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As St George's Day continues to spark mass debate over whether it is a day of celebration or one that has been hijacked by political meaning, there's no doubt that in the world of football, players are proud to pull on the Three Lions of England.
FA chairman Greg Dyke has already spoken of his desire to transform St George's Day into something akin to what it was when he was young.
"When I go back to when I was a kid, St George's Day was an important day," Dyke told FA TV. "We used to have celebrations at my primary school and we used to celebrate England.
"Over time, I think St George's Day got captured by political movements which is a mistake because we should be celebrating England and particularly in the area of football.
"What brings England together? Well the single most important thing is football and England has the best football team in the British Isles. If England as a football team does well then England is a united country. I think football plays a big part in England and should therefore play a big part in St. George's Day."
With Dyke's words in mind, here's a best XI of famous Georges to have played for and in England, dating back to the 19th Century.
St George's Day XIShow all 12 St George's Day XI Billy George Aston Villa were fined the then giant sum of £50 for poaching the 21-stone giant from the Army in 1897. He went on to play for Villa until 1911, winning three championships and an FA Cup and gathering three England caps. He also played 13 first-class cricket matches as a batsman with Warwickshire. He died in 1933.
St George's Day XI George Cohen Played right-back in England's 1966 World Cup winning-side. London-born Cohen spent his entire club career at Fulham, making 459 league appearances, but the World Cup remained his only major playing honour. He was made an MBE in 2000. He is the uncle of Rugby World Cup-winner Ben Cohen.
St George's Day XI George Hardwick Known as an England great, but he also managed the Holland national team in the 1950s. Born in 1920, Hardwick's career was interrupted by the Second World War, where he served as a sergeant with Bomber Command. A left-sided defender, he played for his home town of Middlesbrough and Oldham, winning 13 caps and captaining a Great Britain side against the Rest of Europe in 1947 before injury intervened. He died in 2004, and his statue remains outside the Riverside Stadium.
St George's Day XI John George Terry Chelsea's stalwart skipper who has found his hugely successful career for club and country affected by controversies. He quit England, having won 78 caps, when he was dropped as captain after being reported for racially abusing an opponent. He has found a new lease of life following the return of Jose Mourinho to Chelsea and is poised to claim a fourth Premier League title to go with five FA Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League success.
St George's Day XI Steven George Gerrard Gerrard emerged as part of the 'Golden Generation' of the early 2000s and is perhaps the best English player ever to come out of Merseyside. A dominant midfielder who has played for Liverpool all his career, he retired from the international scene last year after winning 114 caps, captaining England 38 times. Gerrard, who inspired Liverpool to two FA Cups, the UEFA Cup and most memorably the Champions League, moves to Los Angeles Galaxy next season.
St George's Day XI George Male A member of Herbert Chapman's great 1930s Arsenal side, Male won six league titles on either side of the Second World War, during which he served with the RAF in Palestine. He played for the Gunners in 314 senior matches, in midfield and at right-back, unusually without scoring a single goal. He also played for England 19 times, captaining the team at times, and became a coach and scout for the Gunners, discovering Charlie George. He died in 1998 aged 87.
St George's Day XI George Armstrong A double winner with Arsenal in 1971, Durham-born 'Geordie' Armstrong had signed for the Gunners 10 years earlier after being rejected by Newcastle. He became a solid winger and notched up 500 league appearances and was ever-present in the double-winning side. After leaving Arsenal in 1977, he finished his career with Leicester and Stockport. He worked for the Gunners as a reserve team coach and died aged 56 from a brain haemorrhage at the training ground.
St George's Day XI Ricky George Ronnie Radford's goal for Hereford against Newcastle may be the one endlessly replayed on TV, but it was George (left) who scored the famous winner in the historic 2-1 FA Cup upset. He stayed in non-league football with Barnet when Hereford went into the league, and had another slice of luck in 1998 when Earth Summit, the horse he co-owned, won the Grand National. He works as a newspaper columnist and pundit.
St George's Day XI George Eastham Perhaps most famous for his off-the-field achievement - his decision to go on strike for eight months when Newcastle refused to allow a transfer after his contract had ended paid off, and the controversy ended with a High Court victory and the end of the 'retain and transfer' system. A creative inside forward, Eastham moved to Arsenal and then Stoke. A non-playing member of the 1966 World Cup squad, he was made an OBE in 1973 and emigrated to South Africa in 1978.
St George's Day XI George Camsell Camsell played for England from 1929 until 1936, and although the striker only played nine times for the Three Lions, he netted an impressive 18 goals in the process. He left Durham City in 1925 to join Middlesbrough, where he made an incredible 453 appearances over a spell that spanned 14 years until the outbreak of the Second World War. After the war, he joined Boro's coaching staff, before his death in March 1966 at the age of 66. To this day, Camsell holds the best goals-to-game ratio of any English player to win more than one cap.
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St George's Day XI Charlie George North London-born striker whose winning goal in the 1971 FA Cup final gave Arsenal their first double. His celebration - lying flat on his back with arms aloft - became a defining image of football in the 1970s. He moved to Derby, where he scored a hat-trick against Real Madrid in the European Cup, and became an England one-cap wonder. After retiring from football he ran a pub in Hampshire.
St George's Day XI Manager - George Allison Arsenal's second longest-serving manager, after Arsene Wenger, Allison was also the BBC's first radio sports commentator. A journalist who had served in the RAF in the First World War, he became close to Arsenal and was managing director of the club when Herbert Chapman died suddenly in 1934. Allison was appointed his successor and built on his work by winning two league titles and the FA Cup. He remained as manager throughout the Second World War and retired in 1947. He died in 1957 aged 73.
OK, so we struggled a bit, but stand by our decision to include John Terry and Steven Gerrard given their middle names are George and their contribution to English football has been matched by few. If you think we've missed anyone out, leave your suggestion in the comment box below.
Additional words in gallery by PA.
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