Notable English strikers who never played for EURO

Several notable English forwards have unfortunately never gotten a chance to play in the Euro.

England has produced plenty of prolific strikers since the early days of the Premier League. Some have been fortunate enough to get a call-up for The Three Lions and play regularly for international fixtures or even major tournaments, like Alan Shearer, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, or Harry Kane, while others have only been their understudies. The likes of Les Ferdinand, Emile Heskey, Jermain Defoe, Jamie Vardy, and currently Ivan Toney are the obvious examples. The Brentford man just hit the pitch as a substitute in the round of 16 game versus Slovakia in EURO 2024 to provide more attacking options upfront. He instantly contributed to the game by making an assist for Harry Kane’s winning goal in the game. However, it is still unlikely to field him from the start, as Kane is the skipper and the first choice in the team unless he is on the injury list.

Meanwhile, plenty of others have never been as lucky as Ivan Toney and his predecessors, as they never received a call-up for the EURO, FIFA World Cup, or either of them. Newcastle’s Callum Wilson is probably one example of such. The 32-year-old forward has been the mainstay in St. James’ Park until the arrival of Alexander Isak. Last season, he still managed to net 10 goals and provide one assist in 26 games in all competitions. Unfortunately, he was injured when his team trashed PSG 4-1 and silenced PSG tickets holders in UCL. Wilson was even included in the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Unfortunately, he did not cut EURO 2024.

Before Wilson, there have been other names who experienced the same circumstance in Premier League history. Here are those notable but unfortunate English strikers without a single cap in EURO.

Andy Cole

He was one of the most prolific strikers in England back in the 1990s, along with Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham. Before Shearer won EPL top scorer in 1995, he had already been awarded it in 1994, scoring 34 goals for Newcastle United. Cole then plied his trade to Manchester United in the winter of 1995 and enjoyed trophy-laden years at Old Trafford, including five league titles and the UEFA Champions League in 1999.

However, his fate in the Three Lions was quite in contrast to Super Al. He was only capped 15 times and scored one. The former Blackburn, Fulham, and Manchester City man was snubbed for the final squads in any major tournaments from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. The former England boss, Glenn Hoodle, even once criticised him for being less clinical in the finish while playing for the national team, despite scoring 265 goals and making 103 assists in 600 games for his clubs.

Chris Sutton

He was Shearer’s duet in Blackburn when they won the EPL in 1995. Sutton was even awarded a top scorer in 1997/98 with 18 goals, sharing with Dion Dublin and Michael Owen. Yet he was never seriously considered for England’s final squad in a major tournament. The fierce competition at that time with Alan Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole, Robbie Fowler, Michael Owen, and Les Ferdinand in the squad pushed him down in the pecking order. Sutton only played once for The Three Lions in 1997 and never received another call-up after rejecting to join the England B team.

Stan Collymore

He was once tipped as the most promising talent upfront, before the emergence of Michael Owen. Collymore was deadly in the six-yard box, especially during his campaigns with Nottingham Forest and Liverpool from 1994 to 1997 before he fell out of favour in Anfield with the Reds’ boss at the time, Roy Evans. Unfortunately, he was more notorious for his disciplinary issues and personal life, which contributed to his downfall. Such cost his future, as he could not replicate his form in his prime any longer from his days at Aston Villa. Collymore only earned three caps for international fixtures without scoring one.

Andrew Johnson

He was considered one of the potential forwards for the Three Lions in the 2000s. He rose to prominence with Crystal Palace in 2005 before he joined Everton two years later. Johnson might have no personal or disciplinary issues like Collymore, but he had major physical fitness and was prone to injuries. No wonder he never became the top target for the elite sides. Throughout his career, the Bedford-born striker did manage to score 144 goals and set up 32 goals in 460 games. Yet he mostly played for mid-table sides such as Fulham, Birmingham, and QPR. With the consistent form of Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe, plus Peter Crouch, Johnson only played eight times for England and was never called up for any major tournament.

James Beattie

Another striker who seemed to have a promising future was James Beattie. He was well-known for his stints at Southampton in the early 2000s before switching sides to Everton. The Lancaster-born forward was tipped to be included in the EURO 2004 final squad but was eventually left out as the England boss at the time, Sven Goran Eriksson, preferred Liverpool’s Emile Heskey despite scoring less than Beattie in 2003 and 2004. His fortune in international fixtures was not seemingly any better than that of Andrew Johnson, since he only earned five caps despite scoring 143 goals and providing 34 assists in 467 matches for all his clubs. He also shared other similarities with Johnson. Both were teammates at Everton during the 2006–07 season. He eventually departed from Goodison Park in the following season for Sheffield United before eventually making his return to the EPL by signing for Stoke City in 2008.

Darren Bent

He was one of James Beattie and Andy Johnson’s rivals in the Premier League goal-scoring contest and national team call-up. Compared to them, Darren Bent was slightly more fortunate, as he managed to bag four goals in 12 appearances for England. Yet he was snubbed for any major tournaments, especially the 2010 FIFA World Cup and EURO 2012 when he was supposedly in his best form.

The former striker, who started his professional career at Ipswich Town, had his best spells with Charlton, Tottenham, and Sunderland. In Spurs, he was even part of the squad when they snatched their last silverware to date, the EFL League Cup 2008. Overall, Bent registered 18 goals and 39 assists in 517 matches for his club.

Danny Ings

The current West Ham forward is one of the underrated English strikers in his prime. He rose to prominence in Burnley during the 2014/15 campaign and attracted Brendan Rodgers’s Liverpool to sign him. Unfortunately, he was deemed surplus in the squad when Jurgen Klopp arrived. Thus, he was loaned out to Southampton, where his form improved. He stayed in St. Mary’s till 2021 before moving to Aston Villa and then landing in West Ham. The 31-year-old frontman has scored 124 goals and provided 39 assists in 402 games for his club.

In international fixtures, Ings was never the first choice, especially with the likes of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, and Jamie Vardy in the squad. No wonder that he only earned three caps and netted once for England.