You may not know ex-England stars still playing football

Action Images via Reuters/Carl Recine By  Robin Mumford AM GMT+1 highlights a surprising lineup of former England internationals who are still playing football, proving that the Three Lions’ legacy endures beyond the spotlight.

Mumford’s journalistic pedigree

Robin Mumford joined GiveMeSport in April 2024 after serving as Deputy Editor-in-Chief at VAVEL, where he produced a variety of content from press conferences to match reports. He later won an award for his role as lead editor of the Women’s Football section of the online newspaper. Mumford now covers Champions League and Premier League football across Europe, having reported from Anfield, Old Trafford and Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park, as well as the 2023 men’s and women’s Champions League finals in Eindhoven and Istanbul.

Ex‑England players still on the pitch

John Ruddy, born and raised in St Ives, was a Norwich City regular between 2010 and 2017 and earned a solitary England cap in 2012 with a 45‑minute cameo against Italy. After spells at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City, Newcastle United signed him in 2024 but he made no appearances before re‑joining Wolves on a free transfer this summer.

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Calum Chambers broke through at Southampton in 2012, moved to Arsenal for £16 million and earned three England caps at 19, playing against Norway, San Marino and Estonia. He logged 122 appearances for Arsenal before joining Aston Villa in 2022 and then Cardiff City in 2024, where he now competes in the Championship.

Chris Smalling, once mocked at Manchester United, arrived from Fulham in the summer of 2008 and spent eleven years with the Red Devils, winning two Premier League titles. After two seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al‑Fayha Club, he became a free agent this summer and has announced his intention to keep playing, having amassed 31 England caps between 2011 and 2017.

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Joleon Lescott, a former Everton and Manchester City defender who helped City to two Premier League crowns, earned 26 England caps and featured in the Euro 2012 squad. Though he retired from professional football in 2017, he now turns out for Wythenshawe Vets in the Cheshire Veterans Football League, playing as a striker.