Non-League to Premier League: Five England capped strikers

Matt Haynes | November 3, 2015

Following Jamie Vardy’s exceptional scoring streak with Leicester City, (7/2 top six hopes) Coral compile a list of five other strikers who started in non-league football, made it to the Premier League and earned England caps.

Ian Wright

Kevin Phillips

Arguably his most successful stint came at his next club, Sunderland where his 113 goals in 208 appearances earned him an England call-up. Although he made eight appearances between 1999 and 2002, he was unable to find the net. Following his time at the Black Cats, he was poached by Southampton 2003 who had spurned him as a teenager. He went on to become somewhat of a journeyman, playing for 10 different clubs in total, earning a reputation for helping teams get out of the Championship.

Les Ferdinand

In 1995, Newcastle United swooped for his signature where the striker went on to net 41 goals in 68 appearances, forming an effective partnership with Alan Shearer. Moving to Tottenham two years later, injuries curtailed most of his time at Spurs, though he forged a potent on-field relationship with Jurgen Klinsmann, scoring 33 goals in 118 outings. Representing England from 1993 until 1998, he got 17 caps and struck five times.