Greatest all-time Championship XI

With the 2024/25 season marking two decades since the First Division was rebranded into the Championship, we've assembled the greatest all-time Championship XI.

There is a catch: players must have featured in at least two full Championship seasons to be considered for selection.

Without further ado, check out our greatest Championship XI below.

GK - Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City)

After a somewhat unceremonious year at Leeds due to his father's allegiance to Manchester United, Schmeichel made the switch to Leicester in 2011 and was an imperious figure as the club went from strength to strength before winning promotion to the Premier League in 2014.

He was named in the Championship Team of the Season in two of his three seasons in the second tier at the King Power and Schmeichel was influential in Leicester consolidating their Premier League status before their crowning moment in 2016.

RB - Kieran Trippier (Burnley)

Trippier recorded double-figure assist hauls in consecutive seasons from right-back before Burnley sealed their passage to the Premier League in 2015.

Not only was Trippier remarkably productive, he also demonstrated his defensive proficiency and was a vital figure in a Sean Dyche side that conceded just 37 goals in their promotion-winning campaign.

Arguably one of Burnley's greatest success stories across the last two decades, the 33-year-old hasn't enjoyed a bad career since departing Turf Moor.

CB - Wes Morgan (Leicester City, Nottingham Forest)

An imposing presence at the heart of an uncharitable Leicester defence that lifted the Championship title in 2014.

Wes Morgan began his career with East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest and was named in the PFA Team of the Year 2010/11 before making the switch to the Foxes in January 2011.

Strong, intelligent and assertive, Morgan was an ever-present in Leicester's remarkable Premier League success in 2016.

CB - Ben Mee (Burnley)

A model of consistency who was outstanding in Burnley's promotion season in 2014 and their title triumph in 2016.

An aerially strong defender who is always willing to put his body on the line, Ben Mee was a mainstay in the Burnley rearguard that punched above their weight in the Premier League and even brought a brief spell of European football to Turf Moor.

LB - Ian Harte (Reading)

After eight successful years in the Premier League with Leeds United, Ian Harte's career navigated a tumultuous spell before Carlisle United offered first-team football and an opportunity to revive his diminishing prospects.

It resulted in a £70,000 switch to Reading in 2010 and there won't be many better snippets of business.

Harte delivered 30 goal contributions in 99 appearances under Brian McDermott in the Championship. His set-piece delivery added a shining gloss to his all-round game, and the left-back was a pivotal figure in the club's return to the Premier League in 2012.

CM - Peter Whittingham (Cardiff)

One of the greatest players in Cardiff City's history, a remarkable magician in the Championship and commonly hailed as one of the most talented individuals outside of the Premier League.

Peter Whittingham played a monumental role in the Bluebirds' title-winning campaign in 2013 and was named in the PFA Team of the Year on three occasions, which was testament to his incredible consistency.

He scored 20 goals and registered 10 assists in one Championship season from midfield in 2010.

Marauding around the pitch with a delightful elegance, Whittingham’s career is synonymous with a series of spectacular left-footed strikes.

CM - Wes Hoolahan (Norwich)

A creative force with exceptional technique and piercing vision, "Wessi" is revered on the terraces of Carrow Road after pulling the strings in two of Norwich's promotion seasons.

Named in the PFA Team of the Year 2010/11, Hoolahan registered at least 15 goal contributions in three second tier campaigns as a diminutive playmaker that could unlock opposition defences with a meandering run or succulent pass.

Yes, he predominantly operated as a No.10 but for the sake of this article, we'll accommodate him in a central midfield position.

RW - Pablo Hernandez (Leeds)

A bona fide Leeds United legend, Pablo Hernandez weaved his magic wand across four glorious seasons in the Championship at Elland Road.

The ingenious Spaniard could carve opposition defences open with speed and precision, manufacturing an abundance of chances from open play and dead-ball situations.

He could also find the back of the net himself, netting 21 goals across two seasons as Leeds suffered play-off heartache against Derby before winning promotion the following season, with Hernandez a fundamental cog for Marcelo Bielsa's charges.

LW - Adel Taarabt (QPR)

The streets won't forget the mercurial talent that was Adel Taarabt, arguably the most technically-gifted individual to have graced the Championship.

With a mesmerising ability to embarrass defenders, Taarabt registered a phenomenal 19 goals and 21 assists in QPR's title-winning season of 2010/11 under Neil Warnock.

That was off the back of a season where the Moroccan's genius helped the R's evade relegation trouble having languished in 20th at the end of February.

What perhaps aided his output at Loftus Road was Warnock's rule of fining players if they passed to Taarabt inside their own half.

ST - Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham)

The most prolific campaign in the division's history, Mitrovic's return of 43 goals in 44 appearances in 2021/22 was quite simply outrageous.

A player of his calibre entering the peak years of his career shouldn't have been allowed to step foot in the Championship. Mitrovic simply bullied opposition defences into submission.

His previous season in the second tier wasn't too bad either, netting 26 goals as Fulham secured promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

ST - Teemu Pukki (Norwich City)

Perhaps a contentious one as there is no spot for the Championship's all-time record goalscorer Billy Sharp and, as you might imagine, there are plethora of striking options in the mix.

In this instance I've leaned towards the clinical prowess of Pukki, who notched 55 goals across two promotion-winning seasons at Norwich City. They were perched either side of Premier League campaigns in which he reached double figures in both, despite the Canaries enduring relegation on each occasion.

His instinctive finishing and untraceable movement made him an unstoppable presence in the second tier.

Substitutes bench:

• Kevin Nolan (Newcastle, West Ham)
• Billy Sharp (Sheffield Utd, Doncaster, Nottingham Forest)
• Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
• Oliver Norwood (Sheffield United)
• Bruno (Brighton)
• Julian Speroni (Crystal Palace)
• Lewis Dunk (Brighton)