The most connected players in The Connection
Our verified deck contains 509 connections covering 238 different players. A small group of well-travelled players appear again and again. Learn their careers and you will win a lot of rounds.
The top of the list
The table lists every player linked to six or more clubs in our deck. Loan spells count, as they do in the game. Several of these players also played for clubs outside England.
| Player | Country | Clubs | Clubs in our deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andros Townsend | England | 10 | Tottenham Hotspur, Ipswich Town, Watford, Leeds United, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Everton, Luton Town |
| Matthew Upson | England | 9 | Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Reading, Birmingham City, West Ham United, Stoke City, Brighton, Leicester City |
| Scott Carson | England | 8 | Leeds United, Liverpool, Charlton Athletic, Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion, Wigan Athletic, Derby County, Manchester City |
| Gary Cahill | England | 7 | Aston Villa, Burnley, Sheffield United, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth |
| Jonjo Shelvey | England | 7 | Charlton Athletic, Liverpool, Blackpool, Swansea City, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Burnley |
| Scott Parker | England | 7 | Charlton Athletic, Norwich City, Chelsea, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham |
| Shay Given | Republic of Ireland | 7 | Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Stoke City |
| Joleon Lescott | England | 6 | Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, Sunderland |
| Kevin Kilbane | Republic of Ireland, England | 6 | West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, Everton, Wigan Athletic, Hull City, Derby County |
| Louis Saha | France | 6 | Newcastle United, Fulham, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland |
| Patrick van Aanholt | Netherlands | 6 | Chelsea, Newcastle United, Leicester City, Wigan Athletic, Sunderland, Crystal Palace |
| Peter Crouch | England | 6 | Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Stoke City, Burnley, Portsmouth |
Andros Townsend: ten clubs
Townsend tops the list thanks to a long run of loans from Tottenham Hotspur, including spells at Ipswich Town, Watford, Leeds United, Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers. He then played for Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Everton and Luton Town. Matthew Upson is close behind with nine, and goalkeeper Scott Carson has eight.
Peter Crouch
Crouch links six clubs in the deck. He played for Portsmouth twice, Southampton, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City and finally Burnley. His full career also included Queens Park Rangers, Aston Villa and a loan at Norwich City, so he can help in Wildcard rounds too.
Emile Heskey and James Milner
Heskey came through at Leicester City, moved to Liverpool in 2000 and then played for Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa. Milner's route went from Leeds United to Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool, and he later joined Brighton. Between them they connect much of the Midlands and the North West.
Craig Bellamy
Bellamy is the best answer for Wales. In the Premier League alone he played for Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool, West Ham United and Manchester City. He also played for Norwich City, Coventry City, Celtic and Cardiff City.
The goalkeepers
David James, Joe Hart and Brad Friedel all make the list. James started at Watford before Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham United, Manchester City and Portsmouth. Friedel is one of the best answers for the United States, with spells at Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
Nicolas Anelka
Anelka links five Premier League clubs for France: Arsenal, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion. He also had a loan spell at Liverpool and played for Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Fenerbahçe and Juventus.
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