Arguably one of England’s most famous draws came against Greece back in 2001, where a last-gasp David Beckham free-kick at Old Trafford booked the Three Lions’ spot in the 2002 World Cup.
England needed to match or better Germany’s result in the final round of matches to qualify automatically. Things didn’t go to plan when Angelos Charisteas – who would become Greece’s Euro 2004 hero – put the visitors into a shock half-time lead.
Teddy Sheringham’s equaliser gave England hope as Germany continued to be held by Finland, but Greece were back in front just minutes later through Demis Nikolaidis.
It looked as if England would need to go down the play-off route of qualifying after finding themselves trailing with seconds remaining before Beckham’s stunning long-range effort. The two sides haven’t played a competitive game against each other since then, but will soon face off twice in the UEFA Nations League.
But can you remember the squad from that famous encounter in 2001? We’ve got you covered by listing all 14 players who featured that day.
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ByLewis ThompsonJun 15, 2024 1 Nigel Martyn Goalkeeper, Leeds
In goal that day was Nigel Martyn, who was the first-choice ahead of Richard Wright and starring for a Leeds United side at the top of the Premier League at the time.
His Three Lions debut came back in 1992 and his final England appearance came in a World Cup warm-up clash against Cameroon that ended 2-2.
Caps
23
Goals
0
First cap
v CIS (D 2-2), April 1992
First goal
n/a
Last cap
v Cameroon (D 2-2), May 2002
Last goal
n/a
2 Gary Neville Defender, Man Utd
Now known for his role as a pundit, Gary Neville was a regular at right-back for England in the early 2000s.
The Manchester United legend won 85 caps for his country and played the entirety of the qualifier on his home club ground.
Caps
85
Goals
0
First cap
v Japan (W 2-1), June 1995
First goal
n/a
Last cap
v Spain (L 0-1), February 2007
Last goal
n/a
3 Martin Keown Defender, Arsenal
Arsenal centre-back Martin Keown was given the nod at the back in what were his twilight years as an international footballer. The draw against Greece was the defender’s last competitive outing for his country, having retired from Three Lions duty after the 2002 World Cup.
Caps
43
Goals
2
First cap
v France (W 2-0), February 1992
First goal
v Czechoslovakia (D 2-2), March 1992
Last cap
v Cameroon (D 2-2), May 2002
Last goal
v Malta (W 2-1), June 2000
4 Rio Ferdinand Defender, Leeds
Partnering Keown was Rio Ferdinand, who at the time was still on the books at Leeds United.
As we know, Ferdinand would go on to play at Old Trafford for Manchester United on a regular basis, signing for the Red Devils a year later in 2002.
5 Ashley Cole Defender, Arsenal
Arguably England’s greatest left-back, Ashley Cole was an ever-present figure for the Three Lions for 13 years.
Interestingly, 2001 was actually Cole’s first year as an international footballer while he was playing for Arsenal.
6 David Beckham Midfielder, Man Utd
David Beckham, the hero from that memorable day, started on the right-hand side of midfield and captained the side.
His curling free-kick was arguably his most important England goal and he was even voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 2001.
7 Paul Scholes Midfielder, Man Utd
Paul Scholes was handed the number 8 shirt in central midfield, despite sometimes being used on the left for the Three Lions, and was the only home player booked on the day.
The Manchester United star was in the middle of his international career at the time, eventually retiring from England duty in 2004.
8 Steven Gerrard Midfielder, Liverpool
Alongside Scholes was Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who was a regular for England between 2000 and 2014. He won 114 caps in total for his country but didn’t play in the 2002 World Cup due to injury.
9 Nick Barmby Midfielder, Liverpool
On the left-hand side of midfield was Nick Barmby, who had swapped Everton for Liverpool just a year earlier. The versatile midfielder was used centrally and out wide during his career but struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford that afternoon.
He was subbed off at half-time and this game would end up being his last in an England shirt.
10 Emile Heskey Forward, Liverpool
One of two centre-forwards who started that day was Emile Heskey, who netted his most famous England goal in the 5-1 win against Germany earlier in the qualification campaign.
He didn’t have much luck at Old Trafford though, failing to find the back of the net. He did bag at the World Cup in the Three Lions’ last-16 win over Denmark.
Caps
62
Goals
7
First cap
v Hungary (D 1-1), April 1999
First goal
v Malta (W 2-1), June 2000
Last cap
v Germany (L 1-4), June 2010
Last goal
v Kazakhstan (W 4-0), June 2009