [lower-alpha 14] 20 years, 9 months and 12 days
Age 21
Alice Kell 24 June 1898~April 1920 [lower-alpha 29] ~21 years and 9 months
Age 23
Georgia Stanway 3 January 199915 November 202223 years, 10 months and 12 days
Age 24
Sue Lopez [lower-alpha 22] 1 September 19451 November 1969 [lower-alpha 30] 24 years and 2 months

Unofficial old captaincies

PlayerDate of birthLast unofficial captaincyAge
Doris Ashley ~1923 [99] [102] 17 July 1966 [92] ~42

Notes

  1. In 2004, after the unofficial captaincies of Wilson (1971) and Stoney (2003), and after Thomas' WFA career as captain (1976–85), The Guardian named Bobby Moore as "still the youngest ever England captain". [4]
  2. 1 2 Reserve captains are players that have taken the captain's armband on a one-off match basis when the incumbent permanent captain is unavailable. Unlike unofficial captaincies the player is given the responsibility prior to the game and is officially recognised by the FA as having officially captained England, whereas unofficial captains receive the armband part way through a match due to the substitution or the receiving of a red card by the captain. [12]
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sources differ concerning the captaincy for England vs Wales, 12 March 1894. It was either Charles Wreford-Brown or Cunliffe Gosling.
  4. 1 2 3 4 The captaincy for England vs Ireland, 7 March 1896 is disputed between G. O. Smith (13 confirmed captaincies), and George Raikes and Vaughan Lodge, neither of whom had captained England in another match.
  5. 1 2 The match on 16 March 1896 may have been captained by Gilbert (G. O.) Smith.
  6. 1 2 3 Bloomer captained two successive games in 1902, with the first, on 5 April 1902, seeing the 1902 Ibrox disaster occur. This match was, afterwards, declared null and void by the Football Association.
  7. 1 2 3 Tournaments for which the player has been officially named as captain, not including tournaments where they have stepped up as a reserve captain or have been otherwise substituted for a match/es. Only tournaments at continental scale or wider.
  8. The Women's Football Association fielded their first England team in 1972, and was the governing body of women's football in England until the Football Association incorporated the team in 1993, marking a change in the formal organisation of it. [19] Few of the international matches contested by the team were considered official. [20] In 2019, women's sports history researcher Jean Williams found that "many of the games before 1993 were not recognised as official internationals, [...] and, though recognised by the FA with a virtual cap as representative games, many women players do not have more than one or two caps for their country as a result." [21] The WFA had so little funding that one woman hand-stitched caps for players. [21] The FA announced in 2022 that it would seek to recognise all former women's internationals. [22]
  9. Houghton was named a vice-captain but did not wear the armband under Williamson.
  10. Vice-captain Bright was formally interim captain for the tournament due to a long term injury to Leah Williamson.
  11. Women's matches (Englandfootballonline.com indices): [50] [5] [6] [33] [43]
  12. 1 2 Contemporary to the end of her career, the Guinness Book of Records listed Thomas with 49 caps as captain from 56 overall international caps, [55] which it repeated in every edition through 1990. [56] When Thomas was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2021, they reported 51 caps as captain, still from 56 international caps. [57] Thomas has stated that the only match she did not captain between first taking the armband and retiring was a 17 August 1985 game against Wales. [21]
  13. 1 2 3 Some teamsheets from the appropriate period are unavailable, incomplete, or do not indicate captain.
  14. 1 2 Casey Stoney was first handed the captain's armband on an unofficial basis on 25 February 2003 (age 20) when captain Karen Walker was substituted off; [60] this captaincy is not counted as she was not named/did not start as captain. She first made an appearance as a named captain, starting the match as captain (as reserve for Faye White), on 7 March 2009 (age 26).
  15. Alfred Bower was the last amateur player to captain England.
  16. Alcock had earlier captained England in the officially-unrecognised representative matches.
  17. 1 2 Sources differ concerning the captaincy for England vs Wales, 18 January 1879. It was either Arthur Cursham or Henry Wace.
  18. Claude Ashton was the last player to be appointed captain for his solitary England appearance.
  19. Cole was never a formal reserve or vice captain, but started with the armband as a gesture to celebrate his 100th cap. The match was actually Cole's 102nd cap, and there was reported surprise that he accepted the offer, as he had previously scorned the captaincy. [62]
  20. Duggan took the place of captain Steph Houghton so that Houghton could defer her 100th England cap by a match to play it at home rather than away. Other recent stand-in captains were unavailable — Keira Walsh was injured, [63] Lucy Bronze also did not travel, and Jordan Nobbs was an unused substitute [64] — and manager Phil Neville said Duggan's importance in the team was cause for her selection. [65]
  21. Captained amidst injury absences and on the occasion of his 50th cap. [17]
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 WFA era
  23. 1 2 There are more shorter months between Rashford's birthday and his captain debut than there are for Harris; though the same number of months in age, as these months are shorter, Rashford is younger in days.
  24. 1 2 As 1876 was a leap year and January is a longer month, while Heron may seem to have been younger than White in number of months and days, he would have been a day older when accounting for the length of the months.
  25. The FA announced in 2022 that it would award caps to the 1972 first official women's team, including captain Parker. [22]
  26. Parker was appointed captain in 1972 aged 24. [61] She was 74 on 31 December 2021. [67] Provided she was 24 at the time of her first match on 18 November 1972, Parker must have been born in November or December 1947.
  27. Most of the time, the Amateurs were known as "England Amateurs". Those captains, as well as those representing teams known as "Great Britain", including recent Great Britain Olympic; past United Kingdom; and all British Universiade teams, are not included.
  28. Women were banned from top flight football in England until 1972, with the early pseudo-international British Independents teams specifically disavowed and blacklisted. [96]
  29. 1 2 Kell was captain for the England-France series in 1920 (four in England, four in France). The third match was played at Hyde Road in Manchester [2] on 6 May 1920. [101]
  30. 1 2 Wilson and Lopez' captaincies, which were not authorised and occurred while women's football was still banned in England, are not recognised by any official body.

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