Top 10 England Moments

jonjoward1998
Mar 19, 2025
5 min read

I've decided to do something different for this week's non-Premier League top 10 and with this weekend being an international break, I've decided to do an international related top 10.

This week's European top 10 is England moments.

Being an England fan over the years has been both a joyful and painful experience as we've seen both moments of joy and moments of pain. Especially in major tournaments.

The moments in my list are a mixture of moments from tournaments, friendlies and qualifiers as we have seen many great moments from all formats. They're also all after 1966 as the majority of people reading this are probably of a younger generation and won't remember the World Cup win from 1966. Had I decided to have our World Cup triumph from 1966 on the list, it would've been at the top.

Here is the list:

Beating Germany 5-1 - 2001

Beating Germany at Euro 2020 - 2021

Winning a World Cup penalty shootout - 2018

David Beckham free kick against Greece - 2001

Wayne Rooney at Euro 2004 - 2004

Gazza's goal and celebration against Scotland - 1996

Jude Bellingham bicycle kick against Slovakia - 2024

Michael Owen goal against Argentina - 1998

Beating Holland 4-1 at Euro 96 - 1996

Kieran Trippier free kick against Croatia - 2018

Kieran Trippier free kick against Croatia

Trippier's free kick against Croatia had to be in 10th for me because it was a moment that was short lived.

The free kick was brilliant as he bent it into the top corner and it got England fans believing that they could reach the World Cup final.

But it wasn't to be as they didn't build on their lead and ended up losing in extra time.

Michael Owen goal against Argentina

Michael Owen announced himself on the world stage with his goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup at the age of just 18.

He went on an incredible run that started just inside the oppositions half, and sped past two Argentina defenders before scoring his goal.

Like Trippier's goal against Croatia, this moment was short lived as David Beckham was sent off later in the game, and England ended up going out on penalties.

Jude Bellingham bicycle kick against Slovakia

England were just a matter of seconds away from another embarrassing exit against Slovakia at the Euros last summer, until Jude Bellingham stepped up from out of nowhere with an incredible bicycle kick.

England were playing awfully on the day and needed a miracle from somewhere to keep their hopes alive. Bellingham was the player who delivered that miracle with his bicycle kick which took the game to extra time.

I remember being absolutely miserable when watching this game because of how poor England were, but Bellingham's goal got me off the sofa and lifted my mood.

David Beckham free kick against Greece

David Beckham was the most hated man in England a few years prior to this moment following his sending off against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, after which he got a lot of abuse from the fans.

After spending the next few years trying to repair his relationship with the England fans, he got himself back in their good books with this free kick against Greece, which sealed England's place at thje 2002 World Cup.

England only needed a draw from their final qualifying game against Greece to qualify for the World Cup and were 2-1 down heading into the final moments of the game.

They were awarded a free kick from about 30 yards out in the dying seconds of the game and needed something spectacular to come from it. Beckham stepped up and provided the spectacular as he went for goal and scored a magnificent free kick to send England to the World Cup finals.

Gazza's goal and celebration against Scotland

Gazza's goal against Scotland at Euro 96 is one of the greatest goals ever scored as he lifted the ball over the Scotland defender mid air before striking the ball into the back of the net. But his celebration was also iconic.

His celebration was called the dentist chair and the story behind it dates back to the lead up to the tournament when the England team were on a pre-tournament trip to Hong Kong. Some of the players went for a night out when they were in Hong Kong and on that night out, the players had alcoholic drinks forced down their throats whilst sitting in a dentist's chair.

Gazza volunteered to do it as a celebration if he scored at Euro 96 and he went on and did it after he scored his brilliant goal against Scotland. But this time he had Lucozade squirted down his throat instead of alcohol.

Wayne Rooney at Euro 2004

Euro 2004 was the tournament where Wayne Rooney announced himself on the European stage at the age of just 18.

He was England's next rising star and main man at that tournament as he scored 4 goals and set the world on fire with his performances.

Had he not picked up that injury in the Quarter Finals against Portugal, England might've gone all the way. But we'll never know.

Euro 2004 was unfortunately the only tournament Rooney delivered in for England and his underperformances in major tournaments was what held him back from becoming an England legend.

Beating Holland 4-1 at Euro 96

Euro 96 was an incredible tournament for England as they reached semi finals and their best performance of the entire tournament came against the Dutch.

England blew the Dutch away in their final group game by playing some excellent football and especially in the second half, which was their strongest spell of the game.

Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham both scored twice as England both sealed their place in the Quarter Finals and top spot in the group.

Beating Germany 5-1

England have had their hearts broken by the Germans a number of times over the years, but we have had some good results against them including the 5-1 in 2001.

England went behind after just six minutes through Carsten Jancker's early goal, but they soon responded through Michael Owen's volley before Steven Gerrard hit one from distance to put England 2-1 up at half time.

They blew the Germans away in the second half by putting in a top all-round performance both on and off the ball. Michael Owen netted two more goals to complete his hat trick before Emile Heskey completed the rout later in the game.

Beating Germany at Euro 2020

This win over Germany comes above the 5-1 because it came in a major tournament where the pressure is of course higher.

England were yet to beat Germany in a knockout game at a major tournament and to finally achieve one felt so good.

It wasn't the greatest Germany side as they were a team in transition at the time, but any win over Germany means a lot to us England fans because of the history between the two sides over the years.

Winning a World Cup penalty shootout

England were yet to win a World Cup penalty shootout before they beat Colombia at the 2018 World Cup, and to finally win one just felt so good.

I felt tense when watching the shootout as a lot of people do when watching their team in a penalty shootout and especially England, whose penalty record isn't great. When Eric Dier scored the winning penalty, IM jumped off the sofa and felt relieved.

I had to have this moment at no.1 because it was a joyful moment, and my favourite moment when watching England.

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