5 most surprising players to have played for England since 2000

#1 Shaun Wright-Phillips

One of the most famous cases of falling from grace

Position: Winger

Appearances for England: 36

Current club: Phoenix Rising FC

Let's begin this by laying down the fact that Shaun Wright-Phillips was not as bad a player as the others on this list. He makes it here because of the ridiculous fact that his career accounted for 36 international caps for England.

To put that into perspective, take a look at some well-known names and much more established footballers who made less than 36 appearances for England: Michael Carrick, Ian Wright (Wright-Phillips' father), Robbie Fowler, Paul Merson, Les Ferdinand, Andy Cole and Ray Parlour to name a few.

A diminutive winger who was fast and tricky to deal with, Wright-Phillips enjoyed a very successful stint at Manchester City, even featuring in the PFA team of the year in the 2004-05 season and bagging the Manchester City Young Player of the Year award 4 times on the bounce.

A £21 million switch to Chelsea followed, but he never became a permanent fixture at Chelsea, featuring in and out of the first team picture mostly. Following a few frustrating seasons, he made a return to Manchester City.

The move didn't work out well, with newly rich City bringing in better talent with their new finances, meaning that Wright-Phillips would only be a fringe player at the club.

From then on, Wright-Phillips endured a fall from grace from the top. He subsequently played for QPR, before moving to the MLS to sign for New York Red Bulls and later to Phoenix Rising for whom he features at the time of writing.

Even though his initial selection into the English squad as a young, pacey talent was justified, his continued selection even after his inability to deliver consistently in the top flight was uncalled for, and his selection into the 2010 World Cup squad for England ahead of youngsters Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon, who were faring far better than him, was also surprising.