Key Takeaways Northern Ireland’s best captains have been ranked based on factors such as longevity and overall success with the national side.
Danny Blanchflower, Martin O’Neill, and Steven Davis are among the top 3 best captains in Northern Irish football history.
Jonny Evans, despite not being captain as frequently as others in this list, still provided valuable leadership for his country.
Northern Ireland may be one of the smaller home nations in terms of population, but on the right kind of night, Windsor Park can provide a cracking atmosphere, as both England and Spain have found to their cost in recent years.
When the Green and White Army do achieve results it’s often through tenacity and leadership, so they’ve been blessed with some inspirational captains over the years. From Steven Davis to Jonny Evans, multiple individuals have pulled on the armband and given their all for their nation.
Here, GIVEMESPORT have ranked the 10 best captains in Northern Irish football history. Multiple factors have been used to assemble this list, which you can view below.
Ranking Factors
Quality – A great captain needs to be brave in other ways, like getting on the ball in difficult moments.
– A great captain needs to be brave in other ways, like getting on the ball in difficult moments. Longevity – In order to gain momentum and help build a team and qualify for major tournaments, longevity is required.
– In order to gain momentum and help build a team and qualify for major tournaments, longevity is required. Results – Did they lead Northern Ireland to any important wins against other nations, or did they help the nation qualify for international tournaments?
The Greatest 10 Northern Ireland Captains in Football History [Ranked] Rank Player International Caps Caps as Captain Captaincy Span 1. Danny Blanchflower 56 42 1954 to 1962 2. Martin O’Neill 64 33 1980 to 1984 3. Steven Davis 140 82 2006 to 2022 4. Aaron Hughes 112 47 2002 to 2015 5. Sammy McIlroy 88 19 1980 to 1986 6. Terry Neill 59 38 1963 to 1973 7. Allan Hunter 53 19 1974 to 1979 8. Derek Dougan 43 6 1971 to 1973 9. Alan McDonald 52 26 1990 to 1995 10. Jonny Evans 106 15 2006 to 2024
10 Jonny Evans
Notable clubs: Manchester United and Leicester City
Jonny Evans may consider himself unfortunate not to have worn the armband more times for Northern Ireland, having been one of the nation’s greatest ever players. His international career, however, coincided with the playing days of Aaron Hughes and Steven Davis, who wore the armband an amazing 129 times between them.
Evans was still very much a leader for his nation, whether he was captain or not, during his 18-year international career. A constant presence in the centre of defence, the Irishman last skippered his country in a home defeat to Spain, but was there to show his leadership in big wins over Spain, Poland, and against Ukraine at Euro 2016.
Captain Stats Caps 16 Wins 4 Drawn 2 Lost 10 Win ratio 25%
9 Alan McDonald
Notable clubs: QPR
Alan McDonald showed leadership as captain under the bleaker years of the 1990s, when tournament qualification looked some way off at times. This was a time when the Republic of Ireland were regularly featuring in international competitions, but that is a country Northern Ireland gained two very credible draws against with McDonald as captain.
He had the experience of major international football, playing in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. There were good results, getting a fine draw away to a full-strength German team in 1992, or the 5-3 goal fest against Austria in 1995.
Captain Stats Caps 26 Wins 8 Drawn 8 Lost 10 Win ratio 31%
8 Derek Dougan
Notable clubs: Wolves
Once Terry Neill became player manager of the Northern Irish side, Derek Dougan succeeded him as captain, wearing the armband when they beat England at Wembley in 1972. As a tall and flamboyant striker, Dougan was not skipper that long and only became so at the grand old age of 33. But due to his great play and that special victory at Wembley, he gets a place in the rankings.
He was a veteran at this stage, having scored his first international goal a decade earlier, with a strike against Wales. He played alongside the great George Best 20 times for the national side, but sadly, it was not enough to reach a major tournament.
Captain Stats Caps 11 Wins 4 Drawn 2 Lost 5 Win ratio 36%
Related 10 Greatest Northern Ireland Strikers in Football History [Ranked] Including the likes of David Healy and Derek Dougan, the greatest Northern Ireland strikers in football history have been ranked by GIVEMESPORT.
7 Allan Hunter
Notable clubs: Ipswich Town
With his handlebar moustache and coal-black eyes, Allan Hunter was a no-nonsense defender who captained his country on one of their finest hours. He skippered his country to a fantastic two-all draw in the Netherlands in 1976, that featured Johan Cruyff at his peak and a Dutch team who would once again reach the World Cup Final in 1978.
The game also saw George Best roll back the years with a wonderful performance. Unfortunately for Hunter and for his Northern Ireland teammates, it wasn’t enough to qualify for the World Cup in Argentina, with the Dutch winning the group.
Captain Stats Caps 19 Wins 6 Drawn 4 Lost 9 Win ratio 32%
6 Terry Neill
Notable clubs: Arsenal
Having played for Arsenal throughout the 1960s, centre-back Terry Neill was player manager for Northern Ireland while still in his twenties, scoring the winner against England at Wembley in 1972. Asked who was first name on his team sheet while player-manager of Northern Ireland, he famously remarked: