Top 50 Premier League Players of All Time

[Enzo Dios Perez]

Le Tissier e Beckham em 19º e 20º? Então daqui para a frente devem ser só craques.

[P. Chagas Freitas]

le god :heart:

[Almeno]

Le Tissier :heart:

[Danskin]

Bobby! :prayer:

 

A definição de classe.

[Eden Hazard]

18. Wayne Rooney

Everton, Manchester United

 

 

In October 2002, exactly five days before his 17th birthday, Wayne Rooney introduced himself to the Premier League by scoring a last-gasp winner against Arsenal.

 

His special strike was significant in a couple of ways as it not only ended Arsenal’s 30-match unbeaten run but also made Rooney the youngest ever goal-scorer in Premier League’s history.

 

He scored six Premier League goals in his first full season, where three of those were decisive winners. He finished the season with eight goals in all completion and also managed to win two distinctive awards: BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2002 and Bravo Award in 2003.

 

The following season was even more fruitful where Rooney netted nine in the league and Everton didn’t lose any of the game in which he had scored.

 

In August 2004, Sir Alex Ferguson signed Rooney after playing the highest ever fee for a player under 20 years. Later in September when Rooney made his United debut against Fenerbahce in the Champions League, there was legendary written all over it.

 

He began his United career by scoring a hat-trick and assisting another. Rooney finished the season as club’s top-scorer in both league and all competitions.

 

Individual success also followed in the form of PFA Young Player of the Year award and also winning the 2004 Golden Boy award.

 

In the preceding season (2005/06) Rooney grabbed three awards: PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Fans’ Player of the Year & also Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year.

 

After winning his first trophy in the same season, he then went on to win three consecutive Premier League titles in the following seasons (2006-07, 2007/08 and 2008/09). During this Rooney also become the third youngest player of all-time to score 50 Premier League goals.

 

In the 2009-10 season, United narrowly and rather controversially missed out on a fourth successive league title at the expense of an offside winner that Chelsea struck at Old Trafford.

 

But Wayne Rooney had another fantastic season, netting 26 in the league as he ran out winner of five awards, namely PFA Players’ Player of the Year, PFA Fans’ Player of the Year, Football Writers’ Player of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and the most important of all Premier League Player of the Season award.

 

He played a key part and was hugely influential in helping United win two more titles to become the most successful club in English football history. He has won the Premier League Player of the Month award five times, bettered only by Gerrard.

 

Over the years he has been named in Premier League Team of the Year three times. The fact that Alan Shearer is now the only player to have scored more Premier League goals than him, speaks for the greatness of Wayne Rooney.

 

In terms of most top-flight goals before the age of 30 years, Rooney top the chart with 187 followed by Alan Shearer 176 and Thierry Henry 174.

 

With five Premier League titles to his name, and as the second highest goal-scorer in the history of the league, Rooney is undoubtedly one of the greatest of the game.

 

 

 

17. Gianfranco Zola

Chelsea

 

 

Put very simply, Zola was , and still is, one of the most loved imports to the Premier League, irrespective of club loyalties.

 

The diminutive Italian signed for Ruud Gullit’s Chelsea from Napoli in November 1996 and he became an instant hero for the Stamford Bridge faithful, forming an excellent partnership with fellow Italian Gianluca Vialli and netting 12 goals in his debut season.

 

His highlight of the 1996-97 campaign was an outrageous goal against Manchester United, dancing majestically around both Dennis Irwin and Gary Pallister, before slipping the ball past a helpless Peter Schmeichel.

 

In the season that followed, Zola continued to operate as Chelsea’s magician-in-chief, with a consistent array of sublime goals, the curler against Liverpool and the drag back and finish versus Wimbledon both in 1997 were particular stand out moments.

 

He capped off his remarkable debut campaign by being voted FWA Player of the Year, the first Chelsea player to win it.

 

Despite his on-pitch brilliance, Zola is best remembered for his humility and his unwavering determination not to let his stature be a hindrance to his ability.

 

The greatest Zola moment, in my opinion, came in 2002, towards the end of his time in West London during a FA Cup tie against Norwich City.

 

From routine near post corner, Zola managed to incredibly flick the ball between his own legs into the net, a feat made even more difficult by the fact he was in mid-air at the time.

 

That moment was a gentle reminder of his remaining quality, despite his lack of game time under then manager Claudio Ranieri.

 

In 2002/03, Zola played his final season with the Blues and helped them reach the Champions League with 16 goals, a Chelsea high for the Italian.

 

At the end of the season Zola fulfilled his long-held promise to return to Italy and play for hometown club Cagliari, despite pressure to stay, Zola refused to back down on his word.

 

A lasting gesture from man of enduring class.

 

 

16. Luis Suarez

Liverpool

 

There cannot have been a more divisive player in Premier League history than Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan played with Liverpool for just three and a half years but has left a large (and mixed) legacy behind him.

 

Equally mocked and vilified by opposition fans for a variety of transgressions, from the farcical diving to the faintly ludicrous biting incidents to the altogether more serious case of racial abuse, Suarez’s career in English football seemed set to be written as a man’s demons overshadowing a player’s undoubted talent.

 

However, rightly or wrongly, the 2013-14 season changed all of that. Until that point, Suarez had shown only snatches of his incredible talents, a ridiculous goal against Newcastle in 2012 bringing into focus exactly what he could do as he trapped a long punt downfield on his shoulder and danced around the keeper to pass into an empty net.

 

For all his ability, however, it appeared that his bans and punishments would come to define his Liverpool career.

 

Arriving back into a Liverpool team in late 2013 (after completing a band for biting Branislav Ivanovic) which had started the league well, Suarez seemed different. The snarl and energy of his play was still there, but there was a renewed drive and focus to him.

 

His Liverpool team that season, and it was most definitely his team, turned into a manic, thrilling circus, with their number 7 as its ringmaster.

 

Suarez found a vein of form that was scarcely believable, doing things week in and week out that only two or three other players on the planet could even have dreamed of.

 

In an incredible month of December, Suarez scored a record ten goals in a calendar month. Many other goal scoring records fell for him that season (he finished top scorer with 31 goals and joint top in assists with 13) and he deservedly claimed Player of the Year at the end of a season.

 

His individual displays had been astounding but what was so notable was how he brought the best out of what had been an unheralded team around him. His genius was not just in the nutmegs or in the clinical finishes but in how his rising tide lifted all his team-mates’ boats.

 

Suarez present s to us a moral quandary which we often face in sport; can we admire the player if we do not necessarily like the man?

 

The thing about Luis Suarez, and why he absolutely deserves his spot in the BPF Top 50, is that if you were to watch him mesmerise entire stadiums up and down England in that 2013/14 season, you could not help but feel like a child again, lost in the magic of what football really could be.

 

[Juan Mata]

Zola :prayer:

[Eden Hazard]

15. Didier Drogba

Chelsea

 

 

If José Mourinho’s myriad gifts ever allow him to create footballers in his own image, it is unlikely in the extreme that his efforts would differ greatly from Didier Drogba.

 

In a Chelsea career spanning two spells, 381 appearances and 164 goals, the towering Ivorian established himself as one of the Premier League’s most devastating players, a steel-cored serial winner of trophies and the snarl in Mourinho’s peculiarly abrasive team.

 

Recruited from Marseille in July 2004, as one of the signature signings in Roman Abramovich’s early era of largesse, Drogba proved himself worth every part of his £24 million fee.

 

Drogba remains an adored figure at Stamford Bridge, where fans appreciated his unbridled hunger for success along with his considerable skill on the field.

 

The very model of a modern centre forward, he spent much of his time as a lone striker capable of leading the line in courageous, often devastating fashion.

 

The club may have reigned in its purchasing power in recent years, but Abramovich was never shy about shopping around for newer toys. Drogba saw them all off.

 

While the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres and, to a lesser extent, Hernan Crespo underwhelmed, Chelsea’s former number 11 established himself as the club’s big-game performer, a genuinely brilliant goalscorer-cum-provocateur whose singular footballing talent — comprised of power, speed and supreme technique — was matched, in full, by his inspirational qualities.

 

Drogba possessed that rare ability to perform at an optimum level on the game’s greatest stages, be they cup finals at Wembley, title clashes or, most fittingly, the 2012 Champions League decider in Munich, where he and his colleagues toppled the mighty Bayern in their own gilded nest.

 

Having already scored the equaliser to induce extra time, his penalty at the end of a tense shootout, completed with decisive calm, weaved his name into the fabric of a grand old club.

 

At the time, Drogba considered it his last contribution in Chelsea blue and though he would return for a final fling in 2014, that moment represents the zenith of an illustrious résumé.

 

 

 

14. John Terry

Chelsea

 

 

The “Captain, Leader, Legend” banner has become a permanent fixture at Stamford Bridge, a tribute to a man who has given the best part of two decades’ service to Chelsea Football Club.

 

John Terry made his debut for Chelsea on 28 October 1998, coming on as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Aston Villa, and he has gone on to make nearly 700 appearances in all competitions.

 

In 18 seasons, the now 35-year-old has collected four Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, and two major European titles – the Champions League in 2012 and the Europa League a year later.

 

Winning the continent’s top prize made up for the heartbreak of 2008 when Chelsea lost the Champions League Final to Manchester United, thanks in part to Terry’s slip and resultant missed spot kick in the penalty shoot out.

 

Surprisingly quick for an imposing centre half, Terry’s reading of the game often leads to him making crucial blocks in front of goal, and he is a dominant figure in the air at both ends of the pitch.

 

With 39 Premier League goals to his name, Terry sits first on the list of top scoring defenders, one ahead of former Everton man David Unsworth who was a specialist from the penalty spot.

 

John is our legend. I’m not saying this because I play with him – he is the best defender in England in the last 20 years.

– Chelsea team mate Nemanja Matic

 

Having made only 14 league appearances during the 2012/13 season, there were questions raised about Terry’s position in the Chelsea team, but he rebounded in emphatic fashion and was an ever present for the title-winning 2014/15 campaign.

 

It hasn’t been all plain sailing for Terry, and the racial abuse allegations levelled at him for an incident with Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand resulted in an apology, a four-match suspension at club level, and effectively the end of his international career.

 

There was also the story about an affair with former team mate Wayne Bridges’ ex-girlfriend which culminated in a non-handshake when the two came face-to-face on the pitch for a Chelsea game against Manchester City in February 2010.

 

On the park though, there is a strong case to be made for him being the best defender of the Premier League era, and it would be no surprise if he moves into the coaching end of the game once his playing days are over.

 

 

13. Tony Adams

Arsenal

 

He was the centre half whose nickname was “donkey”. He was somewhat of a wild man and no stranger to the law, by the age of 24 had already done a two month stretch inside.

 

Such a description might not sound like a one club legend who would go down as one of the greatest defenders in modern English football, but more of a cautionary tale of a young talent throwing a career away.

 

However, it’s one way to describe one of the finest servants to ever wear the red of Arsenal around a particular low point of his career. We are of course talking about Tony Adams.

 

It is testament to Adams’ resilience that he successfully battled the demons of his alcohol addiction and not only came back to the level of his early promise; (a first team debut at 17, Arsenal captain by 21), but actually improved and broadened his game to make him one of the more complete centre halves of his generation.

 

By the time of his retirement he had won four league titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and a Cup Winners’ Cup medal.

 

He had been the fulcrum of two hugely successful yet very different eras with Arsenal that would become associated with the personalities of their managers, the more staid yet still successful George Graham period and the more recent and footballingly attractive style of Arséne Wenger.

 

Of course Adams was not alone in these scaling these heights, he was very ably assisted by one of the most ruthless, professional and disciplined defences in English football and their durability and longevity bears testament to this.

 

John Lukic and later David Seaman in goal, full backs Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon, and centre half partner Steve Bould and later Martin Keown. All of them quality players and all shared the competitive streak that Adams used to such effect.

 

While Graham’s side was the more direct, Wenger encouraged the man they would later call “Mr. Arsenal” to build from the back, he helped Adams improve his fitness, diet and technical ability and prolonged his career well into his 30s.

 

What remained, regardless of style was the edge, you could see it in his tackling, in his reading of the game and his intensity to get to the ball first, you could see it in his goals, 48 in all club competitions, including sweetly enough, a header to win the 1993 FA Cup semi-final in Wembley against old foes Spurs.

 

When Arsenal moved to their new home chose to celebrate the club’s 125 anniversary in a special way. In December 2011, three statues were unveiled, one to Herbert Chapman, the revolutionary manager who had led them to glory in the 30s, one of Thierry Henry, the club’s record goal scorer and one to “Mr. Arsenal” Tony Adams not bad company to be in.

 

[Danskin]

Capitão!

 

E que o Drogba se vá encher de moscas. Jogar ao crl! :(

[Eden Hazard]

Capitão!

 

E que o Drogba se vá encher de moscas. Jogar ao crl! :(

Já passou. :goodman:

[Juan Mata]

Ídolo, Didier. :heart:

[Almeno]

Suarez :heart:

[Eden Hazard]

12. Eric Cantona

Manchester United

 

 

The date is 17th April 1993. The inaugural Premier League season is drawing to a close.

 

Old Trafford is full of Mancunians hardened by over a decade of Margaret Thatcher’s rule. They are fiery, and have something to prove.

 

Their beloved club has gone 26 years without a league title, and they have watched hated rivals Liverpool enjoy unrivalled success.

 

On the pitch the winds of change have finally arrived though, and as a young Ryan Giggs helps the ball towards the back post, a Frenchman named Eric climbs above two Chelsea defenders to secure a 3-0 win.

 

Manchester United went on to win the 1992-93 title, and Eric Cantona was the catalyst. He scored nine goals for United after arriving in November from reigning champions Leeds. His goals helped, but it was his all-round demeanour that put United above the rest.

 

Collar up, chest out, Cantona had a swagger that teammates would look to in times of need. Opponents often had no answer, although Cantona was prone to letting his temper explode.

 

In January 1995 away at Crystal Palace his most iconic explosion took place. Palace defender Richard Shaw had been niggling at Cantona throughout the night, and just after half-time he got a response. Cantona took a swipe at Shaw and was subsequently sent off.

 

The Frenchman was boiling inside, and the abuse from a particular Palace fan – Matthew Simmons – pushed him over the edge. Cantona leapt over the advertising boards to kick Simmons in the chest.

 

United players rushed to Cantona’s aid, the Palace fans were incensed, kit-man Norman Davies had to drag Cantona down the tunnel.

 

When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea.

– Eric Cantona, March 1995

 

An eight month ban was the punishment, but Cantona was convinced to stay in England by Alex Ferguson.

 

On his return to the field he scored 19 goals in all competitions, as United wrestled the title back from Blackburn.

 

Cantona’s glorious comeback completed his accession to the Old Trafford throne. King Eric is how he will always be remembered, and with four championships and two FA Cups in just five years, it is easy to understand why.

 

 

 

11. Steven Gerrard

Liverpool

 

 

It’s hard to think of another player as synonymous with one club, than Steven Gerrard and Liverpool. A Liverpudlian, who had been with the club since the age of 9, he went on to play for the club over 500 times in the Premier League, scoring 120 goals from his marauding midfield position.

 

Coming on as a last minute substitution for Vegard Heggem against Blackburn Rovers in 1998, it took a while for him to find his place, admitting in a later interview that he was “out of position and out of his depth”.

 

Still, he made 13 appearances for the club that season, but it wasn’t until the 1999-2000 season that he started demonstrating his capabilities from the middle of the park, where he was most natural.

 

After coming on as a second half sub against Everton that season in his first Merseyside derby, he further ingratiated himself with the red faithful by getting himself sent off for a foul on Everton favourite Kevin Campbell.

 

His first goal for the club came later that season against Sheffield Wednesday and his first taste of success with the club he had been at since a lad, came the following year as Liverpool went on to claim the League Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup, with Gerrard scoring against Manchester United and Alavez in the League and UEFA Cup finals respectively.

 

He was also, justifiably named the PFA Young Player of the Year, and would go on to win the senior version in 2006.

 

In September 2001, he also played a crucial part in the 1-5 drubbing of Germany in Munich, scoring a sublime drive just before half time to give England the lead. Unfortunately, he missed out on the tournament in Japan and South Korea through injury, but reward for his efforts at his club were handed to him by Gerard Houiller in 2003, as he was made captain of the side.

 

“He is a natural born leader, a very inspirational leader. He is somebody you want to follow” says the ex-Liverpool boss of his former charge.

 

It wasn’t long before Gerrard, frustrated with the lack of progression that Liverpool were making in the league, attracted attention from Stamford Bridge, as they repeatedly came calling for his signature, obviously thinking him and Lampard could play together, often a national debate in those days.

 

The second time was so serious, that Gerrard handed in a transfer request, and after much soul searching, stayed with the club. This was after arguably his finest moment of his club career and Istanbul, Gerrard the catalyst for the fightback against Milan.

 

Back at it again the following year in the FA Cup Final against West Ham, no one knows just how he managed to find the strength and power to slot home that equaliser, as Liverpool went on to claim the cup on penalties.

 

Premier League success remained unassailable as Liverpool finished second in 2009, and after an incredible campaign spearheaded by the cult figure of Luis Suarez, the captain looked finally to be driving his team towards the title in 2014. We all know what the slip against Chelsea meant. The trophy falling agonisingly away from him that day.

 

In January 2015, Gerrard announced that he was to leave the club for a new adventure in the States. No one could have ever seen him playing for another English club as Steven Gerrard has simply been Liverpool in the Premier League era.

 

A powerful leader who came up with the heroics time and time again for the cause, strong of mind and spirit, he had an enviable range of passing and shooting in his locker, and can truly lay claim to being one of the best midfielders the League has ever seen.

 

 

10. Frank Lampard

Chelsea, Manchester City, West Ham United

 

During his illustrious Premier League career, Frank Lampard soon became synonymous with the simple act of putting the ball in the back of net, but at the very highest level and with an unrivalled record among midfielders.

 

Lampard began his career with local club West Ham, for whom his father Frank Lampard Sr. also played for.

 

Yet a section of the Upton Park faithful were not convinced of a young Lampard’s qualities, with Harry Redknapp accused of favouritism towards his nephew, something Redknapp was forced to address under immense pressure at a fans’ forum in 1996:

 

I’m telling you now, he [Lampard] will go right to the very top. Right to the very top. ’Cos he’s got everything that is needed to be a top midfield player. His attitude is first-class. He’s got strength, he can play, he can pass and he can score goals.

Nearly twenty years later, Redknapp’s prediction has truly come to fruition with Lampard now regarded by pundits, managers and teammates as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.

 

Lampard’s breakthrough season for the hammers came in 1997/98, amassing 42 appearances and a notable nine goals, recovering admirably from a broken leg suffered in the second half of the 1996/97 season.

 

He was also an ever-present the following season, which saw West Ham record their highest-ever league placing in fifth, thus securing qualification for the much maligned Intertoto Cup.

 

The goals continued to flow for Lampard in the subsequent season, finishing as West Ham’s third top scorer, behind Paolo Di Canio and Paulo Wanchope, with a total of 14 goals in all competitions.

 

Yet the next season proved to be Lampard’s last in East London as West Ham finished a paltry 15th place. Lampard still notched nine goals in his 37 outings that season, behind only Frédéric Kanouté and Paolo Di Canio in the West Ham scoring charts.

 

However, when Harry Redknapp and assistant Lampard Sr. left the club by mutual consent, Frank followed and made the decision to join London-rivals Chelsea for £11 million.

 

Lampard would go onto establish himself as a legend at the West London club, becoming the Chelsea’s all-time top goalscorer with a quite remarkable 211 goals from midfield.

 

During his 13 seasons at Stamford Bridge, ‘Super Frank’ fired Chelsea to three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, a UEFA Champions League and a UEFA Europa League.

 

The list of individual accolades are tremendous, including runner-up in the 2005 Ballan d’Or to none other than Ronaldinho.

 

Lampard was also awarded the 2008 UEFA Midfielder of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and England Player of the Year in two consecutive seasons (2004/05 and 2005/06) as well as Chelsea’s Player of the Year three times.

 

On the international front, Lampard won his first full cap for England in 1999, going on to win 105 more and in October 2015 he received an OBE for his services to football.

 

Surprisingly, Lampard was released by Chelsea at the end of the 2013/14 season and signed a non-binding commitment to join New York City FC.

 

However, much to the displeasure of NYCFC fans Lampard would spend the entirety of the 2014/15 season at Manchester City, famously scoring against former club Chelsea to level the game in the dying moments at the Etihad.

 

Now in the twilight years of his career, Lampard has continued his knack of scoring goals from midfield, three in ten for NYCFC, as they finished a place outside for the MLS Cup Playoffs.

 

Editado 31 Janeiro 2016 por Eden Hazard

[Axadrezado]

CANTONA :prayer:

[Simeone]

Esses dois últimos devem estar trocados :mrgreen:

[Dennis Bergkamp]

Jogadores que nunca venceram a liga não deviam estar tao em cima

Super Frankie :prayer: qie jogador do crl

[Simeone]

Jogadores que nunca venceram a liga não deviam estar tao em cima

Super Frankie :prayer: qie jogador do crl

Não concordo. É um top de jogadores, não um top de títulos ganhos.

[Almeno]

Stevie G :heart:

[Eden Hazard]

Esses dois últimos devem estar trocados :mrgreen:

O Lampard foi o jogador mais importante em três EPL's ganhas pelo Chelsea e conseguiu-se sagrar melhor marcador de sempre do clube a jogar a médio. Muito difícilmente o Gerrard ficaria à frente dele. A preponderância conta muito e às de reparar nos últimos 10 jogadores.

Editado 30 Janeiro 2016 por Eden Hazard

[Eden Hazard]

9. Peter Schmeichel

Aston Villa, Manchester City, Manchester United

 

 

In a career that spanned more than 20 years, accumulating in over 700 appearances for both clubs and country.

 

Schmeichel is best remembered for his time at Manchester United, whom he captained to the 1999 Champions League to complete the famous Treble, and for winning Euro 1992 with Denmark, saving Marco van Basten’s penalty in the semi-final.

 

Prior to moving to Manchester for a fee of £530,000, a fee which Ferguson would later describe as the ‘bargain of the century’, Schmeichel picked up three Danish title during a four year spell at Brondby and also helped them reach the semi-finals of the UEFA cup losing out a to a last minute goal by Rudi Voller of Roma.

 

During his United career Schmeichel won ten major trophies, starting with their first title triumph in 26 years during the 92/93 season and ending with their historic, treble-winning Champions League success in Barcelona in 1999.

 

The Dane was crucial to United’s success and as the footballing cliché and one that Gary Neville often says on MNF, a good keeper can win you seven or eight points a season but in Schmeichel’ s case he probably won United double that.

 

Some of the saves he would make could only be made by him and nobody else; his starfish save from Zamorano in the 1999 Champions League, the penalty save against Arsenal, his continuous denial of Newcastle United at St. James’ Park are all moments that stand out when you mention his name.

 

Schmeichel didn’t just command his penalty area; he ruled it with an iron fist, accepting nothing less than perfection from the players in front of him his saves were almost always followed by vicious verbal screaming for the defenders who had failed to prevent the chance.

 

One of his most impressive technical qualities was his one-on-one shot-stopping, narrowing angles and emphasising his massive 6ft 3ins frame between the goal posts.

 

But that quality wasn’t only just physical, he was constantly at the forefront of his opponent’s head and, as a result, very few ran in on Schmeichel with any belief.

 

The assumption was always that Schmeichel would win those contests; he knew it, the crowd knew it and, most importantly, the player trying to beat him did too.

 

United had won silverware and finished in the top two in every one of Schmeichel’ s season and his importance to United was enlarged after he departed for Sporting Lisbon after the treble-winning glory in 1999.

 

Three third-placed finishes in four years between 2001 and 2005 highlighted just how much he was missed by United and it wasn’t until the arrival of Edwin van der Sar six years after his exit that Manchester United satisfactorily replaced him.

 

Schmeichel was a tour de force, an immeasurable presence at the heart of the great Manchester United teams of the 90s. Given that Schmeichel is so synonymous with that era, it seems wrong to think that he only spent eight years at Old Trafford.

 

Nevertheless though, in less than a decade he made himself the Premier League goalkeeper for the ages, the yardstick against which all of the Premier League’s best have and will continue to be measured.

 

 

 

8. Patrick Vieira

Arsenal, Manchester City

 

 

However distant a reality it may now seem, Arsene Wenger used to be able to spot a player.

 

At a time when Arsenal’s title-starved fanbase seems increasingly irritated by the French manager’s stubborn refusal to add the components needed for sustained success, Wenger’s former prescience seems an especially fond memory.

 

No player better encapsulates that ability to mould a quality finish from raw materials than Patrick Vieira.

 

For all Thierry Henry’s magnificence over the course of eight glittering campaigns, it was Vieira, not his expensively recruited compatriot, who gilded a legacy upon which Wenger still stakes his reputation.

 

As a rangy 20-year-old, he would be plucked from the obscurity of AC Milan’s reserves and excel almost instantly.

 

In the roiling chaos of the Premier League’s midfield charnel houses, Vieira provided the snarling intensity that his manager craved, its absence felt more keenly with each passing year.

 

If Roy Keane might press an especially strong case to be considered the finest midfielder of his generation, then Vieira’s presence must surely serve as a mitigating factor.

 

While their ages differed, their careers, defined by the series of cacophonous clashes that came to dominate British football, overlapped enough to give rise to a serious debate that is essentially unwinnable.

 

Like his Irish nemesis, Vieira enjoyed multiple domestic successes as the heartbeat of, arguably, the Premier League’s finest ever team.

 

Vieira’s peak years took in every one of his nine seasons at Highbury. From 1996 until his departure for Juventus in 2005, he formed the heartbeat of a halcyon era marked by three league titles, four FA Cups and a position at the peak of the English game (not to mention his World Cup and European Championship successes with France).

 

As a footballer, the Senegal native stood mighty in the fray, his elegant style and beautiful technique contrasting sharply with the ferocity that drove him ever onwards.

 

In a collective that became known for its aesthetic brilliance, Vieira brought with him the streak of darkness that only born winners can ever truly possess.

 

 

7. Roy Keane

Manchester United, Nottingham Forest

 

It speaks volumes when, in the players’ tunnel, just the sight of an opponent or team-mate can win/lose the game before the first whistle.

 

Roy Keane had that aura – his playing ability, ruthless aggression and leadership qualities packed into a 1.78m frame. The Corkman was a player who could strike fear into the hearts and minds of his opponents.

 

Simultaneously, he also boosted the confidence and hunger of his team-mates, ensuring they always kept their standards high and never gave up.

 

After being rejected time and again for being “too small”, Keane earned his lucky break when his performances attracted the attention of Nottingham Forest, then managed by the legendary Brian Clough.

 

During his years at Forest, Keane won just the one title – the Full Members Cup in 1992, beating Matt Le Tissier’s Southampton in the final.

 

What was important about that time period is his development as a footballer. Keane signed for Forest in 1990, aged 19, and left the City Ground in 1993 as a man ready to break into the upper echelons of the beautiful game.

 

Few players are privileged to work with not one but two legendary managers. With hindsight, Keane left one legendary manager in Clough for another in Sir Alex Ferguson.

 

Paul Ince and Bryan Robson – one of Keane’s heroes – were Manchester United’s midfield fulcrum. The then-British record of £3.75 million that Manchester United had spent on Keane perhaps could have been spent elsewhere.

 

In his first season, Keane helped United win the league and cup double. Another double soon followed in 1995/96. After Cantona’s retirement in 1997, Ferguson handed Roy Keane the armband.

 

When the Irishman left Old Trafford (under acrimonious circumstances) in January 2006, the record fee he cost looked like small change.

 

It could be compared to the £1 million spent on Eric Cantona. Cantona had sparked the great era of success at Old Trafford. Keane, with his captain’s armband on, took that baton and ran with it.

 

As Manchester United captain, the hot-headed Irishman led his side to one title after another. His list of team honours reads – seven Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one Intercontinental Cup (Club World Cup) and one Champions League.

 

His frequent skirmishes with Patrick Vieira was arguably the highlight of the Premier League during that time.

 

A polarising figure, Keane remains without doubt one of the greatest captains in the history of Manchester United and English football as a whole.

 

Individually, he was named into the PFA Team of the Year on five occasions as well as the Premier League’s Overseas Team of the Decade (1992/93 to 2001/02).

 

He was also named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 2000.

 

Keane had innumerable noteworthy games in the Premier League, yet his performance in United’s semi-final games against Juventus in their treble-winning season stands tallest and shines brightest.

 

The darkest blemish on Keane’s career is his intentional over-the-top challenge which ended Alf Inge Haaland’s career. He also left United under the dark cloud of heavy criticism of his team-mates.

 

It is fitting that the fire which made Roy Keane a magnificent player and leader was also the cause of his downfall. We are often taught as children to not play with fire.

 

Well, Roy Keane played with fire and won.

 

 

6. Ryan Giggs

Manchester United

 

Old Trafford, May 6, 2014. Manchester United entertain Hull in the penultimate fixture of the season. Forty-year-old Ryan Giggs stands over a free-kick 25-yards from goal in injury time.

 

Having been put in charge of the team for the last four games of the season following the dismissal of David Moyes, the Welsh legend brought himself on as a substitute for what would be his final game as a professional footballer.

 

The poignancy of the moment is not lost on the Old Trafford faithful: “Keeper let it in, keeper, keeper, let in”, the home fans implore Hull goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic to allow their hero one final moment of glory.

 

They are well aware that this represents the last chance for Giggs to keep up his record of having scored in every season of the Premier League since its inception in 1992.

 

But Jakupovic proves to be no sucker for sentiment as he parries Giggs’s goal-bound effort out for a corner. And there ended the most glittering career in modern football.

 

A career that spanned almost a quarter of a century at the highest level. 963 appearances for Manchester United, 168 goals. 64 caps for Wales. 13 Premier League titles, four F.A. Cups, two League Cups, and twice a Champions League winner. Incredible.

 

It’s well known that Giggs’s story is one of consistency and longevity — evidenced by the fact that 16 years separate his double win of the PFA Young Player of the Year in 1992 and ’93, and his successful balot for the senior version of the award in 2009.

 

However, when reflecting upon Giggs’s storied career, it would be remiss to give insufficient credit to the characteristic that made such longevity possible: his adaptability.

 

From the moment he made his debut against Everton in March 1991, the young Giggs set himself apart with his balance and speed. As a pacey left-winger, he had the ability to dribble past several players at once, changing direction without breaking stride.

 

Sir Alex Furguson once remarked that, as a 13-year-old:

 

[Giggs] floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.

His playing style, coupled with his status as the Premier League’s first poster boy, drew inevitable comparisons with Old Trafford legend George Best.

 

Giggs would go on to be the automatic first choice for the left side of United’s midfield for the rest of the ’90s and into the new millennium. He was an integral part of several championship winning sides, including the great Treble winners of 1999 — his incredible solo goal against Arsenal to settle the F.A. cup semi-final replay is an obvious highlight.

 

But around the mid-2000s, having lost some of his trademark pace, Giggs found himself on the periphery of the starting XI. Usurped by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani as first picks in the wide positions.

 

Yet rather than rest on the laurels of an already legendary career, Giggs chose not to settle for a supporting role: he chose to adapt.

 

The Welshmen carved out a new role for himself as the experienced head in the centre of United’s midfield, picking the opposition apart with nouse and precision passing, rather than speed and acceleration.

 

By changing with the times, Giggs remained relevant through three decades. His legacy is one of untold success and loyalty, the likes of which may never be replicated.

 

Editado 31 Janeiro 2016 por Eden Hazard

[Phil]

o Ledley não estar nesta lista :lol:

[Simeone]

Schmeichel, melhor guarda-redes que já vi jogar em Portugal. E o Roy Keane é aquele gajo que, se eu fosse avançado, não gostaria mesmo de enfrentar.

[Danskin]

Esta última lista! :prayer: Saudades dos dérbis à antiga com o United.

[Eden Hazard]

5. Paul Scholes

Manchester United

 

 

Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes has securely embedded himself as virtually every United fan’s favourite player of the Premier League era.

 

Despite the glamour of team mates including Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo, Scholes’ enduring brilliance and ability to mutate with the demands of not just his team, but the wider football world, has marked him out as special.

 

Throughout his career there has been countless eulogies regarding his commitment to his craft and his disregard for the extra-curricular activities that can form part of modern professional football.

 

Indeed, it is from this perceived ‘shyness’ that the common misconception of Scholes has been created, portrayed as a shrinking violet, a claim has been dismissed by countless team mates and opponents.

 

Put simply, Scholes concentrated his energies simply on being the best player he could possibly be for the cause of Manchester United, and from this he became critical to Sir Alex Ferguson’s team.

 

Many Red Mancunians will have isolated Scholes vintage moments; the two debut goals against Port Vale in ’94, his FA Cup Final goal in ’99, the outrageous volley against Bradford in 2000 or his winner against Barcelona in 2008.

 

Initially deployed as a second striker in his early United days, Scholes withdrawal to central midfield was to be a career-defining shift.

 

In his early career he was rotated with Nicky Butt, as Roy Keane’s midfield partner, but by 1997 he was indispensable to the team.

 

Ferguson sought a player to allow United to dominate the central attacking areas, as a counter point to Keane’s anchoring qualities, and Scholes was to be that player, forming a telepathic relationship with the Irishman.

 

As the seasons passed, and United, and Keane, moved on Scholes remained critical to the United cause, despite approaching his thirties.

 

His role was once more adapted and his game intelligence and ball retention skills were utilised in a deeper role, where his playmaking ability allowed the likes of Darren Fletcher, Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo to flourish.

 

Scholes’ initial decision to retire in May 2011 was treated with the type of sadness from United fans normally reserved for the death of family members, however he made a shock return to the team in eight months later, and was to win his final League title in 2013.

 

Throughout his career and subsequent retirement, Scholes has been the subject of specific praise for some of the game’s greatest ever players.

 

However perhaps the best compliment to pay him is, that in era where too often physical attributes were the hallmarks of his peers, Scholes remained as a player able to stand out simply as a better footballer than most.

 

[Eden Hazard]

4. Dennis Bergkamp

Arsenal

 

 

It’s strange that Dennis Bergkamp, a man so inextricably linked with the Arsenal of Arsene Wenger was actually the first signing of Bruce Rioch’s brief reign as Highbury gaffer after the departure of George Graham.

 

It’s also easy to forget that the “non-Flying Dutchman” was viewed as somewhat damaged goods after an underwhelming spell at Inter Milan. In fact it was alleged that Spurs manager Gerry Francis had the opportunity to sign Bergkamp but elected to go for Palace’s Chris Armstrong instead.

 

But Bergkamp was a scintillating addition of exquisite technique and unpredictable, crowd-pleasing flair to a Premiership still dominated by British and Irish players.

 

He offered a certain level of continental class, a player in his prime coming to England and offering a very different skill set.

 

An early partnership with Ian Wright flourished and later the arrival of a young Nicolas Anelka helped to deliver Bergkamp’s first title in English football in 1997-98 but it was the arrival of Thierry Henry that would lead to the formation of one of the great strike partnerships in English football history.

 

The pair would win another two league titles together which included the 2004-04 season when Arsenal went undefeated in the League with one of the finest front-pairings in world football.

 

While many remember for the quality of his goals, the strikes against Leicester (where he grabbed a hat trick) and Newcastle immediately jump to mind, Bergkamp was equally enamoured by the beauty of the assist, the finely threaded, slide-rule pass splitting open a defence for an Henry, Overmars or Pires to finish.

 

He surely created more goals than he scored and he could never be described as selfish as a strike partner.

 

With his blonde hair, the somewhat restrained personality off the pitch, the geometric cool brilliance and the outrageous flair all left the feeling that Bergkamp was both assassin and artist, an ice in his veins finisher blessed of exquisite technique but at the same time a genuine crowd pleaser capable of baroque football adornments to his play.

 

His cool exterior couldn’t match the fact that, like most of the best players of that early Wenger era , he was a ferocious competitor. Although it may not have been as obvious as a Keown, Adams or Viera there was a steeliness and competitiveness to Bergkamp.

 

He had a temper too, just witness his infamous stamp on notorious shrinking violet Sinisa Mihajlovic in the 1998 World Cup, and he was sent off four times in his Arsenal career. This was a man who had a bid of an edge.

 

Bergkamp, like Cantona and Zola arrived in the Premier League of the early-mid 90’s and opened up English football to the modern promise of the cultured, technically gifted non-English forward.

 

He helped create a space for a generation of successors but few, if any can say that they have bettered him.

 

[Bashir]

:prayer: