10 Greatest Players from London in Football History [Ranked]

London is one of the best cities in the world when it comes to producing footballing superstars. Major clubs such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham United all reside in the capital of the United Kingdom and have been producing some of the best talents in football history. Sporting icons such as Frank Lampard and David Beckham have gone on to win the Champions League, and some, such as Bobby Moore, even won the World Cup.

With all of the in mind, here are the greatest players to come from London, considering their ability, and career achievements.

10 Rio Ferdinand

Clubs: West Ham, Bournemouth, Leeds United, Man United, QPR

Born in South London, and a product of the incredible West Ham academy, Rio Ferdinand is one of England’s greatest ever defenders. Ferdinand possessed so many great attributes, and performed to a very high level, which is why it is no surprise that he twice broke the record for most expensive defender in the world, for his moves to both Leeds United and Manchester United. Blessed with incredible pace, the Englishman was a match for any attacker, and his desire to win meant he would do anything to succeed. Yet his most impressive skill was his on-the-ball abilities. Unlike many of his English peers, Ferdinand was extremely comfortable on the ball, and carried himself with great elegance.

He wasn’t afraid to take a risk, and he was always searching for the best way to start attacks from the back. Under Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United, Ferdinand enjoyed immense success, winning six Premier League titles, and his unbelievable qualities make him an all-time great.

9 Ashley Cole

Clubs: Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Roma, LA Galaxy, Derby

Undoubtedly England’s greatest ever left-back, Ashley Cole had an excellent career, at the very highest level. A product of Arsenal’s academy, Cole spent seven years with the Gunners first team, including the incredible 2003/04 season where they went the whole league season unbeaten. After winning two league titles, and three FA Cups with his boyhood club, Cole controversially moved to London rivals Chelsea, in 2006.

With the Blues, the trophies continued for the left-back, adding another Premier League title, four FA Cups, the Europa League and the Champions League. The Englishman’s success was no less than his ability deserved. He was very intelligent and tactically aware, as well as being very quick, and an attacking threat. Always overlapping his winger to try and create a chance for himself or a teammate, Cole would be up and down the pitch constantly during games. His career was fantastic, and there is no doubt that Ashley Cole was one of the greatest players to ever come from London. Almost every, if not all clubs would love to have a player like him in their squad today.

8 John Terry

Clubs: Chelsea, Nottingham Forest (loan), Aston Villa

John Terry was a true English centre-back. Born in East London, Terry joined the Chelsea academy at 14 years old, and stayed at the club until he was 36. He was an absolute Chelsea legend. Terry was a part of the first team for 19 years, and during that time won five Premier League titles, and the Champions League, all as captain. The English defender was a real leader, and one of the most successful Premier League captains of all-time, who not only led by example, but also by being vocal and rallying his teams on and off the pitch.

A defender who would put his body on the line to stop opponents, Terry was also a threat in the opposition box. Incredibly, he is the highest scoring defender in Premier League history, with 41 goals, demonstrating his ability to get on the end of crosses, and get himself on the scoresheet. Terry is a Premier League and football legend.

7 Ian Wright

Clubs: Greenwich Borough, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Celtic, Burnley

Ian Wright‘s journey to the top of football was unique. Not joining a professional club until 22 years of age, Wright didn’t follow the usual route of an academy. After impressing on trial, Crystal Palace signed Wright, who made an instant impact, scoring nine goals in his first season with the club. After six great years with Palace, Arsenal came in for Wright, and agreed a club record £2.5million fee.

During his time with the Gunners, Wright became a club legend. Scoring 180 goals in 281 games, including being top scorer for six seasons in a row, the English striker enjoyed a lot of success. He was incredibly quick, an excellent finisher, and always in the right place at the right time, which made him feared by all opposition defences. Despite coming into the professional game slightly later, Wright made a huge impact. He is now remembered as one of the Premier League’s most deadly forwards, who gave everything to reach the top.

6 Sol Campbell

Clubs: Tottenham, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Notts County, Newcastle

Sol Campbell was one of the Premier League’s most controversial players of all time, but his ability was unquestionable. Campbell came through the ranks at Tottenham, who he joined at 15 years old, before going on to make 255 first team appearances. He was club captain, and a vital member of the team, and collected many individual accolades. During his Spurs days, he won just one trophy, the 1999 League Cup. Due to the lack of silverware, upon the end of his contract at Tottenham in 2001, Campbell made the incredibly controversial choice to join bitter rivals Arsenal in a move that went down terribly with Spurs fans.

The decision proved to be a good call though, as he went on to win two Premier League titles and four FA Cups with the Gunners, although his relationship with Tottenham fans has been tarnished forever. As a player, Campbell was strong, athletic, and positionally aware, which made him incredibly difficult to come up against for opponents. In a career marred by controversy, Campbell was one of England’s best ever defenders, whose defensive prowess was fantastic.

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5 David Beckham

Clubs: Manchester United, Preston, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, PSG

Although he was born in London, David Beckham was scouted and signed by Manchester United when he was 16 years old. Beckham was a part of the famous ‘Class of 92’, alongside players like Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes. He came through the ranks, and quickly became a key player for United, even winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 1997. Beckham was known for his incredible on-the-ball technique, scoring an outstanding number of free-kicks, as well as delivering high-quality crosses from set pieces. He even scored from inside his own half, against Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996/97 season, which further indicates his supreme quality.

After tensions grew with Sir Alex Ferguson, Beckham eventually left Man United, and went on to play for some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid and AC Milan. He enjoyed a glistening career, and his quality was incredible. The only disappointing thing for Premier League fans was that he didn’t stay in England for longer.

4 Glenn Hoddle

Clubs: Tottenham, Monaco, Swindon, Chelsea

Glenn Hoddle was born in West London in 1957, and joined the Tottenham academy at just 12 years old. After overcoming knee issues at a young age, Hoddle managed to break into the first team, and never looked back. He went on to make a mighty 377 appearances for Tottenham, and became one of their most important players during this period.

Hoddle was a delightful footballer, who would glide past players in midfield, and he got fans off their seats every game. For a tall man, he was incredibly graceful, and equally had an impressive passing range, setting up attacks from deep, and also combining with teammates in the opposition half. A player capable of doing everything, Glenn Hoddle was a midfield maestro.

3 Harry Kane

Clubs: Tottenham, Leyton Orient (loan), Millwall (loan), Norwich (loan), Leicester (loan), Bayern Munich

Harry Kane is a certified goalscorer. Born in East London, Kane joined the Tottenham academy at age 11, after being released by rivals Arsenal. It took a while for the striker to break into the Spurs first team, and after a series of disappointing loan spells, it appeared he may not make it at the club.

However, Tim Sherwood gave him a chance, and he never looked back. Harry Kane has gone on to score 213 Premier League goals, and become England’s all-time leading goalscorer, which is a remarkable feat. In front of goal, he is deadly, and his movement and finishing are arguably the best in the world.

After years of individual success, but no trophies, Kane decided to join Bayern Munich in a bid to add some team silverware to his incredible footballing CV and further cement his legacy as one of the games best ever strikers.

2 Frank Lampard

Clubs: West Ham United, Swansea (loan) Chelsea, Man City, New York City

Frank Lampard was born in Romford, East London, and joined local side West Ham, where his father was assistant manager, at 16 years old. His career started very slowly, struggling to make an impact in the first team before breaking his leg in 1997. However, after returning from the injury, he went from strength to strength. Becoming a regular in the first team, and consistently popping up with important goals, Lampard quickly became a fans’ favourite.

These impressive performances didn’t go unnoticed, and Chelsea soon came knocking, signing the Englishman in 2001. At Chelsea, Lampard exploded. Consistently playing to a high standard, and winning silverware, Lampard was the heartbeat of the Chelsea side. He was known for making late runs into the box, to get on the end of crosses, which was very difficult to stop. Lampard’s goalscoring exploits were such that he became Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer in 2013, with 211 goals, highlighting his attacking ability. His impact on the Premier League was outstanding, and he is one of the greatest midfielders the league has ever seen.

1 Bobby Moore

Clubs: West Ham, Fulham, San Antonio Thunder, Seattle Sounders, Herning Fremad, Eastern, Carolina Lightnin’

In history, only one man has ever captained England to a World Cup victory; Bobby Moore. Moore was born in Essex, and came through the ranks at West Ham. He quickly made his mark on the first team, and his composure on the ball, and reading of the game stood out. He was an out-and-out defender, who could tackle, both standing and sliding, very well. For Moore, though, his game was mostly about reading the play, and ensuring he was in the right area to deal with danger.

The Englishman was a leader on the pitch, and became captain of the national side in 1964. After years of disappointment for England, Moore and his side won the 1966 World Cup, which still to this day hasn’t been replicated. He led by example, delivering consistent, high-level performances on the pitch, but also motivated his players with rousing speeches, as they defeated West Germany in the final, 4-2, to write themselves in English football history. As a defender, Moore was remarkable, and for achieving the incredible 1966 World Cup triumph, he will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 23.09.24.