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Top 20 England players of all time - #16

Sports Mole's countdown of the top 20 England players of all time continues with number 16 - Kevin Keegan.

Kevin Keegan (63 caps, 21 goals)

Kevin Keegan in action for Liverpool on August 15, 1975.© Getty Images

The 1970s was not a good time for England, who failed to qualify for four consecutive major tournaments following their heartbreaking exit from the 1970 World Cup - a competition they entered as one of the favourites to win.

The team's success does not detract from the overall quality of Kevin Keegan, though, who developed into a truly world-class player as the decade progressed.

Keegan was given the England captain's armband by Don Revie in 1976 and went on to lead his country out 31 times until his eventual retirement from international duty following the 1982 World Cup.

It was during that tournament in Spain that Keegan made his one and only World Cup appearance, but he was limited to just a 26-minute cameo having suffered with a chronic back problem throughout the group stages.

Despite the lack of major tournament experience, Keegan went on to make 63 appearances during his 10-year England career, scoring 21 goals in that time.

The industrious forward became a household name during his time with Liverpool, where he won three league titles, the FA Cup, the European Cup and two UEFA Cups before securing a move to Hamburg in 1977.

On a personal level, Keegan is the only Englishman to have won the Ballon d'Or on two occasions, becoming only the second player - after Johan Cruyff - to win the prestigious award two years in a row.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


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