England take on Spain in the Uefa Nations League on Saturday in a fixture that evokes fond memories for the Three Lions.
Eight years have passed since Gareth Southgate’s men went to Seville and took a 3-0 half-time lead, thanks to a brace from Raheem Sterling either side of a Marcus Rashford strike.
It was the ultimate example of counter-attacking brilliance from England, and though Spain mounted a comeback in the second half, they managed to hold on.
The result marked another step into a new era, fresh from a World Cup semi-final, and remains one of the Three Lions’ greatest performances on foreign soil.
England have played in two European Championship finals and another World Cup semi-final since that day. But what happened to the individual players next?
Spain 2-3 England: 15 October, 2018
GK: Jordan Pickford
- England caps: 91
- Current club: Everton
Jordan Pickford had only just established himself as England No.1 before the 2018 World Cup, but his heroics at the tournament fully cemented his place. He’s been a mountain of consistency for the Three Lions ever since and is now heading towards his 100th cap.
Pickford — who is still with Everton and has been instrumental in protecting their Premier League status over the years — is second only to Peter Shilton (66) for clean sheets for England (47) and is their 13th most-capped player of all time. His long passing was key to England tearing Spain open in this famous win.
RB: Kieran Trippier
- England caps: 54
- Current club: Wolves
England have boasted some incredible right-backs in recent years and Kieran Trippier has been among the best. Scorer of the Three Lions’ goal in the 2-1 defeat to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, Trippier’s national team career continued until 2024, spanning two European Championship finals before retiring after the 2024 edition.
At club level, Trippier left Tottenham for Atletico Madrid in 2019, then returned to England with Newcastle United in January 2022. In four-and-a-half years with the Magpies, he achieved Champions League qualification and reached two EFL Cup finals, winning the trophy in 2025. He now plays in the Championship for Wolves.
CB: Joe Gomez
- England caps: 15
- Current club: Liverpool
Despite immense talent, Joe Gomez has never quite been able to establish himself at club or international level, owing to a string of recurring injuries. Now 29, he has just 15 England caps to his name, the last coming just before Euro 2024, a tournament in which he remained an unused substitute.
He remains at Liverpool and has made almost 300 appearances for the Reds, winning two Premier League titles and a Champions League, among other honours. But as mentioned, injuries have prevented him from being a regular starter.
CB: Harry Maguire
- England caps: 66
- Current club: Manchester United
Harry Maguire broke into the England squad in 2017 and remained a rock for them all the way until just before Euro 2024. The giant defender proved himself a major set-piece threat, scoring at both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, while he finished the 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle on four goals, second only to Harry Kane (12) among England players.
Maguire has overcome much derision to remain a key figure at Manchester United and was somewhat unlucky to miss out on the 2026 World Cup squad after putting in some fine performances last campaign.
LB: Ben Chilwell
- England caps: 21
- Current club: Crystal Palace
Ben Chilwell really felt like the natural choice to become England’s next starting left-back around this period, but injuries have always hampered his progress. He joined Chelsea in 2020 and spent four years at Stamford Bridge, winning a Champions League title along the way, but never managed to completely make the left-back spot his own.
Chilwell is back at Crystal Palace, where he spent time on loan during the 2024/25 campaign, having made 34 appearances for Strasbourg last season. His last cap for England came back in March 2024.
CM: Harry Winks
- England caps: 10
- Current club: Cagliari
Harry Winks stole the headlines on his England debut back in 2017, standing out as the bright spark in an otherwise lacklustre 1-0 win over Lithuania. The midfielder had a level of technical ability and composure more often seen on the continent, but he never quite managed to cash in on his ability.
The last of Winks’ 10 caps came back in 2020, while at club level, he left Spurs in 2022, initially on loan at Sampdoria. He then joined Leicester, but suffered back-to-back relegations with the Foxes before returning to Italy with Cagliari this summer.
CM: Eric Dier
- England caps: 49
- Current club: Monaco
Eric Dier had already established himself as an England cult hero for scoring the winning penalty in that memorable shootout victory over Colombia at the 2018 World Cup. He continued to be a regular figure for the Three Lions right up until the end of 2022, with the last of his 49 caps coming from the bench in the 3-0 win over Senegal in the World Cup last 16.
At club level, Dier’s career has walked a strange path, leaving Tottenham for Bayern Munich on loan in January 2024, with the Bavarians even going on to make the deal permanent. The versatile 32-year-old — who can play as a centre-back or midfielder — then joined Monaco in the summer of 2025, where he still remains.
CM: Ross Barkley
- England caps: 33
- Current club: Aston Villa
Ross Barkley was hailed as England’s next Paul Gascoigne when he was coming through at Everton back in the day. He’s never quite reached those heights, but has forged a solid career for himself, winning major trophies at Chelsea and Aston Villa, with spells at Luton Town and Nice along the way.
Barkley has a respectable record of six goals in 33 caps for England, but hasn’t featured in a major tournament for the Three Lions since their ill-fated 2014 World Cup campaign — or at all since 2019.
CAM: Raheem Sterling
- England caps: 82
- Current club: Free agent
Raheem Sterling had just truly hit his stride for Manchester City leading up to the 2018 World Cup and played a key tactical role for Southgate at the tournament. However, he was under huge pressure in this Spain clash, going into the game three years, 27 games and 1,810 minutes without an international goal.
Sterling set that record straight, bagging two of England’s three in composed fashion. He went on to notch 20 goals in 82 caps for the Three Lions, three of which came in their run to the Euro 2020 final. However, he fell out of contention following England’s 2022 World Cup exit, with his last cap coming in the quarter-final defeat to France.
At club level, Sterling is one of Man City’s greatest-ever players. However, since leaving the Etihad in 2022, he’s had an average two-year spell at Chelsea, an uneventful loan at Arsenal, and an utterly unsuccessful eight games with Feyenoord. He’s now a free agent amid some off-the-pitch troubles.
ST: Harry Kane
- England caps: 121
- Current club: Bayern Munich
Just as he was in 2018, Harry Kane remains one of England’s unquestioned stars. The former Tottenham striker — who is now a two-time Bundesliga champion with Bayern Munich — is the Three Lions’ record scorer with 85 goals in 121 caps, and has Golden Boots to his name at the World Cup and European Championship.
Kane has been a force of nature since joining Bayern in 2023, notching 152 goals in 154 games across all competitions, and is the current odds-on favourite to win the Ballon d’Or award, following a summer where he scored six times to help England to the World Cup semi-finals.
ST: Marcus Rashford
- England caps: 78
- Current club: Manchester United
Marcus Rashford’s entire career has been a series of ups and downs, including at international level. The dynamic forward has scored 19 goals in 78 caps to date, one of which came in this match to put England 2-0 up. He also scored twice at the 2022 World Cup and once at the 2026 edition — working his way back into the side after being capped just once in 2024.
That’s been the case at club level, too. Rashford scored a career-best 30 goals in 2022/23, but started to fall down the pecking order thereafter. He enjoyed a productive loan at Aston Villa at the end of 2024/25, and a 14-goal temporary spell at Barcelona last season. Now, under Michael Carrick, he’s back in the Man Utd starting line-up.
Sub 1: Kyle Walker
- England caps: 96
- Current club: Burnley
Kyle Walker remained a vital player to England all the way until their infamous 3-1 defeat to Senegal early in Thomas Tuchel’s reign. The former Man City man — who now plays in the Championship with Burnley — hasn’t been capped since, but he helped England to two European Championship finals, a World Cup semi-final and a Nations League semi-final during his international career.
Sub 2: Trent Alexander-Arnold
- England caps: 34
- Current club: Real Madrid
At his best, Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best full-backs on the planet, owing to his deadly delivery and supreme technical ability. He’s struggled since moving to Real Madrid in 2025, but was recalled by Tuchel for the upcoming international break. He’ll hope to add to his 34 caps — a total that feels far too small.
Sub 3: Nathaniel Chalobah
- England caps: 1
- Current club: Charlton Athletic
Nathaniel Chalobah replaced Harry Winks in the final minutes of this match to make his senior international debut, helping the Three Lions see out the result. At the time, he was playing in the Premier League for Watford and appeared to finally be reaching his full potential. However, a series of injuries derailed his progress, and he hasn’t played in the top-flight since the 2022/23 campaign, while that cameo in Seville remains his only England cap.
Nathaniel’s younger brother, Trevoh, has two caps to his name, the most recent of which came in England’s remarkable 6-4 win over France to seal third place at the 2026 World Cup.
Unused subs: Marcus Bettinelli (Man City), Jack Butland (Hull City), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Mason Mount (Man Utd), James Maddison (Tottenham), Jadon Sancho (Free agent)