The EFL Championship is the second-tier football division in England. However, the majority calls this tournament simply the Championship, but the official title is the Sky Bet Championship, and the reason is a sponsorship deal. The league consists of 24 clubs, and the most successful sides are Leicester City and Manchester City (seven titles).
At the end of each season, the top duo in the EFL Championship receive an automatic promotion to the Premier League. Regardless, the squads that finish their journey from 3rd to 6th place sneak into a specific playoff tournament, and the winner also earns a spot in the top-tier English division. The worst three teams in the EFL Championship drop down to EFL League One.
The Most Famous EFL Championship Players in History
The list will contain the most recognised football personalities who played in the EFL Championship. We will concentrate on their career achievements, clubs, stats, and overall success in the highest football competitions.
James Maddison
James Maddison is an attacking midfielder who plays for Tottenham and the England national team. He debuted in the EFL Championship tournament in the 2016/17 season but scored only one goal in 3 games and 32 total minutes for Coventry.
However, J. Maddison stepped up, and the 2017/18 season was much better as James put the ball into the back of the net 14 times on 44 occasions. In the same 2017/18 season, he averaged nearly 83 minutes per game and dished out eight assists.
On the 20th of June 2018, an English international signed a five-year contract with Leicester City. During his time with the Foxes, he collected 94 points (55 goals + 39 assists) in 203 games. As a professional, J. Maddison won two major trophies:
• 2021 – FA Cup
• 2021/22 – Community Shield
J. Maddison, who has a market value of £60 million, played for these clubs:
• 2013–16: Coventry City
• 2016–18: Norwich City
• 2016: Coventry City
• 2016–17: Aberdeen
• 2018–23: Leicester City
• 2023: Tottenham Hotspur
Joleon Lescott
Joleon Lescott is a former English defender who debuted in the EFL Championship tournament in the 2000/01 season. J. Lescott was a part of Wolverhampton Wanderers for four seasons before joining the Premier League team, Everton.
He had to play in the Premier League earlier but missed an entire 2003–04 season due to a knee injury. Nonetheless, after three years of playing for the blue side of Merseyside, he joined the grandest club of his career – Manchester City. He spent five years there and won a few major domestic trophies.
• 2011 – FA Cup
• 2011/12 – Premier League
• 2014 – Football League Cup (EFL Cup)
• 2013/14 – Premier League
During his playing career, a defender, whose highest market value was £14.6 million, played for these teams:
• 2000–06: Wolverhampton Wanderers
• 2006–09: Everton
• 2009–14: Manchester City
• 2014–15: West Bromwich Albion
• 2015–16: Aston Villa
• 2016: AEK Athens
• 2017: Sunderland
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy is an English striker who currently plays for Leicester City. His debut in the EFL Championship competition occurred in the 2012-13 season. In 2014, after two seasons in the second-tier football division, Leicester City made it to the Premier League.
The grandest achievement came in the 2015-16 Premier League season, when they won the title, and many experts acknowledge that it is the most extraordinary victory in club tournaments ever. J. Vardy scored 136 goals for Leicester City in the Premier League, and his 24 goals in 36 road-to-glory games is his best mark.
Yet, in the 2022-23 season, Leicester did not secure a spot in the top-tier English division, and J. Vardy must play in the EFL Championship again. He has 15 points in 31 games this season, of which 14 are goals. During his time playing, he won quite a few individual and club titles, but we mention only the team accomplishments:
• 2013/14 – EFL Championship
• 2015/16 – Premier League
• 2021 – FA Cup
• 2021/22 – Community Shield
J. Vardy, whose highest market value was £17.1 million, played for these sides:
• 2006–10: Stocksbridge Park Steels
• 2010–11: FC Halifax Town
• 2011–12: Fleetwood Town
• 2012: Leicester City
John Stones
It is time now to check out the two players who had the most success throughout their careers. The second spot on the EFL Championship players list belongs to a five time Premier League champion, the English barricade, John Stones. Even though he is famous for his spells at Everton and Manchester City, his legendary career commenced in Barnsley.
However, his stats and longevity in the EFL Championship do not reach the heights of other players on this list. J. Stones did not play a single game in the 2010-11 season, and the season after this, he had only 53 total minutes and took part in two games.
In the 2012-13 season, J. Stones played his last 22 games for Barnsley before joining Everton on the 1st of February 2013. The English international took part in only 24 EFL Championship games but built one of the most influential resumes in history. Below, we present all the club titles that J. Stones won during his career:
• 2018 – EFL Cup
• 2017/18 – Premier League
• 2018/19 – Community Shield
• 2019 – EFL Cup
• 2019 – FA Cup
• 2018/19 – Premier League
• 2019/20 – Community Shield
• 2020 – EFL Cup
• 2021 – EFL Cup
• 2020/21 – Premier League
• 2021/22 – Premier League
• 2023 – FA Cup
• 2022/23 – Premier League
• 2022/23 – UEFA Champions League
• 2023/24 – UEFA Super Cup
• 2023 – FIFA Club World Cup
J. Stones, whose highest value was £51.7 million, played for these clubs:
• 2011–13: Barnsley
• 2013–16: Everton
• 2016: Manchester City
Gareth Bale
How can someone be higher than Gareth Bale? Neither current nor former player from the EFL Championship won the UEFA Champions League title on five occasions. Unfortunately, one of the most prolific wingers of the 21st century retired on the 9th of January 2023. He debuted in the EFL Championship in the 2005-06 season, but G. Bale only played in two games for Southampton (R44 & R46).
An upcoming Welsh superstar was the second youngest player ever to play for Southampton; only Theo Walcott was younger when he first stepped onto the pitch. G. Bale played an entire EFL Championship season only once, which transpired in 2006-07. His total amount of games in the second-tier English division reached 40, and on the 25th of May 2007, he joined the Premier League side Tottenham.
Gareth Bale – First Goal, Changes, and Big Move
The 2007-08 season did not go as he expected; he suffered a torn lateral ankle ligament injury. The talented kid scored his first Premier League goal on the 1st of September 2007, and the match against Fulham ended in a 3-3 draw. He slowly but surely transformed his playing notion and position from left-back to left midfielder and sometimes even left-winger. Later in his career, he implemented more changes because he also played as a right winger.
He received the Premier League’s superstar status in the 2012-13 season when he scored 21 goals and distributed the ball successfully eight times. After his six-year period with The Lilywhites, he completed his transfer to one of the most stacked teams in the world, Real Madrid, and the rest is history. G. Bale is the most victorious player in the history of Wales, and it will be challenging to come even close to what he has done. Below, we demonstrate all the club titles that G. Bale lifted throughout his career:
• 2008 – Football League Cup (EFL Cup)
• 2013/14 – Spanish Cup
• 2013/14 – UEFA Champions League
• 2014/15 – UEFA Super Cup
• 2014 – FIFA Club World Cup
• 2015/16 UEFA Champions League
• 2016/17 – UEFA Super Cup
• 2016 – FIFA Club World Cup
• 2016/17 – La Liga
• 2016/17 – UEFA Champions League
• 2017/18 – UEFA Super Cup
• 2017 – FIFA Club World Cup
• 2017/18 – Spanish Super Cup
• 2017/18 – UEFA Champions League
• 2019/20 – La Liga
• 2021/22 – La Liga
• 2021/22 – UEFA Champions League
• 2021/22 – MLS Cup
• 2021/22 – Supporters’ Shield
G. Bale, a former winger whose highest value was £77.6 million, played for these clubs:
• 2005–07: Southampton
• 2007–13: Tottenham Hotspur
• 2013–22: Real Madrid
• 2020–21: Tottenham Hotspur
• 2022–23: Los Angeles FC