Séamus John James "Shay" Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish footballer who plays for Aston Villa and the Republic of Ireland national team as a goalkeeper.

With 121 international caps over the last 15 years, Given has made more appearances for the Republic of Ireland than any other player in history. With more than 100 caps, he is thus a member of the FIFA Century Club. He gained his first international cap in 1996, and has rarely missed a full international game since. He played in goal during every match for his country during the 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign, helping them to reach the knockout stage. He was later on the pitch in Paris when the Republic was controversially knocked out of the playoffs for a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup by France before helping his team qualify for UEFA Euro 2012.

Given started his playing career as a youth goalkeeper at Celtic in the early 1990s, leaving in 1994 having been deemed surplus to requirements, Given was part of the Sunderland team who won the Football League First Division title in 1995–96, while on loan from Blackburn Rovers. He was signed by Newcastle United in 1997, and it was there that he began competing to be a first-choice Premier League goalkeeper. Given was part of the teams who came runners-up in the 1998 and 1999 FA Cup campaigns, and was named in the Premier League Team of the Season for 2001–02 and 2005–06. He played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup with Newcastle, and was involved in the club's title challenge in 2001–02. Although he submitted a transfer request during the 2000–01 campaign after losing his position in the starting lineup, it was denied, and Given went on to regain his place.

Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Manchester United and the England national team.

Rooney made his senior international debut in 2003 becoming the youngest player to represent England (a record later broken by Theo Walcott). He is England's youngest ever goalscorer. He played at UEFA Euro 2004 and scored four goals, briefly becoming the competition's youngest goalscorer. Rooney featured at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups and is widely regarded as his country's best player. He has won the England Player of the Year award twice, in 2008 and 2009. As of September 2011, he has won 73 international caps and scored 28 goals. Along with David Beckham, Rooney is the most red carded player for England, having been sent off twice.

Aged nine, Rooney joined the youth team of Everton, for whom he made his professional debut in 2002. He spent two seasons at the Merseyside club, before moving to Manchester United for £25.6 million in the 2004 summer transfer window. The same year, Rooney acquired the nickname "Wazza". Since then, with Rooney in the team, United have won the Premier League four times, the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League and two League Cups. He also holds two runner-up medals from both the Premier League and the Champions League. In April of the 2011–12 season Rooney scored his 180th goal, making him United's fourth highest goal-scorer of all time.

Gareth Barry (born 23 February 1981) is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City and the England national football team. Barry moved to Aston Villa from Brighton & Hove Albion as a youngster, and spent 12 years at the club. He captained Aston Villa and is ninth in their all-time list of appearances. In June 2009, he joined Manchester City. Barry is an England international, having won his first full cap in 2000 and captained the side in 2010 in a friendly against Egypt.

Barry was born in Hastings, East Sussex. He attended William Parker Sports College in the town at the same time as Sussex cricketer Michael Yardy.

Barry joined Aston Villa from Brighton and Hove Albion as a trainee in 1997 along with Michael Standing. The move was controversial as the Brighton board demanded £2.5 million for the two players; the Football Association's transfer tribunal panel came up with a deal which would have seen Brighton make £2.4 million in the event of Barry and Standing making international appearances for England, as well as sell-on clauses.^{[citation needed]} He played his first match for Villa on 2 May 1998 against Sheffield Wednesday. Initially, he played as a central defender, on the left-hand side of a back three alongside Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu. Barry became a highly versatile player and captain first as a centre-back, then a left-back. He then moved to left-midfield, before establishing himself in the centre of midfield.