Ranked: 10 of the best players Millwall have produced from their academy – Do you agree? | OneFootball

It looks as though Millwall’s play-off hopes are over for another season, such is the size of the gap between them and the top six at the moment.

Gary Rowett’s side have had something of a frustrating season at times but look on course for a top-half finish, which in this unusual year is not something to scoff at.

One of the positives from the 2020/21 campaign has been the opportunities given to some of the south London club’s up-and-coming players.

The likes of Billy Mitchell, Tyler Burey, and Hayden Muller have all had chances to impress, showing that not only is there a pathway from academy to first-team under Gary Rowett but that the future is bright.

We’re turning our attention to Millwall’s youth setup today and scouring back through the records for some of the best players to ever come through at the club.

Here are 10 of the best players their academy has produced – do you agree?

Starting with an absolute club legend and perhaps the greatest player ever to pull on a Millwall shirt.

Kitchener made the switch from West Ham’s youth setup to Millwall’s in the 1960s in a move that would prove excellent for both player and club.

The powerful central defender embodied the club’s values and after progressing into the senior side, went on to make 602 appearances for the Lions – the most of any player ever.

Some great players have pulled on a Millwall shirt but surely none greater than Kitchener, who has a permanent presence at the Den in the form of the Barry Kitchener Stand.

His spell in the Millwall academy may have been brief but given the career he’s had, it’s impossible to not include Smalling on this list.

The central defender joined the Maidstone United academy after being released by the Lions at the age of 16 before being snapped up by Fulham and eventually securing a career-defining move to Manchester United.

Smalling’s time at Old Trafford may have ended quietly but he won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup, and the Europa League with the Red Devils.

The current Roma centre-back also has 31 England appearances to his name.

Another player whose success has come elsewhere, Eze may not be a hugely popular inclusion on this list but the way he’s dazzled with Crystal Palace this term, he simply had to be on here.

The playmaker spent two years at Millwall before leaving in 2016 with a move to QPR his next step.

Eze emerged as an integral figure with the R’s and pulled the strings from attacking midfield, turning the heads of some top-flight sides

He returned to south London in the summer, though moving to Selhurst Park and not the Den, and has been brilliant this term. The 22-year-old certainly has a very bright future.

Eze’s inclusion may have frustrated some supporters but there can surely be no arguments with Sheringham’s place on the list.

The striker joined the club from Leytonstone & Ilford as an apprentice in 1983 but worked his way into the senior side later in the decade.

93 goals in 220 appearances would follow for Sheringham, including firing them to England’s top tier for the first time in 1987/88, before moving on.

He impressed with the likes of Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, and West Ham United but his time at Manchester United brought him the most success as he won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.

Wandsworth-born Ruddock came through the Millwall academy in the 1980s but despite having been at the club since the age of 13 barely featured for the senior side.

The central defender’s physical and no-nonsense style off defender would likely have made him popular among fans of the south London club but it was not to be.

Instead, his best years came with Liverpool, Tottenham, and West Ham United, while he earned his only England cap in 1994.

Millwall fans can still take pride that they produced the 17th hardest football of all time, according to a vote held in 2009.

Perhaps not the most talented player on this list but Craig was a fantastic servant to his boyhood club.

Born in south London, the defender progressed through the Lions’ academy and went on to make more than 300 appearances across three spells at the Den.

Having originally made his debut in 2003, Craig represented Millwall in all three of England’s top three divisions – helping them win promotion on a number of occasions.

The fact that his first and last appearance for the club came 15 years apart is a testament to his longevity and the 35-year-old is still playing, now with League Two side Crawley Town.

Another defender that stands out for his longevity and consistency, Dunne spent the best part of two decades at Millwall.

The right-back came through the club’s academy system in the late 1990s and signed his first professional contract in March 2000.

Dunne cemented a first-team place a few years later and then featured fairly regularly until he left the Den in 2015 – joining first Leyton Orient and then non-league Bromley.

Another player that represented the club in all of England’s top three divisions and played a role in a promotion-winning campaign, the Irishman’s been a fantastic product of the academy.

There have been a fair few famous footballing Paul Robinsons in the modern era but Millwall’s academy product will surely be the favourite among the Den faithful.

Robinson was part of the same generation as the likes of Dunne and Craig, and was another fantastic servant for the south London club.

The central defender tallied up nearly 350 appearances in a Millwall shirt, including aiding their promotion back to the Championship in 2009/10 before leaving in 2014.

That wasn’t the end of his service either as in July 2019 he went full circle but becoming the assistant manager of the club’s U23s.

Phil Babb

You’d be hard-pressed to find many products of the Millwall academy that went on to play for Sporting Lisbon – in fact, Babb may well be the only one.

The central defender was born in south London and came through the club’s youth system but left before making his professional debut to join Bradford.

Babb then joined Coventry City before Liverpool made him the most expensive defender in Britain in 1994 – the year that also saw him go to the World Cup with the Republic of Ireland.

Six seasons in the Premier League with the Anfield club would follow before he moved to the Portuguese capital in 2000.

The defender was a regular in Premier League sides for nearly a decade first with Millwall, then Blackburn Rovers, West Bromwich Albion, and finally Burnley.

Reid was far more than just solid defensively, offering true threat when he was bombing down the right flank.

Millwall fans will say he learned those qualities during his years in the club’s academy system.

Supporters of the south London club may remember Reid most fondly for his long-range striking ability, having scored a fair few absolute scorchers.

Another academy product that has gone into coaching, the 40-year-old is currently an assistant coach at both Nottingham Forest and Scotland.