The 10 best right-footed players in British football history have been ranked

Some of the best players in football history have come from Britain. Over the years, there have been several English, Scottish and Northern Irish legends who have had significant success and have made history.

While some of these iconic British players are left-footed, the majority prefer to use their right. Of course, there are some who were so ambidextrous, that it’s hard to know which foot was stronger – as such, the great Sir Bobby Charlton has been committed from this list.

The majority of the world-class players who do make the cut, come from England. However, there are some exceptions, with the likes of George Best, Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish ranking highly. Nevertheless, England’s so-called ‘golden generation’, who starred in the 2000s, make up the majority of this ranking.

Also, England’s all-time record goalscorer Harry Kane more than warrants his position on this list, with his lethal right foot guiding England to two European Championship finals. With that in mind, here are the 10 best right-footed players in British football history.

10 Harry Kane

Active Years: 2001-Present

Harry Kane is one of the most complete strikers in the world. Over the years, he has used his preferred right foot to convert penalties, spray amazing passes and find the back of the net with great precision and accuracy.

Kane’s performances for club and country earned him the England captaincy. The striker is both Tottenham Hotspur’s and England’s all-time highest goalscorer and to add to that, he is also the second-highest goalscorer in Premier League history, behind only Alan Shearer.

The Bayern Munich man has scored over 400 goals for club and country, which is a magnificent accomplishment, although his wait for a major trophy continues.

Related

15 Best Strikers in World Football [Ranked]

Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe all feature in the top 15 strikers in world football.

9 Paul Gascoigne

Active Years: 1985-2004

Paul Gascoigne is one of the most entertaining players on this list. He was an exciting playmaker and one of the best English footballers of all time.

At club level, he used his magic right foot to jink past defenders and pick out teammates with inviting crosses and passes. Gascoigne, who the FA Cup with Spurs in 1991, represented his country on 57 occasions, scoring ten goals in the process.

In 1995, he joined Rangers, helping guide the club to two league triumphs, a Scottish Cup and a Scottish League Cup victory. His goal at Euro 96 against Scotland is viewed as one of the most iconic goals in football history.

8 Frank Lampard

Active Years: 1995-2017

One of the best players to ever grace the Premier League and also wear the Three Lions on his shirt, Frank Lampard is considered as a Chelsea legend. He is without a doubt one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.

Lampard, known for his outstanding goal-scoring record, used his right foot to score 177 goals in the Premier League, which is the most goals by a midfielder in the competition’s history. The England international was a brilliant penalty-taker, converting the majority with power and accuracy.

Significantly, Lampard won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, the Champions League, the Europa League, four FA Cups and two League Cups. He also finished runner-up for both the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005.

Related

11 Players With the Most Penalties Scored in Premier League History

Bruno Fernandes, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Frank Lampard all make the top 11.

7 Steven Gerrard

Active Years: 1996-2017

Just ahead of his compatriot Lampard, Steven Gerrard will go down in history as one of the best-ever midfielders. The Brit spent the majority of his career at Liverpool, winning nine trophies, including the Champions League, two FA Cups and three League Cups.

Despite his long and successful career, the midfielder was unable to get his hands on the Premier League trophy. Gerrard used his right foot to score a variety of goals, such as long-distance screamers to point-blank tap-ins. He also won 114 caps for England, captaining them 38 times and scoring 21 goals in the process. Gerrard also featured at three European Championships and three World Cups.

6 David Beckham

Active Years: 1991-2013

David Beckham and his tremendous right foot rank highly on this list. The right-winger used his preferred foot to deliver wonderful crosses for club and country.

Beckham’s passing with his right foot was just as spectacular, as he was able to switch the ball to the other flank effortlessly. He was also a set-piece specialist and he will go down in history as one of the best free-kick takers of all time.

Beckham spent his best years at Manchester United under the guidance of the iconic Sir Alex Ferguson, but, he also won plenty of silverware at other clubs too. He won 19 major trophies in his career and was the first English player to win league titles in four different countries.

Related

9 Best British Players in La Liga History (Ranked)

A number of British players have played in La Liga with varying degrees of success. Here is the list of the best of them.

5 Wayne Rooney

Active Years: 2001-2021

Wayne Rooney is regarded as one of the greatest British players of all time and therefore his place on this list is more than justified. He used his stronger right foot to find the back of the net with a range of finishes, but also to demonstrate his playmaking qualities.

Rooney is the record goalscorer for Man United, which is an incredible feat in itself, but he also held the top goalscorer record for England for eight years. Furthermore, he also made more appearances for England than any other outfield player.

Rooney began his playing career as a traditional number nine before transitioning into more of a shadow striker. Later on in his career, the forward lost some of his natural pace and operated in central midfield as a result.

4 Paul Scholes

Active Years:1992-2013

Paul Scholes is arguably one of the best players ever produced in England and he is also arguably the top pick of the Three Lions golden generation. The midfielder devoted his entire playing career to Man United, making over 700 appearances for the club.

Scholes was a magnificent footballer, who used his exceptional right foot to play pinpoint long-distance passes. He is also known for his powerful shooting from range, which often left goalkeepers with no chance.

During his trophy-laden career, Scholes won 25 trophies, which includes 11 Premier League titles, two FA Cups and two Champions League triumphs. Regarded as one of the best midfielders in history, it was essential that Scholes ranked highly on this list.

Related

Paul Scholes Names 5 Best Players He Faced in Champions League

Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has named the five best players he ever played against in the Champions League.

3 Kenny Dalglish

Active Years: 1968-1990

‘King Kenny’ puts an end to this English-dominated list with his lethal right foot. Kenny Dalglish is one of the greatest players of all time, making history with Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland.

During his playing career, he earned 102 caps for Scotland, scoring 30 goals in the process, which is a joint record. Dalglish was clinical in front of goal and defenders were unable to cope with his movement.

The Scotsman won the Ballon d’Or Silver Award in 1983, the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in the same year and the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1979 and 1983.

2 Denis Law

Active Years: 1955-1974

Denis Law was an incredibly gifted forward, who spent his prime years at Manchester United. The lethal striker scored 237 goals in 404 matches with his fine goal-scoring record placing him in third in the club’s history behind Wayne Rooney and Bobby Charlton for goals scored at the Red Devils.

Furthermore, he is the only Scottish player to win the Ballon d’Or award and he achieved this in 1964. A year later, Law helped the club win the First Division in 1965 and two years later he was again part of the title-winning team.

Law left United in 1973 to rejoin Manchester City for a season and he also represented Scotland at the World Cup one year later.

1 George Best

Active Years: 1963-1984

Taking top spot is the iconic George Best. The Northern Irish man spent the majority of his career on the right flank and he had one of the best right-foots in football history.

Best used his stronger right foot to dazzle opponents with electric footwork and skills. He combined this with his natural pace and unique dribbling ability to glide past opponents and get himself into goal-scoring positions. The winger is regarded by many as one of the greatest players to ever grace a football pitch.

Best was named European Footballer of the Year in 1968 and came in at fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century vote, which is quite a remarkable achievement. In 1999, he was included on a six-man shortlist for BBC’s Sports Personality of the Century. Finally, he was an inaugural inductee into the English Hall of Fame in 2002.

Related

15 Greatest Number 7s in Football History (Ranked)

The number 7 shirt is a particularly prestigious one in football, with many greats having had it on their back. So, who have been the best to wear it?

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 15/11/2024