Les Ferdinand Named England Icon Who Could’ve Become Best Player in the World

Now often seen as a pundit, Les Ferdinand enjoyed a professional career that spanned almost two decades before retiring. A brilliant striker, Ferdinand is somewhat underrated by many. The attacker was a constant in the Premier League for over a decade and without penalties, Ferdinand is one of the highest-scoring players to have featured in the top flight, with 149 Premier League goals to his name.

Ferdinand spent a few years playing non-league football before being signed, at the age of 20, by Queens Park Rangers in 1987. Ferdinand would spend eight years with QPR, with his form in the First Division (which became the Premier League) alerting clubs of a higher level to his calibre.

Newcastle United were the side that secured Ferdinand’s signature and the striker moved north in 1995 as part of a £6 million transfer. Ferdinand hit the ground running at St James’ Park and after Alan Shearer joined the club the following year, formed a lethal strike partnership with the all-time Premier League top scorer.

Ferdinand spent just two years with the Magpies, joining Tottenham Hotspur in 1997 where he won the only major English trophy of his career. Ferdinand racked up over 100 appearances for the Lilywhites in six years, departing the club in 2003 after being pushed down the pecking order.

Ferdinand would spend three more years as a player, featuring for a number of English sides before retiring in 2006, just before his 40th birthday. Back in 2007, given the calibre of footballers he shared the pitch with, Ferdinand spoke to FourFourTwo to name his Perfect XI of players.

As part of this list, Ferdinand touched on a player who, had things been different, could have been the best in the world.

‘Quite Simply The Best’

Ferdinand full of praise for former teammate

In naming his Perfect XI, Ferdinand elected to choose Paul Gascoigne as one of his midfielders. Gazza, as he remains fondly known by, began his career with local club Newcastle, where he showed his promise and natural talent in abundance. Gascoigne’s form with the Magpies drew potential suitors and in 1988, Tottenham Hotspur managed to secure Gascoigne’s signature for what was then a British transfer record.

Gascoigne continued to develop with Spurs, where he would play for four years, even finishing fourth in the 1990 Ballon d’Or rankings. His stock as a player only rose as his time with the Lilywhites went on, helping them reach the 1991 FA Cup final. This game, however, would see Gascoigne suffer a knee injury after he lunged into a tackle which ultimately hampered the rest of his career.

The attacking midfielder moved to Lazio in 1992 and would spend significant time with them, Rangers, Middlesbrough and Everton across the following decade. Whilst Gascoigne remained a brilliant player, he was never quite the same after his injury and of course, there were several problems Gascoigne faced away from the pitch.

Ferdinand, when speaking about his former England teammate, stated:

Many still wonder what could have been of Gascoigne without the injuries, in spite of the fact that he still had an accomplished career. It is apparent that those who played with the midfielder, Ferdinand included, knew just how good Gascoigne was with the ball at his feet.

(All stats are from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 23/04/2025)

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