It's often said that West Ham were responsible for the England team that won the 1966 World Cup because they had three very important players in the squad.

Captain Bobby Moore, hat-trick hero in the final Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, who also scored in the 4-2 final win over West Germany.

Neither West Ham or England have enjoyed the same success since but this team of players since the turn of the Millennium proves the pedigree has always been in east London.

GK - David James (2001-04)

James has 53 caps for England and his career highlights include winning the League Cup with Liverpool in 1995 and the FA Cup with Portsmouth 13 years later. He is fourth on the all-time Premier League appearance list and has kept the second most clean sheets in top-flight history behind Petr Cech.

DF - Glen Johnson (2002-03)

Now 32-years-old and playing for Stoke City, Johnson has enjoyed a long Premier League career that has seen him win everything domestically during his spells with Chelsea (Premier League), Portsmouth (FA Cup) and Liverpool (League Cup). He came through the Hammers' academy and has 54 caps for England, too.

DF - Rio Ferdinand (1996-2000)

Arguably, the pick of the bunch. Ferdinand is probably the best footballing centre-back England has ever produced. He won 81 caps for England, captaining the Three Lions several times - and enjoyed plenty of success with Manchester United. He won six Premier League titles, three League Cups, one Champions League and one Club World Cup during his time at Old Trafford, and was also a product of West Ham's academy.

DF - Stuart Pearce (1999-2001)

In truth, the Irons haven't been blessed with a lot of quality left-backs and Pearce's peers look like Aaron Cresswell, Herita Illunga and Wayne Bridge. Physcho gets the nod though and even though he joined West Ham in the winter of his career, he was still named Hammer of the Year in 2001. London-born Pearce won 71 caps for England.

MF - Michael Carrick (1999-2004)

It was hard to leave Scott Parker out, but Carrick is one of the sweetest passers of a football England has ever produced. An £18.6 million move to Manchester United in 2006, via Spurs, is where Carrick would prove his worth and he has the same C.V. as Ferdinand bar one League Cup and one Premier League triumph. Although born in the north-east, Carrick came through the West Ham academy and collected 34 caps for England.

MF - Frank Lampard (1995-2001)

Another West Ham academy graduate, his uncle and then-manager Harry Redknapp would have to justify his place in the team early in his career, but now, Lampard is a legend. He scored a grand total of 294 career goals from midfield and with Chelsea, he secured three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, one Europa League and one Champions League success. He made 106 appearances for England and might be the best goalscoring midfielder England has ever seen.

MF - Javier Mascherano (2006-07)

The Argentine midfielder only played seven times for the Hammers and what an opportunity missed that was. Liverpool ended up taking him on loan before securing a permanent move and he has since gone on to win everything in the game at Barcelona, a team he is still a part of at the age of 32. He has 135 caps for his country.

MF - Dimitri Payet (2015-17)

Now, hear me out West Ham fans! I know the wounds are still sore, but Payet was easily the most magical player the Hammers had for over a decade. He helped them become a force in the Premier League again and the moments of magic he produced - particularly from a dead ball - no one will ever forget. After his performances at Euro 2016, any club in the world would have took him. It's just a shame he returned to Marseille the way he did in January.

FW - Jermain Defoe (1999-2004)

One of the most clinical finishers in Premier League history is another who came through the academy at West Ham. Since then, he has become the seventh highest goalscorer in Premier League history and he holds the record for goals off the bench in the top-flight, too. He has 55 caps for England and at 34-years-old, he has just earned a recall to the national team.

FW - Paolo Di Canio (1999-2003)

The passionate Italian only spent four years at Upton Park, but they were four extremely interesting years. Many fans will remember his scissor kick volley goal against Wimbledon back in 2000, and Sir Alex Ferguson famously tried to poach him to Man United. He was never capped for Italy, but he certainly had the ability to play for the Azzurri.

FW - Carlos Tevez (2006-2007)

The diminutive Argentinian only spent the one season with the Hammers, but he became a cult hero as he almost single-handedly saved them from relegation. He went on to become one of the world's best during his time with both Manchester clubs and Juventus and he is currently the world's best-paid player with Shanghai Shenhua earning a reported $41 million a year! Now 33, he has 76 caps for Argentina and he won all domestic trophies available in England, Italy and Argentina on top of a Champions League triumph with United.