Gary Neville says former Prime Minister’s League forward is “the greatest England player ever”
The pressure next summer is in England. The Golden Generation of Three Lions – without a doubt they are exactly that – fell a lot on the last obstacle, and 2026 has to be different. This time, there is no Gareth Southgate, and no excuses.
With a manager who has won Champions League titles at the club level and has only left Bayern Munich in 2024 as Thomas Tuchel, England should have the perfect package to end 60 years of injury. The women’s side has already taken it home on the European stage. Now the man’s side must follow and hand it to permanent.
However, this is not the first golden generation to bear the burden of stress. Before Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Declan Rice, there were Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and Frank Lampard. There are Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole. The list can continue. If England had tried it, it wouldn’t be a more talented team, but they left without glory.
They remain the best player ever to play for England, but Gary Neville admitted that the team never did enough to win the “Golden Generation” tag, said in 2010: “Now, there are a lot of new players on the team that add a lot of players to the remnants of the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ players.
“But, honestly, the ‘Golden Generation’ is not where I sit on England. We didn’t win any tournaments, nor did we win justice. When you win things, you’re called the Golden Generation.”
This is perhaps why the United legend recently chose to reject people like Rooney when he claimed who he thought was the greatest player in England ever.
Neville: Kane is “the greatest England player ever”
Despite the aforementioned legend he played with, Neville named Harry Kane as “the greatest England player ever” last summer. The current Bayern Munich star won praise from Neville before Rooney, who has long been the country’s top scorer.
“I spoke with Wayne Rooney four to five weeks before the game started and he said Harry Kane was the greatest England player of all time. It was a compliment for someone who was around England at Rooney.
“I wouldn’t disagree with him either. Harry Kane is absolutely sensational.”
It is difficult to disagree with this judgment. Kane may not have his name trophy on an international level, but it’s not for trying. Tottenham Hotspur’s legends include both the World Cup Golden Boots and the Euro Golden Boots, and are clearly shown as the top scorer of the three Lions.
|
England’s top scorer |
Target |
|---|---|
|
Harry Kane |
73 |
|
Wayne Rooney |
53 |
|
Sir Bobby Charlton |
49 |
|
Gary Lineker |
48 |
|
Jimmy Greaves |
44 |
Kane showed no signs of slowing down at Bayern Munich at the age of 32 and had a chance to lead England glory at the World Cup next summer. After finishing waiting for the trophy at the club level, the iconic striker now has the opportunity to end his 60-year wait for the entire country.
