Rooney, Kane, Bale: Who is the best British footballer ever? | OneFootball

There have been so many great British footballers in the history of the sport.

But who is the best British player in history?

FourFourTwo have ranked the 25 best footballers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to have ever played the game.

The majority of the players in the list are English, while seven are Welsh, five are Scottish and three are from Northern Ireland. View their rankings below...

25. Gary Lineker (England)

Lineker played for the likes of Leicester City, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur during his career. He scored 48 goals for England.

24. Billy McNeill (Scotland)

A Celtic legend. McNeill spent his whole career with The Bhoys, helping them to nine Scottish Premier League titles and a European Cup triumph in 1967.

23. Billy Meredith (Wales)

The Welshman is considered one of football’s first superstars, having excelled at both Manchester City and Manchester United.

Kane is the only active player to make the list. He could well establish himself among the top 10 by the time he hangs up his boots.

21. Danny Blanchflower (Northern Ireland)

Blanchflower is considered one of the greatest players in Tottenham's history. He captained them during their double-winning season in 1960/61, while he also turned out 58 times for Northern Ireland.

20. Neville Southall (Wales)

Southall made 578 appearances for Everton during a stellar 17-year stint from 1981-1998. He represented Wales on 92 occasions.

Shearer holds the record for the most goals in Premier League history with 260.

18. Jim Baxter (Scotland)

Sir Alex Ferguson described Baxter as 'arguably the best player to play in Scottish football' after his death in 2001, per the Telegraph. Baxter played for Rangers, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest in his career.

17. David Beckham (England)

Beckham was a wizard at dead-ball situations, but he also had so much more to his game. We feel he is still underrated by some football fans.

16. Pat Jennings (Northern Ireland)

The Northern Irish goalkeeper enjoyed great success at both Arsenal and Tottenham. He played 119 games for his country.

15. Mark Hughes (Wales)

Hughes won the Premier League twice with Manchester United. He was named PFA Players' Player of the Year twice - an award given to the best player in English football.

14. Paul Gascoigne (England)

A pure genius on the football pitch. 'Gazza' so nearly guided England to glory at Italia 90 and Euro 1996.

13. Ryan Giggs (Wales)

Giggs enjoyed extraordinary longevity, with his professional career spanning 24 years. He played 963 times for Manchester United and helped them to 35 trophies.

12. Gordon Banks (England)

Banks helped England to World Cup glory in 1966. He is responsible for arguably the greatest save ever, when he denied Pele at the 1970 World Cup.

11. Ian Rush (Wales)

Rush is Liverpool's all-time top goalscorer, having netted 346 times for the club. He won five league titles with the Reds and helped them to two European Cup triumphs.

10. Jimmy Greaves (England)

Greaves is the highest goalscorer in the history of English top-flight football with 357 goals. He netted an impressive 44 times in 57 games for England.

9. Wayne Rooney (England)

Rooney is England's second highest goalscorer ever with 53 goals. He was much more than just a goalscorer, though. He had everything.

8. John Charles (Wales)

Charles was a lethal goalscorer but he was also capable of playing as a centre-back. He enjoyed extraordinary success with Leeds United and Juventus.

7. Graeme Souness (Scotland)

Souness' best spell came at Liverpool, where he helped them to Europan Cup glory three times during his six-year spell.

6. Gareth Bale (Wales)

Extremely quick and a wand of a left-foot, Bale was unstoppable at his peak. He enjoyed great success at Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid, while he is Wales' top goalscorer with 41. He is the greatest player Wales have ever produced.

5. Denis Law (Scotland)

Law is one of the greatest footballers in Manchester United's history. The lethal finisher won the Ballon d'Or in 1964.

4. Bobby Moore (England)

Moore is regarded as one of the greatest centre-backs in football history. At the time of writing, he is the only man to captain England to World Cup glory.

3. Bobby Charlton (England)

Charlton won the Ballon d'Or in 1966, while he finished second in 1967 and 1968. He netted 49 times for his country and was integral in their World Cup triumph.

2. Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)

Dalglish was so good that he was nicknamed 'King' by Liverpool supporters. A wonderful footballer, Dalglish is regarded as a legend at Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland.

1. George Best (Northern Ireland)

So much has been said and written about Best's exploits off the pitch, but he was an absolute magician on it. The Man United and Northern Ireland legend finished fifth in FIFA's Player of the 21st Century vote.