Bristol players who have featured in the World Cup

One of the stars of England's 4-2 win over Croatia on Wednesday was Elliot Anderson, who once donned the blue and white quarters of Bristol Rovers.

But who else from either Rovers or Bristol City has represented the England men's team at World Cups?

As the tournament, which is being hosted in three different nations - United States, Canada and Mexico - continues, here are some of the men who have played for the Three Lions having also graced the pitches of Bristol.

Where else to start but with one of the stars of England's opening group game this week?

Elliot Anderson put in a stellar performance in the midfield in the 4-2 win over Croatia, and is currently the subject of a rumoured bid of more than £100m from Manchester City to his current club Nottingham Forest.

And his story has its roots in Bristol, with Anderson helping Rovers promotion from League Two four years ago.

He came off the bench as a teenager to score on his debut for the Gas, and his career has bloomed ever since.

There are probably not enough words to describe how massive a player Norman Hunter was for Leeds United, but later in his career he played several successful seasons for Bristol City.

But did you know he was also a non-playing member of the 1966 England squad?You know, only the one that actually managed to win it.

He was at Ashton Gate for three years between 1976 and 1979, making 122 appearances and scoring four league goals.

He passed away in April 2020, and in a tribute to his service for the team, Bristol City called him a "legend".

The club said: "He supplied the class that enabled City not only to survive in the top flight but to also challenge for a European place in 1978/79."

Another Leeds legend who came south. Terry Cooper played left-back in the 1970 Word Cup in Mexico, which saw England lose at 2-1 to West Germany at the quarter-finals.

Cooper played for Bristol City between 1978 and 1980 and again 1982 to 1984, and even managed the club during that time, saving them from "extinction", according to the team.

The former Leeds player went on to manage Bristol Rovers in 1980 after joining the team as player and coach.

Cooper passed away in 2021, aged 77, and in a statement after his passing, Leeds United said: "A club legend, Cooper amassed 351 appearances for the Whites, scoring 11 goals, during the Leeds' most successful era to date."

He was a Bristol Rovers legend who ended up on the world stage.

Rickie Lambert came on as a sub for the closing few minutes when England lost to Uraguay in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The less said about England's performance there the better .....

Before his World Cup debut, Lambert worked at a beetroot factory and later played for Stockport, Rochdale and Southampton as well as Rovers.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Lambert said he looks back fondly on the time as it taught him you have to try your best to make it happen for you.

Lambert joined Bristol Rovers in 2006 and stayed with the team until 2009, making a total of 155 appearances and scoring 59 goals.

He now works as academy development coach at Wigan Athletic.

David James played in the World Cup in 2002 and 2006 as a goalkeeper before making his last appearance in the 2010 tournament hosted in South Africa - which saw England's worst finals defeat (you know, the one with that Frank Lampard goal-that-never-was that went over the line).

During this time, James played for various clubs including Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Manchester City.

He played for Bristol City for two full seasons between 2010 and 2012, making 81 league appearances.

Before officially retiring from his football career in 2014, James had after a short stint with Kerala Blasters as a player and manager.

And to continue the Bristol links, former Bristol Rovers goalkeeper Nigel Martyn was often in the same England squads as James, but while he did play in the European Championships, he never managed to play in a World Cup despite being selected in the squads for the 1998 and 2002 tournaments.

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