The best English footballer ever was born 56 years ago today

Chris Waddle is 43.

Waddle

scholes

lol scholes, not fit to lace Hoddle's boots I'm afraid. Nice player though.

Vinnie Samways is 45 today.

A selection of poor mens Phil Jones

I remember the great Vincent Sideways scoring the winner against the vermin at the Lane. Top man. The difference in footballing terms between him and Hoddle was about the same as the difference in intellectual terms between Wittgenstein and Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane.

Sir Trevor Brooking has got to be up with there the best English midfielders ever imo

Lee Clark is 41 today.

If Spurs were away somewhere grim and northerly, I would often go and watch West Ham to watch Brooking play. It is a great compliment to him to say that he had half of Hoddle's talent. It is not so much of a compliment to say that he also had half Hoddle's pace.

glenn roeder??

Len Shackleton.

is there really any doubt who has been the best English player of last 45 years, bobby Charlton, 49 goals in 106 games for England, don't think any were penalties, and this from a midfield player, and who could hit the ball with either left or right foot. bestie was my hero but Charlton was a superb player

have a look on his 2 world cup semi final goals v Portugal on you tube, magnificent

Bobby Charlton is indeed the best English post war English player
(probably by some distance too)

Bobby Charlton without a doubt - genuinely World Class unlike some of the other names mentioned here

I'd sooner have Scholes in my team on a wet day in Stoke, than Glenys Hoddle

Hoddle was a decent player but he's a complete nut job on par with David Icke and his views..

David Icke was a better goalkeeper than Hoddle

on their day can i throw tony currie and alan hudson into the mix

And Stan Bowls.

Is he a top, top player?

If Greaves had played 106 games for England he would have scored 100 goals.

Hoddle did in fact play in goal for Spurs, and probably did a better job than David Icke would have done.

Duncan Edwards.

noidea, greaves was an all out striker, Charlton was a midfielder, but yes greavsie was a top class striker

Hoddle's ego is as big as Icke's stomach

The superlatives given to Duncan Edwards from his youth football days until his untimely death are astounding , and as for the esteem that England's all time goal scoring & World Cup legend Bobby Charlton held him in says everything.

Known for his Spurs days which given our hate/hate relationship Hoddle was the start of the Chelsea revelution

Stanley Bowles could play a bit.

Was there should a thing as midfielders in Charlton's day? didn't he wear no.9?He certainly wasn't a midfielder in todays terms,good player though and seems to have got a good living from sitting in the old Trafford stands for the last 30 years.

"such a thing".

I was there that day noidea,elland road,we won 2-1 I think.

goalkeeper no1
full backs 2 3
centre halves 5
wing half 4 6
wingers 7 11
inside forwards 8 10
centre forward 9           though Charlton did wear the 9 shirt he wasn't a centre forward

There is no doubt Duncan Edwards would have been one of the all time greats - certainly Bobby Charlton thinks so and several other revered names from that era - unfortunately the poor lad was never granted that opportunity but from reading about him I am as sure as I can be that he would have been right up there

his legacy was dumped on by sed bobby charlton calling phil jones the new duncan edwards,what a let down

Everyone in football says daft things from time to time - blame senility on Bobby - perhaps he said Jones was good enough to carry Duncan's boots - not to try & fill them

the best english players i have seen

banks, moore, currie, hoddle, beardsley, gazza, shearer, and lineker ( might be a bit pro newcastle bias in there)

tis pity that we never used beardsley to his best advantage for england

didnt know andy sinton was 56.

Donny - a bit biased but I'll add that the best Scots player I ever saw was Tony Green - absolutely brilliant - if only he hadn't got injured when he did

he was my favourite as a kid geordie !!

he stood out as if he was lit up by ready brek

Didnt he used to be on the mic in bullseye? In one a cuckoo clock innn 6 a **** boiler and bullys star prize tonight a stone of boiled ham

Peter Beardsley was the best

not a mention of dalglish. hilarious

"Tom Finney would have been great in any team, in any match and in any age ... even if he had been wearing an overcoat." (Bill Shankly)

If only Mikel was English...........How the Fxxk does he get a game ??????

Glenn Cockrill?

agree with jed hoddle was different to any other English player ive seen supreme talent

Kerry Dixon?

Charlton Schmarlton.

Glennda. The greatest. That's that.

Is Gerrard that old?

I should think city wished hoddle could play in goal for them.

Beardsley for me. Best looking too

Beardsley not in the same league as John Barnes. When they both played at Liverpool Barnes was a superior player in every way.

I would say the best I have seen would be Barnes, Gerrard, Scholes, Brooking, Shearer, Gazza, Hoddle. Obviously the likes of Charlton are undoubtedly greats but before my era.