Best ever British player

[Loafer]

who is it?

Bale for me, in my lifetime the most successful on the biggest stage

[Dirk Gently]

Duncan Edwards.

[Sanguine]

Jimmy Greaves, one of the greatest goalscorers in British football history.

Kenny Dalglish, won it all as a player at Liverpool, then did it all again as a manager (short only a European trophy as boss, albeit his time coincided with the European ban).

Bobby Moore. Nearly 800 club appearances, brilliant defender. Captained his country 90 times, a world record he shares with Billy Wright, and led us to our only major honour in 1966.

[Loafer]

I never saw them so can't comment

By all accounts from my Mrs grandad, a spurs season ticket holder for 55+ years, greaves was the best ever

[From Despair To Where?]

John Charles.

Dalglish was a very special player.

Hard to compare eras though. I'm not sure how Bale would have coped on the 70s pitch at the Baseball Ground.

[Sutekh]

John Charles.

Dalglish was a very special player.

Hard to compare eras though. I'm not sure how Bale would have coped on the 70s pitch at the Baseball Ground.

Or how good someone like Dalglish or Best would have been with all the preparation that goes into players and games these days, not to mention the superb pitches.

And just how much would Greaves be worth if in his prime now?

Overall though we all know the answer to the question is really Robin Friday.

[Ascotexgunner]

Possibly Best overall but in the modern era Bale.

[Dirk Gently]

I'm always wary of the term "best". Who was better - Gordon Banks or Jimmy Greaves?

It's not possible to judge because different players have different skills and attributes.

[Sutekh]

I'm always wary of the term "best". Who was better - Gordon Banks or Jimmy Greaves?

It's not possible to judge because different players have different skills and attributes.

Let’s go for a best British XI then….

Banks
Dalglish
Greaves
Moore
Best
Charles

Have to be definites for me

[AthleticoSpizz]

….right now? Andy Carroll

In reality, Sir Alf Ramsey

[Green]

Gary Mabbutt

[Conservative_dad]

Gary Mabbutt

He's no Peter Beagrie!

[Ark Royal]

My uncles swore that Duncan Edwards was the best player they had ever seen. Strange to think that if he had survived Munich, he would only have been 29 years old when the 1966 World Cup came around and maybe a shout for captain instead of Moore.

Other British players for me? Best, Law, Baxter, Hoddle, Greaves.

[Sanguine]

Hoddle a good shout for the long list, I guess under-rated as a player, suffering much like Kane does, for spending most of his career at Spurs and not winning much at all. How did he only win 53 England caps?

[Sutekh]

Hoddle a good shout for the long list, I guess under-rated as a player, suffering much like Kane does, for spending most of his career at Spurs and not winning much at all. How did he only win 53 England caps?

Like all “gifted” players, Hudson, Bowles and Currie suffered before him, England managers didn’t really want them as they lacked the dreaded term “work rate”. Yes they could dribble past players like they weren’t there and/or hit defence splitting passes with incredible timing and accuracy but the fact they weren’t putting a tackle in or to be found on the goal line at a corner meant they didn’t fit with the really successful British way of playing at the time.

Meanwhile a lot of “johnny foreigners” were busy building national teams around players like that - and even qualifying regularly for world cups and euro championships.

[South Coast Royal]

My uncles swore that Duncan Edwards was the best player they had ever seen. Strange to think that if he had survived Munich, he would only have been 29 years old when the 1966 World Cup came around and maybe a shout for captain instead of Moore.

Other British players for me? Best, Law, Baxter, Hoddle, Greaves.

One of the biggest compliments I ever had playing football was in one team to be called Jim Baxter-we wore blue shirts and I played left or right half.

Although I dislike Man Utd I am not too biased and agree that Georgie Best has to be one of the best as was Law (Shankly's favourite player-the wee Scottish lad with glasses when at Huddersfield).
Also Giggs would be a contender but that is where it ends for me and Man Utd players.

One of the best known, Beckham, would not even make my top 50.

Even at my advanced age I didn't see much of Edwards or Charles to comment but surely Stanley Matthews and Bobby Charlton have to be considered.

[Sutekh]

Edwards is always going to be mentioned as he had so much promise that was never fulfilled, he may even have been a rival for Pele. It was just so very sad that his life and so many others were lost needlessly on that February night.

[YorkshireRoyal99]

Bale was phenomenal but I think, in terms of playing career, you could even say Giggs was better, from a Welsh perspective.

They weren't from my era but you would probably argue George Best, Bobby Moore or Jimmy Greaves.

[Ark Royal]

My uncles swore that Duncan Edwards was the best player they had ever seen. Strange to think that if he had survived Munich, he would only have been 29 years old when the 1966 World Cup came around and maybe a shout for captain instead of Moore.

Other British players for me? Best, Law, Baxter, Hoddle, Greaves.

One of the biggest compliments I ever had playing football was in one team to be called Jim Baxter-we wore blue shirts and I played left or right half.

Although I dislike Man Utd I am not too biased and agree that Georgie Best has to be one of the best as was Law (Shankly's favourite player-the wee Scottish lad with glasses when at Huddersfield).
Also Giggs would be a contender but that is where it ends for me and Man Utd players.

One of the best known, Beckham, would not even make my top 50.

Even at my advanced age I didn't see much of Edwards or Charles to comment but surely Stanley Matthews and Bobby Charlton have to be considered.

This. Beckham was not even the best player in Manchester.

Strange that growing up as a kid, all of my footballing idols were Scottiish: Law, Baxter and Alex Young of Everton, aka 'The Golden Vision'.

[Dirk Gently]

Edwards is always going to be mentioned as he had so much promise that was never fulfilled, he may even have been a rival for Pele. It was just so very sad that his life and so many others were lost needlessly on that February night.

My dad saw him and said he was just exceptional - not just for his age but as a complete, outstanding player.