Terry's explanations for his choices
Goal
Gordon Banks was an automatic choice as goalkeeper to commemorate the triumphant 1966 World Cup line up.
Defence
His shortlist for the left back position included: Ray Wilson, Stuart Pearce and Ashley Cole who “were all tough competitors” but he chose Kenny Sansom because: “Kenny has all the qualities you want – he’s quick, sharp, alert, unbeatable one-on-one, good going forward and just an excellent all-rounder who made very few mistakes.”
His shortlist for central defenders included: Terry Butcher, Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. He chose Bobby Moore (captain) “Bobby needs no introduction. He is a legend and the best choice for captain, even among a team full of leaders” and Tony Adams “Another fantastic leader and excellent in the air. Tony never crumbled under pressure which made him that little bit more special. I envied Arsenal for having him from a young age.”
His shortlist for right back included: Mick Mills, Phil Neal, Jimmy Armfield and George Cohen “who all have a lot of caps”. He chose Gary Neville because: “Whether you like him or not, he’s a true captain, a great leader and a top class professional. I’m really disappointed he wasn’t part of this year’s World Cup squad.”
Midfield
"There are too many midfielders to choose from so it just depends on how you prefer to play. We’ve produced some exceptional midfielders over the years so it was quite difficult to decide on four of the best. They are:
Alan Ball – “Alan was a tireless, one and two touch player who lived for football. He has an infectious personality and inspired players around him. He would rather die than lose. Another born leader and many would say a stand out player in the World Cup final in 1966. He epitomised the never-say-die attitude of the England team that day.”
Bryan Robson – “Another strong personality and an excellent leader. A lionheart in defence and dynamic in attack, he was the complete midfield player and I’d say one of England’s very best central midfielders. During his 90 cap tenure, he scored 26 goals which is a great achievement for someone who played quite deep. He also created a lot of opportunities for the other players.”
Bobby Charlton – “Like Alan Ball, Bobby had an infectious personality who never stopped talking about football – it was his life. He had a great sense of humour and personality and played with grace and elegance. He had a lethal left foot and just could not be stopped.”
Paul Gascoigne – “In my opinion, Gazza was the best all round English footballer this country has seen and I’d say he is up there with the very best generally. He was an amazing player who played with a lot of heart.”
Strikers
Shortlisted:
Geoff Hurst – “Geoff started his career at West Ham where his manager Ron Greenwood coached him to become a top class centre forward. Through sheer dedication, he excelled himself as a striker. He scored a hat-trick in the World Cup final, so you can’t really improve on that. But if I chose the team based on this, I’d have to pick the whole 1966 squad as my all-time top 11!”
Kevin Keegan – “He scored one goal in every three games for England but he offered so much more than just goals.”
Gary Lineker – “Gary has a fantastic goal scoring record and lost out marginally in this top 11 team but it was a very tough choice. He had a great goal scoring instinct and was extremely smart. He never wasted a chance and his anticipation was fantastic. He always took a chance and didn’t just wait to see where a ball would end up. He had a great nose for scoring goals.”
Michael Owen – “From a very young age, Michael was a remarkable goal scorer. He could score goals that other strikers couldn’t and his natural brilliance was similar to that of Jimmy Greaves.”
Wayne Rooney – “Rooney still has time to go on to do great things for England. He’s only young and has natural talent.”
Terry chose:
Jimmy Greaves “His record speaks for itself. I played in the same team as Jimmy twice and he was the most natural goal scorer you’ll see. It’s a real shame there isn’t more footage of Jimmy’s goals and I have no doubt that if he had played in the current era, he’d be one of the most celebrated players around. He has a phenomenal goal scoring record for both club and country and it was unfortunate he didn’t get to play in the World Cup final in ’66. In his 57 games for England, he scored 44 goals and has a similarly brilliant record at club level. He was like Roy of the Rovers!”
Alan Shearer – “Alan was the complete all-round player who scored all types of goals – from near and far post headers to anywhere from 18 or 35 yards out. He had an incredible amount of power in his shot and was a versatile goal scorer.”
Final thoughts from Terry
“The reason I didn’t pick more current players is because it’s harder to judge if they are still playing as they possibly haven’t reached their peak. With the veterans, you’re looking back at players who have proved themselves over time.
These selections are purely based on my opinion after considering the stats and thinking about how I’d like my team to look. Whether this team would be able to win a World Cup we’ll never know. The game is so different now, but they could certainly score some goals!"
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