Alan Ball (72 caps, eight goals)
There are no shortage of iconic images from the 1966 World Cup final, from Geoff Hurst's hat-trick to Bobby Moore holding the trophy aloft, or the linesman awarding England's third goal to Nobby Stiles's post-match jig of joy.
It says a lot for Alan Ball's performance that his energy and tireless workrate are among those abiding memories, though.
Ball was the youngest member of the England team at just 21 and so may have been expected to keep going when other legs began to fade in extra time in an era before substitutes were allowed. However, the vigour with which he did so played a huge part in England outlasting Germany and achieving the crowning moment in their history to date.
Hurst may have scored a hat-trick and Moore may have been his usual imperious self with a couple of assists thrown into the mix, but Ball was named man of the match at Wembley and was fully deserving of the accolade.
The diminutive midfielder went on to win 72 caps for his country over a 10-year spell, scoring eight goals before his international career ended in acrimonious circumstances during the Don Revie era when, having initially been named as captain, he was left out of the squad entirely and not informed of the decision.
The closest Ball came to reliving the heights of '66 came four years later in the 1970 World Cup, notably hitting the crossbar against eventual champions Brazil in a match that Pele and co went on to win 1-0.
At club level Ball played over 950 matches across all competitions, helping Everton to the top-flight title in 1969-70 and ending on the losing side in FA Cup finals for both the Toffees and Arsenal.
Barney Corkhill
