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Page Last Updated 26 March 2024

This is a comprehensive list of the Youngest Captains of the England national team.  
These are the official captains that began each match they were in charge of.  It is of note to suggest that this list could be headed by the great Tinsley Lindley, if some sources are to be believed that Lindley was captain on his debut, 13 March 1886.  Lindley was 20 years and 148 days.

Rank

Player
 Club

Birthdate First Captain Date Match Age
22 years old..
1 Bobby Moore
 West Ham United
12 April 1941 29 May 1963 4-2 vs. Czechoslovakia, Tehelné pole, Bratislava & 47 days
2 Tinsley Lindley
 Cambridge Univ., Nott'm
 Forest & Corinthians
27 October 1865 4 February 1888 5-1 vs. Wales, Recreation Ground, Crewe & 100 days
3 Michael Owen
 
Liverpool
14 December 1979 17 April 2002 4-0 vs. Paraguay, Anfield Road, Liverpool & 125 days
4 Cuthbert Ottaway
 Oxford University
20 July 1850 30 November 1872 0-0 vs. Scotland, The West of Scotland Cricket Ground, Glasgow & 134 days
5 Jack Hudson
 Sheffield
11 October 1860 24 February 1883 7-0 vs. Ireland, Liverpool Cricket Ground, Liverpool & 136 days
6 William Rawson
 
Oxford University
14 October 1854 3 March 1877 1-3 vs. Scotland, Surrey Cricket Ground, Kennington & 140 days
7 Percy Walters
 
Old Carthusians &
 Corinthians
30 September 1863 13 March 1886 6-1 vs. Ireland, Ulster Ground, Belfast & 165 days
8 Stan Cullis
 
Wolverhampton Wand.
25 October 1916 24 May 1939 2-0 vs. Romania, Stadionul ANEF, Bucureşti & 211 days
9 Basil Patchitt
 
Corinthians
8 August 1900 21 May 1923 4-2 vs. Sweden, Stockholms Olympiastadion, Stockholm & 278 days
10 Billy Moon
 
Old Westminsters &
 Corinthians
7 June 1868 4 April 1891 2-1 vs. Scotland, Ewood Park, Blackburn & 301 days
23 years old..
11 Gilbert Smith
 Oxford Univ., Old
 Carths. & Corinthians
25 November 1872 4 April 1896 1-2 vs. Scotland, Celtic Park, Glasgow & 132 days
12 Bob Crompton
 
Blackburn Rovers
26 September 1879 2 March 1903 2-1 vs. Wales, Fratton Park, Portsmouth & 158 days
13 Charlie Bambridge
 
Swifts
30 July 1858 18 February 1882 13-0 vs. Ireland, Knock Ground, Belfast & 204 days
14 Marcus Rashford
 
Manchester United
31 October 1997 6 June 2021 1-0 vs. Romania, Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough & 218 days
15 Stanley Harris
 
Old Westminsters &
 Corinthians
19 July 1881 25 February 1905 1-1 vs. Ireland, Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough & 222 days
16 Norman Bailey
 
Clapham Rovers
23 July 1857 12 March 1881 1-6 vs. Scotland, Surrey Cricket Ground, Kennington & 233 days
17 Sol Campbell
 
Tottenham Hotspur
18 September 1974 29 May 1998 0-0 vs. Belgium, Complexe Sportif Mohamed V, Casablanca & 254 days
18 Gerry Francis
 QPR
6 December 1951 3 September 1975 2-1 vs. Switzerland, Sankt Jakob Stadium, Basel & 272 days
19 Eric Dier
 
Tottenham Hotspur
15 January 1994 10 November 2017 0-0 vs. Germany, National Stadium, Wembley & 299 days
20 Steven Gerrard
 Liverpool
30 May 1980 31 March 2004 0-1 vs. Sweden, Nya Ullevi Stadion, Göteborg & 307 days
21 Harry Kane
 Tottenham Hotspur
28 July 1993 10 June 2017 2-2 vs. Scotland, National Stadium, Glasgow & 317 days
22 Reginald Erskine Foster
 Old Malvernians &
 Corinthians
16 April 1878 3 March 1902 0-0 vs. Ireland, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham & 321 days
24 years old..
23 Wayne Rooney
 Manchester United
24 October 1985 14 November 2009 0-1 vs. Brazil, Istād Khalīfah, Al Rayyan, & 22 days
24 Hubert Heron
 Wanderers
30 January 1852 4 March 1876 0-3 vs. Scotland, The West of Scotland Cricket Ground, Glasgow & 35 days
25 Raheem Sterling
 Manchester City
8 December 1994 6 June 2019 1-3 vs. Netherlands, Estádio Dom Afonso Henriques, Guimarães & 180 days
26 Billy Wright
 Wolverhampton Wand
.
6 February 1924 9 October 1948 6-2 vs. Ireland, Windsor Park, Belfast & 228 days
27 Claude Ashton
 Corinthians & Old
 Wykehamists
19 February 1901 24 October 1925 0-0 vs. Ireland, Windsor Park, Belfast & 247 days
28 Francis Sparks
 
Clapham Rovers
4 July 1855 15 March 1880 3-2 vs. Wales, Racecourse Ground, Wrexham & 254 days
29 George Cotterill
 
Old Brightonians
&
 Corinthians
4 April 1868 25 February 1893 6-1 vs. Ireland, Wellington Road Football Ground, Handsworth & 328 days
30 Arthur Cursham
 
Notts County
14 March 1853 2 March 1878 2-7 vs. Scotland, Hampden Park,  Glasgow & 354 days
 

CG