The following rankings were compiled by Rob Fielder, author of the books “The Complete History of the World Cup” and “The Complete History of the European Championships”. These rankings are – of course – purely subjective and do not claim to be definitive.
Eligible are players that played for an English club regardless of their nationality. These rankings take into account accomplishments in domestic English competitions. International competitions or accomplishments of English footballers playing for foreign clubs are not accounted.
Centre-Halves / Cultured Defenders