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What would football be without pundits? A lot less entertaining, that's for sure.
From the delightful to the divisive, these (in FourFourTwo's ever-humble opinion) are the very best of the bunch – to have appeared on TV in the UK, anyway.
Click the right-hand arrow above to kick off the countdown!
32. Dion Dublin
When he’s not providing meme material by presenting property show Homes Under the Hammer, Dion Dublin turns his hand to punditry and co-commentary, most notably for the BBC.
The ex-Coventry City and Aston Villa striker – a 1997/98 Premier League Golden Boot winner – has covered the Premier League, FA Cup, international football and more.
31. Andy Townsend
Clive Tyldesley’s long-serving number two in the ITV commentary box, Andy Townsend’s warm enthusiasm made him a pleasure to listen to.
Synonymous with his catchphrase “Not for me, Clive” – brought out whenever he disagreed with Tyldesley – the former Republic of Ireland international has covered top-level club and international football.
30. Robbie Savage
Quite the pantomime villain as a player, Robbie Savage has proved equally abrasive while working as a pundit.
The former Leicester and Wales midfielder – who took his first steps into the media world while still playing – is a regular presenter for staple BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in 606, teaming up with Chris Sutton.
29. Slaven Bilic
A great character in the studio, Slaven Bilic often pops up during major international tournaments to offer his expert insight.
The ex-Croatia and Everton defender is still in management, but he’s made time to appear on UK TV screens for World Cups and Euros as part of ITV’s line-up.
28. Jurgen Klinsmann
Jurgen Klinsmann might just be the most popular German in Britain, thanks to his thoroughly entertaining spells at Tottenham back in the 90s.
It’s always a joy to see him on the BBC for big international tournaments – which he knows a thing or two about, having won both the World Cup and Euros as a player.
27. Joe Cole
Among the most gifted English footballers of his generation, Joe Cole has shown a gift for analysis since hanging up his boots.
During the club season, the former Chelsea, Liverpool and England man is one of TNT Sports’ go-to pundits – and he’s become a regular at World Cups and Euros, too.
26. Chris Sutton
A Premier League champion and Golden Boot winner in his days at Blackburn Rovers, Chris Sutton is now a familiar voice to listeners of BBC Radio 5 Live – where he presents 606 with Robbie Savage.
The ex-Celtic striker has also been a regular co-commentator on the Scottish giants’ Champions League games.
25. Glenn Hoddle
One of England’s most entertaining players of the 80s, Tottenham legend Glenn Hoddle has proved similarly skilful as a pundit.
Always curious about the latest tactical innovations, Hoddle’s passion for the game shines through whenever he appears in the studio or as a co-commentator, covering the Champions League, World Cup and more.
24. Rodney Marsh
The joker in the pack the Soccer Saturday line-up for more than a decade, QPR great Rodney Marsh spent more than a decade on Sky Sports’ flagship Saturday afternoon football show.
Sacked after making a tasteless remark about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Marsh later became a presenter on talkSPORT.
23. Micah Richards
Micah Richards enjoyed major success as a player, winning the Premier League and FA Cup with Manchester City, and the ex-England defender has certainly enjoyed himself since turning to punditry.
It never seems to take much to set Richards off into a frenzy of giggles (often to the complete non-amusement of colleague Roy Keane).
22. Alan Shearer
The BBC’s foremost pundit of the modern era, Alan Shearer gives his expert views on the action during the Premier League season and at major international tournaments.
Still the Prem’s all-time record goalscorer, the Euro 96 Golden Boot winner has been in the media for almost two decades.
21. Jack Charlton
When Jack Charlton joined ITV’s 1974 World Cup coverage, punditry wasn’t really a thing – but he soon made sure it was, bringing immense charisma to his role as an analyst.
The no-nonsense 1966 World Cup-winning defender went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career in broadcasting (when he wasn’t adding to his legend as manager of the Republic of Ireland).
20. Paul Merson
An enduring presence in the Soccer Saturday studio, Arsenal icon Paul Merson is one of the most thoroughly likeable pundits in the game.
Yes, his unfailing ability to mispronounce players’ names provides plenty of laughs, but ex-England playmaker makes more than his fair share of astute observations of what’s happening on the pitch.
19. Rio Ferdinand
Manchester United and England defensive great Rio Ferdinand has carved out quite the media career since hanging up his boots in 2015.
In addition to being a regular on TNT Sports’ Premier League and Champions League coverage, Ferdinand set up the popular FIVE YouTube channel, where he’s interviewed many of his former United teammates.
18. Martin O'Neill
A key member of Nottingham Forest’s European Cup-retaining side of 1979 and 1980 and later a successful manager, Martin O’Neill has proved a punditry natural too.
The wry Northern Irishman has worked for ITV and the BBC, among other outlets, providing expert insights from his long career on the pitch and in the dugout.
17. Emma Hayes
As manager of Chelsea, Emma Hayes established herself as one of the finest coaches in the women’s game, being named the world’s best by FIFA in 2021.
By then, she’d also taken her first steps into the world of punditry and co-commentary – where she immediately left an equally big impression as part of ITV’s Euro 2020 team.
16. Graeme Souness
Among the hardest midfielders of the 70s and 80s, legendary ex-Liverpool and Scotland skipper Graeme Souness pulled no punches as a pundit either.
One of the more outspoken voices on Sky Sports during his 15-year stint with the broadcaster, Souness has courted controversy with his remarks on more than a couple of occasions.
15. Derek Dougan
One of the earliest football pundits on UK TV, Derek Dougan was in the middle of his long Wolves career when he joined ITV’s team for the 1970 World Cup.
The moustachioed Northern Ireland legend – who also wrote several books on the game – returned to the channel for the 1974 World Cup, forming an all-star line-up alongside the likes of Jack Charlton and Brian Clough.
14. Thierry Henry
In his pomp, Thierry Henry was just about the coolest player on the pitch – so of course he became a seriously cool pundit.
Arsenal’s greatest player of all time has covered the Premier League – including a standout guest analyst on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football – Champions League and more.
13. Mark Lawrenson
World Cups and Euros of the 2000s and 2010s just wouldn’t have been the same without Mark Lawrenson’s unmistakable brand of cynicism in the studio and commentary box.
In fact, we were treated to it all through the club season, too: the former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland defender was a mainstay of the Match of the Day punditry team for many years.
12. Jamie Carragher
Since retiring in 2013, Jamie Carragher has steadily gained a reputation as one of the very best pundits covering the Premier League.
A firm fixture on Monday Night Football alongside his old adversary on the pitch, Gary Neville, Carra has also worked on the Champions League for US outlet CBS Sports.
11. Ian Wright
Adored by Arsenal fans as a player and by the whole English footballing public as a pundit, Ian Wright lights up the studio whatever he’s covering.
Often seen analysing Premier League action on Match of the Day and a regular member of ITV’s line-up for World Cups and Euros, Wrighty is consistently great value.
10. Andy Gray
Andy Gray had to rebuild his career away from our TV screens after being sacked by Sky Sports for sexist remarks he and Richard Keys made about assistant referee Sian Massey in 2011 – but until then, he was one of the best in the business.
Sky’s top pundit and co-commentator from the inception of the Premier League, his reaction to Steven Gerrard’s late screamer for Liverpool against Olympiacos in 2004 is the stuff of legend.
9. Alan Hansen
Football fans of a certain age won’t be able to read the word ‘diabolical’ without hearing it in Alan Hansen’s thick Scottish accent.
That was the legendary former Liverpool centre-back’s adjective of choice when describing defending that wasn’t to his satisfaction – and his bluntness helped make him one of Match of the Day’s greatest pundits.
8. Ian St John
One half of football’s most iconic TV double act, Saint and Greavsie, Ian St John was a hugely popular media figure during the 80s.
A First and Second Division champion with Liverpool, the ex-Scotland forward turned his hand to co-commentary for ITV following the hit show’s cancellation in 1992.
7. Ally McCoist
We challenge you to find anyone who loves football as much as Ally McCoist. The smiley Scotsman absolutely lives for the beautiful game, and any match featuring him as a pundit or co-commentator is all the better for it.
Thoroughly knowledgeable about matters on and off the pitch (he love his history), McCoist has struck up superb commentary partnerships with Clive Tyldesley and John Champion.
6. Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Allison was one of the most exuberant characters in the English game, and ‘Big Mal’ didn’t leave his no-filter approach behind when stepping in front of the TV cameras.
The legendary former West Ham defender and Manchester City manager – easily spottable by his trademark fedora – did some of his most famous work on ITV’s coverage of the 1970 World Cup.
5. Gary Neville
Jamie Carragher’s Monday Night Football colleague, Gary Neville his built on his immense playing success with Manchester United by establishing himself as one of football’s standout analysts.
From TV coverage of the Premier League and World Cup, to hosting his own podcast, Neville seems to be absolutely everywhere these days – and that’s no bad thing.
4. Jimmy Greaves
The other half of the inimitable duo that was Saint and Greavsie, Jimmy Greaves remained a firm football fixture long after his retirement as a player.
Arguably the greatest goalscorer in English football history, the 1966 World Cup winner won plenty of admirers with his light-hearted approach and later appeared as a team captain on Sporting Triangles with Emlyn Hughes and Andy Gray.
3. Jimmy Hill
Was there anything Jimmy Hill couldn’t do? From player to manager and from chairman to pundit, the man with the most magnificent chin in football history carved out one of the most legendary broadcasting careers in the game.
In fact, Hill was the man who suggested that ITV use a panel of pundits at the 1970 World Cup – something which had never been done before. A true visionary.
2. Roy Keane
Roy Keane took no prisoners on the pitch, and he doesn’t take any in the TV studio either; his hardman reputation has endured from playing the game to analysing it.
And it’s made him one of the biggest personalities on our screens, where he’s become well-known for his, er, straight-to-the-point critiques.
1. Brian Clough
There will never be anyone quite like Brian Clough, an utter giant of the English game who's still missed dearly to this day.
If you were in the studio (or sat in front of your TV) hen the two-time European Cup-winning Nottingham Forest boss spoke, you listened – and you'd have been a brave person to tell 'Old Big 'Ead' he was ever wrong.
