England's 5 most entertaining footballers of all time

#3 Paul Gascoigne

Paul Gascoigne with his dyed hair in an Umbro England shirt - a classic image.

Paul John Gascoigne, nicknamed Gazza, was born in Durham, England, in 1967. He predominantly played as an attacking midfielder, and represented Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers, among others.

Gazza came through the ranks at Newcastle in the 1980s, and signed his first professional contract with the Magpies in 1984. Four years later, he moved to Spurs, where he won the FA Cup in 1991. Gazza scored a free-kick in the semi-final against arch-rivals Arsenal to help Spurs push for the cup.

Paul Gascoigne had his fair share of England appearances as well. He represented the Three Lions 57 times, scoring ten goals.

One of his most memorable moments occurred with Gazza wearing the Three Lions' kit. He cried after being booked in the semi-final of Euro 1996 - a card that meant he would be suspended for the final. However, England never reached the final, losing to eventual winners Germany on penalties in the last four.

Nevertheless, he had a wonderful campaign, and produced some classy moments throughout the tournament.

In the later stages of his career, Gascoigne struggled with alcoholism, and that affected his mental health as well. He retired as a player in 2004. Gascoigne has not worked in football since being fired as Kettering Town's boss in 2005.

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#2 Steven Gerrard

Former England captain Steven Gerrard celebrating a goal in typical fashion

Steven George Gerrard was born in Whiston, Merseyside, England, in 1980. He is arguably the greatest ever Liverpool player to come through the ranks at the club's academy before making it big. Gerrard spent most of his career as Liverpool and England captain.

He was known for taking the initiative on a football pitch with his aggression and scintillating shooting ability. Gerrard also produced some incredible moments for the Reds. He scored a goal late on in a Champions League game against Olympiacos in 2004 to send Liverpool through to the knockout stage.

His first ever goal for Liverpool, too, was a memorable effort.

Steven Gerrard was a leader in the England squad as well. He represented his nation 114 times, scoring 21 goals. However, he was unlucky that none of the England sides he was a part of won silverware.

In a record 710 appearances for Liverpool, Gerrard scored 186 goals and provided 155 assists.

Gerrard retired as a player in 2016, and has since been a manager at various clubs. He is currently in charge at Aston Villa, and will look to propel the club into the top half of the Premier League table.

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#1 Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy in action for the Three Lions

Jamie Richard Vardy was born in Sheffield, England, in 1987. He began his career in 2003 at Stocksbridge Park Steels and signed his first professional contract with them in 2007. After prolific spells at Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town, Leicester City snapped up Vardy in 2012 for £1 million.

Vardy has scored 156 goals and provided 65 assists in 373 games for Leicester since joining them in 2012. Out of those strikes, 127 have come in 261 appearances in the Premier League. Vardy has hit double figures for goals in every season since 2015, and is just one goal shy of repeating the feat this season.

Jamie Vardy set an incredible record in 2015, going 15 consecutive games with at least one goal contribution. Liverpool's Mohamed Salah recently equalled that record.

Starting off relatively late in the Premier League, Jamie Vardy has amassed an incredible goal tally. He was instrumental in Leicester City's fairy-tale Premier League title run in the 2015-16 season, bagging 24 goals and eight assists.

Vardy has scored some incredible goals in the league, including an unbelievable first-time volleyed effort against Liverpool. Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel launched a long ball towards Vardy in space, and the striker finished that off in incredible style.

With great goals came great celebrations, and Vardy isn't one to shy away from audacious celebrations. He has cupped his ears to opposition supporters, celebrated and done knee-slides in front of them, and has even smashed a corner flag to smithereens on one occasion. Vardy explains why he celebrates like that in the video below:

Jamie Vardy scored seven goals in 26 appearances for England in a relatively short international career. His Leicester City side currently sit ninth in the Premier League table, and Vardy will hope to save their blushes before the season ends.