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Captains in Major Tournaments by Tournament
Tournaments

Captain

Matches Opponents
World Cup Finals 1950

Billy Wright
Wolverhampton Wanderers

3

Chile, United States, Spain

World Cup Finals 1954 3

Belgium, Switzerland, Uruguay

World Cup Finals 1958 4 USSR, Brazil, Austria, USSR
World Cup Finals 1962 Johnny Haynes
Fulham
4 Hungary, Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil
World Cup Finals 1966 Bobby Moore
West Ham United
6 Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1968 2 Yugoslavia, USSR
World Cup Finals 1970 4 Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1980 Kevin Keegan
Hamburger
3 Belgium, Italy, Spain
World Cup Finals 1982 Mick Mills
Ipswich Town
5 France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany, Spain
World Cup Finals 1986 Bryan Robson
Manchester United
2 Portugal, Morocco
Peter Shilton
Southampton
3 Poland, Paraguay, Argentina
European Championship Finals 1988 Bryan Robson
Manchester United
3 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, USSR
World Cup Finals 1990 2 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands
Peter Shilton
Derby County
2 Egypt, Italy
Terry Butcher
Rangers
3 Belgium, Cameroon, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1992 Gary Lineker
Tottenham Hotspur
3 Denmark, France, Sweden
European Championship Finals 1996 Tony Adams
Arsenal
5 Switzerland, Scotland, Netherlands, Spain, Germany
World Cup Finals 1998 Alan Shearer
Newcastle United
4 Tunisia, Romania, Colombia, Argentina
European Championship Finals 2000 3 Portugal, Germany, Romania
World Cup Finals 2002 David Beckham
Manchester United (2002/04)
Real Madrid (2006)
5 Sweden, Argentina, Nigeria, Denmark, Brazil
European Championship Finals 2004 4 France, Switzerland, Croatia, Portugal
World Cup Finals 2006 5 Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, Sweden, Ecuador, Portugal
World Cup Finals 2010 Steven Gerrard
Liverpool
4 United States, Algeria, Slovenia, Germany
European Championship Finals 2012 4 France, Sweden, Ukraine, Italy
World Cup Finals 2014 2 Italy, Uruguay
Frank Lampard
Chelsea
1 Costa Rica
European Championship Finals 2016 Wayne Rooney
Manchester United
3 Russia, Wales, Iceland
Gary Cahill
Chelsea
1 Slovakia
World Cup Finals 2018 Harry Kane
Tottenham Hotspur
6 Tunisia, Panama, Colombia, Sweden, Croatia, Belgium
Eric Dier
Tottenham Hotspur
1 Belgium
Nations League Finals 2019 Raheem Sterling
 Manchester City
1 Netherlands
Harry Kane
Tottenham Hotspur
1 Switzerland
European Championship Finals 2020 7 Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic, Germany, Ukraine, Denmark, Italy
World Cup Finals 2022 5 Iran, United States, Wales, Senegal, France

 

Captains in Major Tournaments by Name
Captain Tournaments Matches Opponents
Tony Adams
 Arsenal
European Championship Finals 1996 5 Switzerland, Scotland, Netherlands, Spain, Germany
David Beckham
 Manchester United, Real Madrid
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
Terry Butcher
 Rangers
World Cup Finals 1990 3 Belgium, Cameroon, West Germany
Gary Cahill
 Chelsea
European Championship Finals 2016 1 Slovakia
Eric Dier
 Tottenham Hotspur
World Cup Finals 2018 1 Belgium
Steven Gerrard
 Liverpool
World Cup Finals 2010 4 United States, Algeria, Slovenia, Germany
European Championship Finals 2012 4 France, Sweden, Ukraine, Italy
World Cup Finals 2014 2 Italy, Uruguay, Costa Rica
Johnny Haynes
 Fulham
World Cup Finals 1962 4 Hungary, Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil
Harry Kane
 Tottenham Hotspur
World Cup Finals 2018 7 Tunisia, Panama, Colombia, Sweden, Croatia, Belgium
Nations League Finals 2019 1 Switzerland
European Championship Finals 2020 7 Croatia, Scotland, Czech Republic, Germany, Ukraine, Denmark, Italy
World Cup Finals 2022 5 Iran, United States, Wales, Senegal, France
Kevin Keegan
 Hamburger
European Championship Finals 1980 3 Belgium, Italy, Spain
Frank Lampard
 Chelsea
World Cup Finals 2014 1 Costa Rica
Gary Lineker
 Tottenham Hotspur
European Championship Finals 1992 3 Denmark, France, Sweden
Mick Mills
 Ipswich Town
World Cup Finals 1982 5 France, Czechoslovakia, Kuwait, West Germany, Spain
Bobby Moore
 West Ham United
World Cup Finals 1966 6 Uruguay, Mexico, France, Argentina, Portugal, West Germany
European Championship Finals 1968 2 Yugoslavia, USSR
World Cup Finals 1970 4 Romania, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, West Germany
Bryan Robson
 Manchester United
World Cup Finals 1966 2 Portugal, Morocco
European Championship Finals 1988 3 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, USSR
World Cup Finals 1990 2 Republic of Ireland, Netherlands
Wayne Rooney
 Manchester United
European Championship Finals 2016 3 Russia, Wales, Iceland
Alan Shearer
 Newcastle United
World Cup Finals 1998 4 Tunisia, Romania, Colombia, Argentina
European Championship Finals 2000 3 Portugal, Germany, Romania
Peter Shilton
 Southampton, Derby County
World Cup Finals 1986 3 Poland, Paraguay, Argentina
World Cup Finals 1990 2 Egypt, Italy
Raheem Sterling
 Manchester City
Nations League Finals 2019 1 Netherlands
Billy Wright
 Wolverhampton Wanderers

World Cup Finals 1950

3

Chile, United States, Spain

World Cup Finals 1954 3 Belgium, Switzerland, Uruguay
World Cup Finals 1958 4 USSR, Brazil, Austria, USSR

 

Captains in Major Tournaments by Number of Matches
Captain Tournaments WCF ECF NLF All
Harry Kane
 Tottenham Hotspur
WCF 2018, NLF 2019, ECF 2020, WCF 2022 11 7 1 19
David Beckham
 Manchester United, Real Madrid
WCF 2002, ECF 2004, WCF 2006 10 4 - 14
Bobby Moore
 West Ham United
WCF 1966, ECF 1968, WCF 1970 10 2 - 12
Steven Gerrard
 Liverpool
WCF 2010, ECF 2012, WCF 2014 6 4 - 10
Billy Wright
 Wolverhampton Wanderers
WCF 1950, WCF 1954, WCF 1958 10 - - 10
Bryan Robson
 Manchester United
WCF 1986, ECF 1988, WCF 1990 4 3 - 7
Alan Shearer
 Newcastle United
WCF 1998, ECF 2000 4 3 - 7
Peter Shilton
 Southampton, Derby County
WCF 1986, WCF 1990 5 - - 5
Mick Mills
 Ipswich Town
WCF 1982 5 - - 5
Tony Adams
 Arsenal
ECF 1996 - 5 - 5
Johnny Haynes
 Fulham
WCF 1962 4 - - 4
Terry Butcher
 Rangers
WCF 1980 3 - - 3
Kevin Keegan
 Hamburger
ECF 1980 - 3 - 3
Gary Lineker
 Tottenham Hotspur
ECF 1992 - 3 - 3
Wayne Rooney
 Manchester United
ECF 2016 - 3 - 3
Frank Lampard
 Chelsea
WCF 2014 1 - - 1
Gary Cahill
 Chelsea
ECF 2016 - 1 - 1
Eric Dier
 Tottenham Hotspur
WCF 2018 1 - - 1
Raheem Sterling
 Manchester City
NLF 2019 - - 1 1

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 Netherlands.  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.

Rio Ferdinand was set to lead England into the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa, before a freak training ground accident sent him home packing.  It was down to Steven Gerrard to lead the Three Lions.

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

In the 2014 tournament led by Steven Gerrard, he was rested in the final match after England had been eliminated and Frank Lampard, as vice-Captain, was given the opportunity to play and Captain the side. However, after 73 minutes play, Gerrard entered the field as a substitute and took over the Captain's armband, despite Lampard playing the whole ninety minutes.
Almost identically, in the 2016 tournament, led for the first time by Wayne Rooney. He was rested for the final group match against Slovakia after England had confirmed their progress. Gary Cahill was the starting captain, but despite playing the entire match, also handed over the armband to Rooney when he entered the field.
As in 2016, so in 2018. Harry Kane was confirmed as captain, but after confirming their progression, Eric Dier led the team in their final group match.

PY/CG