David Beckham: 2002 & 2006
Beckham shouldered much of the blame for the defeat to Argentina in 1998, with his red card for a petulant kick out at Diego Simeone considered to have cost England dear. ‘Golden Balls’ was, however, to earn redemption in some style, with his next outing at a World Cup finals seeing him fill captaincy duties. Beckham, who almost single-handedly carried the Three Lions to the 2002 finals, was only half-fit in Korea & Japan after suffering a pre-tournament broken metatarsal, but did exorcise his demons against Argentina from the penalty spot. He also skippered England in 2006, but once again penalties and red cards proved to be their undoing.
John Haynes: 1962
Having been a regular source of goals at club level during an iconic spell with Fulham, Haynes was considered to be the ideal candidate to lead his country. He did earn 56 caps while netting 18 goals for England, but none of those efforts came at the 1962 World Cup in Chile. The Three Lions would make it through the group stage and into the quarter-finals, but they ultimately came unstuck against eventual winners Brazil. Haynes suffered an unfortunate car accident shortly after the finals and ended up being overlooked in 1966.
Billy Wright: 1950, 1954 & 1958