National Football Museum Hall of Fame

For collectors, the National Football Museum Hall of Fame identifies which players truly matter in football history. These aren’t just good players or trophy winners. They’re the GOATs, recognised by peers and fans as the greatest of all time.

Some names still dominate conversations in pubs and on social media. Others were just as exceptional in their era but have faded from popular memory, known now mainly to historians and serious collectors who understand what they achieved.

This list helps educate collectors about who genuinely mattered in football history and why their cards are worth pursuing. Rookie cards of Hall of Fame inductees carry greater historical significance than random players from the same era.

Understanding which players earned induction and what they achieved helps inform smarter collecting decisions, whether you’re chasing scarce Victorian tobacco cards or building a focused collection around a specific era.

Since 2002, the National Football Museum Hall of Fame has celebrated the greatest figures in football in England. It has honoured the players, managers, coaches, referees, and support staff whose skill, influence, and character have shaped the game for more than a century.

From Victorian pioneers playing in heavy leather boots to modern stars lifting the Premier League trophy, each inductee represents excellence at the highest level. Some dominated their era through sheer ability. Others changed how the game was played, managed or understood. All of them left football in England better than they found it.

Selection Criteria

Entry to the Hall of Fame requires meeting strict standards. Candidates must be retired, have contributed to elite football in England for at least five years, and demonstrate values that reflect the game’s best traditions.

Inductees must have achieved at least one of three things: significant success at the highest level, fundamentally improved the game, or made the game more accessible.

The Inductees

The Hall of Fame has always recognised that football in England was built by talent from across Britain and Ireland, not just English players. Welsh wizard Billy Meredith was among the founding inductees in 2002, alongside Scottish legends such as Matt Busby and Denis Law.

As the decades progressed, international stars who transformed the English game earned their place. Eric Cantona and Arsène Wenger were inducted early, recognising the role of foreign talent and vision in elevating football in England.

The Hall of Fame includes players who dominated the Victorian era, war heroes who kept football alive through conflicts, post-war legends who rebuilt the game, and modern icons who achieved success in the Premier League. It also includes managers who built dynasties.

Some won everything. Others redefined what was possible in their position. What unites them is an undeniable impact on football in England that endures long after their careers ended.

Since 2002, the Hall of Fame has grown to recognise excellence across every position, era and type of contribution to the game.

The 2002 Founding Inductees

The Hall of Fame began with 29 founding members inducted in 2002. This inaugural group established the standard for excellence, spanning from 1920s pioneers through to 1990s icons.

Billy Wright, Stanley Matthews and Tom Finney represented post-war English football. George Best, Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish brought Scottish flair to the English game. John Charles, the ‘Gentle Giant’, proved Welsh talent could dominate both domestically and across Europe.

Bobby Moore captained England to World Cup glory, whilst Bobby Charlton survived Munich to become a global ambassador for football. Eric Cantona proved foreign stars could transform English football culture. The founding inductees set the bar for everyone who followed.