Every teenager to go to a major tournament with England

Jude Bellingham throws his arms up in the air to applaud England fans

(Image credit: Alamy)

England have taken literally hundreds of players to major tournaments over the years, from international veterans to exciting youngsters.

And a few have been lucky enough to go to the World Cup or Euros (or both) before even turning 20.

Here's every player to be included in a Three Lions squad for a big finals while still just a teenager.

Every teenager to go to a tournament with England: 1. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (19 years, 298 days)

A young Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in action for England in 2012 — Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Image credit: Alamy)

Capped 35 times by England overall, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got his first taste of Three Lions senior action in pre-Euro 2012 friendlies against Norway and Belgium, making his first start in the latter.

Then of Arsenal, the midfielder impressed Fabio Capello so much that he started England's first game of the tournament, a 1-1 draw with France, before coming off the bench in their subsequent two group matches.

"I have been impressed with him," Capello said after giving Oxlade-Chamberlain his first call-up. "He is a really interesting player. He is a good player, who has a lot quality and is playing at a really high level."

Unfortunately, Oxlade-Chamberlain's injury-hit career meant his last of 35 caps came at age 26.

2. Bukayo Saka (19 years, 279 days)

Bukayo Saka stands alone on the field during an England game — Bukayo Saka (Image credit: Alamy)

Had Euro 2020 taken place as scheduled, Bukayo Saka wouldn't have made this list: he hadn't even made his senior England debut at that point.

As it was, due to COVID-19, the tournament got pushed back a year – by which time the Arsenal winger had established himself as one of the most prodigious players in world football.

Voted man of the match in England's group stage win over the Czech Republic, Saka would have the misfortune of missing the decisive penalty in the shootout defeat to Italy in the final, but the fact he stepped up at all spoke volumes about his character.

Southgate said of the decision to give the teenager that crucial fifth spot kick: "It is my decision to give him that penalty. That is totally my responsibility. It is not him or Marcus or Jadon. We worked through them in training. That is the order we came to.

“What they have to know is none of them are on their own. We win and lose as a team. Penalties are my call. We worked in training. It’s not down to the players."

3. Trent Alexander-Arnold (19 years, 250 days)

A close-up of Trent Alexander-Arnold raising his eyebrows during an England game — Trent Alexander-Arnold (Image credit: Alamy)

Euro 2024 will be Trent Alexander-Arnold's third major tournament, having first been a member of England's squad for the 2018 World Cup - despite never having been called up before.

“It is nice, a nice story,” then-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told the Independent at the time. “Gareth Southgate gave me a call this morning and told me that I am allowed to tell him, but then I had some press work to do and didn’t have time.

“So, in the bus to the plane, I saw Trent for the first time. I thought maybe he knew already and someone else had called him. I had the honour of telling him and it was nice to see his eyes. It’s fantastic, it’s well deserved, what a season. What a season! Can you be too young? No. You can be not good enough – but he is good enough.

Having made his Three Lions bow in a pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica, the Liverpool right-back was handed a competitive debut as Gareth Southgate's side faced Belgium in their final group game in Russia.

4. Raheem Sterling (19 years, 186 days)

A young Raheem Sterling sits at a microphone during an England press conference — Raheem Sterling (Image credit: Alamy)

Born in Jamaica, Raheem Sterling grew up in England and opted to represent the Three Lions at international level, earning his first senior cap in November 2012 while still just 17.

The forward, then at Liverpool, wasn't capped again until the spring of 2014 – but that marked the start of a sustained run in the national set-up which included a place in Roy Hodgson's squad for the 2014 World Cup, where he played in all three matches as England crashed out at the group stage.

That was despite Sterling having been sent off in a pre-tournament friendly against Ecuador, with Hodgson saying: "The most important thing is that, with his performances, he's still making me very much aware that this is a player who can do an awful lot of damage to the opposition. He really is an exceptional talent, alongside the other exceptional talents we have."

Sterling's five-tournament streak came to an end with Euro 2024, with Southgate opting not to take the now-Chelsea man out to Germany with him.

5. Phil Neville (19 years, 139 days)

A very young-looking Phil Neville wearing a baggy England training sweatshirt that is clearly from the mid-1990s — Phil Neville (Image credit: Alamy)

The youngest member of Terry Venables' England squad for Euro 96, Phil Neville got to be part of a truly special summer, as the Three Lions delighted the nation in reaching the semi-finals of their home tournament.

That said, he didn't actually see any action, having to watch from the bench as older brother and Manchester United teammate Gary featured in every game.

Phil would represent England until 2007 and was particularly favoured by Kevin Keegan, who fielded him in 16 of his 18 games in charge - most memorably giving away the late penalty against Romania that saw England crash out in the group stage.

Speaking to the Independent, after hanging up his boots a grateful PNev reminisced: "He gave me the most [starts] of any England manager and really believed in me. I really enjoyed playing under him. We didn't play well at all at Euro 2000. We took a two-goal lead against Portugal but they dominated the game. We were poor against Romania, had a good half against Germany."

6. Gareth Barry (19 years, 108 days)

A young Gareth Barry wearing a red England training top, with his curtains hairstyle indicating this picture dates to the turn of the millennium — Gareth Barry (Image credit: Alamy)

The Premier League's record appearance maker with a whopping 653 outings under his belt, former Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton and West Brom, defender-turned-midfielder Gareth Barry also earned 53 caps for England.

He debuted in a Euro 2000 warm-up match against Ukraine, having been named in Keegan's squad for the tournament.

The then-England gaffer told the BBC ahead of the trip to Belgium and the Netherlands: "He is, like Steven Gerrard, one of the new breed of young players coming through that you have no worries about putting into the team. It's just a case of picking the right time, but they are not intimidated by the game, the opposition or the people they are playing with.

"Gareth's best position is as the left-sided centre-back but he might not get in there at the moment and he's got to look at other options. This tournament will be a great experience for him - and who knows what part he will play in Euro 2000?"

None, as it turned out: he remained an unused substitute for every game.

Surprisingly, Barry only made it to one more major tournament with England, going out to South Africa for their ill-fated 2010 World Cup campaign.

7. Aaron Lennon (19 years, 54 days)

A youthful Aaron Lennon wears a blank expression while in action for England — Aaron Lennon (Image credit: Alamy)

"Are you saying I should play Lennon instead of Beckham? Lennon does his damage on the right but Beckham also does his damage on the right. How many crosses does he put in? I think everybody agrees with the starting 11. I know the team and you would pick the same team."

So said Sven Goran Eriksson ahead of the 2006 World Cup, where the one-time youngest player in Premier League history also became one of England's youngest major tournament players.

True to his word, Eriksson stuck with Beckham as Lennon, who by then had left Leeds United for Tottenham Hotspur, came off the bench in the Three Lions' group stage win against Trinidad and Tobago, the last 16 victory over Ecuador and their penalty shootout quarter-final exit at the hands of Portugal.

Lennon subsequently went to the 2010 World Cup four years later, earning his last of 21 caps aged 25 in 2013.

8. Luke Shaw (18 years, 335 days)

Luke Shaw stands in a beautiful-looking park, clearly in a tropical climate, with his back to a tree and a big smile on his face — Luke Shaw (Image credit: Alamy)

Luke Shaw earned his first full England cap when he came on the replace Ashley Cole in a February 2014 friendly against Denmark; four months later, he took the veteran left-back's place in Roy Hodgson's squad for the World Cup in Brazil.

"I think the experience will do [Shaw] good and also I think he will be a very useful player for us in games where we can use that enormous power he has going forward," explained Hodgson. "We agonised over those positions, especially in the case of Luke because it involved Ashley Cole who all of us love to bits and think is a great footballer."

Cole retired from international football as a result, while Shaw – who also joined Manchester United from Southampton that summer – made his tournament debut in the Three Lions' final group game against Costa Rica (by which time they'd already been eliminated). In doing so, he was the youngest player to feature at that year's finals.

9. Wayne Rooney (18 years, 232 days)

A young Wayne Rooney blowing out his cheeks in exhaustion while playing for England — Wayne Rooney (Image credit: Alamy)

Less than two years after bursting onto the scene with that goal for Everton against Arsenal, Wayne Rooney was one of Manchester United and England's main men.

Still just 18 at the time of Euro 2004, there was little doubt that Wazza would play a starring role for his country at the tournament - and he did.

He ended up becoming the youngest goalscorer in Euros history, finshed second to the Czech Republic's Milan Baros in the Golden Boot stakes, and made UEFA's Team of the Tournament.

Eriksson told the BBC after Rooney's brace against Croatia in the group stage: "I don't remember anyone making such an impact on a tournament since Pele in the 1958 World Cup, I don't really know what to say. He's absolutely fantastic, not only at scoring goals but he plays football - he's a complete footballer."

10. Marcus Rashford (18 years, 223 days)

A young, skinnier-looking Marcus Rashford jogging onto the pitch while playing for England — Marcus Rashford (Image credit: Alamy)

Roy Hodgson openly said that Marcus Rashford was "unlikely" to feature in his Euro 2016 squad, citing the need to let Manchester United's hot young talent "develop in peace" – but the England boss never said he wouldn't take him.

And so, less than four months after making his United debut, the uncapped forward was named in the Three Lions' preliminary 26-man roster.

He made two substitute appearances at the finals in France, breaking the record for England's youngest-ever Euros player held by Wayne Rooney.

11. Michael Owen (18 years, 178 days)

Michael Owen wears a serious expression as the national anthem plays. His number 20 shirt indicates this picture is from the 1998 World Cup — Michael Owen (Image credit: Alamy)

The penultimate year of the 90s was a momentous year for Michael Owen. In February, Liverpool's precocious new talent made his senior England debut; by the end of the summer, he was lauded by none other than Diego Maradona as 'the only good thing to come out of' the 1998 World Cup.

Coming off the bench in the Three Lions' tournament opener against Tunisia amid fervent debate about whether the 18 year old should in fact be starting Owen became his country's youngest ever World Cup player.

The young man who manager Glenn Hoddle called "one of greatest finishers" made sure to leave a lasting impression by scoring an iconic solo goal in the last 16 clash with Argentina.

12. Jude Bellingham (17 years, 347 days)

Jude Bellingham confidently points to somebody off-camera while an opposition player in the background pats another England player on the back — Jude Bellingham (Image credit: Alamy)

As The Guardian's Jonathan Liew wrote just ahead of England kicking off their Euro 2020 campaign: "It is a measure of Bellingham’s remarkable rise that his promotion now feels imminent, inevitable, perhaps even forced."

After being heavily involved in England's run to the final as a 17-year-old, Jude Bellingham made history by becoming the first England player to feature at two tournaments as a teenager, playing an even more pivotal role at the 2022 World Cup.

The then-Borussia Dortmund midfielder started all five of the Three Lions' games and scored his first international goal, the opener as Southgate's side kicked off their campaign in style by thrashing Iran 6-2.

13. Theo Walcott (17 years, 85 days)

A teenage Theo Walcott looks surprised to have been captured by the camera mid-squat while warming up for an England training session — Theo Walcott (Image credit: Alamy)

Sven-Goran Eriksson's choice to include Theo Walcott in his 2006 World Cup squad raised a few eyebrows: Arsenal's £5m January signing was immensely promising, no doubt, but he hadn't yet won a senior cap, and his inclusion at in-form Jermain Defoe's cost was controversial.

"Because Theo hadn't even played a Premier League game. The only thing that got me through that summer - because that was tough, man, I was hurt - was just seeing England fans [saying] 'Jermain should have been going'," Defoe admitted last year.

That changed in a pre-tournament friendly against Hungary, in which he became England's youngest ever senior player at the age of 17 years and 75 days – although he didn't make it onto the pitch at the finals themselves.

With England failing to qualify for Euro 2008, it looked like he'd have to wait until the 2010 World Cup to finally make his major tournament debut – only to be left out by Fabio Capello, meaning his chance didn't come until Euro 2012, by which time he'd aged to a ripe old 23...