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England's Captains in Major Tournaments

 

Captains in Major Tournaments by Tournament
Tournaments Captain Matches Opponents
World Cup Finals 1950

William A. Wright

3

Chile, U.S.A., Spain

World Cup Finals 1954 William A. Wright 3

Belgium, Switzerland, Uruguay

World Cup Finals 1958 William A. Wright 4 U.S.S.R., Brazil, Austria, U.S.S.R.
World Cup Finals 1962 John N. Haynes 4 Hungary, Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil
World Cup Finals 1966 Robert F.C. Moore 6 Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1968 Robert F.C. Moore 2 Yugoslavia, U.S.S.R.
World Cup Finals 1970 Robert F.C. Moore 4 Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1980 J. Kevin Keegan 3 Belgium, Italy, Spain
World Cup Finals 1982 Michael D. Mills 5 France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany, Spain
World Cup Finals 1986 Bryan Robson 2 Portugal, Morocco
Peter L. Shilton 3 Poland, Paraguay, Argentina
European Championship Finals 1988 Bryan Robson 3 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, U.S.S.R.
World Cup Finals 1990 Bryan Robson 2 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands
Peter L. Shilton 2 Egypt, Italy
Terence I. Butcher 3 Belgium, Cameroon, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1992

Gary W. Lineker

3 Denmark, France, Sweden
European Championship Finals 1996 Adams, Tony A. 5 Switzerland, Scotland, Netherlands, Spain, Germany
World Cup Finals 1998 Alan Shearer 4 Tunisia, Romania, Colombia, Argentina
European Championship Finals 2000 Alan Shearer 3 Portugal, Germany, Romania
World Cup Finals 2002 David R.J. Beckham 5 Sweden, Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark, Brazil
European Championship Finals 2004 David R.J. Beckham 4 France, Switzerland, Croatia, Portugal
World Cup Finals 2006 David R.J. Beckham  5 Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador, Portugal

 

Captains in Major Tournaments by Name
Captain Tournaments Matches Opponents
Adams, Tony A. European Championship Finals 1996 5 Switzerland, Scotland, Netherlands, Spain, Germany
Beckham, David R.J. World Cup Finals 2002 5 Sweden, Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark, Brazil
European Championship Finals 2004 4 France, Switzerland, Croatia, Portugal
World Cup Finals 2006  4 Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador, Portugal
Butcher, Terence I. World Cup Finals 1990 3 Belgium, Cameroon, West Germany
Haynes, John N. World Cup Finals 1962 4 Hungary, Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil
Keegan, J. Kevin European Championship Finals 1980 3 Belgium, Italy, Spain
Lineker, Gary W. European Championship Finals 1992 3 Denmark, France, Sweden
Mills, Michael D.  World Cup Finals 1982 5 France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany, Spain
Moore, Robert F.C.  World Cup Finals 1966 6 Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1968 2 Yugoslavia, U.S.S.R.
World Cup Finals 1970 4 Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, West Germany
Robson, Bryan World Cup Finals 1966 2 Portugal, Morocco
European Championship Finals 1988 3 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, U.S.S.R.
World Cup Finals 1990 2 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands
Shearer, Alan World Cup Finals 1998 4 Tunisia, Romania, Colombia, Argentina
European Championship Finals 2000 3 Portugal, Germany, Romania
Shilton, Peter L. World Cup Finals 1986 3 Poland, Paraguay, Argentina
World Cup Finals 1990 2 Egypt, Italy
Wright, William A.

World Cup Finals 1950

3

Chile, U.S.A., Spain

World Cup Finals 1954 3 Belgium, Switzerland, Uruguay
World Cup Finals 1958 4 U.S.S.R., Brazil, Austria, U.S.S.R.

 

Captains in Major Tournaments by Number of Matches
Captain Tournaments WCF ECF All
David R.J. Beckham WCF 2002, ECF 2004, WCF 2006 10 4 14
Robert F.C. Moore WC 1966, EC 1968, WC 1970 10 2 12
William A. Wright WC 1950, WC 1954, WC 1958 10 0 10
Bryan Robson WCF 1986, ECF 1988, WCF 1990 4 3 7
Alan Shearer WC 1998, ECF 2000 4 3 7
Peter L. Shilton WCF 1986, WCF 1990 5 0 5
Michael D. Mills WCF 1982 5 0 5
Tony A. Adams ECF 1996 0 5 5
John N. Haynes WCF 1962 4 0 4
Terence I. Butcher WCF 1980 3 0 3
J. Kevin Keegan ECF 1980 0 3 3
Gary W. Lineker ECF 1992 0 3 3

Notes

Injuries have on occasion played a large part in determining who came to prominence as England's captain in major tournament play.  

Kevin Keegan was manager Ron Greenwood's first choice as captain, and he would have led England throughout the 1982 World Cup finals had he been fit, but injury kept him out for all but a late substitute appearance in England's last match at that tournament.  Defender Mick Mills filled in as captain, and Keegan's international career ended on a rather sad note.  Because of England's disastrous qualification record during the 1970's, he played only three European Championship finals matches, all at the 1980 tournament, and had only 26 minutes of playing time in World Cup finals.

Bryan Robson was manager Bobby Robson's preference for the captaincy at World Cups 1986 and 1990, but injury forced his exit in the early stages of both tournaments.  In Mexico in 1986 a long-standing shoulder injury, aggravated in a warmup match against Mexico in Los Angeles, forced him from the pitch during the first half of the second group match against Morocco, and he did not play in the tournament again although he remained with the squad.  His Manchester United teammate, Ray Wilkins, took over the captain's armband in the Morocco match, but shortly drew a red card for a second cautionable offence and had to yield it to Peter Shilton, who became the third England player to wear the armband in the match.  Wilkins, suspended for the next two matches, did not return for the rest of the tournament, and it was Shilton who went on to captain England in their remarkable recovery against Poland and Paraguay and their loss to Argentina in one of the most controversial matches in World Cup history.

Injury again forced Robson's withdrawal in the second group match at the 1990 World Cup in Italy.  After playing the full 90 minutes in the first match against Ireland,  Robson, already playing with a pain-killing injection for an injured toe, strained his Achilles tendon and had to be taken off after 65 minutes of the second match against Holland.  He had to sit out the third match against Egypt, and, despite the efforts of a faith healer he had flown out to treat him, he then flew home for surgery.  Peter Shilton and Terry Butcher both filled in as captain.  Shilton was captain for two matches in which Butcher did not play, the third group match against Egypt and the third-place match against Italy at the end of the tournament.  Butcher took over the captaincy in the big matches against Belgium, Cameroon and Germany.

Outside these three tournaments, however, England's chosen captains have remained injury free in World Cup and European Championship final tournament play.

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PY/CG