The Most Famous Players in the English Football Championship

EFL or the English Football League Championship or simply the Championship is the second tier of football in the English league system just behind the Premier League.

It currently features 24 teams with the top two being promoted to the Premier League. The next 4 teams contest through a mini knock-out and the winner earns qualification. Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton have made it to the 2024-25 Premier League.

The quality of football in the Championship isn’t of the same level as the Premier League but is still extremely high. In fact, many of the top English players had their breakout years in this tier and have gone on to play for the country.

The Most Successful EFL Championship Players Ever

James Maddison

The Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder has also played many games for the country. However, he started his playing career in the EFL Championship for Coventry City in 2016/17 where he featured only in 3 games and scored a goal. James was much better in 2017/18. He played for almost 83 minutes in each game and scored 14 goals and had 8 assists. He has featured in the FA Cup and Community Shield.

James Maddison has been in the news recently as he was dropped from the England national team for Euro 2024, which reportedly devastated him. At the age of 27, he has many years of football ahead of him.

Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy is a household name in English football. Many believe that in his prime, he was one of the best British strikers. Jamie has played 26 games for England and scored 7 goals. However, he earned his debut in the EFL Championship in 2012-13. Jamie has played in the EFL up to 2013/14. He has also featured in the Premier League, FA Cup, and the Community Shield. He has played for Stocksbridge Park Steels, FC Halifax Town, Fleetwood Town, and Leicester City.

His best achievement was in the 2015-16 season when Leicester City won the Premier League. Jamie was the joint second-highest scorer in the league with Sergio Agüero. They both scored 24 goals. Harry Kane topped the chart. Leicester City’s win was a huge surprise as very few people thought that the team could win the EPL.

The club lost form and was relegated from the Premier League in the 2022-23 season only to bounce back and win the 2023-24 EFL. However, since then, the manager Enzo Maresca has moved to Chelsea and Leicester City is currently looking for a replacement. Leicester City currently has an odd of 1000/1 for winning the Premier League, which doesn’t look very encouraging. You can find soccer betting predictions on Tips.gg. Of course, the forecast can change once the club hires a manager and fine-tunes the team. There is still time before the 2024-25 Premier League begins. Also, football predictions have often gone wrong in the past.

In 2019 Real Madrid lost to Atletico 3-7 in the International Champions Cup. Many believed that Real may sack Zidane. However, he stayed with the club and won the Laliga. Pele famously predicted that the Ghana midfielder Nii Lamptey was his “natural successor” after watching him play at the 1989 U16s World Cup. But that didn’t happen, of course. It was also predicted that an African country would win the World Cup by 2002. That has also not happened.

Chris Martin

The 1988-born Chris Martin has played more than 400 games in the EFL. He has played for more than 14 years in the division and scored 100 goals. The best season of Martin was 2013/14 as this center-forward scored a total of 20 goals. This Scottish footballer has played for Norwich City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Hull City and other clubs. Currently, he is with Bristol Rovers. Chris Martin has also represented Scotland 17 times and scored 3 goals.

Tom Lees

Thomas James Lees or Tom Lees has made more than 400 appearances in the Championship for over 10 years as a center-back. He has played for various clubs like Leeds United, Bury, Sheffield Wednesday, and Huddersfield Town. He has also played for the England U21 side. However, he is yet to feature in the Premier League.

Gareth Bale

Another famous player who started his playing career in the EFL and is known throughout the world is Gareth Bale. No present or former player who started with the Championship has won a record five UEFA Champions League titles. The winger has played 111 games for Wales and scored 41 goals. He captained the national side in the UEFA Euro 2020 where they qualified to the round of 16. Bale also featured in World Cup 2022 where the team couldn’t advance from the group stage.

Gareth Bale has played for Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, and Los Angeles FC. He debuted in the EFL in 2005/06 for Southampton but only played two games that year. Overall, he played in 40 games in the Championship and joined the Premier League side Tottenham in 2007. He announced his retirement in June 2022.

Michael Morrison

British centre-back Michael Morrison has played more than 400 games in the Championship, representing various clubs like Charlton Athletic, Cambridge United, Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham City, Reading, Portsmouth, and Leicester City. He came through the youth system and made his debut for Cambridge United. Unfortunately, Michael has never played for any Premier League side.

Cole Skuse

The defensive midfielder Cole Skuse has also played 615 games in the Championship. He has played for Bristol City, Ipswich Town, and Colchester United, scoring 12 goals and stopping many attacks. Many believe that Cole is one of the most talented defensive midfielders of all time in this tier of English football. He retired in May 2023 and is presently employed as the manager of Bury Town.

Richard Keogh

37-year-old Richard John Keogh has played 667 games in a 20-year-long career, with 457 of them in the EFL. This Irish defender has also played 26 games for the Ireland national team and scored a goal. Over a long career, he has been with Stoke City, Bristol City, Carlisle United, Huddersfield Town, Coventry City, Derby County, Blackpool, Ipswich Town, and other clubs. Derby County fans still remember his many contributions. He played eight years at the club.

EFL or the Championship is the second tier in English football. Sure enough, the quality is below the Premier League but still, EFL has given us many good players, some of whom have gone on to feature prominently in the top division and even achieve international fame.

 

 

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