Representing the England national team is thought of as an immense privilege. Club football might provide the week-in, week-out excitement, but pulling on the national team shirt carries a unique feeling entirely.
It’s an opportunity to bear the Three Lions badge – something which holds a lot of weight both literally and emotionally, and for some, that weight is a symbol of honour and responsibility. But, for others, it can feel like a burden.
Jamie Carragher was one such player who would much rather have spent the weekend with Liverpool than with the national team – and he wasn’t alone in feeling that way. With that in mind, GIVEMESPORT has ranked ten of the best players who, despite their quality, had frustrating relationships with the England national team.
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10
Paul Robinson
National Caps: 41
It can be a surprise when a player rejects an England call-up, though it isn’t miuch of a rare occurrence. What is very uncommon is what goalkeeper Paul Robinson did when Fabio Capello reached out in 2010.
Not much time had passed since the Italian revealed his selection, before Robinson announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect. That’s some way to say ‘no’.
“Only now have I been able to make this decision [to retire from international football] as previously I have not been in contention or selected for the squad.
“As a professional who wants every chance to play football, I do not see myself as No3 or No4 goalkeeper. I find that role very frustrating. I haven’t had the opportunity to be anything other than this in recent years.”
“Therefore I feel it’s in the best interests of myself and my club, Blackburn Rovers, that I concentrate solely on my club football. I wish the England team every success.”
Robinson amassed over 40 caps in the period between 2003 and 2007, but was eventually dropped after making costly errors which saw England knocked out of Euro 2008 before qualification. He did not make a single appearance after, and he only made it as far as the fringes of the squad some years later despite good form.
9
Ben Foster
National Caps: 8
Ben Foster’s charismatic personality has recently taken the football media landscape by storm, but long before his YouTube fame, he was in contention for England’s number one shirt. He earned eight caps in total, with those appearances falling either side of a three-year hiatus. But this wasn’t just any break – it was a full international retirement, one he later reversed.
A major factor behind his decision was a falling-out with Fabio Capello. Speaking in a 2020 interview, Foster noted how he felt the then-England boss showed him “no respect whatsoever”, and he initially cited injuries as the reason for stepping away from international football, but later admitted that wanting to spend more time with his family played a bigger role.
Foster only made his return after Capello’s departure in 2012, when Roy Hodgson took charge and brought him back into the squad.
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8
Micah Richards
National Caps: 13
Former Manchester City ace Micah Richards made waves when earning his first England call-up in 2006. A highly-touted talent, he was once tipped to succeed Gary Neville at right-back.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Richards became the youngest defender to play for England’s senior team when he started against the Netherlands in 2006, doing so aged just 18 years and 144 days.
However, after Fabio Capello took over in 2007, Richards quickly fell out of favour, earning just one cap during the Italian’s reign. He was later placed on Roy Hodgson’s standby list for Euro 2012, but instead of holding out for a possible late call-up, he opted to represent Great Britain at the Olympics instead – valuing the opportunity to actually play rather than remain on the fringes.
It eventually turned out that after some injuries, Richards could have been in pole position to make Hodgson’s squad, but his decision to spend the summer elsewhere effectively marked the end of his international career, and it meant he never played for the Three Lions again.
7
Gabriel Agbonlahor
National Caps: 3
Gabriel Agbonlahor’s career was largely defined by his loyalty to Aston Villa and he became a fan favourite there, though he never quite became as much of a mainstay for England. He managed no more than three senior caps as part of squads featuring the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ – players like David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Speaking candidly on talkSPORT, he admitted the problem wasn’t related to representing his country itself – it was more so the behind-the-scenes culture of the squad that left a bitter taste. He said:
“Going in the camp is what people hated doing — not playing for your country — that was a big achievement and honour.
“Fabio Capello was like a school teacher. You get there, and it is like Man United players, little cliques.
“With the players from the big clubs, it was like, who are you sitting with? I might be sitting with Matthew Upson, Stewart Downing, and Phil Jagielka, the players that weren’t at the top clubs. It was like you can’t sit there the Man City or Chelsea boys are there.
“They had their half of the dining table; that’s what I did not like.”
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6
Ben White
National Caps: 4
Ben White has developed into one of Arsenal’s greatest ever right-backs under boss Mikel Arteta. Yet, he was entirely missing from many England squads particularly during his early years at the Emirates.
Quality was never in question, even in spite of the abundance of quality then-boss Gareth Southgate had at his disposal in White’s position; his absences were due to him personally withdrawing himself from selection.
After leaving the 2022 World Cup early citing “personal reasons,” reports later emerged suggesting a fallout with assistant coach Steve Holland played a part. He later turned down the chance to be in contention for the Euros 2024 as well, despite Southgate claiming the “door was wide open” for his involvement. It remains to be seen whether he opens up to the prospect of donning the Three Lions kit in the future,n but it hasn’t been something he has been willing to dedicate his time towards thus far.
5
Michael Carrick
National Caps: 34
One of the most underrated players in football history, Carrick’s quality in the centre of the park at Manchester United was often overshadowed by the surrounding talent at Old Trafford. Ultimately, he won the Premier League on five occasions and so his ability was never in doubt at club-level.
Meanwhile, for his country, the Englishman achieved just 34 caps in over a decade, and it wasn’t just tactical preferences or competition for places that limited this number. Carrick later revealed that playing for England took a serious toll on his mental health.
“I’ll be honest, I was finding it hard going away with England. I came to the point where I thought, I can’t do that again and people will be saying pull yourself together and be grateful for it. I understood the position I was in, the privileged position I was in, but I just found it so hard and I couldn’t deal with it anymore.”
“I was probably on the verge of… yes, I was depressed at times, yes. I told the FA, ‘look please don’t pick me’.”
Carrick was not alone in feeling such a way, and this low squad morale contributed to the disappointing lack of silverware during what was a media-perceived “golden generation”.
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4
Jamie Carragher
National Caps: 38
A Liverpool icon, Jamie Carragher built a deep connection with the Reds’ faithful thanks to his legendary club career. So much so, that spending a week away with the England national team felt almost a chore for someone who would much rather have spent his time playing at Anfield instead.
Speaking on the Overlap in 2021, Carragher reflected on his national career, admitting:
“I wouldn’t say I loved it [international duty]. I didn’t like being away especially when you’re not playing.
“It didn’t hurt me enough not to play for England. Even when I was with them, I was thinking about Liverpool on Saturday. I always had that mentality.”
Even for a player as talented as he was, there was always someone ahead of him in the Three Lions pecking order – the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell were all vying for minutes at the same time, which meant Carragher was forced to watch on from the bench more often than not.
3
Gary Neville
National Caps: 85
Few players have embodied club loyalty quite like Gary Neville. He spent almost two decades barking orders from right-back, becoming one of Manchester United’s greatest players. Things were far less bright on the international side of his career though, and he was quite frank about that in his autobiography.
“There have been times when I reflected on my international career and just thought: ‘Well, that was a massive waste of time.’
“Playing for England was one long rollercoaster: some ups and downs, but also quite a few moments when you’re not really sure if you’re enjoying the ride.”
The pressure on England to perform was one of the reasons why their “golden generation” imploded. Neville was accustomed to the must-win mentality instilled by Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, but in the Three Lions camp, things were less structured and arguably more suffocating too.
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2
Steve McManaman
National Caps: 37
For a player of Steve McManaman’s raw talent to have only earned 37 caps was a travesty, because the ex-Real Madrid ace was one of the most talented forwards on the planet during his heyday.
It’s not that McManaman was opposed to the idea of playing for England at all, and considering the way he carried himself both on and off the pitch, it doesn’t seem as though pressure would have been a factor either. Instead, the winger’s national career was littered with manager disagreements with the likes of Glenn Hoddle and Sven-Goran Erikkson and, at one point, a perceived lack of commitment.
McManaman’s exclusions from the England squad sheets left the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Raul baffled, but he himself asked to be left out on one occasion prior to a Three Lions’ friendly fixture and that was the final nail in the coffin for his international career.
1
Paul Scholes
National Caps: 66
The Scholes-Gerrard-Lampard debate remains one of English football’s great what-ifs. In a midfield bursting with talent, Paul Scholes was the one that was pushed out wide to make room for his compatriots, as part of a system which never truly valued one of its greatest ever midfielders.
It may well have been a massive mistake, as many regard Scholes as one of the best the sport has ever seen – and these are words from renowned legends like Xavi and Thierry Henry.
Many have speculated that this is why he never truly enjoyed pulling on a Three Lions shirt, as revealed by former teammate Michael Clegg in his book The Power and the Glory. The ex-Manchester United man wrote about his conversations with Scholes which revealed a certain hatred:
“[Paul] said he hated playing for England, which came as a bit of a shock.
“I asked him why he kept turning up and he said ‘Well it’s England, that’s what you have to do’. Paul was worried about the reaction he would get from the rest of the country if he stopped playing for England.”
Scholes delved deeper into his perspective in his own autobiography, indicating that the position he played was less of an issue. Rather, the problem lay much more central to the England squad itself.
“Playing on the left was never a problem,
“I played on the left for United, I don’t know how many times. I probably had my most successful time scoring goals in that position so it was never a problem.
“I just got fed up. When you are going to a team, you want to be part of a team and play well, but there are individuals who are after personal glory. That is the biggest problem with English players – most of them are too selfish.”
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Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.com – Correct as of 06/05/2025
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