The 12 best British football pundits have been ranked based on their playing careers

There are certain things that you simply can’t have football without. Players are one. Fans are another. And in the day and age of as many games being broadcast as possible, pundits are quickly becoming a necessity of the footballing experience. The UK is blessed with several ex-professionals who have turned their hands to punditry over the years, with the quality of some up for debate.

Their past lives as players are what supposedly give them the qualifications to talk about what they see on our screens. But how well they speak or analyse the game isn’t necessarily an indicator of how good they were on the pitch. That is why we have decided to break down the top 12 UK-born pundits based solely on how good they were individually, and what they achieved in their careers.

Ranking Factors

In order to come up with these subjective rankings, the following factors have been taken into consideration:

• Trophies Won
• Importance to Their Teams
• Individual Ability
• Individual Honours

12 Micah Richards

Career Honours: 4

While he is seen now as one of the most lovable faces in all the sport, it’s not inaccurate to say that Micah Richards‘ career is a bit of a ‘what-if’. The defender burst onto the scene at Manchester City and quickly found his way into the England set-up. And while he would go on to win the Premier League at the Etihad, it wasn’t all that it could’ve been.

Injuries, poor form and distractions off the pitch meant that the ex-full-back only managed 13 England caps between 2006-2012. He would go on to retire from the game at 31 after a torrid time at Aston Villa, something he would later be mocked for on live TV.

11 Alex Scott

Career Honours: 19

Both a pioneer as a player and as a pundit, Alex Scott is the only Lioness to appear on the list. Though there are bound to be many more in the future thanks to the ‘Golden Generation’ that is being had in the English game, Scott paved the way at a time when the women’s game was not yet at the level of popularity and exposure it currently is.

Regardless, she had an incredible career which was mainly spent at Arsenal. She would end her career with a combined 19 honours, including several league titles. Scott rightfully takes her place among this list, competing with many of the top male pundits in terms of career success.

10 Joe Cole

Career Honours: 8

There was an air of old school about the way Joe Cole played the game. Not in the sense that he was an old-fashioned player who could kick 10 lumps out of his opponents, but in the way that he played like a kid on the playground. Ball at his feet, dribbling past players like they weren’t even there. He also dared to try things most wouldn’t, such as his incredible goal at the 2006 World Cup.

While playing under Jose Mourinho ultimately gave him all the trophies from his career, it also took away a bit of what made him special. If he had been allowed to take the shackles off, he could’ve been even better.

9 Ian Wright

Career Honours: 4

If the aforementioned Richards is the new smiley, cheeky chappy who has taken punditry by storm, then Ian Wright was the original. On the field, the striker was nothing short of a potent goalscorer, who overcame hardship to become Arsenal’s leading goalscorer by the time his years at Highbury had come to an end.

While there are others who may have won more, Wright’s impact in turning the Gunners into genuine title challengers in the early stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign cannot be understated. It is criminal that he was unable to compete for England at a major tournament.

8 Graeme Souness

Career Honours: 17

Purely based on footballing ability, Graeme Souness may find himself slightly lower on this list. The Scot came from an era when the game was played very differently, and he served his purpose as a tough – sometimes too tough – tackling midfielder.

However, you cannot argue with the three European Cups and five First Division titles that can be found on the Scot’s resume. That’s also discounting the success he had in both Italy and Scotland after his time at Anfield. The only thing left to wonder, is where Paul Pogba is in all of this.

7 Jamie Carragher

Career Honours: 9

Truly one of the most loyal one-club men ever, Jamie Carragher remains a vastly underrated player from his Liverpool days. When the defender was on song, usually it meant his teammates were too, as the 46-year-old won the club’s Player of the Year every season that they made the Champions League final.

Very few players have made as many Premier League appearances as the full-back turned centre-half, but it amounted to nothing in terms of silverware. He did bag other domestic cups and was, of course, part of that famous night in Istanbul to land him his second European honour.

6 Michael Owen

Career Honours: 7

As pundits go, Michael Owen is not at the top of many people’s list. As a player, there is an argument to be had that he could be number one. After all, the forward remains the last Englishman to win the coveted Ballon d’Or prize. However, when taking into account his entire career, Owen’s issues with injuries and a failed stint at Real Madrid have to be taken into consideration.

His unlikely career swansong at Manchester United may not have made him popular at Anfield, but it did hand him the missing Premier League title he was after, but by that point, the veteran was a shell of the player he once was that terrified defences with his blistering pace.

5 Gary Neville

Career Honours: 23

While he is not the best former Manchester United captain to work for Sky Sports – with Roy Keane missing this list due to hailing from the Republic of Ireland – Gary Neville was still the greatest English full-back of his generation. With David Beckham in front of him, Neville transformed the role of the right-back, which has continued to evolve in recent times.

Whether he was technically better than the likes of Cole or Owen is not really up for debate. He wasn’t. But the role he played during Manchester United’s most successful period in their history was integral and helped him skyrocket into the top five without any shred of doubt.

4 Rio Ferdinand

Career Honours: 11

The term ‘Rolls-Royce of a defender’, used to describe someone in the backline as a graceful and classy player, can be linked back to this very man. There are very few centre-backs in Premier League history that can light a candle to what Rio Ferdinand was capable of in his prime.

The former West Ham youngster broke the British record for a defender not once, but twice in moves to Leeds and then to Old Trafford. It was there that he became an iconic figure alongside Nemanja Vidic, as the Englishman truly established himself as one of the best in the business.

3 Gary Lineker

Career Honours: 2

If you didn’t know any better, you may look at Gary Lineker‘s career honours record and question how he is a top-three candidate. But, if you saw him play, you know how special the striker was. While it never amounted to league titles, the Match of the Day host was a goalscoring machine and won several Golden Boot awards, including at the 1986 World Cup.

Other than a stint at Barcelona, Lineker never played for what modern-day fans would see as the upper echelon of English football, but back in the 80s, Everton were a big club with lofty ambitions, while he would win an FA Cup with Tottenham in 1991.

2 Alan Shearer

Career Honours: 1

Much like with Lineker, many of Alan Shearer’s goals – which there were plenty of – were in vain when it came to lifting trophies. As the legendary forward won just a single major honour in his career. The Premier League in 1995 with Blackburn Rovers. It’s fitting that it is the one winner’s medal that the Newcastle legend has to his name though, as his impact on the division is etched in history.

Shearer remains the Premier League’s greatest-ever goalscorer with a grand total of 260 strikes during his time. This is not even mentioning his near goal to every other game record for the Three Lions, whom he captained at Euro ’96.

1 Paul Scholes

Career Honours: 21

There is probably nothing that Paul Scholes can’t do with a football, which is why he earns the top spot on this list. His stoic and sometimes stubborn mannerisms as a pundit don’t quite match those of the elegant player he once was, but he also had the nastiness and absolute thunderbolt in the locker that perhaps his personality does give off.

The Premier League’s greatest-ever midfielder, Scholes won bucket loads of trophies at Manchester United and was key to it all. To this day, the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has failed to find a conductor that comes close to the player this man was.

Statistics are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 07-10-24.