This is a list of notable footballers who have played for Middlesbrough. Generally, this means players that have played 100 or more first-class matches for the club, or been an officially designated captain.

Players are listed according to the date of their first-team debut for the club. Appearances are for first-team competitive matches only; wartime matches are excluded. Substitute appearances included. Names in bold are currently active at the club. Statistics correct as of 23 May 2026

Notable players

(n/a) = Information not available

NameNationalityPositionFor a full description of positions see Football Positions. Boro careerCaptaincyAppearancesGoalsNotesLeft-halfLeft-back1899–19001899–1900Peter McCracken was the first player to captain Middlesbrough in the Football League.Left-back1899–1904––Centre-half1900–19011900–1901–Right-half1900–19051901–1903–Left-halfCentre-half1900–1906––Inside-leftCentre-forward1901–1906––Centre-half1901–1906––Left-back2012–––Goalkeeper1901–192319??–1914Tim Williamson is the all time appearance record holder.Right-back1902–1906––Right-halfCentre-half1903–19101907–19??–Forward1905–19101905–1907Inside-right1905–1910––Wing-half1905–1913––Inside-leftCentre-forward1906–1913––Right-back1908–1913––Centre-forwardInside-forward1909–19251913–1921George Elliott is second in the all time goalscoring tables with 213. Elliott also holds the record for most goals scored in a competitive Middlesbrough game, scoring eleven in a 14–1 reserve team victory over Houghton Rovers. He was the first Middlesbrough player to be top goalscorer in the Football League, during the 1913-14 season.Centre-half1910–19151914–1915–Centre-half1910–1924––Inside-forwardOutside-right1910–1930––Outside-right1911–1914––Right-half1912–1915––Right-half1913–1923––Full-back1914–1928––Right-back1919–1923––Left-halfInside-left1919–1924––Centre-halfLeft-half1919–1924––Full-backLeft-half1919–1924––Inside-rightOutside-right1920–19271926–1927Billy Birrell won the Football League Second Division as captain.Goalkeeper1922–1926––Full-back1923–19301924–1926–Centre-halfRight-back1924–1931––Full-backHalf-back1924–1932––Centre-forward1925–1939–George Camsell is Middlesbrough's all-time top goalscorer with 345 goals. Camsell also holds the Middlesbrough record for most goals in the season, with 59 league goals and 63 in all competitions during 1926-27. 59 league goals in one season is a Second Division record. His nine hat-tricks that season is an English football record, and his 24 hat-tricks during his time at Middlesbrough is a club record.Right-half1926–1930––Full-back1926–1930––Outside-right1926–1933––Goalkeeper1926–1934––Inside-forward1926–1934––Wing-half1927–19301929–1930–Inside-forward1927–1935–Was record signing at the time of his purchase.Inside-leftCentre-half1929–1933––Wing-halfInside-forward1929–1933––Full-backRight-half1929–19371930–1932–Left-half1929–1939––Right-halfRight-back1931–1946––Centre-halfRight-back1932–19351932–1935Goalkeeper1932–1936––Centre-halfInside-left1932–1939193?–193?–Wing-half1932–1939––Centre-forward1932–1950––Outside-right1934–1938–Goalkeeper1936–1949––Inside-forward1936–1954–Wilf Mannion is Middlesbrough's most capped England player.Full-back1937–195019??–19??–Centre-forward1945–1954––Wing-half1946–19541951–1952–Wing-half1946–1955––Full-back1946–1959––Wing-half1947–19581956–1958–Defender1948–1952––Defender1948–1953––Forward1949–1958–Lindy Delapenha was Middlesbrough's first black player.Inside-forward1949–1959––Full-back1951–1961––Full-back1951–1961–Raymond Bilcliff made more appearances than any other outfield player without scoring a goal.Centre-half1954–1960––Centre-forward1954–1964––Inside-forwardWing-half1954–196519??–19??Bill Harris is the holder of the Middlesbrough record for fastest recorded goal, with a goal 11 seconds into an FA Cup tie with Shrewsbury.Centre-forward1955–196119??–19??Joint holder of Middlesbrough record for most goals in a single competitive first team game, with five goals. J.Wilkie, A.N.Wilson, J.McClelland and B.H.Clough each achieved this feat once, while G.H.Camsell achieved it in two games.Inside-forward1952–1961––Outside-right1955–1962––Outside-left1956–19621965-1966––Winger1956–1963––Left-back1958–1964––Goalkeeper1959–1967––Outside-right1960–1965––Defender1960–1969––Full-back1960–19731966–1973FIX ME:May be to 1971,72,73.Gordon Jones is second in the all-time Middlesbrough appearance records.Player of the year 1965–66 and 1971.Defender1961–1972––Centre-half1961–1974––Centre-half1962–19651962–1965Midfield1962–19661965–1966Inside-forward1962–1966–Bryan Orritt was the first substitute ever used by Middlesbrough.Defender1962–1975––Goalkeeper1963–1966––Forward1963–1969–Arthur Horsfield is the club's youngest senior goalscorer.Centre-forward1964–1967––Wing-half1965–1966196?–196?–Centre-half1965–1969–Player of the year 1967–68, 1968–69.Winger1965–1972––Midfield1965–1974–Evening Gazette player of the year 1969.Winger1966–1970––ForwardUtility1966–1977–John Hickton is third in the all-time Middlesbrough appearance records.MidfieldForward1967–1972––Central defender1969–1978–Player of the year 1972–1973.Forward1968–19791984–1985–David Mills' sale to West Bromwich Albion was a British football record transfer fee at the time, with a fee of approximately £500,000.Midfielder1970–1981–David Armstrong holds the record for most consecutive appearances with 305 consecutive league games and 358 consecutive games in all competitions between March 1972 and August 1980.Goalkeeper1970–1982????–????Player of the year 1972, 1981. North East Player of the Year 1981.Wing-half1971–19731971–197?–Central defender1971–1979––Right-back1971–19821981Winger1972–1976––Midfielder1972–1977––Midfield1973–1976––Midfield1973–1978–Player of the year 1973–74.Central defender1973–19821979–1981–Left-back1974–1978––Left-back1975–1982––Forward1977–1982–Midfield1978–19811989–1993––Forward1978–19821987––Winger1978–1983–Forward1978–1983––Right-back1979–19861983–1985Central defender1981–1984––Midfield1981–1985––Forward1982–1986––Central defender1982–19911987–1991Player of the year 1985, 1986.Goalkeeper19831985–1995–North East Player of the Year 1992.Midfield1983–1989––Central defender1984–19891998–2000–Gary Pallister's sale to Manchester United was a British football record transfer fee at the time, with a fee of £2.3 million.Defender1984–19911998–2006––Forward1985–1987––Right-back1985–19881985–1986–Right-winger1985–1992––Central defender1985–19931991–1993Alan Kernaghan holds the record for most substitute appearances for Middlesbrough, with 53.Forward1985–1993–North East Player of the Year 1989.Right-back1986–1993––Midfield1987–1991––Central defender1987–1994––Forward1988–1990–Left-back1990–1993––WingerForward1990–19961993–1994Supporters' club player of the year 1992–93.Midfield1990–2002––Midfield1991–1994–Players' Player of the Year 1992–93.Midfield1991–1996–Young player of the year 1991–92.Defender1991–2001–Supporters' club player of the year 1993–94.Left-winger1991–2001––Winger1992–1997––Full-back1992–1997––Midfield1993–2001––Defender1994–1996–Midfield1994–1997–Bryan Robson is Middlesbrough's oldest-ever goalscorer, aged 38 years and 2 months old, with his goal versus Port Vale on 26 March 1995. Robson is also the oldest player to appear for Middlesbrough, aged 38 years and 355 days old with his appearances versus Arsenal on 1 January 1997.Central defender1994–19981994–1998Nigel Pearson won the Football League Division One as captain.Midfield1995–199719992002–2004–Supporters' club player of the year 1996–97.Forward1996–1997–Striker1996–1998––Midfield1997–19991998–1999–Central defender1997–2002–Supporters' club player of the year 1998.Goalkeeper1997–2008–Mark Schwarzer holds the record for earning the most international caps while a Middlesbrough player.Forward1998–2002––Midfield1999–20021999–2002–Forward2000–2006––Defender/Midfield2000–2007––Defender2000–2007–Midfield2001–2004–Supporters' club player of the year 2002–03.Forward2001–2006––Left-back2001–2006–Community player of the year 2003–04.Defender2001–20062002–2006Gareth Southgate won the Football League Cup as captain. Player of the year 2001–02.Midfield2001–2009; 2015–2019–Supporters' club player of the year 2007–08. Players' Player of the Year 2007–08.Midfield2002–20082006–2008–Forward2002–2007–Midfield2003–2006––Defender2003–2009–Players' Player of the Year 2005–06.Defender2004–20122010–2012–Defender2004–2011––Defender2005–20102008–2010Supporters' club player of the year 2006–07. Players' Player of the Year 2006–07.Midfield2006–2013––Defender2006–2008; 2012–20162014–2015–Midfielder2007–2011––Forward2008–2014––Defender2008–2013––Defender/Midfield2009–20162012–2014–Midfielder2010–2012– Supporters' player of the year for 2009-10 and 2011-12Forward2010–2013––Defender2010–2018––Midfield2012–20192015–2019–Defender2012–20202019–2020 Supporters' club player of the year for 2013-14 and 2014-15 Midfield2013–2016––Goalkeeper2013–2019––Defender2013–2020––Midfield 2014–2020––Defender2015–20262025–20262955–Midfield2016–2018––Forward2017–20212020–2021Britt Assombalonga is Middlesbrough's record signing. The club paid a fee of approximately £15 million for him in 2017.Midfield2017–20252021–2025 Supporters' player of the year 2019-20 and 2021-22. Players' player of the year 2023-24 Midfield2017–2021––Defender2018–2024––Midfield2018–2021––Defender2019–2025––Midfielder2021–2024––Forward2021–2025––Midfield2021–2026––Midfield2022–-–Forward2023–2025–6729 Latte Lath holds the record for Middlesbrough's highest transfer fee received, at £22.5 million in 2025.

Key to positions GK — Goalkeeper RB — Right back LB — Left back CB — Centre back MF — Midfielder RW — Right winger LW — Left winger FW — Forward

See also Middlesbrough F.C. Middlesbrough F.C. Player of the Year List of Middlesbrough F.C. records and statistics

Notes and references

End of contract Initial fee £2.5 million, rising to just over £5 million based on appearances.