Listing All of the Liverpool Players That have Captained England

Has any English club provided more than three captains for a single international tournament?

The closest possible rival would be Chelsea in 2007/08, who at the time had seven international skippers in the midst – however, only two of them (Michael Ballack and Petr Cech) actually played at EURO 2008 after England, captained by John Terry, famously failed to qualify.

There was a time when Real Madrid had Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos on their books, and each captained their respective countries at one point or another.

But Liverpool’s current crop surely goes close to being the ‘most captained’ at a single international tournament, with a trio of Reds men taking the helm at EURO 2024. Virgil van Dijk is the long-term leader of the Netherlands, while Andy Robertson has taken the armband for Scotland.

They were joined in the leadership stakes by Dominik Szoboszlai, who was tasked with leading Hungary into battle with Germany.

England are captained by Harry Kane, and there’s no shortage of players with leadership qualities in Gareth Southgate’s squad. One of them is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was appointed Liverpool’s vice-captain by Jurgen Klopp, and who has taken the armband in the absence of regular skipper Van Dijk.

Intriguingly, no English club has provided more captains of the national team than Liverpool – eleven in the post-war era, to be precise, and 12 if you count Ephraim Longworth, who captained the Reds and England in the 1910s (helping the club to a pair of First Division titles) and into the 1920s.

Will Trent one day make it 13?

Emlyn Hughes

In the space of a year between 1973-74, Emlyn Hughes won the UEFA Cup and FA Cup with Liverpool, and was appointment captain of the Reds and England too.

Crazy Horse, as he was affectionately known, was handed the armband for his seven games in caretaker charge, however the new England manager – Don Revie – would strip Hughes of the captaincy and hand it to Alan Ball instead.

Later on, Hughes would be given a brief reprieve by future England boss Ron Greenwood.

Kevin Keegan

One of the most talented players England has ever produced, Kevin Keegan captained the national team some 31 times.

Ironically, he would be given the armband by Revie after Hughes – wearing it for a span of six years from 1976 to the European Championship of 1982.

Phil Thompson

A commanding presence adored by his peers, it was no surprise that Phil Thompson would captain Liverpool and England.

He took the helm six times, but it was as skipper of Liverpool that Thommo enjoyed his finest moment – lifting the 1981 European Cup.

Ray Clemence

It’s unusual for goalkeepers to be named captain – particularly at international level.

But the honour was bestowed upon Ray Clemence on a single occasion: the Reds shot-stopper wearing the armband in a friendly against Brazil in 1981.

Phil Neal

Liverpool legend and one of a select band of players to earn 50+ caps for England, Phil Neal captained his country on a solitary occasion.

That came against Iceland in 1982.

Peter Beardsley

A tremendous talent, Peter Beardsley nevertheless was a quiet and unassuming type – not the sort of personality you’d expect to be made England captain.

But Bobby Robson saw something of leadership material about him, making Beardsley captain for a game against Israel in 1988.

Paul Ince

One of the most iconic images of Paul Ince’s career came when captaining England – his head famously bandaged and bloody from a game in Italy via which the Three Lions booked their place at World Cup ’98.

A born leader, Ince’s nickname of the ‘Guv’nor’ reveals plenty about his approach to the beautiful game.

Michael Owen

Like Beardsley before him, Michael Owen was a naturally quiet type.

But some captains lead by actions, not words, and one of the greatest goalscorers in England’s history was appointed national team skipper in 2002 – his first game would see Owen lead his teammates out at Anfield against Paraguay.

Steven Gerrard

One of the greatest captains ever to pull on the red shirt, it was no surprise when Steven Gerrard was asked to skipper England at various times.

His captaincy debut came in 2004, and he was the temporary skipper thereafter, before being handed the armband permanently in 2012.

James Milner

Managers often look for a calm, experienced head to captain their teams, so James Milner was an obvious choice for England skipper in 2016.

He would only wear the armband once, however: taking the reins against the Netherlands in March 2016.

Jordan Henderson

Hendo was another who oozed leadership quality, and would ultimately captain Liverpool and England simultaneously.

Like many others before him, his finest days as skipper came for the Reds: hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophies during that glorious part of Klopp’s reign.