England’s Euro 2012 Squad Announced; Gerrard Named Captain

Newly appointed England manager Roy Hodgson on May 16, 2012 announced his 23-man squad for Euro 2012 to be held in Poland and Ukraine from June 8 to July 1, 2012. Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard (31) was named the captain while Rio Ferdinand, Aaron Lennon, Peter Crouch, Micah Richards and Daniel Sturridge were the notable players who missed out.

The 23-man squad for England are:

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Man City), Rob Green (West Ham), John Ruddy (Norwich)

Defenders: Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man United), John Terry (Chelsea), Joleon Lescott (Man City), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Leighton Baines (Everton)

Midfielders: Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Gareth Barry (Man City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Man United), James Milner (Man City)

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man United), Danny Welbeck (Man United), Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham).

England are in Group D with France, Sweden and co-host Ukraine. The Three Lions will play their first match against France on June 11, 2012 at Donbass Arena in Donetsk, Ukraine. Star striker Wayne Rooney will miss England’s first two group matches after being banned for his red card against Montenegro in the qualifiers.

England have never won the European Championship or even reached the final match since its inception in 1968.