With Euro 2024 just around the corner and England aiming to win their first major tournament since 1966, football fever will soon grip the nation.

Ahead of the tournament, we thought we'd put together our own team of footballers from Hertfordshire who have played for England (and a surprise Welsh inclusion...).

Goalkeeper - David James (Welwyn Garden City)

Welwyn Garden City-born David James played almost 900 professional games in a storied career, which included 53 caps for England.

Herts Advertiser: David James.David James.

James was Three Lions number one at Euro 2004 and the 2010 World Cup, as well as being in the squad for 2002 and 2006 World Cups.

Despite earning the nickname 'Calamity James' for some costly mistakes while at Liverpool, he turned out to be a reliable shot stopper for the likes of Watford, Portsmouth, West Ham, Aston Villa and Manchester City.

James is fifth on the list of all-time Premier League appearances, having played in 572 top-level matches, and he held the Premier League record for most clean sheets with 169, until Petr Čech broke the record.

Right back - Ashley Young (Stevenage)

The Stevenage-born defender is at right-back in our team, and his career is still going strong at the age of 38.

Herts Advertiser: Stevenage's Ashley Young.Stevenage's Ashley Young. (Image: Archant)

A Premier League winner with Manchester United and a Serie A winner with Inter Milan, Young has also earned 39 caps for England and scored seven goals since making his debut back in 2007.

Young's international swansong came in 2018, when Gareth Southgate called him up for the World Cup in Russia, and he played a key role, which included an assist against Sweden, as the Three Lions reached the semi-final.

Although still a Premier League regular with Everton, Young hasn't been called up for the Euros this summer.

Centre back - Gareth Southgate (Watford)

We're asking Watford-born Southgate to ditch the waistcoat and don the Three Lions proudly on his chest again, as he did 57 times during his playing career.

Herts Advertiser: Gareth Southgate.Gareth Southgate.

During his 36 years in football, Gareth has written his name into English football history, for both the right and wrong reasons.

At Euro 96, with the crosses of St George flying all around and the whole of England with him, he missed the crucial spot kick in the semi-final penalty shootout as the Three Lions were knocked out by Germany.

Football didn't come home that summer, but Southgate has strived to write those wrongs since his appointment as England boss in 2016.

He came close at the 2018 World Cup with a semi-final exit to Croatia, before more penalty heartbreak against Italy in the final of Euro 2020. With rumours swirl about his post-Euro 2024 future, this could very well be his last chance to be the hero.

Centre back - Vinnie Jones (Watford)

Now look, we know Watford-born Vinnie Jones has nine caps for Wales and played mostly as a midfielder, but we need him to fill in at centre back, and this is about as close as Wales will get to Euro 2024.

Herts Advertiser: Vinnie Jones.Vinnie Jones.

Jones took an unusual route to football success, starting his career in non-league and spending time in Sweden before joining Wimbledon FC in 1986.

A tough tackler, he became a key part of the infamous Crazy Gang, which won the FA Cup in 1988, and his hardman reputation has earned him acclaim as a movie star in films such as Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Left back - Fred Titmuss (Pirton)

Born in Pirton in 1898, Titmuss will be a lesser-known name to football fans, but he actually holds an England record that will likely never be broken.

Herts Advertiser: Fred Titmuss.Fred Titmuss. (Image: SaintsPlayers.co.uk)

The left-back made his name at Southampton, making 246 appearances for the club over seven years. Alongside right-back Tom Parker, the pair were described as "the best pair of backs in the South" by newspapers.

His form earned him an England call-up in 1922, making his international debut in a 1-0 win over Wales at Anfield alongside Saints team-mate Bill Rawlins. The match became the first - and last - time that an England line-up included two players from the third tier, with Southampton then in the Third Division (South).

Titmuss also played for local sides Pirton United and Hitchin Town early in his career, before fighting in the First World War.

Midfield - Harry Winks (Hemel Hempstead)

The Hemel Hempstead-born midfielder started his career at Tottenham and made 128 Premier League appearances for the club over a nine-year spell.

Herts Advertiser: Harry Winks.Harry Winks.

Between 2017 and 2020, Winks played 10 times for England and looked set to be included in the squad for the 2018 World Cup before being ruled out with injury. He does have a goal for his country though, having scored in a 4-0 win over Kosovo.

Now with Leicester City, he will be back playing in the top flight next season after helping the Foxes earn promotion from the Championship.

Midfield - Jack Wilshere (Hitchin)

At 32, Hitchin's Jack Wilshere was tipped to be an England star when he broke into the first-team at Arsenal, and could well have been a key player at Euro 2024 if his career had gone differently.

Herts Advertiser: Jack Wilshere.Jack Wilshere.

A talented midfielder, he was seen as football's next big star after some stunning performances as a teenager - including a man-of-the-match display against Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona.

Bayern Munich and Germany legend Bastian Schweinsteiger called Wilshere "one of the best players there are", but a string of serious injuries sadly derailed his promising career and he retired in 2022 at the age of just 30.

He played 34 times for England and still showed glimpses of his best form, including scoring two stunning long-range strikes to help the Three Lions beat Slovenia 3-2 in a crucial Euro 2016 qualifier.

Midfield - Tim Sherwood (Borehamwood)

Born in Borehamwood, Sherwood started his career at Watford before a spell at Blackburn, where he captained the club to the 1994/95 Premier League title.

Herts Advertiser: Tim Sherwood.Tim Sherwood.

In 1999, Sherwood made his debut for England in their 3–1 Euro 2000 qualification victory over Poland at Wembley, before earning a further two caps.

He would venture into management after his playing career, but is now a pundit after two relatively unsuccessful spells at Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Midfield - Adam Lallana (St Albans)

36-year-old Lallana was born in St Albans, but moved to Dorset at the age of five and started his professional career with Southampton.

Herts Advertiser: Adam Lallana.Adam Lallana.

During his time with the Saints, he would make more than 250 appearances and earn promotions from League One and the Championship.

He moved to Liverpool for £25 million in 2014, and won the Premier League and Champions League during a six-year spell at Anfield, before a stint at Brighton, who he left on a free this summer.

Lallana earned 34 caps for his country, scored three goals, was included in the 2014 World Cup squad and was named the England Player of the Year for 2016 after his performances for the national team.

Striker - Rodney Marsh (Hatfield)

Despite growing up in London, Marsh was actually born in Hatfield in 1944, with his parent choosing to travel to Hertfordshire for the birth to avoid The Blitz.

Herts Advertiser: Rodney Marsh.Rodney Marsh. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Marsh dazzled crowds at QPR's Loftus Road from 1966 to 1972 and scored more than 100 goals for the club, before an ill-fated move to Manchester City.

He was one of the maverick talents of his generation that achieved little with England, earning just nine caps for the Three Lions, with World Cup winning boss Sir Alf Ramsey deciding not to pick the players who seemingly refused to conform.

Reflecting on his England career, Marsh once said: "Alf Ramsey only played me because of public pressure. Playing for England under Alf was a waste of time. Under a different manager, I would have had 100 caps." 

Striker - Kevin Phillips (Hitchin)

Born in Hitchin and starting his career at Baldock Town and Watford, it would be at the other end of the country where Phillips would make his name.

Herts Advertiser: Kevin Phillips.Kevin Phillips. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

The clinical striker joined First Division Sunderland in 1997, and bagged 130 goals in just 235 appearances during his six years on Wearside, helping the club to the Premier League.

His finest season would be his first in the top flight, as Phillips claimed the Premier League golden boot for the 1999/2000 season with 30 goals, enough to also earn him the European Golden Shoe.

His form would be enough to earn him a place in England's Euro 2000 squad, as well as eight caps for his country, but he failed to score a goal for the Three Lions.