Nachrichten
The international break is in full swing and even though Leicester City have no England representatives this time, they’ve had several names feature for the Three Lions.
Playing for your country is one of the biggest honours in anyone’s professional career and there have been a host of Leicester players who have been fortunate enough to play for England.
22 players who have played for the Foxes have received England call-ups, making 173 appearances
Sid Bishop was the first Leicester star to play for England in 1927 while James Justin was the most recent, with his England debut coming in 2022.
So, on that note, let’s look at the top five Leicester City stars who have played for England.
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks is one of English football’s biggest legends and the incredible shot-stopper made his name during his time at Leicester.
MORE LEICESTER STORIES
Banks made his international debut in 1963, by which time he had already established himself as the first-choice ‘keeper and was the number-one pick for England’s famous World Cup win in 1966.
His historic feat with England would coincide with his final season at Leicester, where he was moved on in the summer after the World Cup win, joining fellow First Division side Stoke City.
To this day, Banks has made more England appearances while at Leicester than any other player, representing the country 36 times.
Peter Shilton
Banks’ replacement Peter Shilton was the next in line to represent England while at Leicester.
Shilton was responsible for his goalkeeping companion’s departure from Filbert Street after rising through the youth ranks and demanding a first-team spot after threatening to leave the club.
After making his Foxes debut at age 16, Shilton made his England debut in 1970 – despite playing in the Second Division at the time.
Once promoted back to the top flight, Shilton would continue to be selected for England, largely acting as a backup to Banks and then Ray Clemence.
It would take leaving Leicester for Stoke City and then Nottingham Forest before he established himself in the national team set-up, but after making his Three Lions debut at Leicester, the Foxes can take responsibility for kickstarting his international career.
Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker is one of Leicester’s biggest legends and a hit for the Three Lions.
Lineker’s Leicester and England career only briefly intertwined but crucially, he made his national team debut while at the Foxes.
The Match of the Day star made five appearances for the country as a Leicester player before joining Everton in 1985.
He would win the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup and feature at Euro 88, and Italia 90 before ending his Three Lions career in 1992 with 40 goals from 80 caps.
Jamie Vardy
Undoubtedly Leicester’s greatest player of all time, the incredible Jamie Vardy story added another chapter when he went from non-league to the international stage.
Vardy was called up to the England squad for the first time in 2015 after helping to guide the Foxes to Premier League survival.
He scored his first goal for the Three Lions in March 2016 with an outstanding back-heeled goal against Germany before scoring his first goal at Wembley Stadium in a 2-1 defeat against the Netherlands.
The forward was called up for the Euro 2016 squad, where he scored the equaliser in the 2-1 win against Wales, but was only given a handful of opportunities.
It was a similar story for the 2018 World Cup and Vardy retired from international football, despite many supporters hoping he would stay on.
James Maddison
Throughout his Leicester career, James Maddison was lauded for his talents.
Regularly scoring goals and providing assists, the clamour for Maddison to be included in an England squad grew every year.
Eventually, Gareth Southgate included Maddison in an England squad in October 2019 before he withdrew from the camp due to illness.
He was then spotted going to a casino in that period but was called up for the November internationals in the same year, and made his debut in a 7-0 win against Montenegro.
It would be another three years before the midfielder would be included in an England squad after Southgate chose to include him in the 26-man squad for the 2022 World Cup.
Maddison wouldn’t play a single minute but would go on to make his first start for the Three Lions against Ukraine in March 2023 in what would also be his final season at the King Power Stadium.
Related Topics