England's Black and Minority Ethnic Players - Index Page Last Updated 15 November 2016 England's 80 Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Players 80 BME players have appeared for England through to the match against Spain on 15 November 2016. The first BME player at senior level, Viv Anderson, was the 936th player to appear for England since their first match in 1872. The most recent BME player to make his England debut, Jesse Lingard, was the 1217th player to appear for England. Thus, since the "colour barrier" 38 years ago, in November 1978, roughly one in every three and a half players making an England debut has been BME. It may have been possible to have seen the first BME footballer playing for England back in October 1925 with London-born Jack Leslie, a prolific striker for Plymouth Argyle between 1920 & 1935, scoring over 400 goals. Leslie had been informed by his manager Bob Jack that he had been selected to play for England.

He later received communication cancelling his call up to the England team stating that they didn't realise he was 'a man of colour'. Jack Leslie later remarked in 1982 to Brian Woolnough: "They must have forgotten I was a coloured boy." A decade later saw the emergence of another great - Hong Y Frank Soo, although born in Buxton, Derbyshire in 1914, he had a Chinese father. If it had not been for the outbreak of war, he would certainly have gained full international honours for England, as he was rated as one of the best inside forwards of the pre-war era. He gained nine wartime and victory caps. - Football fine art Even before the time of Anderson, now relatively dubbed 'The First BME Player to Play for England', there is another candidate, and maybe if their was not the racism problems that blighted English football throughout the 1960's, then maybe a loud shout would have come from the Leeds United camp. Paul Reaney, allegedly of mixed-race. But without further evidence, other than a few objective photographs.... then if Reaney, why not Alf Ramsey?

We are not ruling out Reaney, we just require more evidence.- CG Perhaps race will be irrelevant one day, but that time has not yet arrived. While racism remains a problem in English football, these numbers indicate great strides forward have been taken at the level of national team selection. We have not made a count, but we doubt any other European national side, with the possible exception of France, comes close to England in number of BME players. That is not to say racial considerations have not influenced England squad and team selections. We have no way of knowing whether or not they have. But we do know that, according to a former England manager, Football Association officials on at least one occasion tried to make race a consideration in England team selection.

Vivek Chaudhary reported in The Guardian of 24 January 2004 that a former England manager had "alleged that during his tenure he was told by senior FA officials not to pick too many black players." The manager, Chaudhary wrote,"claims that he was called into an office where two senior FA officials were present and they told him that his England team should be made up of predominantly white footballers." Chaudhary's story said the manager, who "has a long history of closely working with some of England's leading black players over the past 25 years, privately spoke about the incident at the lunch" marking the 10th anniversary of Kick It Out , the football anti-racism group, but "refused to go public with his allegation." Disappointingly, but not surprisingly , the rest of the English media ignored Chaudhary's report. The manager in question is plainly Graham Taylor .

On several occasions during his three-year managerial tenure from 1990 to late 1993, Taylor fielded England teams featuring a comparatively large number of BME players and was the one England manager most likely to have been the recipient of such a proposal for a racial quota on the England team. He also fits the description Chaudhary gave the manager in the story. He was known for working closely with England's leading BME players, beginning at Watford in the late 1970s, 25 years before the story was written. Finally, he also happened to be in London at the time of the Kick It Out lunch in connection with the London Marathon, in which he was participating. [ed- Taylor once more denied these allegations in mid-2015]. Racism, of course, often takes more subtle forms than racial epithets and explicit exclusion on racial grounds, both of which have been widely condemned for some time. Far more threatening than overt racism in more recent times has been hidden racism--racism effected through discretionary decisions, where its influence is concealed precisely because these decisions are discretionary and thus readily rationalised on other grounds.

Squad and team selections reflect discretionary determinations in which racism may play a covert role. This more subtle form of racism may also play a part in journalistic and fan support for and criticism of certain players, or at least the level of that support and criticism. We hope that no England manager or head coach has ever been influenced by racial considerations in team or squad selections and that none ever yielded to pressure to pick more white and fewer BME players. We also hope the incident Chaudhary describes would not be repeated within the F.A., which, in a refreshing burst of candour when declaring in 2001 its all-out commitment to ridding football of racism, confessed it could have done more to battle racism in the game during earlier times . In Clarke Carlisle's 2012 documentary 'Is Football Racist?', Carlisle, who had received a solitary England under-21 cap, revealed that in an attempt to understand the depth of racism in the game, a current England internationalist refused to comment, because he believed that his place in the squad could be at risk from the Football Association. Consequently, no names were revealed.

Selection should, of course, be made on the basis of football considerations alone, regardless of the racial balance that produces in the squad or the team. That is imperative as a moral matter as well as from the standpoint of assembling the best football side possible. In the interest of clarity, the first BME player to represent England at any level was in fact John Charles, West Ham United FC defender. He earned three Youth Caps for England in May 1962, twice against Israel, another a year later against USSR. It was another decade that the Schoolboy level would get their first representation, by two players in fact, Ben Odeje and Cliff Marshall. They played for the schoolboys against Northern Ireland schoolboys at Wembley Stadium, 6 March 1971, the first of five appearances for Odeje, the first of four for Marshall.

The 80 BME Players First black England player revealed to be Benjamin Odeje - BBC News BBC News First black England player revealed to be Benjamin Odeje By Marc Ashdown BBC London News 24 May 2013 Close share panel Media captionBenjamin Odeje revealed as the first black England footballer It is the type of question you might get in a pub quiz - who was the first black footballer to play for England? The answer most people would come up with is probably not a young schoolboy from south-east London in 1971 - six years before the player the history books record. BBC London has uncovered evidence that Benjamin Odeje was called up by England schoolboys and made his debut against Northern Ireland in front of 70,000 fans. "I remember standing in the tunnel, and the band was still playing," he recalls. "My knees were knocking and if you'd given me the choice to forget it I probably would have, I was so nervous." Mr Odeje helped England to a 1-0 win. He went on to play for England a number of times, but the history books seem to have forgotten him.

Instead, Laurie Cunningham is recognised as England's first black footballer at any level. The West Bromwich Albion man appeared for the Under 21s in 1977. 'Hard for children' A year later Viv Anderson became the first to win a senior cap. But all this took place many years after Ben Odeje pulled on the national jersey. A spokesman for the Football Association said: "We've spoken to our historian, and at the time the English Schools' Football Association ran the team. "But we can confirm Benjamin Odeje was the first black player to represent England at any level." Image caption The FA has confirmed Benjamin Odeje was the first black player to represent England Born in Nigeria but raised in Charlton, Mr Odeje has also coached QPR. He now runs soccer schools in north London and hundreds of children aged between five and 13 have been coached by his team. One parent, John Palmer, told BBC London: "It is only right and proper that he gets his correct recognition. "He was the first - and here he is still enjoying the game." Official recognition would mean a lot to Mr Odeje and his family.

"It's hard for my children, especially in Black History Month when they talk about history-makers at school," he explained. "They tell friends I was the first black footballer and other children call them liars. But I am, it is a fact." The national side is now a reflection of England's multi-cultural society. But 42 years ago, a nervous young teenager stood in the famous Wembley tunnel about to make football history. Black football pioneers from Arthur Wharton to Viv Anderson and beyond | Football | The Guardian The Observer Black football pioneers from Arthur Wharton to Viv Anderson and beyond Viv Anderson, the first black England player, talks about the campaign to commemorate Arthur Wharton, British football's first black professional Viv Anderson, the first black player to appear for England of England, takes on a Swedish defender, 90 years after Arthur Wharton was Britain's first black professional player.

Photograph: Peter Robinson/Empics Sport/PA Photos The Observer Black football pioneers from Arthur Wharton to Viv Anderson and beyond Viv Anderson, the first black England player, talks about the campaign to commemorate Arthur Wharton, British football's first black professional Chris Webber Saturday 29 August 2009 19.10 EDT First published on Saturday 29 August 2009 19.10 EDT Share on Messenger Close Born in Jamestown, Gold Coast – now part of Accra, Ghana – in 1865, Arthur Wharton should be one of football's most iconic names. As well as a fine cricketer and the 100 yard dash world record holder, he was recognised as England's best goalkeeper, playing for Darlington, Preston, Rotherham and Sheffield United . He was also the world's first black professional footballer. But after retiring Wharton disappeared from public life. He fell into destitution and alcoholism, died in 1930 and was buried in an unmarked grave – and today is still little known.

But a campaign to celebrate his life by raising funds for a statue in Darlington has gathered momentum, winning backing from stars including Stevie Wonder. It also has the support of England 2018 World Cup bid ambassador Viv Anderson – the first black man to win a full England cap. What do you make of Wharton's story? VA: Finding out about him was a real surprise. When I was growing up Clyde Best was virtually the only black British face you saw on television, and yet here was this guy, a century before, who'd already achieved so much. When I saw the exhibition on him at the National Football Museum I was totally flabbergasted. I couldn't believe he's barely heard of today after achieving so much. And you'd think I'd be one of the first to know about him. There's a connection between us that will never be broken. He was the first black professional and I was the first to win a full cap. I'm honoured to be associated with him. How did you become involved in the statue campaign? The organiser, Shaun Campbell, made contact, and I said yes straight away. When you look at people like Ashley Cole today, they owe so much to Arthur. His story is incredible.

When you think he came over in the 1880s, at the height of the Empire, to a small north-east town like Darlington, he must have been in for a rude awakening – but he seems to have won everyone over. He was quite a character by all accounts: pulling down the crossbar so the ball flew over, catching the ball with his legs, running upfield and scoring. And for him to be a goalkeeper shows what a pioneer he was. A hundred years on and all the black players were flair players, like Cyrille Regis and Clyde Best. I was unusual being a defender – but Arthur was ahead of the game all those years ago. Many say he should have played for England. Do you think racism stopped that? I think it was probably more a novelty to have a black face back then so I doubt it was overt racism, as in someone openly saying: "You can't play because you're black." I'd guess it was about ignorance. How big a deal was it when you won your first cap back in 1978? Very big. I had letters from the Queen and Elton John and people like that.

Laurie Cunningham had won the first Under-21 cap but I got the first full cap and was very proud. But really, I was just this skinny kid from Nottingham who wanted to play for his country, just like anyone else. I was a bit cocooned from it really. It's now, 30 years later, when you get cabbies and people in the street coming up to you that you're aware of just how big it was. At the 2018 bid launch a BNP councillor turned up. How damaging was that? We've got a free country and people can have those views – even if I don't think we need people in this country with those views. Britain is a proud multiracial society and I think our World Cup bid will reflect that. And Arthur's story is an important part of that English football culture, and he should be more celebrated. It's right that we should have a statue in Darlington. I think it's where he'd want it. Darlington is where he made his name: the people there took him to their hearts.

More on the campaign: arthurwharton.com Football: Shy pioneer plays down his place in history | Football | The Guardian Shy pioneer plays down his place in history Thirty years ago tomorrow Viv Anderson became England's first black player In 1978, Viv Anderson became the first black player to play for England. Photograph: Keystone/Getty Images Thursday 27 November 2008 19.01 EST First published on Thursday 27 November 2008 19.01 EST Share on Messenger Close Yellow, purple or black - if they're good enough, I'll pick them," Ron Greenwood declared in the build-up to England's match against Czechoslovakia on November 29 1978, and in the absence of any yellow and purple players in the Football League the meaning was fairly clear. That night, 11 men wearing England shirts lined up on the Wembley turf, 10 of them white and one of them black. It was, as Greenwood put it, "a little bit of history".

England won 1-0 but in the grand scheme of things the game will be remembered for only one thing: the presence of a 22-year-old Nottingham Forest footballer named Viv Anderson. Anderson, or "Spider" as he was known to team-mates because of his long legs, duly became the first black footballer to play for England and that is why his name will be remembered long after other internationals from that era have been forgotten. Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary and Anderson, now based in Cheshire where he runs an events company, still looks the same as in his playing days with Forest, Arsenal and Manchester United. He has always been a little embarrassed to be described as a history-maker, but, as an active ambassador for Kick It Out, football's anti-racism campaign, he is also aware of the significance of the occasion. "It was a really big thing at the time," he says. "There were no black faces on the football field. OK, there was Brendon Batson and Clyde Best and a few others.

But to be the first black player to pull on an England shirt in a full international - I can see why people made a bit of a fuss." Kick It Out did not exist in those days and Anderson routinely played at grounds where the National Front would be handing out leaflets. In one game at Carlisle United, a rival player started whispering racist insults in his ear. Brian Clough was quickly out of his dug-out, telling him to kick his opponent and "call him a white bastard". Things have moved on. Yet Anderson fondly remembers the 92,000 fans at Wembley giving him an appreciative round of applause. "I had a hand in the goal and we won 1-0," he says. "I remember Bob Latchford telling me I'd remember it forever and he was right. It was a very positive reaction from the terraces. To them, it was all about the football." Three decades later it is a measure of the changing times that England had seven black players making an appearance in their last game against Germany. "Many of today's younger England fans will take for granted the black faces in Fabio Capello's team," says Piara Powar, the Kick it Out director.

"But in 1978 it was a rarity to see a young black man achieving so highly, both on the football pitch and society in general. This is a milestone for Viv, and gives the rest of us an opportunity to take stock of a significant turning point for sport in this country." Anderson, however, is a modest hero. "I never had it that bad," he says. "It was a lot easier for me than, say Laurie Cunningham or Cyrille Regis. They were flamboyant forwards so they were identified much more. Cyrille got a bullet through the post with the message: 'This one's for you if you play for England'. I never got anything like that because I was just a defender who used to boot people." Modest and affable, Anderson now features on the 100 Great Black Britons website. He was awarded an MBE in 2000 and was inducted into the National Football Museum's hall of fame in 2004.

He has also taken part in football workshops in Soweto as a goodwill ambassador for the Football Association and, going back to 1978, still has the telegrams he received "from everyone from Laurie Cunningham's mum to Elton John and the Queen". It is, he says, a proud moment. "I played in an age where it wasn't the norm for a black man to represent his country so to do it not just once, but 30 times, is more than I could've ever asked for." Black milestones Arthur Wharton, Preston North End The world's first professional black player. Born in the Gold Coast (Ghana) in 1865, played for Darlington as a keeper in 1885-86 and joined North End the following season, reaching an FA Cup semi-final. Also played on the wing Andrew Watson, Queen's Park Born 1857 in British Guiana, played 36 games for the Spiders, winning the Cup in 1881. Three Scotland caps, captaining them against England Albert Johanneson, Leeds United South Africa-born, followed his countryman Gerry Francis over to Leeds and signed in 1961.

In 1965 became first black FA Cup finalist Laurie Cunningham, WBA Became first black player to play for England at any level when he turned out for the U21s v Scotland in April 1977. Scored and won six full caps Garth Crooks, Tottenham H First to score in an FA Cup final, in 1981, and in 1988 became first black chairman of the PFA Paul Ince, Man United England's first black captain, in June 1993, when David Platt was injured. Lost 2-0 to the US but captained side on six more occasions BBC - England's first black international footballer England's first black international footballer Viv Anderson would play 30 times for England following his 1978 debut England manager Fabio Capello has named 12 black players in his provisional World Cup squad for South Africa. Just over 30 years ago such a figure would have been unheard of. It was not until 1978 that the national team named a black footballer in its starting 11. He was the Nottingham Forest defender Viv Anderson.

The player, who went with England to the 1982 and 86 World Cup finals, said: "Hopefully I paved the way and helped them get to the level they are now." At the time Anderson was more worried about making a bad pass than being a history maker. Today he looks back on his debut with pride. "The Queen sent me a telegram, as did Elton John, so clearly it was a big thing at the time but not for me," he told BBC Radio Nottingham. No black player had been chosen to play for England until Anderson, then aged 22, made his first senior appearance for the national side against Czechoslovakia in November 1978. England won 1-0 but Anderson's milestone almost overshadowed the result. The player himself had other things on his mind. "It was about trying to make sure I did the things that had got me there in the first place," he said. "That was pass it to a team-mate and hopefully run forward and create something. [I was thinking] don't make any mistakes so I'm not in the next squad.

"It was all about football thoughts." There weren't many black faces then but you go to most of the 72 league clubs now and there's a black face Viv Anderson Over the following seasons he would play 30 times for England as well as pick up two European Cup winners medals (1979 and 1980) and win the European Supercup (1979) with Nottingham Forest. Anderson went on to represent Arsenal, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Middlesbrough before becoming assistant manager to Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough. In hindsight Anderson realises how much of an achievement playing for England was. In the 1970s racism was still common in football. In his recently published autobiography, First Among Unequals, Anderson recalls playing a match for Nottingham Forest at Carlisle United in the mid-70s. He was told to warm up by manager Brain Clough. As he did so he said the home fans threw bananas and pears at him. By 1978 there were more black players in the game but the likes of Brendan Batson, Lawrie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis were still subjected to abuse.

For Anderson the breaking down of racial barriers ranks as one of his greatest achievements although he said he never set out to be a role model. "There weren't many black faces then but you go to most of the 72 league clubs now and there's a black face," Anderson said. "You look at the England team and there's several black faces." In 2000 he was awarded an MBE for services to football, in 2004 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame and he is currently an ambassador for England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup finals. Viv Anderson lines up (back row) between Peter Withe and Trevor Brooking Bookmark with: England Football Online - Trivia Trivia We've collected these pieces of trivia from various sources over the years and we've tried to verify them where possible. But if you know better or more, please let us know. Players Age Youngest player Theo Walcott , Arsenal, replaced Rooney as England's youngest ever player on 30 May 2006 when he came on as a 65th minute substitute against Hungary at Old Trafford, Manchester. Walcott was 17 years and 75 days old.

Wayne Rooney , Everton, was 17 years and 111 days old when he played against Australia on 12 February 2003. Rooney had finally ended a 124 year record, displacing James Prinsep of Clapham Rovers, who was only 17 years and 253 days old when he played against Scotland on 5 April 1879. Rooney is the youngest player to start for England, when he did so against Turkey on 2 April 2003. He was 17 years and 160 days. Age Oldest player to appear Stanley Matthews, 42 years and 103 days old, against Denmark, 15 May 1957. Alec Morten has a disputed date of birth. He was 68 years old at the time of his death on 24 February 1900. Meaning he was born in either 1831 or 1832, making him 41 or 42 on 8 March 1873 against Scotland. Age Oldest player to make his debut Alec Morten has a disputed date of birth.

He was 68 years old at the time of his death on 24 February 1900. Meaning he was born in either 1831 or 1832, making him 41 or 42 on 8 March 1873 against Scotland, one non-specific source says 41 years and 114 days old. Either way - the oldest debutant. Leslie Compton was 38 years and 65 days old, in a 4-2 victory over Wales in Sunderland, November 15, 1950 Age Oldest opposition player Billy Meredith, 45 years and 229 days old, for Wales, 15 March 1920. Age Youngest opposition player Sam Johnston, was 15 years and 154 days old, for Ireland, 18 February 1881. If the source is correct, then Jaroslav Jirkovský was 16 years and 242 days when he played for the Slavia Praha side that represented Bohemia against England on 13 June 1908.

The modern-day record lay with Salomon Olembe, who was 16 years and 342 days old, when playing for Cameroon on 15 November 1997. Blendi Nallbani, most definitely the youngest opposition goalkeeper at 17 years and 331 days, for Albania, 26 April 1989. Age Youngest player to score Wayne Rooney , Everton, was 17 years and 317 days old when he scored in the 53rd minute against Macedonia on 6 September 2003. Age Youngest opposition player to score Wi llie Gibson , 17 years and 153 days old when he scored in a late Ireland equaliser, on 3 March 1894. It was the first time Ireland avoided defeat at the hands of England, albeit, some match reports say the ball went through the side. Jean Capelle, at 17 years and 202 days, scored for Belgium against England on 16 May 1931 in Brussels.

Age Youngest debutant to score Marcus Rashford, Manchester United, having played just eighteen first team matches for his club, scored 138 seconds into his debut against Australia, 27 May 2016, at The Stadium of Light, Sunderland. He was 18 years and 209 days old. Beating the previous record held by T ommy Lawton , Everton, was 19 years and 16 days old when he scored a penalty against Wales on 22 October 1938. Age Youngest player to score a penalty T ommy Lawton , Everton, was 19 years and 16 days old when he scored a penalty on his debut against Wales on 22 October 1938. Age Oldest player to score Stanley Matthews was 41 years and 248 days old when he scored for England in the 2nd minute against Northern Ireland on 10 October 1956. Age Oldest debutant to score Jimmy Moore was 34 years and 11 days old when he scored for England against Sweden on 21 May 1923. Bill Nicholson is the oldest post-war scoring debutant.

He was 32 years and 113 days when he scored against Portugal on 19 May 1951. Age Youngest Captain Bobby Moore was 22 years and 47 days when he captained England to a 4-2 win against Czechoslovakia in Bratislava on May 29, 1963. Tinsley Lindley was 22 years and 100 days old when he captained England against Wales in February 1888. After Bobby Moore, Michael Owen was 22 years and 125 days old when he captained England against Paraguay on 17 April 2002. Sol Campbell is by far the youngest Black Captain, he was 23 years and 254 days old when he led England out against Belgium, 29 May 1998. Gerry Francis was 23 years old and 272 days old when he captained England against Switzerland on 3 September 1975.

Steven Gerrard was 23 years old and 307 days old when he took the armband for the first time in England's match against Sweden on 31 March 2004. Wayne Rooney was 24 years and 22 days old when he captained England for the first time against Brazil in Qatar on 14 November 2009. Billy Wright was 24 years and 228 days when he gained the first of his ninety captaincies. Age Youngest Opposition Captain Olphie Stanfield, when he was only five days into his twentieth year, led his Ireland side out against England on 2 March 1889. James Fitzpatrick captained Ireland on his debut on 7 March 1896, he was 20 years old and 79 days. Aaron Ramsey, is most certainly the youngest post-war captain when he did so for Wales against England on 26 March 2011. He was 20 years and 90 days old, when Wales manager Gary Speed choose him to be the new national side's captain.

Andreas Ivanschitz was 20 years and 325 days old when he captained Austria against England on 4 September 2005. Age Oldest Captain in the third place play-off of the 1990 World Cup. Age Youngest player to play at a World Cup final tournament Michael Owen was 18 years and 183 days old when he made a substitute appearance against Tunisia in Marseille in the 1998 World Cup. He started the final group match against Colombia in Lens, aged 18 years and 194 days. Age Youngest player to score at a World Cup final tournament Michael Owen was 18 years and 190 days old when he scored against Romania in Toulouse in the 1998 World Cup. He broke the record set by Jimmy Greaves in the 1962 World Cup. Age Oldest player to score at a World Cup final tournament Tom Finney was 36 years old and 64 days old when he scored in the opening World Cup Finals match in 1958, against the USSR on 8 June 1958.

He already held the record, aged 32 years old and 82 days when he scored England's final goal of the 1954 tournament against Uruguay on 26 June 1954. Wilf Mannion, the scorer of England's second ever World Cup goal, was 32 years and 40 days old when he scored against Chile in the Maracana, on 25 June 1950. Ivor Broadis was 31 years and 181 days old when scored twice against Belgium on 17 June 1954. Jimmy Mullen was 31 years and 165 days old when he scored three days later against Switzerland. David Beckham, when he scored his free-kick against Ecuador, on 25 June 2006, was 31 years and 54 days. Matthew Upson, four years later, against Germany on 27 June 2010, was also 31 years old, and 68 days. Steven Gerrard had only just turned 30 years old when he scored against the USA at the beginning of the 2010 tournament.

Age Youngest goalkeeper to play at a World Cup final tournament P aul Robinson was 26 years and 238 days old when he played against Paraguay in Frankfurt in the 2006 World Cup. Age Youngest player on a World Cup final tournament squad Theo Walcott , 2006 World Cup finals, at the time of the first match, Walcott was 17 years and 87 days old. Age Oldest player to play at a World Cup final tournament Peter Shilton was 40 years and 293 days old when he played against Italy , as captain, in the third place play-off of the 1990 World Cup. Age Oldest player on a World Cup final tournament squad Peter Shilton, 1990 World Cup finals, at the time of the first match, Shilton was 40 years and 267 days old.

Age Youngest player to play at a European Championship final tournament Marcus Rashford was a 73rd minute subsitute against Wales, the second group match of Euro 2016 in France, he was 18 years and 229 days, taking five days off the record previously held by Wayne Rooney , who was 18 years and 234 days old when he played against France in Portugal in the 2004 European Championship Finals. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had become the third eighteen year old to appear for England in a major tournament, following Rooney and previous to that, Michael Owen in the 1998 World Cup Finals, when he played against France in Donetsk in the 2012 European Championship Finals. He was 18 years and 301 days. Age Youngest player to score at a European Championship final tournament Wayne Rooney was 18 years and 237 days old when he scored twice against Switzerland in Portugal in the 2004 European Championship Finals.

Age Youngest goalkeeper to play at a European Championship final tournament Joe Hart was 25 years and 53 days old when he played against France in Donetsk in the 2012 European Championship Finals. Age Youngest player on a European Championship final tournament squad Marcus Rashford, who at the time of the first match in the 2016 European Championship Finals, against Russia, was 18 years and 224 days, to beat the previous record by ten days, held by Wayne Rooney , who during the 2004 European Championship Finals, at the time of the first match, was 18 years and 234 days. Age Oldest player to play at a European Championship final tournament Peter Shilton was 38 years and 272 days old when he played against Netherlands in Düsseldorf during Euro 88. It was his one hundredth cap. Age Oldest player to score at a European Championship final tournament Trevor Brooking was 31 years and 260 days old when he scored against Spain in Napoli during Euro 80, on 22 June 1980.

Bryan Robson was 31 years and 156 days old when he scored Netherlands during the unsuccessful Euro 1988 tournament. Age Oldest player on a European Championship final tournament squad Peter Shilton, 1988 European Championship finals, at the time of the first match, Shilton was 38 years and 8 months old. Jermain Defoe, 7 goals scored whilst a substitute, between 2007 and 2012. Peter Crouch scored his fifth substitute goal against France, November 2010. Substitute Most goals scored for England by substitutes Three, twice. Firstly in the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester in a FA Summer Tournament match against Iceland, on 5 June 2004. Darius Vassell, twice, and Wayne Bridge scored after coming on as substitutes. Then, in San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, on 5 September 2015, Theo Walcott (twice) and Harry Kane, after alos coming on as substitutes. Substitute Most substitutes scoring against England Three, in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 17 August 2005.

Three Danish substitutes, Dennis Rommedahl, Michael Gravgaard and Søren Larsen all scored in the 4-1 friendly demolition of England. Substitute Most substitutions in a match All by Sven-Goran Eriksson BME Black and Minority Ethnic players Viv Anderson was the first BME player to appear for England. His first cap came in the 1-0 victory against Czechoslovakia at Wembley on 29 November 1978, when he played for Nottingham Forest. He later earned caps while playing for Arsenal and Manchester United. Although he was a member of both the 1982 and 1986 World Cup squads, his only appearance in the finals of a major tournament came in the 2-1 victory over Spain in the European Championship finals of 1980 in Italy. Altogether he made 30 England appearances spread over a 10-season international career that came to a close in the 1-1 Rous Cup draw with Colombia at Wembley on May 24, 1988.

Recently he served as assistant manager at Middlesbrough under his former England teammate and captain Bryan Robson, Anderson was awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List published 31 December 1999. Laurie Cunningham made his England debut later the same season in the goalless draw with Wales at Wembley on 23 May 1979. Cyrille Regis first appeared for England as a substitute in the 4-0 victory over Northern Ireland at Wembley on 23 February 1982. Luther Blissett got his first cap as a substitute in the 2-1 loss to West Germany at Wembley on 13 October 1982. Clubs Players from Clubs in the Second Level Division Plenty of Second Level players have played for England .

In the last 20 years, the following have all achieved this feat: Gary Pallister (Middlesbrough), Steve Bull (Wolverhampton Wanderers), David Hirst (Sheffield Wednesday), Earl Barrett (Oldham Athletic), Stuart Pearce (Nottingham Forest), Paul Merson and Paul Gascoigne (both Middlesbrough), Michael Gray and Kevin Phillips (both Sunderland), Richard Wright (Ipswich Town), David James (West Ham United), David Nugent (Preston North End), Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff City), Rob Green (West Ham United), Jack Butland (Birmingham City), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) and Tom Heaton (Burnley). All of these, with the exception of Bull, James, Nugent and Butland played for clubs which were promoted at the end of the relevant season.

Clubs Players from Clubs Outside the Two Top Divisions Jack Fort (Millwall, 1921), Ernie Simms (Luton Town, 1921), Fred Titmuss and Bill Rawlings (both Southampton, 1922), Seth Plum and Harold Miller (both Charlton Athletic, 1923), Tommy Cook (Brighton & Hove Albion, 1925), Len Graham and Fred Fox (both Millwall, 1925), George Armitage (Charlton Athletic, 1925), Dick Hill (Millwall, 1926), Len Oliver and Albert Barrett (both Fulham, 1929), Joe Payne (Luton Town, 1937), Tommy Lawton (Notts County, 1947), Reg Matthews (Coventry City, 1956), Johnny Byrne (Crystal Palace, 1961), Peter Taylor (Crystal Palace, 1976) and Steve Bull (Wolverhampton Wanderers, 1989).

Clubs Players from Clubs Outside England (31) Joe Baker (Hibernian, 1959), Gerry Hitchens (Inter Milan, 1962), Kevin Keegan (Hamburg, 1977), David Watson (Werder Bremen, 1979), Tony Woodcock (FC Cologne, 1980), Laurie Cunningham (Real Madrid, 1980), Trevor Francis (Sampdoria, 1982), Luther Blissett (AC Milan, 1983), Ray Wilkins (AC Milan, 1984), Mark Hateley ( AC Milan, 1984, Monaco, 1987, Rangers, 1992), Terry Butcher and Chris Woods (Rangers, 1986), Gordon Cowans (Bari, 1986), Gary Lineker (Barcelona, 1986), Glenn Hoddle (Monaco, 1987), Gary Stevens ( Tallest player Both Peter Crouch and Fraser Forster stood at a proud 6ft. 7in.. Zat Knight stood at 6ft.

6in., and was England's tallest player for 45 minutes against USA, 28 May 2005. Crouch debuted in the next match against Colombia, 31 May 2005. "At 6ft 6in 'Fatty' is the tallest footballer to have represented England. Although regarded as a freak show by many, Foulke was agile for his size and an expert penalty stopper. In the early 1900s, keepers didn't have to stay on the line for penalties, so as a kick was taken Foulke and his enormous bulk charged towards the penalty spot, putting opponents off." Fat Sportsmen, The Observer Sport Monthly, 6 January 2002. It must be noted that Foulke standing at 6'6 is without source. Whereas most official sources attribute him less standing at 6ft. 4in.. Billy Gunn (1884) and Joe Corrigan (1976-82) both stood at 6ft. 4ins. Characteristics Managers Players who played under most managers/coaches Gareth Barry had played under eight managers.

Beginning in 2000, Kevin Keegan, Howard Wilkinson, Peter Taylor, Sven-Göran Eriksson, Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello, Stuart Pearce and Roy Hodgson. Managers Most managers per appearance Andrew Cole earned his first four caps under four different managers for an average of one manager per appearance. Cole made his debut against Uruguay under Terry Venables in 1995, appeared next against Italy under Glenn Hoddle at the Tournoi de France in 1997, made his third appearance against France under caretaker Howard Wilkinson in 1999 and finally earned his fourth cap against Poland under new manager Kevin Keegan in his first starting appearance a few weeks later. Team

Question: Who was the first black footballer to play for England?
Answer: Viv Anderson