West Ham Youth Academy so far very impressive :
Capped Players
Bobby Moore captained West Ham to victories in the 1964 FA Cup and the 1965 European Cup Winners Cup, then captained England to victory in the 1966 World Cup and to the quarter finals in the 1970 World Cup. He was a key player in both the England and West Ham squads until the early 1970s. The southern stand at Upton Park is named the Bobby Moore stand. Moore was named by Pelé as the "greatest" of all the defenders he had played against.
Career: 1958-73
Caps: 108
Sir Geoff Hurst remains the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final, helping England to victory in this competition in 1966. He was decorated with the MBE in 1977 and knighted in 1998. He played 499 times for West Ham and scored 252 goals for his club.
Career: 1960-72
Caps: 49
Martin Peters scored in the 1966 World Cup final and was a regular player for West Ham throughout the 1960s. In 1970 his transfer to Tottenham set a new record at the time of £200,000. With this club he won the League Cup twice and the UEFA Cup once. He played 882 games in his career, scoring 220 goals - a remarkable achievement for a midfielder.
Career: 1962-70
Caps: 67 (includes 34 caps while with Tottenham Hotspur)
Frank Lampard Sr. won the FA Cup twice with West Ham, in 1975 and 1980, and played 660 times for the club.
Career: 1967-85
Caps: 2
Sir Trevor Brooking made 636 appearances for West Ham between 1967 and 1984. He won the FA Cup with the club in 1975 and 1980, scoring the only goal in the 1980 final against Arsenal. In December 2003, Brooking joined the Football Association as Director of Football Development. He was knighted for his services to sport in 2004.
Career: 1967-84
Caps: 47
Alan Devonshire made 358 appearances for West Ham in his career, winning the FA Cup with the club in 1980.
Career: 1976-90
Caps: 8
Alvin Martin played 586 times for West Ham and was granted two testimonials by the club - a very rare honour. He won the FA Cup with the club in 1980.
Career: 1978-96
Caps: 17
Tony Cottee scored 118 goals in 256 appearances for West Ham, was named PFA Young Player of the Year in 1986 and was transferred to Everton two years later for a then-record £2.2 million. Later, he won the League Cup with Leicester City. In his entire club career he played for eight clubs (including West Ham in two separate spells), playing 736 games and scoring 307 goals.
Career: 1983-88
Caps: 7 (includes 4 caps while with Everton}
Paul Ince played 72 matches with West Ham before an acrimonious transfer to Manchester United in 1989 for £1 million. Here he became known as "The Guvnor" due to his powerful and dominating presence in midfield. He found great success with the club, winning the Premier League twice, the FA Cup twice, the Charity Shield three times, and the Cup Winners' Cup, the League Cup, and the European Super Cup once each. He was a very important player for Manchester United, and made 278 appearances, scoring 28 goals in total, for this club. During this time he became captain of the England squad. After leaving Manchester United he went on to a successful career with Internazionale, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Career: 1986-
Caps: 53 (all caps while with Manchester United, Internazionale, Liverpool, and Middlesbrough)
Rio Ferdinand gained his first international cap in 1998, and in 2000 became the most expensive defender in England following his £18 million transfer to Leeds. He became captain of the club in 2001 and in 2002 was transferred to Manchester United for £30 million. This transfer made him the most expensive British footballer in history, and the most expensive defender in the world. He currently is first choice central defender for Manchester United and England, and is tipped to become captain for both club and country.
Career: 1995-
Caps: 33 (includes 23 caps while with Leeds and Manchester United)
Frank Lampard Jnr gained his full England debut in 1999, and was transferred to Chelsea in acrimonious circumstances in 2001, for a fee of £11.5 million. He was voted Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year for 2004/2005, and is currently first choice central midfielder for Chelsea and England.
Career: 1995-
Caps: 19 (includes 17 while with Chelsea)
Joe Cole was widely hailed as having potential to be among England's greatest footballing talents while with West Ham, but did not see the success with club or country that many expected. He was transferred to Chelsea for approximately £7 million in 2003. Despite almost being loaned to Spartak Moscow, he fought for a place at his new club and has since become a regular player for Chelsea and England.
Career: 1998-
Caps: 22 (includes 12 caps while with Chelsea)
Michael Carrick was transferred to Tottenham and has become a regular player in that side.
Career: 1998-
Caps: 4 (includes 2 caps while with Tottenham)
Jermain Defoe started his career with Charlton Athletic, and was signed by West Ham in 1999 at age 17. Here he was considered an excellent young talent and a natural goalscorer. In 2003, he was transferred to Tottenham for £7 million. He is a regular for his club and in the England squad.
Career: 2000-
Caps: 12 (all while with Tottenham)
Glen Johnson was sold to Chelsea for £6 million after only 17 West Ham first team appearances. He was first called up for the England squad in November 2003. Despite not establishing himself as a first-choice team member just yet, he is rated very highly and is seen as a good technical player, as well as a good defender.
Career: 2002-
Caps: 1 (capped while with Chelsea)
Other Players
These players trained at the Academy but did not play in the West Ham first team, and some have also trained at other clubs in their youth.
Sol Campbell made his debut at Tottenham in 1992, and became a regular England player in the late 1990s. In 2001, when his contract ran out, he joined Arsenal. Campbell is a regular player for club and country, and has won the Premier League twice and the FA Cup three times while with Arsenal. He was named in the official Euro 2004 All-Star squad by the UEFA technical group.
Career: 1992-
Caps: 65
John Terry was schooled by both West Ham's and Chelsea's youth teams at different times. His debut for Chelsea was in 1998 and became captain of the side in the 2003/2004 season. The following season he helped Chelsea set a new record, the side having conceded only 14 goals in the entire league season. He was also voted PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005.
Career: 1998-
Caps: 17
Kieran Richardson
