Academy of Internationals | Mark Noble & James Tomkins

Our Academy holds an important place in the development of elite players. Over the years, we’ve seen our own become West Ham legends, lift European trophies and go on to have successful careers. But before all that, they were humble Hammers, making their names at Chadwell Heath and representing their nations at youth level.

In this series, we explore some of the talent our very own West Ham graduates have shared a pitch with…

Mark Noble and James Tomkins at the 2009 UEFA U21 Euros

West Ham United Academy graduates Mark Noble and James Tomkins shared the pitch over 200 times in Claret and Blue. But before becoming household names for the Irons in the Premier League, they were young Hammers forging their name on the youth international circuit, going up against some of the most talented players in world football.

Breaking into the starting XI towards the end of the 2008/09 season, Tomkins was joined by teammate Noble -already with 70 Premier League appearances to his name- for the UEFA European U21 Championships in Sweden.

Following a respectable top-half finish in the Premier League that season, the Hammers duo kicked off their U21 Euros campaign with victories over Finland and Spain.

Known to be one of the most capped players at youth level without making a single England senior appearance, Noble captained that England team that reached the final. An England team which featured a whole host of seasoned Premier League players including Joe Hart, James Milner, Kieran Gibbs, Micah Richards, Gabby Agbonlahor and Theo Walcott.

Under the guidance of former Hammer Stuart Pearce, the Young Lions topped the group which featured eventual champions Germany, before beating hosts Sweden on penalties in the semi-finals following a 3-3 draw, despite leading 3-0 at half-time.

In the final, against a Germany side against whom they had drawn 1-1 in the group stage, England fell to a 4-0 defeat in front of an 18,000-strong crowd at Malmö’s Eleda Stadion.

That Germany squad had six players that went on to win the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

• No1

Arguably the greatest goalkeeper of all time, this Bayern Munich legend became the most-capped goalkeeper in both UEFA Euro (20 appearances) and FIFA World Cup (19) history. He captained Germany to the 2014 World Cup and announced his international retirement following the hosts’ quarter-final exit at Euro 2024.

• No4

A one-club man with Schalke, he retired aged just 32 in 2020. He played every minute of Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph and captained Schalke for six straight seasons. He lifted the German Cup in 2011 and made over 200 Bundesliga appearances for his boyhood side.

• No5

Winner of the 2014 World Cup, nine Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues, this player was named Germany’s Footballer of the Year in 2016. Before starring for Bayern Munich, he won the 2011 FA Cup with Manchester City and is widely regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation.

• No8 (Captain)

Born to a Tunisian father and German mother, this player came through VfB Stuttgart’s ranks, scoring the winner in their 2007 Bundesliga title decider. He won the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid, five Serie A titles with Juventus, and helped Germany to a third-place finish at the 2010 World Cup.

• No10 

A gifted playmaker, he registered 29 assists in his debut season at Real Madrid and helped them break the 100-point barrier the following year. He was Germany’s Player of the Year in 2014/15 and later won four FA Cups with Arsenal.

• No15

Second on their all-time appearance list, this centre-back played over 500 games for Borussia Dortmund. During his career, he went on to net in 16 consecutive Bundesliga seasons. He won three straight titles with Bayern before returning to Dortmund in 2019.