Holding the record for essentially the most England sub appearances is a curious ‘achievement’. And Marcus Rashford is in line to be a part of Jermain Defoe on the high if he comes off the bench against Belgium.
10) Emile Heskey (62 apps, 22 as sub)
He’s high of this list of England players who were better for country than club, with Michael Owen his largest fan as they shaped the final nice ‘big man, little man’ mixture for England. He was phenomenal in that well-known 5-1 dismantling of Germany back when no one dismantled Germany.
He by no means fairly had the identical relationship with Wayne Rooney, culminating in absolutely the clusterf*** of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The final of Heskey’s 22 appearances off the bench got here in that 4-1 defeat to Germany when he changed the ineffective Jermain Defoe.
9) Peter Crouch (42 apps, 23 as sub)
Surely the last word ‘offers something different off the bench’ participant, he additionally options excessive on that ‘better for country than club’ listing. For England, the often goal-shy Crouch bagged 22 instances in 42 video games – solely 19 of them from the beginning – and was good for a goal each 99 minutes. His 0.52% strike fee is marginally higher than Alan Shearer, Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney.
Actually began the primary two video games of the 2006 World Cup after that hat-trick v Jamaica however was firmly back on the bench when issues acquired critical. That would develop into a sample as he began lower than a 3rd of the video games for which he was out there. His final look in 2010 was additionally marked by his ultimate goal for England; he by no means fairly recovered from being third fiddle behind Andy Carroll and Jay Bothroyd. Who might?
8) Phil Neville (59 apps, 23 as sub)
Included in three European Championship squads (together with the catastrophe of 2000) however by no means made it to a World Cup, regardless of his versatility making him a really helpful man to have on the bench.
Played beneath six England managers, the final of which – Steve McClaren – used him as a sub in three successive 3-0 wins. It’s when he left him on the bench that it began to go fallacious, so there’s a lesson there. Still stays at No. 50 in the England ladder of a website that used to be very good.
7) Joe Cole (56 apps, 25 as sub)
Too fancy-dan to be initially trusted by England, 17 of his first 19 caps got here off the bench. Was then just about first alternative for 3 years that sandwiched the 2006 World Cup, which featured *that* goal v Sweden.
He then as soon as again turned a peripheral determine beneath Fabio Capello and, together with Heskey, made his ultimate England look from the bench in that World Cup shoeing by Germany. He later stated that England had been let down by an absence of “tactical sophistication” at World Cups, which might be code for ‘Joe Cole should have played more’.
6) Owen Hargreaves (42 apps, 25 as sub)
“The problem I’ve got is that the English public don’t know me,” stated Hargreaves after he was repeatedly and ludicrously booed by England followers in the summer season of 2006. Thankfully for Jude Bellingham, issues have modified in the 18 years since.
Extraordinarily, that was 5 years into his England profession and inside one other two years – when Hargreaves was simply 27 – his England profession could be over. Eventually he had won over the sceptical England fans, named England Player of the Year for 2006 simply months after he had been roundly booed.
5) Kieron Dyer (33 apps, 25 as sub)
A ‘not quite’ participant for England, Dyer solely twice began back-to-back England video games. It most likely didn’t assist his trigger that he actually by no means scored for England.
Was the primary substitute off the bench throughout that 2002 World Cup defeat to Brazil, which could have been a symptom of that lack of “tactical sophistication” cited by Cole, who stayed on the bench throughout that game. His ultimate look – in a 2-1 pleasant defeat to Germany in which he changed Alan Smith – noticed him make what was then a record twenty fifth sub look.
4) James Milner (61 apps, 25 as sub)
Retired from England responsibility in 2016 after taking part in just some minutes of that disastrous event, bringing an finish to a seven-year worldwide profession in which he was hardly ever something lower than helpful. Unfortunately for Milner, his peak years got here beneath Roy Hodgson, who gave him loads of begins but in addition loads of sub appearances.
3) Jordan Henderson (81 apps, 26 as sub)
The most-capped England participant on this listing, and you actually wouldn’t wager against him limping to 100. Has been to six main tournaments and will certainly go to a seventh. Sometimes begins these tournaments on the bench; just about at all times worms his method onto the pitch.
2) Marcus Rashford (60 apps, 34 as sub)
Been to 4 worldwide tournaments however by no means been a first-choice choose, having made the very foolish mistake of timing his finest type for non-tournament seasons. Came off the bench for Wayne Rooney as England exited Euro 2016 to Iceland, got here off the bench for Raheem Sterling as England misplaced on the 2018 World Cup to Croatia, got here off the bench for Henderson to miss a penalty in the Euro 2020 ultimate and got here off the bench for Phil Foden as England misplaced to France on the 2022 World Cup. It’s not an amazing record.
1) Jermain Defoe (57 apps, 35 as sub)
Made his ultimate England sub look, changing Jake Livermore (oh these have been darkish days), over 13 years after his first sub look, when he changed Darius Vassell. Played beneath 5 England managers however was hardly ever seen as first alternative by any. Only seven of his 20 England objectives got here from the bench, which could have been a compelling argument for extra England begins however in actuality was a great argument for leaving him on the bench.