Defeat at Wembley on Saturday night extended England’s miserable historical record against Brazil, a match-up that is by a wide margin the Three Lions’ worst in all of international football.
So we’ve decided to go back and find out the opponents against whom England have the worst overall record, stopping at eight because a) by this point you’re actually looking at quite a good overall record really and b) go any further and we’d have had to include Scotland.

One could, if one were so inclined, come up with all manner of complicated ways of measuring this – weighting for competitive games and more World Cup games and such – but we’ve said tits to all that. What we’ve done is have a five-match minimum, which feels like it’s probably not quite enough but again we really didn’t want to include Scotland, and treated everything as if it’s three points for a win, one for a draw, and then ranked them on points per game. Extra-time counts, penalty shoot outs don’t. Fight us.
 
8. Sweden – P25 W9 D9 L7 GF40 GA32 Pts 36 PPG 1.44
England infamously went over 40 years and 12 games without a win over Sweden between 1968 and 2011, including draws in the group stage at both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups.
That 2011 win at Wembley was followed by a very silly London Bus of a win at the Euros seven months later before the general propensity for daftness in games against Sweden continued in what will forever be known as The Zlatan Game. He scored all four Sweden goals in a 4-2 win, topped off with an absurd 30-yard overhead kick because he felt like it on an absurd evening that also incorporated the entire international careers of Ryan Shawcross and Carl Jenkinson as well as the first of Wilfried Zaha’s two England caps.
Related video: Brazil's Danilo on facing England in the friendly [Portuguese and English] (English Football Channel)

England won the last meeting between the two in uncharacteristically serene fashion in the 2018 World Cup quarter-final.
 
7. Germany/West Germany – P35 W14 D8 L13 GF57 GA46 Pts 50 PPG 1.43
England’s early dominance and the irrelevance to these calculations of penalty shootouts makes the overall record against their most bitter international football foe seem really not that bad all things considered.
Three of the last four have been drawn, with the exception England’s 2-0 win at Wembley in the Euro 2020 last 16, a win that restored England’s overall winning record against the Germans. Again, with the caveat that we’re pretending penalty shootouts aren’t a thing here. That same caveat, by the way, gives England a 6-2 winning record against Argentina, which definitely doesn’t feel real.
 
6. Italy – P32 W10 D11 L11 GF39 GA35 Pts 41 PPG 1.28
And two of these draws ended in painful penalty shootout defeat, too. England have gained the smallest quantity of revenge imaginable for the Euro final heartbreak by winning the last two meetings in qualification for this year’s tournament to at least slightly improve the overall record against one of only four teams against whom England have an overall losing record in international football.
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5. Romania – P12 W3 D6 L3 GF11 GA10 Pts 15 PPG 1.25
A surprising one, certainly. England’s 1-0 win in a 2020 friendly ended 50 years of hurt against the Romanians, although like us you’re probably mainly condensing those 50 years into the Euro 2000 nonsense in Charlerio, aren’t you? Romania also got the better of England in the 1998 World Cup group stage while the two met in qualifying for both the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, with England managing only three draws and a defeat across those four games.
We don’t quite know why we find it so very funny that Michael Owen is the only man to score more than a single career goal against Romania for England, but we think it’s probably got something to do with the list of players with one goal against Romania including such legendary England goalscorers as Geoff Hurst, Alan Shearer and Rob Lee.
 
4. Chile – P6 W2 D2 L2 GF4 GA5 Pts 8 PPG 1.25

Slightly tenuous given the overall lack of games, but feels worth its place because England haven’t beaten Chile in over 70 years now. After winning the first two encounters – including one at the 1950 World Cup – England haven’t managed so much as a goal against the Chileans since 1953. A pair of goalless draws in the 80s have been followed by a pair of 2-0 friendly defeats at Wembleys old (1998) and new (2013).
 
3. Netherlands – P22 W6 D9 L7 GF31 GA29 Pts 27 PPG 1.23
There have been some famous clashes between England and the Netherlands down the decades, but few of them ending with England on top.
The most conspicuous one that did was the 4-1 demolition job at Euro 96 that really did have everyone believing football might be coming home, while after that it was a diet of friendly after friendly – eight in all – until an extra-time kicking for England in the inaugural Nations League Finals.

Historically, a lot of friendlies between these two near neighbours. Sixteen in all out of those 22 games and perhaps surprisingly only one ever meeting at the World Cup finals – the goalless draw in the 1990 group stage. They would meet in the qualifiers for the next World Cup, including what must be England’s most famous defeat outside major tournament finals. He’s gonna flick one…
 
2. Uruguay – P11 W3 D3 L5 GF11 GA15 Pts 12 PPG 1.09
England did end 37-year hoodoo against Uruguay with a 2-1 win at Anfield in 2006, but the most recent encounter between the teams remains the 2014 World Cup group stage game and nobody wants to talk about the 2014 World Cup group stage ever again thank you very much.
Also met in the opening game of the 1966 World Cup, where the Uruguayans housed their way to a point with a bus-parking endeavour that seemed to suggest England were set for yet more major tournament disappointment.
 
1. Brazil – P27 W4 D11 L12 GF23 GA35 Pts 23 PPG 0.85
It’s an absolutely miserable record for England, and starkly worse than anything they’ve managed over the years against any opponent they’ve met on more than a handful of occasions.
England even managed to win the first meeting between the two in 1956 but wouldn’t taste victory against Braazil again until 1984 in the Maracana when John Barnes scored one of the all-time great England goals in a famous 2-0 win.
England’s only other wins have come in Wembley friendlies in 1990 and 2013. England and Brazil have met in four World Cups, with England on the losing side in each of the last three – most recently the 2002 quarter-final but perhaps most famously the 1970 group stage – since a goalless draw in 1958.

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10) Rohan Ricketts (Arsenal to Tottenham)
Y’know, Rohan, The Big R, ol’ soft bones, the Ricketts of Rohan. He made one League Cup appearance for Arsenal before moving to Tottenham on a free transfer in 2002, ahead of a further 17 years in professional football playing for Coventry, Wolves, QPR, Barnsley, Toronto, Diosgyor, Dacia, Wilhelmshaven, Shamrock Rovers, Exeter City, Dempo SC, Quevedo, PTT Rayong, Eastern, Abahani Ltd and Leatherhead FC.


How The Athletic haven’t done 20,000 words on the life and times of Rohan is beyond us.
 
9) Dominic Solanke (Chelsea to Liverpool)
Liverpool signed the man who would become their record Premier League goalscorer in the summer of 2017. No, it wasn’t Dominic Solanke, but it’s fun to imagine some thinking it would be him over Mohamed Salah if they were told at the time.
Solanke in fact scored one Premier League goal for Liverpool, on the last day of his only full season for the club, before being sold for a hefty profit to Bournemouth. Decent business, that. Even if Bournemouth could make some decent money themselves this summer.
 
8) Mason Mount (Chelsea to Manchester United)
Many a time we’ve forgotten this season that Mason Mount is a Manchester United player. The England star moved to Old Trafford last summer when United eventually coughed up £55million for a player a year from free-agency.
Related video: Pleased for Palmer and Gallagher to make England squad - Pochettino (Dailymotion)

For that, Mount has made four starts in eight Premier League appearances. No goals, no assists. A calf injury has ruined the 25-year-old’s first campaign at United, who you would reasonably suggest could have better used the money in other positions.
 
7) Danny Welbeck (Manchester United to Arsenal)
Moved to the Emirates in 2014 after his best goalscoring season for Manchester United because he was “playing on the left wing a lot in a 4-4-2” and had very little hope of ousting either Robin van Persie or Wayne Rooney up top.
He scored a hat-trick in Arsenal’s second Champions League group game in his first season, at a time when he was also banging in goals for fun for England – he scored six in five European qualification matches.
But he never asserted himself as the main man at Arsenal – not that anyone really expected him to – and looks far more at home as the old hand of Brighton.
 
6) Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City to Chelsea)
Before Nottingham Forest fans get their knickers in a twist, Wright-Phillips was really their youth product, but makes this list as he graduated into the Manchester City first team from their under-18s.
After 11 Premier League goals under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan in 2004/05, Chelsea snapped Wright-Phillips up for £30m before he returned to City three years later with just a further four Premier League goals to his name. Arjen Robben, Damien Duff and Joe Cole meant minutes were hard to come by.
 
5) Daniel Sturridge (Manchester City to Chelsea)
His later Big Six swap between Chelsea and Liverpool worked out excellently, with Sturridge forming that formidable partnership with Luis Suarez as Brendan Rodgers’ side came within a stud’s depth of winning the Premier League. But he was never given a proper chance at Chelsea.

Sturridge’s most productive season for Chelsea saw him score 11 Premier League goals, which would make him a veritable goal-machine by current standards at Stamford Bridge but at the time wasn’t anything to write home about. Being stuck on the right wing certainly didn’t help and Sturridge showed the damage he could do down the middle soon after his departure.
 
4) Cole Palmer (Manchester City to Chelsea)
Chelsea used £40million of their Mount money on Palmer, which seemed a huge fee at the time. Now it looks like a bargain.
Palmer has been one of the few positives in another wretched season for Chelsea and were it not for the England string-puller, it could have been considerably worse. Mount does not come out of this well…

3) Raheem Sterling (Liverpool to Manchester City)
Many people balked at the £50m Manchester City paid Liverpool for Sterling in 2015 and were then convinced he wouldn’t be Pep Guardiola’s cup of tea when the Spanish boss turned up a year later. But Sterling became one of the most prolific wingers in Premier League history under Guardiola, averaging a goal every other game in six seasons. Chelsea could do with some of that. They don’t look likely to get it.

Raheem Sterling, soon to be of Chelsea
© Provided by Football365
 
2) Ashley Cole (Arsenal to Chelsea)
Chelsea had already won a couple of Premier League titles before he arrived, but Cole’s arrival from Arsenal felt like quite the power shift in London. A player as good and in their prime as Cole was moving to Stamford Bridge was a pretty good indicator of the status of the two clubs.

He made the right call. In Cole’s eight-year spell at Chelsea, the Arsenal academy graduate won four FA Cups, the League Cup, the Premier League, the Europa League and the Champions League; Arsenal won one FA Cup.
 
1) Sol Campbell (Tottenham to Arsenal)
We’ve stuck Sol top more for the amount of piss he boiled through his north London switch than anything else. “Sol Campbell, he’s one of our own” can now be heard as a retort to Tottenham supporters fawning over Harry Kane, which isn’t bad at all from the Arsenal fans.
Campbell didn’t just move to Spurs’ arch rivals, he moved for nothing, before winning four FA Cups and two Premier League titles, clinching the second at White Hart Lane.
Read next: Every Premier League club’s best-ever free transfer – can anyone better Arsenal’s?

5 stars you forgot existed now playing non-league football including ex-Liverpool forward

Their time in the Premier League may be over, but there is still several former top-flight stars still playing further down the pyramid.
Players such as Jamie Vardy, Tyrone Mings, Michail Antonio and Dan Burn all started their careers in non-league before making their way to the top, while others go in the opposite direction.


There is a plethora of young talent in non-league, but there is still plenty of experienced campaigners involved and among them are a number of former top-flight stars - who once competed against the best in the game.
Ahead of Non-League Day - the event which has championed semi-professional and grassroots football since 2010 - on Saturday, Mirror Football have taken a look at five players who have swapped the Premier League for the lower divisions of English football in recent years.

Leroy Lita

A non-league journeyman, Leroy Lita started his career at Bristol City and scored 38 goals in 100 games for the Robins before moving to Reading. He was part of the Royals side that broke the record for the most Championship points in history (106) before making 47 appearances in the Premier League.
Lita, who had a long successful professional career after later spending time at the likes of Norwich, Swansea and Middlesbrough, dropped down to non-league in 2018 following a spell in Thailand. The ex-England Under 21 forward played for Margate, Salisbury and Chelmsford before relocating to the Midlands.
Related video: Premier League: Predictions for the Player of the Season award (Dailymotion)

After joining Nuneaton Borough in 2020, Lita has since turned out for Hednesford Town, Ilkeston Town and Coalville Town. Lita, who scored 27 goals in the Southern League Premier Division Central last season, signed for Barwell - the 24th club of his career - earlier this week and could make his debut against Royston Town this weekend.
Leroy Lita scored 10 Premier League goals
© Getty Images

Matthew Lowton

Experienced full-back Matthew Lowton begun his senior career at Sheffield United and spent some time out on loan to Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros to gain first-team experience. He moved to Aston Villa in 2012 and spent three years in the West Midlands before joining Burnley for £1million plus add-ons.

Lowton helped the Clarets win promotion back to the Premier League, making 27 appearances along the way. He was a regular in the top flight, missing just two matches in the 2016-17 campaign. Lowton spent eight years at Burnley - featuring 203 times - before leaving the club last summer.
Last November, the 34-year-old signed for Northern Premier League Division One West side Witton Albion. Lowton has impressed for the eighth-tier side since his move, making 19 appearances as Witton look to win promotion. They currently sit seventh, two points off the play-offs and host Chasetown on Saturday.
Matthew Lowton was a Premier League regular for Burnley
© Getty Images

Nathan Delfouneso

Former England Under 21 international Nathan Delfouneso has seen his career decline since emerging as one of the brightest young strikers during his time at Aston Villa. He scored nine goals in 51 appearances for his boyhood club, before being loaned out five times and eventually settling at Blackpool.

Delfouneso then signed for Bolton in August 2020 and netted eight goals in 47 matches during his debut campaign at the club. He then went out on loan to Bradford and spent some time at Acrrington Stanley before dropping out of the Football League for the first time in his career with non-league Fylde.
Now, Delfouneso signed for Northern Premier League Division One West side Hednesford Town in February 2024 following a short spell with Chorley. The 33-year-old has failed to score in three appearances for the eighth-tier side since joining and could feature against Leek Town on Saturday.
Former Aston Villa and Blackpool forward Nathan Delfouneso
© Getty Images

Jordon Ibe

Having burst on to the scene in League One at Wycombe, Jordon Ibe signed for Liverpool in December 2011 aged 16. The winger teamed up with the club's Under 18s breaking into the first-team set up and making his debut on the final day of the 2012-13 season against Queens Park Rangers.

After spending time out on loan at Birmingham and Derby, Ibe returned to Anfield and cemented himself as a regular in the senior squad. During the 2015-16 campaign, Ibe scored four goals and provided four assists in 41 matches for Liverpool before securing a £15million move to Bournemouth.
Ibe struggled in his first season on the south coast and finished the campaign having failed to score in 26 appearances. In fact, he didn't net his first Bournemouth goal until January 2018 in a 2-1 victory over Arsenal. He ended up spending four years at the Cherries and was released in June 2020.
It didn't take long for Ibe to find another club as he returned to Derby in September 2020, but that move didn't go to plan. He made one appearance for the Rams and spoke in January 2021 about suffering with depression. Ibe spent some time away from the game before moving to National League side Ebbsfleet in October.
Former Bournemouth and Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe
© Getty Images

Pascal Chimbonda

Defender Pascal Chimbonda moved to Wigan for £500,000 in 2005 after leaving Bastia in France. He became a Premier League regular for several years - notably making over 100 appearances for Tottenham - before hanging up his boots after a short stint at Ligue 2 side AC Arles-Avignon.
However, Chimbonda came out of retirement and featured for non-league side Washington. He then signed a one-month contract at sixth-tier outfit Ashton Town and spent some more time away from the game before returning as manager of North West Counties League Premier Division side Skelmersdale United in October.
Chimbonda, 45, then shocked fans by signing himself in January and he has impressed since getting his boots back on again. He has started in each of their last nine matches and could be in action against Prestwich Heys on Saturday. Skelmersdale currently sit bottom of the division on 26 points from 41 matches.
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