Skip to main content
Published 28 May 2024 4 min read
England Men's Senior Team

Harry Maguire: My Favourite England XI

Written by:

Adam Drury

The Three Lions defender picks out his team of legendary England names

The latest England star to take part in our Favourite XI feature is Harry Maguire.

The experienced centre-back picks out a number of memorable former and current players to make up a 3-5-2 formation.

And he resists the temptation to pick himself in defence, instead opting for his long-time defensive partner alongside two Three Lions legends.

Here is his team in full.

Goalkeeper: Peter Shilton

I'm going to go way back and pick Peter Shilton. I've met him a couple of times because he was at Leicester games a lot when I was there. He was an excellent goalkeeper.

01 Mar 2023 5:54

Harry Maguire | Every England Goal


Watch every goal the defender has scored for the Three Lions

Centre-back: Bobby Moore

My centre-back has to be Bobby Moore. I've always worn number six playing for England and I know he was a magnificent defender and wore number six all the time as well. I think he is the real standout.

Centre-back: John Terry

John Terry was a player I watched a lot of when I was young, that was the era I was properly into it. He always stood out for me. I took a lot of his game and tried to model it for myself.

Centre-back: John Stones

I'll go with a back three and put John Stones in. Me and John have played a lot together now, around 50 games, and we feel that defensive record has been really good. He is an excellent player and a good friend of mine.

John Stones and Harry Maguire celebrate England's win over Italy in October 2023
John Stones and Harry Maguire celebrate England's win over Italy in October 2023

Right midfield: David Beckham

I definitely want Beckham, another big icon. There are so many moments when I think about my childhood watching England and watching football. He was the one you wanted to be. I remember his free-kick against Greece as a particular highlight.

Centre midfield: Paul Gascoigne

I'd have loved to play with Gazza. I met him a few times and he was such an iconic player for me watching his moments growing up. He's one of those players who can light up a crowd.

Centre midfield: Michael Carrick

I worked with Michael Carrick at Manchester United and I know how knowledgeable he is and how clever he is. I don't think he got as many opportunities for England as he would have liked but he's the one who I'd really like to play with. He protected the defence really well and he took the ball really well.

Centre midfield: Jude Bellingham

If I include Jude I know that in 10 years' time this is still going to be a hell of a team. Jude's got a great mentality, he's only 20 and already played in one major tournament. He's going to be a future star, without putting too much pressure on his shoulders.

Left midfield: Raheem Sterling

Raheem was another big part of what we've done over the last eight years and turned up in major tournaments to produce big moments and big goals. One thing you know with Raheem is he will have an impact in the key moments and he's done that for us often.

Raheem Sterling celebrates his goal against Germany at EURO 2020
Raheem Sterling celebrates his goal against Germany at EURO 2020

Striker: Harry Kane

Leading the line will be Harry, who's been a huge part of my England career and a big reason why we've been so successful. A great captain for us, a great leader, a great person and a great player. He would be my captain in this team.

Striker: Wayne Rooney

Just off 'H' will be Wayne Rooney, so we've got two record goalscorers for England together. If you put them in the same team, you're guaranteed goals. Wayne was a world-class player and one of the greatest ever English players. He's probably still a bit underrated in my eyes. I speak to him quite a bit about the game as well and he's really knowledgeable.

Honourable mentions:

There are a lot of players I've played with. Jordan Pickford is a great mate of mine and he's never let us down when he's played in goal. He's been number one for several years and there's a lot of scrutiny on him in that position.

If I was playing full-backs, Kyle Walker would have been on the right. For me, the best right-back ever to play in the Premier League. I know him from growing up at Sheffield United and he's had an amazing career. He's really blossomed and for me he's very underrated. He's won everything.

And then I would just say a mixture of 1966 players and the lads I've played with over the last few years. I didn't see the World Cup winners play but obviously they're all legends. And then the lads we've had success with under Gareth Southgate – and hopefully there's silverware to come.