Who's on your list of the best Premier League players ever? We all have a good idea.
It's given us Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Keegan and Arsene Wenger. It's given us mayhem, magic and Mike Dean. It's given us Centurions, Invincibles and Treble winners. There's no division in football quite like the Premier League, where the geniuses and madmen of the game flock to write their name in history. For 28 years, we've witnessed incredible sights - and some of the greatest players to ever live.
Here at FourFourTwo, we've decided to rank the top 100 footballers to appear in the Premier League - that's England's top tier since 1992 - based on their impact. That's a combination of their ability, status and the moments they gave us over the years…
How FourFourTwo's experts decided the 100 greatest players in Premier League history
FourFourTwo last compiled a list of the greatest Premier League players of all time back in 2021, which formed the backbone for this update. Our esteemed team discussed that original century at length, reordering it slightly based on legacy. Players were put forward to be added before a new list of 120 was compiled, and whittled down to just 100.
We poured over 33 years of this magnificent competition, while assessing previous lists on the best goalkeepers in the history of the Premier League, the best defenders, the best midfielders, the best wingers and the best strikers.
Players on this list are judged and ordered according to a number of factors. We've only included players based on what they did in the English top flight since the 1992/93 season, considering their peak level, their longevity and their impact to the Premier League.
You'd struggle to tell the tale of the division without this century of stars. And this is the story of the Premier League…
100. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Manchester United (1996-2007)
APPS 235
GOALS 91
As clinical as they come, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name can still be heard ringing out from the stands at the Theatre of Dreams some twenty odd years after his spell with the club.
Solskjaer quickly developed a knack for being not just a dependable super-sub under Sir Alex – he virtually defined the phenomenon, winning a remarkable six Premier League titles. Known for scoring important goals at just the right time, he summed up what it meant to work hard and results will come.
99. Steve Bruce
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Manchester United (1992-96)
APPS 148
GOALS 11
Bruce’s contributions to early-90s Manchester United deserve much greater credit.
As one half of a formidable defensive partnership with Gary Pallister, the affable Northumbrian helped United win three of the opening four Premier Leagues – the first as skipper, via one almighty intervention...
Brucie’s brace – superb headers in the 86th and 96th minutes – gave United a fabled 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in April 1993. Fergie’s side never looked back, sealing the title with two matches to spare.
98. Dion Dublin
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Manchester United (1992-94), Coventry City (1994-98), Aston Villa (1998-2004, Leicester City (2004, 2005-06)
APPS 312
GOALS 111
An explosive hat-trick for Coventry City against Sheffield Wednesday in December 1995, coming during a purple patch where Dublin began to assert himself as one of the premier marksmen in English football, was the moment in which everything changed.
From there, Dublin achieved something deep with each passing Premier League campaign. The talisman took on cult status in the ’90s, with his long-legged stride, rocket shot and infectious energy endearing him to those who watched on.
If that’s not enough, Dublin once lived with actor Jason Statham, went on to invent his own percussion instrument (The Dube) and now successfully presents Homes Under the Hammer. Dion, we salute you.
97. Peter Crouch
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Aston Villa (2001-02), Southampton (2004-05), Liverpool (2005-08), Portsmouth (2008-09), Tottenham Hotspur (2009-11), Stoke City (2011-18), Burnley (2018-19)
APPS 468
GOALS 108
Crouch will always remain one of the Premier League’s most surreal players.
Bullied and bashed for a frame so rarely seen at any level of the game, Crouchy was a unicorn: able to pluck the ball from the air with his 6ft 7in physique, yet comfortable playing on the ground, too. He appeared for the likes of Aston Villa and Southampton early on in his career, but not even Liverpool or Tottenham could resist the temptation of Crouch’s abilities
It is still incredible how someone so tall could score the countless number of bicycle kicks the England international managed to pull off. His hold-up play was great and when fully confidence, there was no stopping him.
In retirement, he's rightly lauded as a cult hero who few would have predicted to have the impact he did. He netted over 100 Premier League goals, managed a goal every other game for England and has truly earned that beloved status.
Still underrated? We reckon so.
96. Patrice Evra
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Manchester United (2005-14), West Ham United (2017-18)
APPS 278
GOALS 7
One of the best full-backs of his generation, Patrice Evra’s tenacity, attacking endeavour and defensive solidity earn him a valiant spot in our list. Evra arrived at Manchester United from Monaco back in 2006 and spent eight trophy-laden years with the Reds, cementing his spot at left-back.
The Frenchman won five Premier League titles and was an instrumental part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s remarkable final years at Old Trafford, with United continuing to chug away by winning trophy after trophy in the English top-flight. A small spell with West Ham United transpired in 2018, too.
95. Emmanuel Petit
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Arsenal (1997-2000), Chelsea (2001-04)
APPS 140
GOALS 11
Where Patrick Vieira was fire and might, Petit may be reflected on as the cooler antithesis.
In reality, the sultry Frenchman embodied Arsenal’s late-90s passion, and played with similar bite to his midfield partner. ‘Manny Small’ helped to deliver Wenger’s first Double, and later moved to Stamford Bridge via one unhappy season at Barcelona.
As Arsenal gunned towards the finish line in 1998, Petit’s terrific goal decided a tight April encounter against Derby which set up their imminent trophy lift at Highbury.
94. Mousa Dembele
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Fulham (2010-12), Tottenham Hotspur (2012-19)
APPS 243
GOALS 12
Ask anyone who played with him.
Mousa Dembele is often described as the best that any team-mate had the joy of playing with. Underappreciated and then some: he received half the credit of some of his counterparts.
Two sterling seasons with Fulham were enough for him to be considered one of Craven Cottage's best top-flight players ever before Dembele joined Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham. The Lilywhites' best-ever Premier League era was defined by the Belgian – carried, even, some might say - with their eventual decline coinciding with the silky midfielder leaving the limelight.
Dembele is often described as the best that any team-mate had the joy of playing with
It's impossible to describe that Spurs side without him: he was an all-action midfielder at a time where specialists were taking over – but more than that, he just was wonderful to watch. And sometimes, that's all that's needed to get on these kinds of lists, right?
A valued member of golden generations, the streets will always remember Dembele – and few will ever give him the credit he truly deserves.
93. Gareth Barry
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Aston Villa (1997-2009), Manchester City (2009-14), Everton (2013-17), West Bromwich Albion (2017-18)
APPS 653
GOALS 53
Still the record appearance-maker in the Premier League, Gareth Barry’s 653 outings for various different clubs make him a true legend of the game, in every sense of the word. Known for his versatility and consistency, Barry was a key figure in midfield, accumulating 53 assists and 32 goals throughout his career.
A dependable and hard-working character, Barry won two Premier League titles during his time with Manchester City and was often overshadowed by the more flamboyant English midfielders of his time. He ended his career with West Bromwich Albion in 2020 but still plays amateur football in Sussex at the tender age of 44.
92. Kevin Phillips
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Sunderland (1999-2003), Southampton (2003-05), Aston Villa (2005-06), West Bromwich Albion (2006-08), Birmingham City (2009-11), Blackpool (2011-13), Crystal Palace (2013-14)
APPS 263
GOALS 92
As a youngster with Southampton, Phillips would clean Alan Shearer’s boots. By 2000, the strike pair were on either side of the Sunderland-Newcastle divide and Phillips was pipping his senior to the Premier League Golden Boot.
In fact, Phillips outscored anyone in Europe in his first top-flight season, as the Black Cats finished seventh. He is the only Englishman to win the European Golden Shoe.
Southampton pounced to bring him back to the south coast for £3.25m, where he forged a fine partnership with James Beattie. When Beattie moved to Everton, Phillips struggled without a pacy forward and was again relegated in 2004/05.
The eight-cap England man had spells with Aston Villa and Birmingham, and by late 2013 was still coming off the bench for Crystal Palace at 40, before finally heading back to the Championship.
91. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Leeds United (1997-99), Chelsea (2000-04), Middlesbrough (2004-06), Charlton Athletic (2006-07)
APPS 288
GOALS 127
After netting 24 goals for Boavista in 1996/97, Dutch ball-batterer Hasselbaink picked Leeds ahead of Werder Bremen.
It turned him into a cult hero in England. Jimmy plundered 34 goals over two Premier League seasons – and after leaving for a prolific year at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea paid £15m for him in 2000, and were rewarded by back-to-back scoring seasons of 23.
He's still regarded as one of the finest-ever Blues pre-Roman Abramovich. Stints at Middlesbrough and Charlton cement him firmly in Barclaysman territory, too.
90. Juninho
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Middlesbrough (1995-97, 1999-2000, 2002-04)
APPS 125
GOALS 27
Juninho loved Boro so much he signed for them three times.
The first time, was initially as a fancy new arrival from Brazil in one of football's most shocking-ever transfers in October 1995 – then again in 1999 and 2002, in one of English football's most enduring (and unlikely) love stories.
His star may have diminished with each return, but the schemer’s twinkle-toed displays at the tip of Bryan Robson’s midfield in his first spell secure his standing as one of British football’s most-loved imports.
The Brazilian helped to popularise the no.10 in the Premier League, with the mercurial little genius inspiring a wave of moving from a bog-standard 4-4-2 to the 4-4-1-1 formation to accommodate his brilliance.
Though the Italian owes a little to Juninho in the way he settled into the Premier League, Gianfranco Zola beat him to the FWA Player of the Year award in 1996/97. In a Boro career of near misses, it was an indication of Juninho’s class.
89. Ricardo Carvalho
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Chelsea (2004-10)
APPS 135
GOALS 7
“Carvalho was horrible to play against,” Bobby Zamora told FFT in 2020. “He’d always know where the referee was, and he’d be getting in these little fouls when nobody was looking.”
The Portuguese defender followed manager Jose Mourinho in swapping Porto for Chelsea in 2004, forming a watertight partnership with John Terry on the way to three league titles. With Carvalho in tow, Chelsea conceded just 15 goals as they sealed their maiden Premier League triumph in 2004/05.
It's forgotten sometimes that RC was as much as the enforcer as JT. An underrated defender, for sure.
88. Raheem Sterling
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Liverpool (2012-15), Manchester City (2015-22), Chelsea (2022-2024), Arsenal (2024—)
APPS 391
GOALS 123
It’s a bit unfair, really, that if a player suddenly gets really good late on in an otherwise unremarkable career they get plaudits for it – but if they hit their peak in their younger days before declining, they are criticised.
Sterling’s best days look to be behind him now, but let’s not forget just how revelatory and important he was in that scintillating Liverpool side that went so close to winning the title in 2013/14 as a teenager.
Nor should we ignore that while Sterling’s subsequent move to Manchester City was controversial, he was for a long time one of their most trusted and dependable players, registering more than a goal every other game at his peak from 2017-2020.
We suspect history will be kinder to Sterling than the current view of him. This was a guy who reinvented himself, became key to Pep Guardiola and became the first player to appear for four separate Premier League sides in Europe.
One of the finest English talents of a generation: he definitely lived up to the hype he showed as a wonderkid.
87. Emile Heskey
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Leicester City (1994-2000), Liverpool (2000-04), Birmingham City (2004-06), Wigan Athletic (2006-09), Aston Villa (2009-12)
APPS 516
GOALS 110
With 110 goals, Heskey's a member of the 100-club in the Prem – but the Leicester man was always valued for more than his bare numbers.
His total may have been helped by longevity over innate scoring talent – few players have exceeded Heskey’s 516 top-flight appearances – but that's a skill in itself. He earned every single strike through his tireless work ethic and selfless style.
And though he was mocked by some – infamously, one chant claimed that “even Heskey scored, a line that the forward reclaimed when he named his autobiography – he had fans in high places. Not just the slew of managers who picked him, from Gerard Houllier to Sven-Goran Eriksson.
There's a reason every poacher who played with him adored him; there's a reason that Liverpool opted for Fowler or Owen and not both at once. Even Brazilians pined for him.
Heskey earned every single strike through his tireless work ethic and selfless style.
“Heskey may be heavily criticised by some English fans, but I don’t see it like that,” noted former FIFA World Player of the Year Rivaldo in 2002. “I played against him a couple of times for Barcelona and realised what a quality player he is.
“If you ask me which Englishman I think would be able to cope with playing in my team, Brazil, I say Heskey.”
86. Tim Cahill
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Everton (2004-12)
APPS 226
GOALS 56
A beloved figure on Merseyside, Tim Cahill’s contribution at Everton will always be remembered as one that included a diligent work ethic, energy, and a knack for scoring crucial goals.
Having arrived from Millwall for a minimal fee in 2004, Cahill was a midfield enigma and crucial part of the Toffees side that consistently yielded top-half finishes in the Premier League and even helped them reach the 2009 FA Cup final. His seven-year spell at Goodison Park is one that is often referred to as heroic and the Australian may just have the crown as Everton’s best-ever Premier League player of the modern era.
85. Jamie Carragher
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Liverpool (1996-2013)
APPS 508
GOALS 3
You may have no idea how good a footballer Jamie Carragher actually was. Blame it on that video of Thierry Henry outrunning him. Blame it on Virgil van Dijk failing to pick him for the current Liverpool squad.
But typically for a “student of the game”, the Sky Sports pundit defended with intelligence over any kind of power or pace.
The one-club man took a good few years to break away from the utility player tag after coming through Liverpool’s academy as a central midfielder, then spending entire seasons playing at left-back and then right-back. But Carragher truly hit his stride after Rafael Benitez moved him to centre-back upon his arrival in 2004, when the defender was 26 years old.
Typically for a ‘student of the game’, Carragher defended with intelligence
He stayed there for the rest of his career, forming a formidable partnership with Sami Hyypia and helping Pepe Reina win the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for most clean sheets for three years running.
The Premier League title eluded Carragher, but he won everything else going in his 16-year senior playing career at Liverpool – including the club’s player of the year award in the memorable 2004/05 season that featured that huge Champions League triumph.
84. Roberto Firmino
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Liverpool (2015-23)
APPS 256
GOALS 82
Initially regarded with slight scepticism by some fans after arriving at Liverpool in 2015, Bobby Firmino was beloved by the time he brought his time at the club to an end in 2023.
Although he was signed in Brendan Rodgers’ final summer at Anfield, Firmino proved to be the perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp’s style of play: a tirelessly hard-working and intelligent false nine who would go out of his way to link the play with the midfield and platform his teammates on the flanks.
He was proof of the changing tides of English football. Yes, this is a country that has a long and storied history of producing quality no.9s – but the love that Firmino evoked was proof that someone defter, more delicate, could inspire a sea change.
The Brazilian was still able to chip in with a respectable goal tally, however, netting over 100 for the Reds and reaching double figures in all competitions in all but one of his eight seasons at the club – including an impressive 27 in 54 appearances to help Liverpool push Manchester City and reach the Champions League final in 2017/18.
A high presser with the flair of a samba dancer. It was a match made in heaven on Merseyside.
83. Robbie Keane
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Coventry City (1999-2000, Leeds United (2000-02), Tottenham Hotspur (2002-08), (2009-11), Liverpool (2008-09), West Ham United (2010-11), Aston Villa (2011-12)
APPS 349
GOALS 126
You can’t tell the story of the Premier League without including Robbie Keane’s iconic cartwheel celebration, something he broke out after the majority of his 126 Premier League strikes.
Coventry City shelled out £6 million for Keane’s services in 1999, setting a British record for the most expensive teenager, with Inter Milan coming calling a year later, putting him alongside the Brazilian Ronaldo. A stint at Leeds followed before he finally got setteld at Tottenham, where he spent nine seasons, netting over a century and sandwiching a one-year spell at Liverpool in 2008/09.
An infectious character, Keane’s intelligence, work ethic and goal return made him a favourite for club and country.
82. Freddie Ljungberg
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Arsenal (1998-2007), West Ham United (2007-08)
APPS 241
GOALS 48
There can’t be many players who have made a better first impression than Ljungberg did at Arsenal: the new arrival from Halmstad scored just moments after coming on as a substitute against Manchester United in 1998.
That set the tone for Ljungberg’s spell as a Gunner, where he earned a well-deserved reputation as a big-game player. The Swede scored in back-to-back FA Cup finals and came up with more big goals against the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool as he helped them to two league titles – including as an Invincible – and three FA Cups.
It says it all that when a star-studded Arsenal won the double in 2001/02 and Thierry Henry bagged 24 goals, it was in fact Ljungberg who scooped the Premier League’s player of the season award.
But Ljungberg's influence went beyond the pitch. He summed up the guile and the winning mentality of that early Arsenal side but also the fun – and that's without mentioning a generation of kids who copied the iconic shock-pink mohican.
Including a certain Harry Kane, who dyed his hair as a 10-year-old in tribute to his hero, while celebrating the Gunners' 2004 title…
81. Gary Speed
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Leeds United (1992-96), Everton (1996-98), Newcastle United (1998-2004), Bolton Wanderers (2004-08)
APPS 535
GOALS 80
Gary Speed began the Premier League era as a title winner with Leeds United and his standards rarely dropped over the next 15 seasons, as he turned out more than 500 times for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers in the top flight.
Comfortable across the midfield and one of the best headers of the ball in the game, Speed was one of the most reliable performers of his or any other era, while off the pitch his professionalism and inspirational presence saw him set the standards for everyone he played with.
His tragic death in 2011 came just as he had transformed the Wales team and put in place the foundations for their future successes.
80. Jurgen Klinsmann
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Tottenham Hotspur (1994-95, 1997-98)
APPS 41
GOALS 20
In an Ossie Ardiles team built to score, Klinsmann thrived.
“It wasn’t ridiculous at all playing with five attacking players,” he insisted to FFT. “I had a lot of fun, and I still think that had we been more consistent defensively, and not made so many individual mistakes at the back, we could have played that system.”
Naturally, he opened with a goal on his Premier League debut: a trademark thumping header at Hillsborough, followed by his now-legendary diving celebration.
79. Jaap Stam
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Manchester United (1998-2001)
APPS 79
GOALS 1
Jaap Stam enjoyed a distinguished career at Manchester United and was considered one of the true centre-back greats of his era. A noble reputation for winning one-on-one duels and with a hard-as-nails persona, Stam won three Premier League titles and was pivotal to Sir Alex Ferguson’s success in the early 1990s/late 2000s at Old Trafford.
After a fallout with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, he moved to Lazio in 2001 but would still hold a strong reputation as one of the Premier League’s defensive icons and one that perhaps deserves a little more respect.
78. David Ginola
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Newcastle United (1995-97), Tottenham Hotspur (1997-2000), Aston Villa (2000-02), Everton (2002)
APPS 195
GOALS 22
One of the first wave of overseas luxury players who lit up the 90s with continental class, David Ginola is beloved by multiple fan bases.
A wonderful dribbler with a flair for outrageous individual goals, Ginola fit right in as part of Kevin Keegan’s hugely entertaining side of nearly-men in 1995/96 before losing his place under Kenny Dalglish and moving to Tottenham.
After Manchester United’s treble-winning season in 1998/99, it surely had to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s men who swept home the individual honours... right?
Nope. Ever-so-handsome and mercurial winger Ginola beat the entire United squad to both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards after a superlative season for Spurs.
None other than Johan Cruyff declared Ginola to be the best player in the world. He was worth it, all right.
It didn’t last, and he was sold to Aston Villa just a year later, ending his career with a little-remembered spell at Everton in 2002 – but those who saw Ginola at his best will tell you just how incredible he could be.
77. Jay-Jay Okocha
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Bolton Wanderers (2002-06)
APPS 124
GOALS 14
Even the most stubborn and hard-working of sides need a bit of flair to succeed.
Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers side of the early 2000s most certainly fulfilled their end of those criteria, but ‘a bit of flair’ does not do Okocha justice. He had loads of flair.
The Nigerian international quickly became every neutral’s favourite Premier League player. Unbelievably skilful with the ball at his feet, Okocha often looked to be making the game up all over again as he went along – and loving doing it. If you love football, you loved Okocha. He was joga bonito before Nike packaged it up and sold it to millions.
If you love football, you loved Okocha.
Bolton benefited from Okocha’s presence mightily, finishing in the top eight four years in a row from 2004-2007. And when you think of that Trotters, line-up, of course, you picture the smiling assassin himself, rainbow-flicking his way through English football.
Retrospective comparisons to Ronaldinho are no accident, by the way; Okocha made a big impression on the Brazilian during their time together at Paris Saint-Germain just before Okocha moved to Bolton.
76. Les Ferdinand
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Queens Park Rangers (1992-95), Newcastle United (1995-97), Tottenham Hotspur (1997-2003, West Ham United (2003, Leicester City (2003-04), Bolton Wanderers (2004-05)
APPS 351
GOALS 149
Part of perhaps the last golden age of English centre-forwards, Ferdinand made his name at Queens Park Rangers before earning a big-money move to Newcastle United as Andy Cole’s replacement in 1995. His impact was immediate.
Ferdinand racked up 25 goals in his first season at the club as they went so close to claiming the Premier League trophy, earning the nickname ‘Sir Les’ for his exploits. After 16 goals in his second campaign, he was a household name.
Newcastle fans were left to rue that Ferdinand only got one season playing alongside blockbuster signing Alan Shearer when he was sold to Tottenham.
Injuries contributed to Ferdinand’s goalscoring rate slowing down at White Hart Lane, but he enjoyed an excellent individual late-career year at relegated Leicester City in between more forgettable spells with West Ham and Bolton.
Les is a part of the tapestry of the league, too, having scored the 10,000th Premier League goal in 2001 for Tottenham against Fulham.
75. Claude Makelele
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Chelsea (2003-08)
APPS 144
GOALS 2
Real Madrid’s incredible short-sightedness in letting Makelele – ranked at no.30 in FourFourTwo's list of their greatest-ever players – leave in 2003 was not just a retrospective criticism.
He had an entire role named after him. But Makelele had been hailed as the unsung hero of the side so many times, he was decidedly sung.
As Zinedine Zidane put it: “Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?”
Makelele was a roaming Roomba of a man, cleaning up with little to no fuss.
But Real’s stupidity was Chelsea’s gain. Newly acquired by Roman Abramovich, the club were in the early days of transitioning from a sexy little cup team into a Premier League powerhouse at the time. Makelele was a key part of that: a roaming Roomba of a man, cleaning up with little to no fuss.
A metronomic destroyer first for Claudio Ranieri and then for Jose Mourinho, Makelele’s place in the tightest defence the Premier League has ever seen in 2004/05 – one of two back-to-back titles he won at the club – should not be overlooked.
74. David De Gea
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Manchester United (2011-22)
APPS 415
CLEAN SHEETS 140
Another who was perhaps unfairly looked upon towards the end of his Premier League career, David De Gea is still widely considered one of the best goalkeepers to have ever played for Manchester United.
That De Gea won just one top-flight crown with the Red Devils during a tumultuous career in the northwest was hardly his fault. The Spaniard had shot-stopping abilities like no other, often pulling off outrageous saves he had no sheer right to get to.
Take his Premier League display for Manchester United against Arsenal in 2017, for example, ranked at no.47 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest individual performances of all time. It just might be the best 90 minutes a goalkeeper has ever completed in the division.
He waned towards the end. But don't we all? His treatment from Erik ten Hag and the club he gave so much to, too, still leaves a bitter taste in most Manchester United fans mouths.
Especially given he won the Golden Glove award before being allowed to leave for free just a few months later. De Gea is one United star who may well earn respect in hindsight.
73. Joe Hart
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Manchester City (2006-18), Birmingham City (2009-10), West Ham United (2017-18), Burnley (2018-20, Tottenham Hotspur (2020-21)
APPS 340
CLEAN SHEETS 127
Two-time Premier League winner Joe Hart would leave you breathless at times, with his cat-like reflexes in goal easily earning the former Manchester City man the title of best English goalkeeper of his era.
Hart burst onto the scene in 2010/11 and by the end of his time at the Etihad Stadium, he had claimed a whopping four Premier League Golden Glove awards. Later frozen out by Pep Guardiola and his sweeper-keeper obsession, Hart’s ability to be quick off his line and seize upon danger was a key asset to his game and most will remember his remarkable save against Manchester United to deny Wayne Rooney back in 2008.
All in all, he should be remembered far more fondly.
72. Sadio Mane
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Southampton (2014-16), Liverpool (2016-22)
APPS 263
GOALS 111
After arriving from Red Bull Salzburg back in 2014, Sadio Mane was an unknown entity with Southampton shelling out a fee of only £11.8 million for him. What transpired was a super spell with the Saints before his breathtaking pace and keen eye for goal meant Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp came calling.
Mane would go on to establish himself as one of the Premier League’s most underrated forwards, banging in all sorts of goals for the Reds, none more importantly than the 18 he scored as Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for a top-flight crown back in 2019/20.
A true modern-day great and one of the best African footballers ever.
71. Luka Modric
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Tottenham Hotspur (2008-12)
APPS 127
GOALS 13
Tottenham pulled off a coup snapping up Modric before his starring role for Croatia at Euro 2008 – and the then-club record £16.5m fee they paid Dinamo Zagreb was was worth the expense.
After some initial struggles with a knee injury, doubts about his ability to deal with the Premier League’s physicality, and being played out of position, Modric hit his stride. Plenty of playmakers get by without being asked to do the less glamorous side of the game, but Modric combined it all into one faultlessly hard-working and talented package.
His move to a club like Real Madrid was inevitable, and they, too, got a massive bargain despite almost doubling the fee Spurs had paid for him. The rest is history – and his longevity is incredible, having played in four World Cups for Croatia and won six Champions League titles.
Had he stayed in the Premier League longer than four years, he would be in with an extremely serious shout of being considered its greatest-ever midfielder. As it is, he's just one of modern Spurs' greatest.
Not bad for a lad whose own team-mates doubted him at the start.
70. Bernardo Silva
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Manchester City (2017—)
APPS 257
GOALS 41
Throughout Pep Guardiola's reinventions of Manchester City, one man has remained the general.
It’s hard to talk about Bernardo the way one would a David Ginola or a Ryan Giggs. That’s because the more systematised vision of football Guardiola has implemented at the Etihad to such great effect over his years at City calls for fewer specialists and more all-rounders, even in positions that were previously so reliant on individual brilliance as the wings.
And there Bernardo Silva has been through it all, practically immovable from the side throughout. The Portuguese is practically the model Manchester City winger, if not the blueprint for young wingers coming through at academies around the world: less about mercurial moments, and more about being able to do a bit of everything incredibly capably for the good of the team.
Bernardo is the model Manchester City winger, able to do a bit of everything incredibly capably for the good of the team.
But nobody could say that Bernardo was lacking in those moments of magic: his goals and assists records are neck and neck, with many of those goals having a touch of the spectacular.
He dragged City to a title without De Bruyne. He played up front in Aguero's absence. He replaced David Silva's metronomic presence, played right-wing in the Treble season – even featured at left-back, once, in a title clash against Arsenal. It's easier to pick out things Bernardo Silva can't do.
69. Jermain Defoe
POSITION Forward
CLUBS West Ham United (1999-2004, Tottenham Hotspur (2004-08), Portsmouth (2008-09), Tottenham Hotspur (2009-14), Sunderland (2015-17), Bournemouth (2017-20
APPS 496
GOALS 162
As clinical as they come in front of goal, Jermain Defoe epitomised what it meant to be a natural finisher and is still ranked 10th in the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorers.
Defoe also holds the record for the most goals scored as a substitute, with 24, with his clinical eye for goal marking a valiant place on our list – and beyond the pitch, Jermain’s touching relationship with Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery will live long in the memory, with the England international summing up what it meant to be a gent both on and off the pitch for clubs such as Spurs, Portsmouth and West Ham United.
68. Ederson
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Manchester City (2017—)
APPS 267
CLEAN SHEETS 115
Eyebrows were raised when Pep Guardiola first dropped Joe Hart.
But while Claudio Bravo was clearly not the answer, his successor was. Ederson has been one constant who's never looked close to replacement in all six of Pep's title wins.
The epitome of a 21st-century goalkeeper who can do it all, it is almost unthinkable that anybody else could have been the no.1 through their phenomenal successes over the past few years. And not just for his phenomenal ability with his feet (Ederson once boasted to FFT that he could have played in midfield, had he have wanted).
The Brazilian’s reliability between the sticks, willingness to sweep up as required, and incredible passing ability have made him the perfect fit for City from day one.
It will surprise nobody that he holds the all-time Premier League record for most assists by a goalkeeper. But while he's often lauded for what he does with the ball at his feet, the custodian is underrated at times for his ability to keep clean sheets.
Ederson has won virtually everything there is to win since arriving at Manchester City in 2017, and you don't do that without some degree of shot-stopping brilliant. His safe hands have helped to earn him the Golden Glove for most clean sheets three times – the joint most of anybody since the award was introduced in 2005.
67. Matt Le Tissier
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Southampton (1992-2002)
APPS 270
GOALS 100
The first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League, Le Tissier was blessed with incredible technical ability, a foot like a traction engine, and an eye for finding the net from even the most improbable distances.
And Le Tissier has been quite up front about the fact that he could have gone on to bigger things if had been a bit more ambitious and a bit less fond of living something of a throwback lifestyle.
That was all Southampton’s gain, of course. Through much of his 16-year career with the club, Le Tissier was the Saints’ undisputed star.
His ability back in the days when he did all his talking on the pitch nonetheless won Le Tissier the affections of fans around the country, not just in Southampton, particularly as a regular in goal of the month and goal of the season polls.
Seriously… did he ever score a bad goal!?
66. Carlos Tevez
POSITION Forward
CLUBS West Ham United (2006-07), Manchester United (2007-09), Manchester City (2009-13)
APPS 202
GOALS 84
Controversy was rarely very far from Tevez, whether it was his substantial role keeping West Ham in the Premier League at Sheffield United’s expense after a transfer that broke league rules, or allowing Manchester City to give cross-city rivals United a hefty poke in the eye by making the move to the Etihad.
But it’s no coincidence that wherever he went, he was able to help his various clubs succeed in their respective objectives.
Tevez’s excellent work rate and decision saw him scoop two league titles and a Champions League with United as part of one of the English football’s all-time most sensational strike forces, while his goalscoring took centre stage after his move to City, who he left having scored close to one every other game.
65. Brad Friedel
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Liverpool (1997-2000), Blackburn Rovers (2000-08), Aston Villa (2008-11), Tottenham Hotspur (2011-15)
APPS 450
CLEAN SHEETS 132
The American stopper holds the record for the most consecutive Premier League appearances. Between August 2004 and October 2012, Friedel played 310 straight matches – comprising eight years, six managers and three clubs.
And Friedel even bagged a 90th-minute equaliser for Blackburn against Charlton Athletic in February 2004... only for the Addicks to net an even later winner to take the spoils 3-2.
A fine leader, communicator and goalkeeper.
64. Dimitar Berbatov
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Tottenham Hotspur (2006-08), Manchester United (2008-12, Fulham (2012-14)
APPS 229
GOALS 94
Tottenham were no strangers to being disappointed by centre-forward signings when they prised Berbatov away from Bayer Leverkusen in 2006 – but with the Bulgarian, they got exactly the player they had seen in the shop window.
The most sanguine of strikers, Berbatov had the uncanny knack of making everything he did look so natural and easy. Where other players would buzz and busy themselves around him, Berbatov would be a deceptively laid-back lioness of a player who knew just exactly when to pounce.
An excellent two years at White Hart Lane led to a big-money move to reigning European champions Manchester United.
Initially signed to accompany Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, Berbatov took on a more prominent role after the latter pair both left in 2009, winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2010/11 to put alongside his two league titles before ending his spell in England at Fulham.
He's regarded today as one of the greatest players ever to have never to win the Champions League, too.
63. Robin van Persie
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Arsenal (2004-12, Manchester United (2012-15)
APPS 280
GOALS 144
No one could connect a ball as sweetly first time as him.
Van Persie vexed the Gunners by swapping north London for Manchester after eight years and 132 goals at Arsenal but, desperate to bag a Premier League medal after a sensational 30-goal season in 2011/12, he was proved right.
Another 26 strikes helped Manchester United to their 13th Premier League crown under Alex Ferguson, in the Scot’s final year. His perfect volley from a raking Wayne Rooney pass – part of a hat-trick against Aston Villa in April 2013 – sealed no.20 for United. The same number as on the back of RVP's shirt.
62. Nicolas Anelka
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Arsenal (1997-99), Liverpool (2001-02), Manchester City (2002-05), Bolton Wanderers (2006-08), Chelsea (2008-12, West Bromwich Albion (2013-14)
APPS 364
GOALS 125
Anelka was 17 years old when he became one of Arsene Wenger’s defining first signings at Highbury. He won a double in 1997/98 and the PFA Young Player of the Year award a season later, having top-scored for Arsenal with 17 goals.
Ian Wright even knew that this was the man who would replace him. Anelka was to get his Galactico move to Real Madrid: Wenger, heartbroken, moved for Thierry Henry – but Anelka was to return to England several times.
Le Sulk notched impressive tallies at Houllier’s Liverpool and Keegan’s City before he snatched the Golden Boot ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, and won a second Premier League and FA Cup Double in 2010 – 12 years after his first. A journeyman who never hit the heights expected of him? For sure – but a all-time great in the division, nonetheless.
61. Paolo Di Canio
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Sheffield Wednesday (1997-99), West Ham United (1999-2003, Charlton Athletic (2003-04)
APPS 190
GOALS 66
Egil Olsen’s notoriously direct Wimbledon were rarely associated with things of beauty... that is, until Trevor Sinclair launched a 50-yard diagonal pass against them.
Rather than controlling, Di Canio met it on the volley with a scissor-kick that flew past Neil Sullivan. In its technique, audacity and execution, it’s among the top Premier League efforts of all time.
His 2002 volley at Chelsea was almost as good. Di Canio offered excitement and identity. Combustible, controversial and charismatic, he overshadowed the exciting generation of homegrown talents who went on to scale greater heights – although none performed with such eccentricity.
He was the master of the feint, often beating the defender or goalkeeper an extra time before shooting. Even Di Canio’s penalties – one famously wrestled off a furious Frank Lampard – could be Panenkas.
The icon was a mass of contradictions but in between, Di Canio was simply one of the best footballers in the division.
60. Xabi Alonso
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Liverpool (2004-09)
APPS 143
GOALS 14
Now one of the best managers in the world, Xabi Alonso had vision, all right. In fact, he twice scored from inside his own half: the second, in September 2006 against Newcastle, put Steve Harper on his backside.
When Liverpool went toe-to-toe with Manchester United for the 2008/09 title, they did it with their greatest midfield of the Premier League era. Captain Steven Gerrard rampaged, Javier Mascherano hared and, next to them, Alonso glided.
The Spaniard was an instant hit from Real Sociedad in 2004, stunning team-mates with his pristine passing. Gerrard later called him “my most enjoyable partner”.
59. Riyad Mahrez
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Leicester City (2014-18), Manchester City (2018-23)
APPS 284
GOALS 82
Silky, dazzling and possessing one of the finest first touches ever seen, Riyad Mahrez’s capabilities were often out of this world.
He first showcases his abilities in Leicester City's remarkable 2015/16 title win, as the one, true flair player in a compact, hard-to-beat machine. While some ruminated over whether that term would become one of the great one-season wonders in Premier League history, however, Mahrez just kept ploughing away.
Mahrez became the most expensive African player of all time for a time when he joined Manchester City after that, and would bring further silverware as the eye-catching Algerian won another four top-flight titles. His neat ball control and ability to leave defenders in his wake mean his qualities yielded him the title of PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2015/16.
Wingers under Pep Guardiola have fitted into neat categories. There were strikers out wide in his tenure (Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o), creative inverted wingers (Pedro, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben) and then his experiments with touchline wingers on their natural side (Douglas Costa, Leroy Sane and Phil Foden) at Bayern and City. Over time, City would evolve to use attacking midfielders with a focus on ball retention (Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva), before he signed one-vs-one specialists in Jeremy Doku and Savinho.
That makes Mahrez a special case as a winger who survived just about every evolution and someone that the Catalan never felt the need to crowbar into a box. One-season-wonder? He was anything but.
58. Teddy Sheringham
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Nottingham Forest (1992), Tottenham Hotspur (1992-97), Manchester United (1997-2001), Tottenham Hotspur (2001-03), Portsmouth (2003-04), West Ham United (2004-07)
APPS 418
GOALS 146
A centre-forward ahead of his time, perhaps, Sheringham was just as good at providing for teammates as he was at scoring goals – especially as he became less prolific and more selfless in his later years.
A Millwall stalwart in the 1980s before a successful but short move to Nottingham Forest, Sheringham was just entering his peak when the Premier League began in 1992, prompting Tottenham to snap him up.
Incredibly, Sheringham was still doing the business over a decade later, playing a massive role in arguably Manchester United’s greatest-ever side before returning to Spurs, where his goal tally remained in double figures.
Yet still he wasn’t done: Sheringham earned the adoration of Portsmouth fans for his partnership with Yakubu in their first-ever Premier League season, then at age 38 scored 20 to help West Ham earn promotion back to the top flight, where he played for another two years.
57. James Milner
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Leeds United (2002-04), Newcastle United (2004-08), Aston Villa (2008-10), Manchester City (2010-15), Liverpool (2015-2023), Brighton & Hove Albion (2023—)
APPS 637
GOALS 55
It’s remarkable to think that anyone under the age of 30 will barely remember a Premier League without James Milner.
After making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2002, the former Leeds United academy graduate has appeared in 23 different Premier League seasons, the most of any player. During this time he’s claimed three winners’ medals, turned out more than 600 times and played for most of the north’s biggest clubs before his move to Brighton two years ago.
It's incredible: he was the second-youngest player to ever play in the Premier League – and he's the first player to have played in 23 seasons. He was handed a league debut by Terry Venables… back when current manager Fabian Hurzeler was still in primary school.
And yet no one can be sure of his best position.
As well as longevity, Milner also has an unmatched versatility in the modern era, seamlessly flitting between roles at full-back, central midfield or on the wings. The Yorkshireman turns 40 next January – and as long as he doesn’t decide to hang up his boots this summer, he should be the Premier League’s record appearance holder by then.
56. Dwight Yorke
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Aston Villa (1992-98), Manchester United (1998-2002, Blackburn Rovers (2002-04), Birmingham City (2004-05), Sunderland (2006-09)
APPS 375
GOALS 123
Dwight Yorke enjoyed a prolific Premier League career, best known for his time at Aston Villa and Manchester United. Starting at Villa in 1992, he made a significant impact, scoring 60 goals in 147 appearances. In 1998, he moved to United, where he formed a dynamic strike partnership with Andy Cole.
Yorke helped United win three Premier League titles, with his creativity, flair and remarkable link-up play a sheer joy to watch. Further spells followed with Blackburn and Sunderland but the talented talisman is still considered as one of the most talented strikers during his era. His 123 goals in the Premier League, was a record for a non-European player until 2017, with Sergio Aguero sending his record tumbling down.
55. Michael Carrick
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS West Ham United (1999-2004), Tottenham Hotspur (2004-06), Manchester United (2006-18)
APPS 481
GOALS 24
Perennially underrated by some fans, Carrick was the kind of player whose influence you only truly felt when he was not there – but whose contribution to the side made him hugely popular with managers, teammates and opponents.
The classy playmaker kept West Ham, Tottenham and finally Manchester United ticking over from deep positions, allowing Sir Alex Ferguson able to transition from the non-stop attacking style that had ceased to be ineffective in the early 2000s and into something more possession-based.
Unsurprisingly, Carrick’s admirers included Xabi Alonso and Xavi, whose similar in-game intelligence and passing ability earned them no end of plaudits. You can’t help but wonder whether Carrick might have been more universally appreciated had he been Miquel Carique instead – or if he had been born ten years later.
54. Sol Campbell
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Tottenham Hotspur (1992-2001), Arsenal (2001-06, 2010), Portsmouth (2006-2009), Newcastle United (2010-11)
APPS 503
GOALS 20
After breaking into the Tottenham Hotspur line-up as a teenager, Campbell took no time at all to establish himself as one of the most steady and reliable centre-backs of his generation… though Spurs fans may question the ‘reliable’ part after his controversial move to hated rivals Arsenal – which might just be the greatest signing of all time.
That may have hurt Tottenham, who Campbell helped to the League Cup in 1999, but proved to be the right move for Campbell, who was the rock at the heart of an Arsenal defence that won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and reached the Champions League final.
Injuries and a loss of form spelt the end of Campbell’s Arsenal career, but he was the perfect fit as a veteran and leader for Portsmouth’s halcyon days under Harry Redknapp, adding another FA Cup winner’s medal to his collection in 2008.
53. David Seaman
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Arsenal (1992-2003), Manchester City (2003-04)
APPS 344
CLEAN SHEETS 141
Joining a new club and taking in the camera flashes is a moment that makes most players feel immensely cool. Yet upon signing for Birmingham City, David Seaman was asked by manager Ron Saunders to get his kit on.
“I did a full training session in front of all of the media,” Seaman almost blushed to FourFourTwo. “But to be fair to Ron, straight after – obviously, I was very nervous – in a press conference, he went, ‘That lad will play for England,’ in front of all the press.
Saunders wasn't wrong. He was clearly just eager to showcase a man who would go on to become one of his nation's finest-ever keepers.
Safe Hands was a long-established regular in the top flight with the Blues, then QPR in the pre-Premier League era and finished up with a spell at Manchester City, but he will be remembered for his 13-year association with Arsenal throughout their successes in the 1990s and early 2000s.
At his peak, Seaman’s reflexes and ability were practically unrivalled.
The 1997 Le Tournoi winner may not have had the aura as invincibility held by the other goalkeepers who are ranked higher in this list – but few of them will have quite as lengthy a highlights reel of spectacular saves as Seaman enjoyed.
At his peak, Seaman’s reflexes and ability were practically unrivalled, while he was able to command great authority over a series of imposing Arsenal defences – in stark contrast to his famously cheerful and avuncular demeanour away from the pitch.
52. Ruud van Nistelrooy
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Manchester United (2001-06)
APPS 150
GOALS 95
A Manchester United and Premier League cult hero, they really don’t make them like Ruud van Nistelrooy anymore. The Dutchman was deceivingly quick with the ball at his feet and could find the net from all angles with remarkable precision. His continued spats with Arsenal will live long in the memory especially after his penalty helped end the Gunners long-standing unbeaten run in the Premier League in the early 2000s.
In total, Ruud banged in 95 goals at England’s top level and won just one Premier League title in 2002/03. He was one of the greatest finishers in history.
51. Gianfranco Zola
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Chelsea (1996-2003)
APPS 229
GOALS 59
“Gianfranco was iconic at Chelsea – he was part of the attraction,” ex-teammate Michael Duberry told FourFourTwo of Zola.
“It was the influence he had on other Chelsea players like Frank Lampard, too. The attention to detail, to practise and work hard – it rubbed off on anyone who joined the club.”
“People talk about Jose Mourinho putting that mindset into Chelsea, but Zola had already been doing it. He had such an impact there. He transformed the club.”
Legacies don’t come much better than that. Chelsea’s successful era began back on that autumn day in 1996, when Gianfranco Zola walked through the door at Stamford Bridge.
That Zola is still perhaps the most adored signing ever made by the club – through the billions and the brilliance that was to follow – is testament to a little genius with magic in his heels. He scored bangers, he scored important goals and he simply embodied everything that Chelsea longed to be, from the 90s and beyond: unpredictable and unswerving.
The greatest-ever Italian in the Premier League? He's certainly the most influential.
50. Ian Wright
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Arsenal (1992-98), West Ham United (1998-99)
APPS 213
GOALS 113
Wright was 29 when the Premier League was founded.
Arsenal came 10th in the first Premier League campaign but won both the FA Cup and League Cup, with their No.8 tallying 30 in all competitions; in fact, he bagged at least 15 league goals in the first six of his seven Highbury seasons, and at least 23 in half of those, thriving alongside Alan Smith or Kevin Campbell in attack for George Graham’s last few league campaigns.
Wright was a lesson that good things come to those who work hard, and remains a huge fan favourite more than two decades after exiting Arsenal. He was nearly 30 when the Premier League came calling – but wasted no time lighting it up.
The finishing touch? With Arsenal’s all-time scoring record on the line, Wright notched against Bolton in September 1997, then gleefully revealed his famous T-shirt bragging, “179. Just Done It.”
He had only equalled Cliff Bastin’s 60-year record, so netted two more before full-time to make sure.
49. Nemanja Vidic
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Manchester United (2006-14)
APPS 211
GOALS 15
Vidic endured a difficult first six months after moving from Spartak Moscow, but was captain by 2010.
It was a measure of the “uncompromising sod” – Fergie’s words. Not ours.
Rio Ferdinand’s 2002 arrival at Old Trafford was huge, but the picture was incomplete until £7m bargain Vidic rocked up. United uncovered another leader with no significant weaknesses in the terrace favourite.
For a generation, this man helped define the Premier League, the Wile E. Coyote to Fernando Torres' Roadrunner. He took no prisoners: Vidic is perhaps the last of the world-class, no-nonsense centre-backs before the advent of Stonses, Van Dijks and Salibas.
The Serbian is still the only defender to be named Premier League Player of the Season twice.
48. Gary Neville
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Manchester United (1992-2011)
APPS 400
GOALS 7
Zealous celebrations after a late Rio Ferdinand winner against Liverpool at Old Trafford in January 2006 secured legendary status among Red Devils (if he wasn't already).
And an FA fine. Boo.
Younger generations recognise the straight-talking pundit, but those who watched G-Nev play will recall his days as a boisterous right-back over almost 20 years at United. His intelligence, tough tackling and top-notch crossing made him an Old Trafford mainstay, even as his manager rebuilt several title-winning sides.
47. Fernando Torres
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Liverpool (2007-11), Chelsea (2011-14)
APPS 212
GOALS 85
Rafa Benitez had taken Liverpool two Champions League finals in his first three seasons at the club and turned their defence into the strongest in the land. They had Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso in midfield. But they lacked the genuinely brilliant centre-forward they needed to become title contenders.
Enter Fernando Torres in the summer of 2007. Likeable and hugely effective, Torres scored exciting goals by the bagful and became an instant smash hit.
In his first season, he became the first Liverpool player since Robbie Fowler a decade earlier to breach the 30 goal barrier in all competitions. In his second, he helped fire them to their first legitimate title challenge for over 20 years, despite starting to struggle with niggling injuries.
Likeable and hugely effective, Torres scored exciting goals by the bagful and became an instant smash hit.
We all know how it ended, of course: Torres became public enemy number one with Liverpool fans after taking a dramatic £50m move to heated rivals Chelsea, where he flopped. But even there, he was the hero, just for one night, with that goal against Barcelona.
El Nino fever was palpable in the Prem. Few have ever captured the imagination like he did at the start.
46. Michael Owen
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Liverpool (1996-2004), Newcastle United (2005-09), Manchester United (2009-12), Stoke City (2012-13)
APPS 326
GOALS 150
Forget his steep decline and those ill-fated and bizarre spells at Newcastle United, Manchester United and Stoke City.
It's hard to explain just what a grip a young Michael Owen had over mainstream culture – not just football. He was just 24 when he left Liverpool for Real Madrid, yet makes this list almost solely on the basis of what he did there. That’s how good he was in those years.
There wasn’t a huge amount of sophistication or selflessness to Owen’s game, but his unbelievable pace, positional awareness and unfailing finishing ability allowed him to get in on goalkeepers again and again before gleefully slotting past them as if they were a poor unfortunate 13-year-old.
Trying to diminish the 90s icon by calling him a one-trick pony would be doing down what a fabulously effective trick it was, especially when his side needed him most (and besides, he was better in the air than he often got credit for).
His 2001 Ballon d’Or win says it all.
45. Kyle Walker
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Tottenham Hotspur (2009-17), Manchester City (2017—)
APPS 410
GOALS 8
Ranked at No.5 in FourFourTwo's list of the best Premier League defenders of all time, Walker has been part of a revolution in the way we think about what full-backs are expected to do.
Signed from hometown club Sheffield United as a youngster, Walker played a big role in helping Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham finally make the leap into becoming Champions League regulars before making the move to Manchester City in 2017.
As unlikely as it might have seemed, Walker went on to be an even more important player at the Etihad Stadium.
The full-back’s recovery pace, attacking ability and tactical flexibility made Walker one of Pep Guardiola’s most trusted players throughout their time together at City, helping them to win six league titles including the 2023 Treble.
44. Robbie Fowler
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Liverpool (1993-01), (2006-07), Leeds United (2001-03), Manchester City (2003-06), Blackburn Rovers (2008)
APPS 379
GOALS 163
It’s hard to overstate just what a sensation Fowler was when he burst onto the scene as a teenager at Liverpool.
Just seven games into his career, the striker had 10 goals to his name. By the time he turned 23, he had 118 goals in 188 games in all competitions. Reds fans called him ‘God’ for good reason.
It felt there was nothing Fowler couldn’t do in front of goal, boasting two great feet and a tremendous variety of finishes. Unfortunately, serious injuries and the emergence of Michael Owen came together at more or less the same time to hamper Fowler’s Liverpool career, and he was never able to recapture the incredible promise he had once shown as he moved on to Leeds, Manchester City, and back to Anfield.
It felt there was nothing Fowler couldn’t do in front of goal, boasting two great feet and a tremendous variety of finishes.
It says a lot about how good Fowler was that he nonetheless sits just behind Thierry Henry in the Premier League all-time goalscorer charts. He was electric when he first arrived in this team.
In another universe, he led England into the 1998 World Cup. In this one, he was still pretty damn good.
43. Trent Alexander-Arnold
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Liverpool (2016—)
APPS 253
GOALS 17
Few players revolutionise a position in football – but that’s exactly what Trent Alexander-Arnold has done at full-back.
Once the preserve of your least technical player, Trent has reversed that notion with his wicked passing talent. One of the first footballers often dubbed a ‘quarterback’ – a position that doesn’t really exist in our round-ball version of the game – he gets that moniker thanks to his ability to dictate play from the backline with his immense range, vision and precision.
Some say he's the greatest full-back that the league has ever seen. One thing's for certain: he's the most unique. There's simply never been anyone like him.
For all the questions about defensive lapses, Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot both calculated that what he offers creatively more than compensates. His 13 assists as the Reds lifted the league title in 2019/20 suggests it’s a sensible gamble. His influence on that side, for the best part of a decade, goes far deeper than statistics can explain.
How do you replace a player in a position that doesn’t exist? Liverpool may well find out this summer. His Reds legacy may be in flux: his Premier League legacy is not.
42. Vincent Kompany
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Manchester City (2008-19)
APPS 265
GOALS 18
Manchester City got plenty of signings wrong when the money taps started flowing over a decade ago, but in Vincent Kompany lies one they certainly got right.
Kompany’s quiet two seasons at Hamburg before signing for City won’t have helped him stand out ahead of the likes of Robinho, Wayne Bridge and Shaun Wright-Phillips – all recruited in the same window – but only one of that quartet is immortalised in steel outside Etihad Stadium. Few were as crucial as Kompany on City’s journey from mid-table minnows to Premier League heavyweights.
A leader, an elite defender and a man for the big moments. His career at City was encapsulated perfectly by his game-winning screamer against Leicester City, stepping out of his comfort zone to singlehandedly leapfrog Liverpool in the penultimate game of the season.
Now shining in the dugout for Bayern Munich, who’s to say his story in east Manchester is complete?
41. Robert Pires
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Arsenal (2000-06), Aston Villa (2010-11)
APPS 198
GOALS 62
One-third of arguably the Premier League's greatest-ever left flank – along with Thierry Henry and Ashley Cole – Robert Pires didn't have the speed or the power associated with left-wingers of them. Henry and Cole supplied enough of that by the bucketload.
The deft Frenchman instead leant elegance to the Arsenal side. Arsene Wenger famously opined that he believed the goal with everything in life should be to do it so well that it becomes an art – and Pires embodied such expressiveness.
In an age in which only the strongest survived in English football, Arsenal's no.7 avoided being roughed up by slight of shoulder. His trademark move was dummy and sit a defender on their backside before shimmying in the opposite direction, and often, he'd made the pass before opponents had cottoned on to get a tackle in.
In 2001/02, he racked up 15 assists before a cruciate ligament injury ruled him out of the Gunners' sumptuous run-in, that included beating Chelsea in Cardiff to wrap up the FA Cup, and Manchester United at Old Trafford to win the league days later. When Pires got his hands on the trophy, his team-mates took to their knees to bow in his presence.
Fine praise, indeed, from some of the greatest the English game has ever seen.
40. Denis Irwin
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Manchester United (1992-2002), Wolverhampton Wanderers (2002-04)
APPS 328
GOALS 18
Captain for the final game of the 2001-02 season, Irwin was given the United send-off he deserved. Oh, and he helped keep a clean sheet.
That was the only important bit. Out of anyone Alex Ferguson had the privilege of mentoring, he named Denis Irwin his greatest signing for such remarkable consistency in doing the basics to a tee. They don’t make full-backs like him anymore: imperious and unflinchingly reliable, he barely laid a toe out of step in 12 years at the top.
Ferguson trusted the Irishman with his life - and rightly so.
39. Edwin van der Sar
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Fulham (2001-05), Manchester United (2005-11)
APPS 313
CLEAN SHEETS 132
Edwin van der Sar had to wait 13 years between Champions League titles. In between, he wrote his name as a Prem legend.
The Dutchman was a regular at Juventus before joining newly promoted Fulham in a shock 2001 move. Four seasons later, Manchester United came calling, Alex Ferguson ending a six-year wait for the reliable stopper he had been hunting since Peter Schmeichel’s exit.
The prototype for the sweeper keeper, Big Edwin is best remembered for his 'Van der Czar' heroics in Moscow to win Manchester United the 2008 Champions League – but a record 14 consecutive clean sheets between November and February led the Red Devils to Premier League title glory a season later. He was evergreen.
38. Cesc Fabregas
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Arsenal (2003-11), Chelsea (2014-19)
APPS 350
GOALS 50
The boy who changed everything for Arsene Wenger.
Arsenal were built on towering pillars at Highbury, 6ft-plus colossuses who would bully and batter – but after a 15-year-old from La Masia trained in the shadows of the Invincibles, Wenger pivoted to a more continental style of play.
When Patrick Vieira led the Gunners out for Champions League nights, the team lacked some of the spark that they were bursting with at the weekends. Fabregas, however, became the fulcrum of a more diminutive side who would slice through opponents – and in the Premier League, he had the drive, the guile and the grit to take Big Pat's mantle and snatch the armband at just 21.
He may well have become one of the greatest-ever to never win the Premier League title, but for a left-turn to Chelsea under Jose Mourinho. There, Fabregas was reborn as a wise sage from deep in midfield, conducting the orchestra. He even had gas in the tank to win a second title under Antonio Conte, and in his second spell in England, produced some of the most majestic midfield performances that Stamford Bridge had ever seen.
One of the greatest minds the league had ever seen.
37. Yaya Toure
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Manchester City (2010-18)
APPS 230
GOALS 62
The 6ft 2in powerhouse, who had resented playing at centre-back in Barcelona, was moved into his natural midfield domain – frequently, as the most advanced man.
Alongside Silva’s subtle artistry, Toure’s impressive passing range, tackling and box-to-box bursts helped to take Mancini’s talented team to another level. In his second campaign, the Ivorian was at the heart of City’s first-ever Premier League title – his sixth assist of the season teed up Pablo Zabaleta’s opener during the nail-biting 3-2 final-day win over QPR.
Two years later, he'd score 20 league goals for City's second title. In their third, he'd be reborn as a no.6 under frenemy, Pep Guardiola. You simply can't tell the story of the club without a long and lavish chapter dedicated to Toure, who inspired stadiums full of raised arms during his and his brother's iconic chant.
36. Tony Adams
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Arsenal (1992-2002)
APPS 255
GOALS 12
Three statues of players are dotted around the Emirates Stadium. Two of them are dedicated to footballers who changed the landscape of the English game, in Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.
Tony Adams was a master of a very different kind. An expert in defending and a once-in-a-generation leader, he was the heartbeat of an Arsenal side that won two titles pre-Premier League with one of the most watertight backlines English football had ever seen.
The England man battled with addiction in the 1990s but fittingly, it was Adams who sealed the 1998 title in Arsene Wenger's first full season, bursting from the back to cap off a magnificent move. His celebration, arms outstretched, was the pose chosen to be cast in bronze. He's Mr Arsenal.
35. Son Heung-min
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Tottenham Hotspur (2015—)
APPS 327
GOALS 126
Whether out wide or up front, left foot or right, whether Tottenham were fighting for a title or not, Son Heung-min has always been the very definition of maintaining a level.
The smiley South Korean may never get the plaudits he properly deserves, either. Never winning a title will do that – but Son is simply one of the greatest finishers that the league has ever seen. The speed and incision with which he's hurt just about every defender he's faced has made him one of the best attackers in European football for the best part of a decade, and he's truly underrated.
The best Asian player in the Premier League's illustrious history. It's not even close.
34. Alisson
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Liverpool (2018—)
APPS 147
CLEAN SHEETS 64
He'll forever be hailed as the missing piece that turned Liverpool from challengers to champions – but Alisson Becker is far more than that.
Liverpool only shelled out for the best. In Virgil van Dijk, they paid top dollar for a once-in-a-generation defender. In Alisson, they may well have signed the most complete goalkeeper that the league has ever seen.
He's elite with his feet but has dug the Reds out of more scraps than anyone could count with his ability in one-on-ones. Alisson is the prototypical modern ball-player with the shot-stopping grit of a classic custodian, not just helping Liverpool to titles but keeping them in the race for European football during tougher spells, with his monster performances (and that goal against West Bromwich Albion).
And it may well take until he leaves these shores for us to truly appreciate just how good he's been. He stands tall alongside any goalkeeper in the division's history.
Broadly speaking, the first generation of the Premier League was defined by Peter Schmeichel. The second came to be Petr Cech's, while Alisson has been the goalkeeper to beat, three decades into the league. That's where he ranks.
Giorgi Mamardashvili arrives in 2025 to fight for the spot between the Anfield sticks – but we've got a feeling there's life left in Ali yet. He simply cannot be beaten that easily.
33. Andy Cole
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Newcastle United (1993-95), Manchester United (1995-2001), Blackburn Rovers (2001-04), Fulham (2004-05), Manchester City (2005-06), Portsmouth (2006-07), Sunderland (2007-08)
APPS 414
GOALS 187
Cole’s shock £7m switch to Old Trafford in January 1995 had Newcastle fans seething with manager Kevin Keegan. The striker had scored for fun at St James’ Park, including a stellar 34-goal 1993/94.
Predictably, Cole hit 93 more league strikes for the Red Devils, bagging five titles over seven full campaigns. He would at one stage be only second to Alan Shearer's 260 Premier League goals – before Messrs Kane and Rooney surpassed him – yet Cole didn't take a single penalty.
While the history books are quick to remember the Treble at Old Trafford, Keegan on the steps of the Milburn Stand and a bromance with Dwight Yorke for the ages, it's often forgotten that post-Red Devils, Cole played for five more clubs. A figure of longevity, as much reliability – and one of the 90s' most fearsome forwards, for sure.
32. Jamie Vardy
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Leicester City (2014—)
APPS 332
GOALS 143
Jamie Vardy was the most expensive non-league player ever when he joined Leicester City from Fleetwood Town. Eyes were raised when it was reported that the fee could rise to £1.7m for the new Fox in the box.
Like so many of Leicester's golden team, he's been an absolute bargain. He simply is Leicester City: apologies, Mr Lineker.
From his caffeinated masterclass against Manchester United in 2014 in a 5-3 thriller to netting 11 games in a row en route to the most unlikely of Premier League titles; from winning the Golden Boot to taking Leicester into multiple European campaigns, Vardy has surely by now become the club's greatest-ever servant. He's perhaps the best late bloomer the nation has ever seen: and he plays with an energy like he's making up for lost time.
Vardy is perhaps the best late bloomer the nation has ever seen: and he plays with an energy like he's making up for lost time.
Arsenal tried to snare Vardy, aged 29, as a short-term option in 2016, but were rebuffed in their approach. That he'd have almost another decade at the top is staggering – and he'd never even played top-flight football until he was 27.
A nightmare to play against, with the career that everyone dreams of.
31. David Silva
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Manchester City (2010-20)
APPS 309
GOALS 60
Slight, short, foreign: would Silva be able to cope in English football?
So pondered the pundits when City coughed up £24m for the Valencia man in 2010. A masterful performance as City gubbed Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford early on in his City career convinced anyone still sceptical. “The best individual display I’ve ever seen,” Micah Richards later told FFT.
‘Merlin’ dropped jaws with his effortless displays for a side on the ascent, and proved the fulcrum of four league titles under three managers. They all adored him, but none more than Pep Guardiola, who converted Silva into a tempo-setting no.8, to dictate traffic for City's Centurions.
Without Silva, the modern history of the Sky Blues looks very different indeed.
30. Didier Drogba
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Chelsea (2004-12, 2014-15)
APPS 254
GOALS 104
Chelsea spent big on Didier Drogba in 2004. Little did they know they were essentially buying a master key for every final for the next decade.
The Ivorian embodies the Abramovich-era Blues. Both physically elite and mentally resilient, he was an ace card in the Blues’ biggest games, but a flat-track bully as well. Drogba became the prototypical Mourinho forward who inspired a tactical change to lone frontmen in English football, and every Chelsea striker since has had to measure up to his lofty standards.
Yes, we all remember the Champions League final heroics and the sun-spangled Wembley afternoons. But Drogba was an elite Premier League forward, too, as the focal point for Chelsea's first two titles, before one of the Blues' finest-ever individual seasons in 2009/10, when the striker netted 29.
He even had time for a fourth Premier League crown, returning home to west London in 2014 in his twilight – and taking his customary no.11 jersey.
Oscar gave it up willingly. Who else would command such respect? He's a legend of London.
29. Eden Hazard
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Chelsea (2012-2019)
APPS 245
GOALS 85
To look at Eden Hazard by the numbers is somewhat disappointing. He never scored a knockout goal in the Champions League, went almost a whole season without rippling a net for Chelsea and his heatmaps were hardly burning with the red-hot, box-to-box energy of Blues mate N'Golo Kante.
But to view him through that lens is to deprive yourself of solid gold amazement.
Hazard was a far more mercurial type. Give him the ball and he'd conjure something from nothing; give him the occasion and he'd make it all about him in the best possible way… or, famously, Leicester City in 2016, when he stepped up to stop Tottenham from winning the title.
Give Hazard the ball and he'd make it all about him – in the best possible way.
But Hazard wasn't just one of the most beautiful footballers of his generation to watch. The languid jog neglects to remind you that the Belgian was central to Jose Mourinho's last title win in English football, then Antonio Conte's.
Hazard was a magician of the very highest order, a footballer that shone brightest in a golden generation at international level and who delivered joy in English football that few others could match.
28. Gareth Bale
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Tottenham Hotspur (2007-13), (2020-21)
APPS 166
GOALS 53
Bale went 24 Premier League matches without a win for Tottenham, stretching from his bow in August 2007 through to September 2009. Four years after that first win, he was the planet’s most expensive player.
The Welshman’s evolution from skinny left-back to world-class attacker culminated in an explosive 2012/13 – one of the greatest individual campaigns in English football – in which he scored 21 league goals. At his dazzling best, Bale was about pure power, able to cut in and smash the ball almost through the net.
He won everything in the game and delivered on the biggest stages time and again. But watching Bale at Spurs was special: he could light up a moment like no one at the time and few have bottled that kind of excitement in the history of the league. He was inevitable.
27. Erling Haaland
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Manchester City (2022—)
APPS 94
GOALS 84
Yep. Already.
Erling Haaland scored 36 goals in his first season in English football, smashing the record for most goals in a campaign… whether 38-game or 42-game. He is still the only Golden Boot winner to have ever netted over a goal a game in a Premier League season.
Haaland followed his heroic debut term with another Golden Boot, scoring 27 goals at a canter, and will likely become the fastest player to 100 in Premier League history. After signing a bumper deal at the Etihad Stadium, even Alan Shearer knows the Scandi superhero is coming for the all-time record.
Staggeringly, he's only 24 years old. Even by the crudest calculations, remaining in Manchester until he's 33 will see him surpass Wor Al by a hundred goals – allowing, of course, for half a season off at some point or another.
We've never known numbers like them. Yes, he's been in the Premier League for two-and-a-half seasons at the time of writing. Yes, others have scored more and spent more time in this league to cement statuses as legends of the Premier League. Yes, Erling Haaland could decide he's retiring tomorrow, to go into modelling, shampoo commercials full-time or simply because Pep Guardiola decides to decommission him because it's no fun having the most prolific robot in world football leading your line anymore.
And he would still find himself on this list. He's already left his indelible mark on English football.
26. John Terry
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Chelsea (1998-2017)
APPS 492
GOALS 41
John Terry would simply decide games. Whether he was putting in last-ditch blocks to save his goalkeeper from having to make a save or chipping in with goals at the other end.
Two facts confirm such. The most stringent defence that the Premier League has ever seen conceded just 15 goals, in 2005/06, with Terry at the heart of the backline, leading the likes of Petr Cech and Ricardo Carvalho. Meanwhile, Andres Iniesta has fewer league goals than Mr Chelsea – despite playing considerably higher up the pitch.
“John was a massive figure at Chelsea,” Michael Ballack told FourFourTwo. “It’s important at a club that you have a captain who leads by example, and we had that in John.”
25. Luis Suarez
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Liverpool (2011-14)
APPS 110
GOALS 69
Luis Suarez was banned until mid-September in 2013/14. He still scored 31 goals in 33 goals and was the single biggest reason Liverpool challenged for the championship.
There may never have been a greater individual performance over a Premier League season than that. Rarely has one player ever shaped a year to their will like the Reds' electric forward throughout that near-miss of a title campaign.
He was a one-man wrecking ball. A lethal hitman who would right royally take the mickey out of you in the process. See diving at David Moyes' feet. See the audacity of his long-range efforts. See his one-man demolitions.
He was single-minded, driven and deadly but also the ideal team-mate who facilitated the fine individual campaigns of Sturridge and a teenage Sterling. He naturally left Merseyside for his calling in Catalonia – but few have put up Lionel Messi's numbers in this league quite like the Uruguayan.
24. N'Golo Kante
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Leicester City (2015-16), Chelsea (2016-23)
APPS 229
GOALS 12
How many players arrive in England as genuine unknowns?
Kante did in 2015 – then enjoyed one of football’s most magnificent breakout seasons in the unlikeliest of Premier League titles. The 5ft 6in dynamo was in France’s third tier as recently as 2013, but captured hearts – and opposition players – to secure successive titles with the Foxes and Chelsea.
His secret was simple and utterly unreplicateable by anyone else. He would swarm about the pitch with so much gusto that it would look like there were two of him. He'd do the dirty work and allow team-mates to flourish.
Kante captured hearts – and opposition players – to secure successive titles with Leicester and Chelsea.
And over the years, it really was underrated just how much he evolved as a player. Solely a ball-winner for the Foxes, he became a box-to-box marvel for Maurizio Sarri, even anchoring a midfield on his lonesome for N'Golo Kante.
Kante was loved by team-mates, managers and fans. He could win the ball from you – and you wouldn't even notice it.
23. Dennis Bergkamp
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Arsenal (1995-2006)
APPS 315
GOALS 87
He was Thierry Henry's favourite-ever team-mate. Not Zinedine Zidane. Not Lionel Messi. Dennis Bergkamp.
It’s apt that his statue at Arsenal depicts the Dutchman pulling a ball out of the sky. The maestro celebrated three titles and 87 league goals in north London. He was sent off in an FA Cup tie for a fiery clash with Jamie Carragher, he could smash a ball as well as caress it. But it’s his elegance which endures.
Lethal and incisive, Bergkamp’s gift to English football was his artistry. Few are universally loved beyond the clubs they made their name with. The ‘Ice Man’ is, though.
Whether it was the sumptuous hat-trick against Leicester, the magnetic control of that goal against Newcastle United or simply the way the ball stuck to his feet like velcro, a generation watched him and were mesmerised. He was a true superstar.
22. Rio Ferdinand
POSITION Defender
CLUBS West Ham United (1995-2000), Leeds United (2000-02), Manchester United (2002-14), Queens Park Rangers (2014-15)
APPS 504
GOALS 11
As a lad, the Peckham native famously turned down a five-year scholarship at the Central School of Ballet to focus more on football. His career was no less on pointe.
Tall, strong, graceful and effortlessly calm in possession, there was something gloriously cultured to Ferdinand, twice the world’s most expensive defender. He was a player that England had simply never produced before.
But with the grace on the ball came a robotic mentality and Rio soon graduated Sir Alex's diploma in defending. Ferdinand could switch play with ease, could pass out of the back at a time where he was a genuine outlier for daring to – but oh boy, could he lock up attackers like the best of them.
The trophy cabinet highlights it. Aside from being a champion of Europe and the world with Manchester United, Ferdinand was a true leader in the backline of six titles at Old Trafford, showing himself to be a complete defender. For all the promise shown at West Ham and Leeds – that saw a combined £50m or so laid at his feet, in an age where that meant something – he probably surpassed all expectation.
He laid the groundwork for ball-playing centre-backs but Ferdinand was so much more. A defender to put your mortgage on: stylish and steely in equal measure.
21. Rodri
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Manchester City (2019—)
APPS 174
GOALS 22
The defensive midfielder was never the most glamorous of roles, was it?
That was until Pep Guardiola took his education in Catalonia into the dugout with him, revolutionising the sport and giving a little more street cred to the position that he himself mastered under Johan Cruyff. Sergio Busquets was a hell of a first project; Xabi Alonso was outstanding for Pep at Bayern. And then Yaya Toure and Fernandinho both perfected the role for City.
But Rodri is surely his his favourite no.6 he's had in Manchester. It's not just his combination of keeping the game ticking and breaking up play. It's not just in his passing range, his timing to trigger the press or the technical facets that made Rodri City's undisputed MVP – as shown after his ACL injury. Pep must love Rodri like a son for his heart as much as his head.
Pep must love Rodri like a son for his heart as much as his head.
Who else steps up when the chips are down? It's the Spaniard – who famously struck a Champions League goal and delivered in the Premier League on countless occasions. The kind lead-by-example guidance that he gives to team-mates, the driving efforts from range, the pinpoint passes when all around are floundering. Without Rodri, City are rudderless.
The most important player of the only team to have won four back-to-back league titles in English football? It's a fair assessment. Winning the Ballon d'Or was merely the midfielder rightly receiving his flowers. Perhaps post-Rodri, the role will be seen with a little more glamour.
20. David Beckham
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Manchester United (1992-2003)
APPS 265
GOALS 62
Some downplay David Beckham as nothing more than a celebrity. Perhaps they blame him for WAG culture, or maybe it's just not cool to rate the guy – after all, David Beckham being your favourite footballer could well come across as like being a Coldplay superfan.
For anyone who watched the man play football, it's utter nonsense, of course. To see Goldenballs stand over a free-kick was akin to your average Joe given a penalty.
Beckham earned his status in the mainstream because of his ability with the ball, rather than despite it. He was a superstar of the very highest order – as evidenced by the Galactico switch in 2003 and finishing second in the Ballon d'Or when Manchester United won the Treble.
But with every inspection of the super-famous, there were misconceptions. Namely, that his laser-guided precision was bestowed by the hand of a kind deity and not just the result of hours upon monotonous hours of pinging balls at goalposts after training. Arsene Wenger would later invite him to train with Arsenal – not for the 'Gram nor the team talks but for the example he'd set for those around him.
That work ethic was ingrained, those big game performances were earned. Becks delivered countless assists in the heat of cauldrons. He was so often the difference-maker when the moment asked for someone, anyone, to step up. It may have felt like divine luck of a writer's pen that it was always him – or maybe that he was simply used to such blinding lights.
He was simply that guy. He had the aura. He could run a game from the right wing, make someone else the hero with an assist or pop up when the headlines needed writing. David Beckham was every inch the superstar because he worked himself into the ground to be – and he deserved every drop of the plaudits.
19. Petr Cech
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Chelsea (2004-15), Arsenal (2015-19)
APPS 443
CLEAN SHEETS 202
Glovemen in England have long had a reputation for being fiery or eccentric. The nutters in your team, the ones who clearly grew up playing another sport and learned that using their hands had a use in football. There's a reason that so many of them in the 90s looked at home in day-glo jerseys that have since been consigned as crimes against fashion.
Not the ice-cool Cech, though. He let in a poxy 15 goals in his maiden campaign at Chelsea, which set the tone for an outstanding top-flight career in which he won four titles and four Golden Gloves.
The Czech stopper rewrote the expectation of a modern goalkeeper. He was impenetrable, even after a horror injury that forced him to spend the rest of his career wearing a skull cap – and even after a much-maligned move to Arsenal, he still picked up a Golden Glove in North London.
His final tally of 202 clean sheets is unlikely to be topped any time soon. Goalkeepers look very different these days… and a lot of it has to do with Cech.
18. Ashley Cole
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Arsenal (1999-2006), Chelsea (2006-14)
APPS 385
GOALS 15
The cliche is that Ashley Cole's career is split into two halves – much like London in the Premier League in the 2000s.
The England man made his name as the capital's Carlos, marauding down the left flank with overlaps to support Henry and Pires. He was an attacker from deep and a key influence in the cultural change of how full-backs were viewed in this country. It's claimed that after Jose Mourinho got his hands on him, he suddenly got a degree in Paolo Maldini studies to keep attackers on lockdown, becoming the very opposite of what made him great in the first place.
But like most good stories, that's somewhat exaggerated. Cole was always both sides of the same coin. He first pocketed Cristiano Ronaldo at Euro 2004 as an Arsenal man; he was a valuable asset going forward for Chelsea.
Simply put, Cole may well be the most complete full-back that English football – even European football – has ever seen. The Stepney native was like having two players in your team: one to hurt opponents, one to silence them.
And he stepped out almost fully formed from the off, ousting established stars Sylvinho and Gio van Bronckhorst. By the time he left the Blues in 2014, he'd barely lost a yard of brilliance. Cole was a machine, a picture of consistency and simply one of the most reliable footballers ever seen on these fair shores.
17. Peter Schmeichel
POSITION Goalkeeper
CLUBS Manchester United (1992-99), Aston Villa (2001-02), Manchester City (2002-03)
APPS 310
CLEAN SHEETS 128
Following in the footsteps of Bert Trautmann, Peter Schmeichel arrived in England as an unknown goalkeeper from overseas who would become adored by Manchester. He was a true superstar of the 1990s.
“Bargain of the century,” was Alex Ferguson’s assessment of the great Dane, plucked from Brondby for £505,000 in July 1991. Schmeichel was United’s finest goalkeeper, his leadership, bravery and reflexes essential in five whole title wins, before bowing out on a high after the 1999 Treble.
He even had time for two more stints in the Premier League – once where he netted the first goal in the Premier League ever scored by a keeper, for Aston Villa. He was imperious, he was ice cold and he struck the fear of god into attackers.
The best goalkeeper in Premier League history? For our money, yes. And the most iconic to boot.
16. Ryan Giggs
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Manchester United (1992-2014)
APPS 672
GOALS 114
“I remember the first time I ever saw him,” recalled Alex Ferguson of Giggs in his 2013 autobiography. “He was 13 years old, and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.”
The Scot gave a 17-year-old Giggs his debut in March 1991, the Welshman becoming a regular the following season and repaying his manager’s faith with back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year campaigns. The pin-up boy’s searing pace and dribbling paved the way for Fergie’s other fledglings to make their debuts over the following years – he showed the Class of ’92 what was possible.
Giggs might be a contender for the greatest Manchester United player of all time – the midfielder racked up 963 appearances for the Red Devils, more than anyone else. He wasn’t just a solid squad player, but consistently ace for the world’s biggest club over two decades. Others may have had marginally more impact, but Giggs tore them apart. Again and again.
15. Paul Scholes
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Manchester United (1994-2011, 2012-13)
APPS 499
GOALS 107
The United Stand's Jamie Ward on why Paul Scholes was the true ‘Player's player’
Scholes was not only the best player – he was the best English player of a generation. A raw, once-in-a-lifetime talent.
Thierry Henry names him as the one player he wishes he could have played alongside – as did Pep Guardiola. Barcelona legend Xavi claims Scholes would have been rated even higher had he been Spanish.
Andrea Pirlo calls the Class of ’92 graduate the “truly great English midfielder of his generation”. Zinedine Zidane, one of the game’s legends, cites not playing with Scholes as the biggest regret of his playing career.
You get the idea: Scholes was a true players’ player. Liverpool and Chelsea supporters will say he was shoved over on the left for England because Gerrard and Lampard were better. Sven-Goran Eriksson will say it was because he was the only one of the three who could adapt to the positional change.
His England team-mates plundered more goals, yes, but remove Gerrard’s 32 Premier League penalties and his tally (88) drops well below Scholes’ 106. Remove Lampard’s 43 spot-kicks and his goal average moves in line with the United man’s.
Arsenal supporters will bring Patrick Vieira into the debate. The Frenchman was indeed phenomenal for the Gunners, but even he concedes that Scholes was the player “who could do everything”.
The only answer is Scholes… and I haven’t even mentioned his trophies.
14. Patrick Vieira
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Arsenal (1996-2005), Manchester City (2010-11)
APPS 307
GOALS 31
Tim Stillman of Arseblog tells FourFourTwo all about why Super Pat was so integral to Arsene Wenger’s greatest sides…
Although Thierry Henry’s name rebounded from the North Bank so often, it was Vieira who drew the real choral affection of Arsenal’s crowd. The towering skipper’s song, to the tune of Italian Eurovision ditty Nel Blu, Dipinto Di Blu (Volare), was top of the Highbury hit parade.
Supporters recognised Vieira as the symbol of one of the Gunners’ greatest ever teams. The midfield icon once described himself as having “French feet and an African heart” – exactly what he gave Arsene Wenger’s side.
Vieira was a warrior who had the feet of a ballerina. His countless disputes with Roy Keane and “occasional” fits of temper had him portrayed as a hard man; the enforcer around whom Arsenal’s team of sprinters and talented dancers orbited. However, to remember him that way is to unfairly reduce his repertoire of skills.
Vieira was a warrior who had the feet of a ballerina.
Vieira had a silken touch, his feet as soft as pillows as he cradled the ball on the end of his boot shortly after chapeau-ing another hapless opponent. He could slalom past you or just bulldoze beyond you: ultimately, the painful choice was yours.
There’s a good reason why new midfield starlets are still labelled ‘the new Vieira’ after all these years. The truth is, there hasn’t been a player with his blend of qualities since – at Arsenal, nor any other team. Vieira was, and continues to be, unique.
13. Virgil van Dijk
POSITION Defender
CLUBS Southampton (2015-18), Liverpool (2018—)
APPS 225
GOALS 19
Virgil van Dijk is the highest-rated defender on our list – now Steven Chicken describes why
It’s remarkable to consider the fact that when Virgil van Dijk arrived at Southampton from Southampton in 2015, it was barely a year after he had been left out of the Dutch World Cup squad in favour of Terence Kongolo.
Safe to say Van Dijk has not been overlooked like that since then. The centre-back was an instant hit as St Mary’s, winning the club’s Player of the Year awards, earning the captaincy, helping Southampton to the League Cup final… and, of course, attracting the interest of Liverpool.
The £75m fee the Reds paid after a protracted and controversial pursuit led plenty of pundits to question Liverpool’s wisdom, but he paid for himself many, many times over by becoming the final and perhaps most vital piece in Jurgen Klopp’s brilliant side.
No less an authority than Vincent Kompany has spoken of Liverpool being one side before Van Dijk, and another after his arrival.
The Dutchman immediately helped Liverpool to back-to-back Champions League finals, winning the second with a man-of-the-match performance, and then helped them to their first league title in 30 years. His silverware collection was swollen not just with winner’s medals, but individual awards recognising his imperious form at the back.
A defender imbued with an oceanic calm and presence, at his peak Van Dijk was virtually unbeatable in the air or on the floor, famously going 17 months and 65 games (including the entire 2018/19 season) without being dribbled past once – at least according to the stats men’s definitions.
Van Dijk's silverware collection was swollen not just with winner’s medals, but individual awards recognising his imperious form at the back.
Van Dijk may not have reached quite those levels since a long lay-off to recover from an ACL injury in 2020/21, but has remained one of the most feared and respected defenders in world football.
Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland have both spoken in awe of Van Dijk’s abilities, and he currently looks set to captain Liverpool to a record-equalling 20th English league title.
That makes Van Dijk, for our money, the greatest centre-back ever to play Premier League football.
12. Steven Gerrard
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Liverpool (1998-2015)
APPS 504
GOALS 120
Author Tony Evans on a Scouse colossus, remembered as a hero for as long as football is played…
Of Liverpool’s many legends, he stands out for his composure in a crisis. When the clock was ticking down and there was one final opportunity to save the day, he was the man you wanted with the ball at his feet.
Gerrard soaked up responsibility. He could play in any position, too.
If you were building a prototype Premier League player of the late-90s, they would have looked like the Liverpool captain. He was strong, quick and had a remarkable passing range. His technique was majestic, and all the more impressive because he did everything slightly quicker than everyone else on the pitch.
The turning point for Gerrard came in the summer of 2005, starting with what seemed like a stunning act of betrayal just six weeks after lifting the Champions League trophy.
He agreed to join Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea but, over an emotionally draining sleepless night of panic attacks, realised he couldn’t walk away from his boyhood club. It was a painful time, but the reaffirmation of his relationship with Liverpool began a process that swept away any doubters.
He would have won more medals at Chelsea, but instead became an icon for a city that cherishes football above almost everything else.
11. Sergio Aguero
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Manchester City (2011-21)
APPS 275
GOALS 184
FourFourTwo's Ed McCambrige on why Manchester City's heroic striker might just be the Prem's most underappreciated
It’s astonishing, given the esteem in which Sergio Aguero is held by so many, that he might just be the most underrated footballer in Premier League history.
The former Manchester City man only made the PFA’s Premier League team of the year twice, in 2018 and 2019, despite scoring 20-plus goals in six different campaigns, and winning the title five times.
In total, the diminutive Argentine struck 184 goals in 275 Premier League appearances – 260 goals in 390 games in all competitions – leaving him joint-fifth, with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, in the all-time standings. He’s second when it comes to goals-to-games – only Thierry Henry (0.68) can top the Argentine’s 0.67.
He could score every type of goal, from back post tap-ins, to thunderbolts, to extraordinary solo efforts. The greatest of all fell somewhere in between.
Aguero’s winner against QPR in the final minute of the 2011/12 season wasn’t just breathtaking for the impact it had – delivering the club’s first Premier League title and denying their cross-town rivals in the process – but also displayed the strength, the guile and the composure that were the hallmark of so many other finishes in sky blue.
Very few opt for Aguero when selecting the greatest Premier League striker of all time – the likes of Henry, Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney and Harry Kane generally receiving greater backing – but, with a minute left in a do-or-die game, you’d be hard-pressed to find a player more likely to score you a big goal.
When it mattered most, Aguero was the man.
10. Frank Lampard
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS West Ham United (1995-2001), Chelsea (2001-14), Manchester City (2014-15)
APPS 609
GOALS 177
Garry Hayes on what Frank Lampard means to the Premier League
Roman Abramovich’s arrival at Chelsea in 2003 changed English football. The inflated wages and transfer fees have reshaped the landscape of the Premier League ever since.
For all the Russian billionaire shook things up, Lampard did the same for his position in midfield. We can get lost in the conversation about Vieira, Scholes and Gerrard’s individual brilliance, but what did they truly accomplish outside of winning silverware? Lampard’s legacy, after those trophies won and 177 Premier League goals, was to alter what we’ve come to expect from a raiding central midfielder. These players are treated like strikers now.
It’s not enough to do ‘the things we don’t see’. Fans, pundits and – most importantly – managers, expect their No.8 to fire home in the high teens each season. End product isn’t desired – it’s demanded.
Lampard’s legacy was to alter what we’ve come to expect from a raiding central midfielder.
While Vieira was inspiring an exodus from Arsenal, and Scholes and Gerrard were both playing catch-up to Chelsea, Lampard was setting the agenda. It’s why people speak of Diego Maradona in such glowing terms. He may not have won all of Lionel Messi’s trophies, but without him there wouldn’t be a Messi. That’s right, I did just compare Lampard to Maradona: because without Lampard, the role of a midfielder in 2021 would be very different.
So, Vieira, Scholes, Gerrard or Lampard? It’s not even a debate.
9. Roy Keane
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Nottingham Forest (1992-93), Manchester United (1993-2005)
APPS 366
GOALS 39
Roy Keane snubbed advances from Blackburn Rovers to become one of Manchester United's greatest-ever players: Andy Mitten breaks down what made the Corkonian so integral for the Red Devils.
Keane was actually heading to Ewood Park before United got involved: the Red Devils dispatched their ticket office manager to Manchester Airport, to pick up Keane in a battered old Ford Orion.
A contact let the Irishman out of a back gate at the airport to avoid the press, and the midfielder looked for a double headlight flash.
“I met Brian Kidd and Alex Ferguson, played a game of snooker with them and had the usual small talk – they told me how brilliant I was and I believed them,” revealed Keane.
In his first campaign for champions United, Keane showed why he was the replacement for the player he’s so often compared with: Bryan Robson. He was key as United won the league and FA Cup Double for the first time in 1993/94, playing 54 games in all.
Keane won seven Premier League titles at United, four FA Cups, the Champions League and Intercontinental Cup. He became their most important player after Eric Cantona retired in 1997 – the year Keane was handed the captaincy, by which time he had all but given up drinking alcohol.
“His Irish fire was fundamental to his value as a footballer, but his tendency to go beyond the bounds of acceptability would have to be curbed,” said Ferguson of the 1995 Keane – but he was crucial to his team.
Keane became Manchester United's most important player after Eric Cantona retired in 1997
When Keane missed much of the 1997/98 season due to a knee injury, United failed to retain the title, win a cup and went backwards in Europe by losing to Monaco. When he returned, he was integral to United’s Treble-winning success, making 55 appearances in all competitions. No outfielder featured more.
Irwin was a close friend. “Roy will contest this, but he wasn’t the best footballer in the world – he left that to Scholesy,” Denis Irwin tells FFT. “He was a combative player who could smell danger, read situations and tell where the ball was dropping. He was defensive-minded but could also break forward. He was a huge driving force in training and in being Manchester United.”
8. Harry Kane
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Norwich City (2012-13), Tottenham Hotspur (2012-23)
APPS 320
GOALS 213
Chris Nee on why Kane left such a legacy in the Premier League
While England captain Harry Kane left the Premier League for Bayern Munich in 2023 without a domestic trophy to his name, he left behind an unimpeachable record.
Kane played 320 Premier League matches in total and scored 213 league goals for Spurs. Only Alan Shearer has scored more. He was named Player of the Month seven times and won the Golden Boot three times, collecting a handsome array of individual awards along the way.
But while the awards and numbers speak for themselves in terms of Kane’s place at the top table of Premier League icons in the absence of titles, his loyalty to Spurs and his influence at the club in the best years of his career mark him out as a different kind of success.
Spurs went close. Kane played in two League Cup finals and a Champions League final as well as spearheading a meaningful Premier League title push in both 2015/16 and 2016/17. They fell short each time but Kane was there, scoring the goals and leading by example as he dragged his team as close to success as he possibly could.
Kane is the all-time leading scorer for Spurs and England, for whom he has now played more than 100 times, and his game has evolved from straightforward striker to all-round impact for both club and country. After a succession of loans that included a Premier League spell at Norwich City that was cut short by injury, Kane spent almost a decade in the Spurs team.
He was remarkably consistent at the highest level, an achievement most commonly credited to his single-minded focus, his determination to success, and his fixation on scoring goals.
Kane's loyalty to Spurs and his influence at the club in the best years of his career mark him out as a different kind of success.
Walthamstow-born Kane grew up near White Hart Lane but joined Arsenal’s youth set-up in 2001 before being released the following year. He fulfilled his destiny in 2004, signing for Spurs and remaining there for 19 years.
Bayern had to dig deep to get their man. Kane became the most expensive signing in Bundesliga history, rewarding Spurs for his development and adding to the esteem in which he’s held in North London.
7. Eric Cantona
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Leeds United (1992), Manchester United (1992-97)
APPS 156
GOALS 70
Matty Holt on why Eric Cantona is still the king of the Premier League
A man who helped redefine the Premier League as it is today, Eric Cantona's influence is one of charisma and confidence, as well as a whole lot of controversy along the way.
Having joined Manchester United in 1992 from rivals Leeds United, the Red Devils' success in part in the 90s is owed to his eye-catching performances, as he won four Premier League titles, as well as two FA Cups along the way. But far more than just for the silverware, his flair, flamboyance and sheer skill earned him the nickname 'The King'. Banners still boast the nickname across the Stretford End.
He was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021 and would later forge a career as an actor and musician, but his goal against Sunderland remains the most stunning performance you will ever see. Collecting the ball on the edge of the area during the 1996/1997 clash with the Black Cats at the Theatre of Dreams, the Frenchman lofted a delicate chip into the back of the net before standing with such aura to appreciate his brilliance.
It was as much down to his fire as his icy composure, that Cantona took to English football like a trawler to water.
Collar popped, he was mobbed by his teammates as the camera pans as if an artist had just finished curating a masterpiece. But perhaps it was as much down to his fire as his icy composure, that he took to English football like a trawler to water.
Cantona’s career was also marked by his temper, culminating in his infamous 1995 "kung-fu" kick on a Crystal Palace supporter, resulting in an eight-month suspension. He retired prematurely in 1997 at the age of 30, leaving behind a legacy of success and a reputation as one of the league's greatest players.
"I have played professional football for 13 years, which is a long time. I now wish to do other things," said the former Leeds United man. “I always planned to retire when I was at the top and, at Manchester United, I have reached the pinnacle of my career.”
His timing, as always, was impeccable.
6. Kevin De Bruyne
POSITION Midfielder
CLUBS Chelsea (2013-14), Manchester City (2015—)
APPS 278
GOALS 70
This piece was taken from FourFourTwo magazine during 2020, when Kevin De Bruyne equalled Thierry Henry's record of 20 assists in a season
It’s said that when the Wimbledon roof closes and Roger Federer’s on Centre Court, it’s game over. You can’t beat the man for precision with no wind, no sun glare over his sweatband. Without the elements, you’re battling the inevitable scythe of defeat.
It felt similar watching Kevin De Bruyne in desolated stadiums, post-lockdown, chiselling away at Thierry Henry’s long-standing assist record. There’s comfort in consistency, of course; that should the world drop into darkness and football become a television-only event, you can set your watch by the remorseless swing of a Belgian’s right peg.
But it wasn’t always the case. A slouching Inbetweener at Genk, the teenage De Bruyne drifted through games. Occasionally, he’d log on, launch a rocket and could almost burn the ball through the net - as if he was almost too modest to really let loose.
De Bruyne wasn't a revelation for City, he was a revolution: the David Bowie of the Premier League, a flame-haired rockstar, who hit 20 league assists and picked apart Liverpool in a 4-0 thrashing – the same night as their guard of honour.
In time, he'd find himself. Some midfield generals come to reflect their managers - but Kevin De Bruyne was never really a mirror to the dugout. He was, instead, unshaped playdough for Pep Guardiola to mould.
One wonders if one man’s destination of influenced the other. De Bruyne was a strawberry-blonde David Beckham under Manuel Pellegrini; a supercharged, right-winger with a wicked right boot and work-rate to match. Pep had other ideas: he became a second striker, running beyond Iheanacho to score City’s opener in Guardiola’s Manchester Derby.
He was played out left that first season too, encouraged to interlink with David Silva. But as Pep’s City developed, KDB receded deeper.
In December 2016, Guardiola called the Belgian “our most important player”. On the right of a midfield three, he would sit in the half-space and pick out runners in the box like a sniper. Stoke fans applauded him for the three assists he bagged against them in a 2017 7-2 demolition. Antonio Conte labelled him “a complete player” away at champions Chelsea, as he dropped into full-back positions in build-up, before scoring the winner. Pep found De Bruyne did exactly what he asked – on and off the ball – however he tinked with his side. He wasn’t a revelation. He was a revolution.
He stands above everyone; the David Bowie of the Premier League, a flame-haired rockstar who rendered Real Madrid mortal in the Bernabeu, hit 20 league assists and picked apart Liverpool in a 4-0 thrashing - the same night as their guard of honour.
He’s Guardiola’s general, alright. Not the vocal enforcer that some bosses boast, but a high-functioning, high-octane metronome to set your watch by.
Pep certainly does. Full house or empty, Kevin De Bruyne will tear you apart.
5. Mohamed Salah
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Chelsea (2013-15), Liverpool (2017—)
APPS 289
GOALS 182
Salah has quietly become a Premier League legend over an incredible run of consistent campaigns: FourFourTwo writer Ben Marsden explains why the Egyptian King is now a certified GOAT in the league…
Mohamed Salah has reached a point in his career where he seems to be breaking an imaginary record for the most records broken. It is now rare to read about an in-form or even world-class player without seeing their abilities qualified by the well-known statement ‘only Mo Salah has more’.
Many believed that he would be a one-season wonder for Liverpool after he notched a staggering 58 goal contributions in his debut campaign of 2017/18. However, he has proved those doubters wrong time and time again, working his way into the top ten of most Premier League goals and most Premier League assists of all time. And all while being an often divisive figure.
Aesthetics is a high-value commodity in football leading many to favour the flair of Hazard or the skill of Henry over the Egyptian’s robotic output. Yet in the twilight of his career, Salah has shown a remarkable ability to transform his game.
In the early days, Liverpool fans were treated to direct dribbling that caused havoc across Europe. Now, at 32, Salah is using his world-class passing ability to slice open defences, impacting games in short bursts that kill off the opposition in a flash.
In the twilight of his career, Salah has shown a remarkable ability to transform his game.
His consistency is what sets him apart from the rest. Few players in modern football have produced as relentlessly as the Egyptian king and he seems to be showing no signs of stopping.His 2024/25 season will undoubtedly be viewed as one of, if not the best individual season of all time in the Premier League.
Perhaps it is his misfortune to have come up against one of the greatest sides in English football, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, that means he is not already considered one of the greatest footballers of the 21st century. A Ballon d’Or at the end of the campaign would surely cement this status.
4. Alan Shearer
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Blackburn Rovers (1992-96), Newcastle United (1996-2006)
APPS 441
GOALS 260
Shearer retired with 283 league goals – and one celebration. Rich Jolly explains what made the all-time Premier League top scorer quite so unique…
Shearer’s relentlessness and ruthlessness brought him accolades. He’s still by far the fastest to a Premier League century (in 124 games, 17 fewer than anyone else); still the only Englishman to scoop the Golden Boot three years in a row; still alone in scoring 30 in three consecutive campaigns; still alone in hitting 20 in seven Premier League seasons.
He plundered 31 for a Blackburn team that came seventh and 23 for a Newcastle outfit that finished in the bottom half of the table. He smashed five goals in a fixture when the Magpies started the day in 19th place. No one else with a ton of Premier League goals for one team comes close to his ratio of 0.81 per game for Blackburn.
Throw in his 64 assists, and no one else has been involved in 324 Premier League goals. Two factors make the bare statistics even more remarkable.
Only Jimmy Greaves, Steve Bloomer, Dixie Dean and Gordon Hodgson have struck more goals in England’s top-flight.
Two cruciate ligament injuries forced him to evolve from an eager channel-runner who liked playing alongside a targetman, to the physical focal point who, aided by Sir Bobby Robson’s advice, remained potent.
Second: he turned down Manchester United in 1996 for the siren call of his native Tyneside. With the Red Devils’ supply line, his 260 efforts might have surpassed 300.
Instead, after leading Blackburn to a first top-flight title in 81 years, he endured five lower-half finishes with his hometown club. Yet, as Kenny Dalglish – his manager at both Blackburn and Newcastle – informed Shearer inelegantly once, “It didn’t matter who you played for, you always battered them in.”
Brute force was often allied with finesse. Shearer’s favourite goal, his cannonball volley against Everton in 2002, is a case in point. He was a wonderfully clean striker of the ball, but was also brilliant in the air: only Peter Crouch has notched more Premier League headers, and he has a seven-inch height advantage.
Only Jimmy Greaves, Steve Bloomer, Dixie Dean and Gordon Hodgson have struck more goals in England’s top flight. Shearer is eternal – and up there with the greatest ever.
3. Wayne Rooney
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Everton (2002-04, 2017-18) Manchester United (2004-17)
APPS 491
GOALS 208
FourFourTwo's Ryan Dabbs on why Rooney was unlike anyone else in Premier League history…
A grizzly man at the age of 16, Rooney entered the Premier League stage like he’d always belonged with such swagger and belief that it terrified the living daylights out of defenders twice his senior.
Met with chants of ‘Who are ya’ by Tottenham fans on his Everton debut, Rooney quickly became their cult hero two months later when, playing against Arsenal, he brought a high ball out of the air, made Sol Campbell back off and curled a 30-yard stunner past David Seaman. From there, he never looked back. The teenager quickly became England’s best hope of winning a major trophy, with his bullish stature in attack rightly earning plaudits from across the country and Premier League. Arsene Wenger even called him “the best England talent since I arrived here”. Not bad.
For some young players, that pressure would have weighed heavy; for Rooney it fuelled his fire, lighting a match under him to go out and produce week after week. His street football-style provided an entertainment that had been sorely lacking from English talent, with the striker popping up all over the pitch launching into tackles, pinging 60-yard cross-field balls and getting on the end of crosses.
His £27m-or-so move to Manchester United aged just 18 proved how highly Sir Alex Ferguson rated him, with Rooney soon cementing himself as a legend at Old Trafford. Outrageous goals against Newcastle in 2005, Manchester City in 2012 and West Ham in 2014 highlights his penchant for the sublime, and while he ended up as Manchester United’s record goalscorer, he was so much more than that.
As Cristiano Ronaldo starred, Rooney selflessly and diligently carried out the defensive duties his Portuguese team-mate cast off. And, when the time came for him to stand still and act as a No.9, he produced arguably better than any other striker in the Premier League’s history. Ordered to conserve his energy during the 2009/10 season and stick to the last line, Rooney delivered an astonishingly fruitful 26 goals in just 32 appearances, including one of the most rapid counter-attacking goals against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Rooney entered the Premier League stage like he’d always belonged with such swagger and belief that it terrified the living daylights out of defenders twice his senior.
And, while his temper could sometimes get the better of him, without it there’s reason to suggest Rooney might have never reached such scaling heights he did. It’s how Rooney acted on the pitch that endeared himself to fans across the country. As football became more sterile his rough-around-the-edges approach caught the attention, playing out the dream every fan held as a kid.
Five Premier league titles, 208 goals, a PFA Player of the Year award and countless other accolades, at a time when superstars dominated the top flight, can easily be overlooked due to his waning powers by the time he hit 30, but it’s also to forget how much impact he had had from the age of 16.
It's likely we’ll never see anything like him again.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Manchester United (2003-09, 2021-22)
APPS 236
GOALS 103
FourFourTwo's Chris Flanagan was there for Cristiano Ronaldo's debut for Manchester United against Bolton Wanderers. This piece was taken from FourFourTwo magazine in 2022.
On August 16, 2003, a pair of substitutes made their debuts for Manchester United. The first went on to become one of the greatest players of all time; the second went on to become Eric Djemba-Djemba.
Djemba-Djemba’s Old Trafford career was doomed before he had stepped on the field. Introduced only six minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo, he had already been left with an impossible act to follow.
Manchester United were labouring against Bolton in their league season opener, leading 1-0 after an hour, when Ronaldo replaced Nicky Butt. Aged 18, with blond streaks in his hair that hinted at a certain confidence, the wonderkid had arrived from Portuguese side Sporting for £12.5m days earlier, taking the No.7 shirt vacated by David Beckham. The crowd greeted CR7’s introduction so loudly, and with such elation, that you wondered whether the new boy could possibly match their sky-high expectations. In fact, he more than exceeded them.
Everyone present that afternoon knew that a star had been born.
Not only did he have the balls, he frequently had the ball in the final half-hour, becoming United’s go-to man as it became obvious how devastatingly effective he could be. “He did about 100 stepovers and earned a penalty,” Kevin Davies later told FFT.
These days, Ronaldo would seize the ball and stick the penalty into the net himself – back then, Ruud van Nistelrooy had spot-kick duties and was denied by Jussi Jaaskelainen. It didn’t matter: Ronaldo soon grabbed hold of possession again and whipped in a cross that eventually led to Ryan Giggs making it 2-0 from close range.
Still the prodigy wasn’t done. “Of his own volition, Ronaldo moved out to the right wing and put two superb crosses in,” continued his gaffer. “The crowd on that side of the ground responded as if a Messiah had materialised before their eyes.”
Ferguson hailed it as “a marvellous debut, almost unbelievable”. “Undoubtedly the most exciting debut performance I’ve ever seen,” was George Best’s assessment, himself an iconic United No.7. By the time Ronaldo left the field at the final whistle, the Old Trafford faithful were chanting his name. For six years, they rarely stopped.
Everyone present that afternoon knew that a star had been born. Only one man has ever been named FIFA World Player of the Year while playing in the Premier League – and it wasn’t Eric Djemba-Djemba.
1. Thierry Henry
POSITION Forward
CLUBS Arsenal (1999-2007, 2012)
APPS 258
GOALS 175
Thierry Henry takes the top spot for us – taken from FourFourTwo magazine in 2022, FFT's Mark White explains what made the Frenchman the greatest of all time.
In truth, Henry’s hat-trick clincher at home to Liverpool in April 2004 was quite fluky. It was, though, the only moment all afternoon that he wasn’t in abundant control.
Arsenal’s equaliser was a mirror to Henry’s first Highbury league goal against Derby, only less nervously placed – a first-time, left-foot strike. By now, however, such lethal finishing felt like vintage Thierry, rather than an Ian Wright tribute act.
Arsenal trailed 2-1 to the Reds at half-time, their Invincibles status in jeopardy, but Henry seemed to slow down time by the touchline after the break; jogging, his right leg hovering like a magician’s handkerchief over a dove, before passing to Ljungberg who looped Pires in to level proceedings. A minute later, it was all over.
Henry had immense power but made football look weightless.
Henry picked up the ball by the centre circle, then strode beyond Didi Hamann, bamboozled Jamie Carragher, folded Liverpool inside-out and buried home in the bottom corner. Henry had immense power but made football look weightless.
No one has won the Golden Boot more times. No one assisted more in a season. No one has terrorised defenders with such a combination of bewitching grace and phenomenal power. He was the catalyst in two Premier League titles for Arsenal, carried them on his back during the dark days and lit up English football with his signature swagger.
And as the years pass by, it's becoming ever-more relevant. Henry was the yardstick to which we hold all Premier League players – past, present and future – not just in terms of pure numbers but pure entertainment.
Thierry Henry isn’t just the King of Highbury or a once-in-a-generation striker. He represents the artistry with which Arsene Wenger’s greatest sides flourished. He made football fun; it looked classy, effortless and beautiful all in one.
He may have left Arsenal in 2007, but Henry at his peak would have thrived in any era, in any team in Premier League history.
