The Premier League is back – but the Barclaysmen never left. Cult heroes took over during the international break and you couldn't escape them on social.
The Cultras Football Podcast may just have saved social media with their hashtag, #Barclaysmen, celebrating the underappreciated heroes of the noughties who made the Premier League the best on Earth. These are the midtable hitmen; the Lancashire Pirlos and Midlands Maldinis; the journeymen who wound up in Wigan or Middlesbrough or Bolton or Blackburn – whose video highlights have been immortalised alongside indie sleaze of the era. 1899INE on social deserves credit, too, for helping to define the video style.
The trend caught fire. Yakubu was named the ultimate Barclaysman by the pod, while clubs copied the compilation style. We came up with our own favourite half-century of ‘Streets Won't Forget’ stars who deserved just a little more adoration, too. Viva les Barclaysmen.
FourFourTwo's 50 favourite 'Barclaysmen' in Premier League history: 50. Charles N'Zogbia
Rodallega X N’Zogbia 😮💨#Barclaysmen pic.twitter.com/xqkkMeNQTPSeptember 9, 2024
Sir Bobby Robson’s last signing at Newcastle United, Frenchman N’Zogbia played his entire career in the Premier League courtesy of later spells at Wigan Athletic and Aston Villa. We’re not sure we need to say much more about how influential N’Zogbia was at the DW Stadium than to point out that he earned two full caps for France while a Wigan player.
Nonetheless, we’ll add that the winger also scored the winner in a sensational 3-2 comeback victory against Arsenal in April 2010 to effectively secure Wigan’s Premier League place in 2010. He then grabbed five goals in the last six games of the 2010/11 season – including another late winner in a 3-2, this time against West Ham United – to take his goal tally to double figures and help Wigan claim ten vital points that kept them in the division again.
49. Matty Taylor
We just had to jump on this trend. 😅#Pompey x Golden Skans. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/U069tOyj9DSeptember 7, 2024
Who doesn’t love a scorer of brilliant goals? And that’s what Taylor was, helping Portsmouth get promoted in 2003 and becoming a regular on Goal of the Month montages over a fine Premier League career that lasted until 2015 (bar one year back in the Championship with West Ham).
We could tell you about the left winger/left-back’s career a bit more – like how he breached double figures for Bolton in 2008/09 – but let’s be honest, you just want to see that goal against Everton, don’t you? Alright then.
48. Stelios
Or Stelios Giannakopoulos, to give his full name, though he was known mononymously throughout his spell at Bolton Wanderers (and Hull, but he only played three games for them, so let’s ignore that). The attacking midfielder was one of a series of brilliant low-key signings from overseas made by Bolton Wanderers in the early 2000s, arriving in 2003 and attracting interest from Manchester City and Liverpool in his first two seasons at the club.
Stelios’ seven- and nine-goal hauls in 2004/05 and 2005/06 were vital in helping Bolton scale to 6th and 8th respectively, but Sam Allardyce’s departure in 2007 spelt the beginning of the end for Stelios, who was released the following year.
47. Dean Ashton
West Ham fans will still tell you that things could have been very different for them in the 2010s had it not been for Ashton’s ankle. A prolific Crewe youth product, the striker made a huge and immediate impression for Norwich City in 2004/05 with seven goals in 16 games despite the Canaries being relegated from the Premier League that season, earning a move back to the top flight with West Ham.
Ashton’s form earned him an England call-up in 2006, but he was forced to pull out with a serious ankle injury suffered in training that kept him out for nearly a year and from which he never truly recovered. Ashton managed one more full season, scoring 10 in 31 for West Ham and finally getting a deserved England cap, before having to return to the treatment table and then retiring aged just 26 in December 2009. The Hammers were relegated the following season.
46. Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson x Hard to Beat@GKPaulRobinson | #Barclaysmen pic.twitter.com/pwpCdJILc5September 10, 2024
The goalkeeper one, not the left-back one or the Neighbours one. One of the final products of the Leeds United youth academy before the financial crisis that precipitated their demise from Premier League standing, Robinson had a real Joe Hart career: early success followed by a swift fall from prominence.
Robinson earned his first England cap while still at Leeds and established himself as number one in 2006, by which time he had been at Tottenham for two years. But an increasingly error-strewn run of form meant he was ousted first by England in 2007 and then by Spurs in 2008. He improved again at Blackburn Rovers, but was overlooked for the 2010 World Cup squad, and his career petered out following Rovers’ relegation in 2012. Oh… and Robinson also scored two goals in his career, getting forward late on to head home for Leeds in the League Cup in 2003, then watching a long free kick bounce over Ben Foster for Spurs in 2007.
45. Loic Remy
There are those players whose stars shine brightly for just a season or two before disappearing just as quickly. Remy was a brilliant example of the phenomenon, joining Queens Park Rangers for a club record fee in January 2013 and showing enough promise in a relegated side to earn a loan move to Newcastle.
Remy was brilliant in the first half of the season, but injuries and suspensions meant he missed a lot of the second half of the campaign; he nonetheless finished with an excellent 16 goals in 24 games and earned a move to Chelsea.
Once again, Remy was great to start off with, finishing his first season with seven league goals in 6 starts and 13 appearances from the bench, but was unable to carry that into his second campaign and was loaned to Crystal Palace, for whom he played eight games without scoring. And with that, he was gone from English football forever.
44. Lucas Neill
A hard-tackling and old-fashioned Australian right-back with a disciplinary record to match, Neill took his first steps in senior football at Millwall and made a name for himself in the lower tiers before getting a move to Blackburn Rovers.
Neill’s form attracted interest from Liverpool in the January 2007 transfer window – not popularly, after he had broken Jamie Carragher’s leg with a tackle some years area – but opted to join West Ham instead. Neill cited a lack of personal contact from Rafa Benitez as the primary factor.
43. Shola Ameobi
A lot was expected of the 6ft 3in centre-forward when he broke through the Newcastle United academy, and in truth he never got there with his goalscoring tally – not that it stopped Newcastle from giving him a whole 14 years to come good.
In fairness to Ameobi, the pressure of expectation that he might be a long-term successor to Alan Shearer would be much too much for anybody to live up to. His excellent work ethic, likeable personality and goalscoring record against Sunderland (seven in seven from 2005-12) made him a favourite nonetheless, with the latter earning him the nickname ‘The Mackem Slayer’.
His appearance on MTV's Cribs is still legendary.
42. Hugo Rodallega
Yes, we’re going to get a lot of Wigan in this list. The Colombian winger with distinctive long hair arrived from his home country in 2009 and soon started to show he had a flair for the spectacular that became more and more of a hallmark of that hard-working Athletic side after Roberto Martinez took over as manager.
Rodellega scored the winning goal against Stoke City that confirmed Wigan’s safety from relegation on the final day in 2011, and went on to help guide Fulham out of a period of poor early-season form with some vital goals soon after joining in 2012.
41. Brad Friedel
The record holder for most consecutive Premier League appearances, the goalkeeper went over eight years without missing a single league game for Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa or Tottenham from 2004-2012. Also, playing at Galatasaray under Graeme Souness is unbelievably Barclays, for some reason.
On top of that sheer longevity, Friedel established himself as a cult hero. His story could have ended after he flopped at Liverpool, but Friedel gradually earned himself more and more respect for his increasingly impressive performances. Friedel also has a delightful (1) in his “Apps (Gls)” column, having once scored a last-minute equaliser Blackburn against Charlton… only to concede at the other end moments later.
40. Jermain Defoe
Defoe came of age just as Barclays were getting their teeth into the Premier League – and by the time he hung up his boots in 2022 he was nestled into the top ten all-time leading goalscorers in Premier League history, one shy of Robbie Fowler in ninth place.
The bulk of these goals came during two stints with Tottenham, where he remains one of the fans’ most popular players of the modern era. He was also a regular in the England set-up, netting 20 goals in 57 Three Lions appearances.
39. Peter Crouch
The man who inspired more cliches than any other player in the 2000s, 42-time England international Crouch could have become one of the defining players of the ‘Barclaysmen’ era… were it not for becoming a household name in retirement.
Whether it was his ability to utilise his ‘good touch for a big man’ or his ‘Plan B’ differential abilities, Crouch delivered the goods for Southampton, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Spurs, and Stoke in the Premier League, while on the international front he introduced the robot dance to a whole new generation.
38. Dimitar Berbatov
“There is a saying in Bulgaria - great quality doesn’t require much effort,” Dimitar Berbatov told the Mirror in 2011 and who are we to argue?
Depending on your point of view, the Bulgarian forward’s laconic style meant he was either lazy or a technical genius. If you watch back the former Tottenham, Manchester United and Fulham forward’s greatest goals now, then you’ll no doubt opt for the latter: if we ever come back as a footballer in a future life, we want to be like him.
37. Djibril Cisse
Former Liverpool striker Cisse – or Lord of the Manor of Frodsham as he was known after his purchase of a manor house in Cheshire – arrived in the Premier League in 2004 to much hype. And that was just from the region’s hairdressers…
A gruesome leg break suffered just three months into his Liverpool career stalled his progress, but the Frenchman returned before the end of the 2004/05 season to feature in the famous Champions League win over Milan. He would only last two seasons at Anfield before heading back to France with Marseille but did return to the Premier League in 2011 for an 18-month spell with QPR.
36. James Beattie
James Beattie and his frosted tips epitomised the ‘Barclaysman’ era, with the striker bursting onto the scene after completing the ‘Reverse Shearer’ in moving from Blackburn Rovers to Southampton. He would net 91 Premier League goals during top-flight stints with Saints, Everton and then Stoke City.
The Lancaster-born forward had power, strength, was comfortable on the ball and had a deadly right foot and would win five England caps, but was unable to usurp Emile Heskey from the role of the traditional centre-forward in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team. Beattie went into coaching after hanging up his boots and after a year-long spell at Accrington Stanely, he joined up with Garry Monk and was part of his backroom staff at Swansea, Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday.
35. Amr Zaki
Having used players from seemingly every other country on earth, Wigan finally did the reasonable thing and turned to a loanee from Egyptian giants Zamalek by bringing in Zaki for the 2008/09.
Zaki’s persistent refusal to return home from international duty on time drove Steve Bruce around the bend (like a twisted flax), extraordinarily leading the manager to say in a club statement, "I just feel it's time that we went public on just what a nightmare he has been to deal with because I can honestly say that in all my time in football I have never worked with someone as unprofessional.”
Still… Zaki got ten goals in 29 Premier League appearances to help Wigan finish 11th, so… worth it? (He later played for Hull, but there was absolutely nothing notable about that six-game spell.)
34. Kevin Phillips
The fact Kevin Phillips didn’t actually make the Premier League 100 club (ending up with 92 goals overall) made him easier to include on this list. That would have made the former Sunderland great too polished, maybe a little mainstream.
The only Englishman to win the Premier League golden boot between Michael Owen in 1999 and Harry Kane in 2016, 26-year-old Phillips stunned everyone in 1999/2000 by smashing in 30 goals for newly-promoted Sunderland to help them finish 7th. Phillips was never able to reach those kinds of numbers again, but nonetheless remained a reliable goalscorer for Sunderland and then Southampton, earning eight England caps along the way.
The striker spent the rest of his career specialising in helping sides get promoted from the Championship but not always following them up. West Brom, Birmingham, Crystal Palace and finally Leicester benefited from exactly that service, before Phillips finally hung up his boots in 2014, aged 40.
33. Kevin Nolan
There is probably nobody more Bolton Wanderers or more Sam Allardyce than Nolan, who came through the club’s youth system just in time to enjoy – and play a key part in – their rise to a lengthy and successful Premier League spell. Bolton brought in flair players to help them on their way, but bruising goalscoring midfielder Nolan was the player it was built around.
His best goalscoring form actually came at Newcastle, though, for whom he scored 29 times across two seasons (one in the Championship, one in the Premier League) before joining West Ham. He repeated the trick there, helping Allardyce’s side get promoted with 12 goals and then helping them establish themselves in mid-table with a further ten.
32. Youri Djorkaeff
Youri Djorkaeff’s career took him to some of the most glamorous cities on the planet. Monaco, Paris, Milan, New York and… Bolton.
The anti-Nolan, as he was in many ways, had already claimed World Cup and Euros gold with France when he made the unlikely move to the Reebok Stadium in 2002 aged 33.
For two and a half seasons, Djorkaeff served as the link between Bolton’s more muscular players and their more creative stars – as well as chipping in with goals at a rate of roughly one every four games. At Blackburn, he could barely last longer than an hour. He still had class.
31. Ali Al-Habsi
You are a true streets-won’t-forget Premier League player if you’re the only player from your country to have played in England’s top flight. Still the Premier League’s only Omani, Al-Habsi had spells at Bolton, Brighton, Reading and West Bromwich Albion but is best remembered for his time at Wigan Athletic.
Despite Wigan’s overall poor defensive record, the goalkeeper was particularly useful to have in Fantasy Premier League thanks to his penalty-saving ability. Al-Habsi kept out six spot kicks in 111 top-flight outings, ranking him among a lot of much better-tenured stoppers in the all-time Premier League table. Naturally, that means Wigan’s player of the season for 2010/11 makes our list.
30. Mohamed Diame
In 2024, Mo Diame is best remembered for perhaps the most bizarre goal of all time for Newcastle away at Brighton during the Magpies’ Championship-winning season. A wayward shot from a teammate was heading wide before ricocheting off Diame’s heel and spinning into the far corner. It is a genuinely unique goal, almost impossible to repeat.
But years before, Diame was tearing around Premier League midfields for Hull, West Ham and most memorably Wigan. Somehow skilful and clumsy at the same time, not quick but rarely beaten to a loose ball, Diame was something of an enigma right through his career - and we loved him for it.
29. Obafemi Martins
You know a striker is slightly bonkers when they approach a penalty kick not knowing which foot to use.
But that was exactly what Obafemi Martins at Newcastle did: one of only two players in Premier League history to score penalties with both feet (the slightly less mad figure of Bobby Zamora is the other). Martins’ memorable screamer away at Tottenham and his somersaulting celebrations during three otherwise dreary seasons for the Magpies ensure he won’t be forgotten.
28. Shaun Wright-Phillips
27. Jussi Jaaskelainen
You’d be hard pressed to find a more ‘Barclays’ career than Jussi Jaaskelainen. Bolton, West Ham and Wigan made up the Fins’ professional spell in England, with his best form coming for Sam Allardyce’s Wanderers.
Jussi was everything a cult hero goalkeeper should be – equally capable of a blinding save or a match-losing moment of madness, and you never knew which was next. His greatest moment? Saving two penalties in three minutes during a 1-0 win at Blackburn to send Bolton third (yes, third) in the table behind Manchester United and Chelsea.
26. Nwankwo Kanu
As the chant goes, ‘King Kanu Kanu, he's older than me and you, his real age is 62, King Kanu Kanu.’
Tall but not reliant on heading ability, Kanu played with a graceful first touch and quick feet to deceive defenders. He'd a hell of a life at Arsenal alongside Henry and Bergkamp, before he was reincarnated as a midtable superstar. He had an origin story at Ajax, a stint at Inter Milan – but ticked all the boxes a Barclaysman must.
The Nigerian was signed by Harry Redknapp, for a start – always a strong sign – who claimed Kanu was deep into his 40s when he wafted the carrot of a Pompey contract in front of his nose. An FA Cup final winner for 'Arry and a miss of the season from two yards out for West Brom merely added to his legend: as recently as 2016, he was scoring hat-tricks in an Arsenal legend fixture against Milan. A true Barclaysman never loses it.
25. Steven Pienaar
Ask average football fans for the greatest left-side combination in Premier League history and you’ll often get, Dennis Irwin and Ryan Giggs, or Ashley Cole and Robert Pires as a predictable response. But for those who really know the game, Steven Pienaar’s partnership with Leighton Baines was a thing of beauty.
Pienaar could really play, combining mazy dribbles with intelligent passing and quickly becoming a fans favourite at Goodison Park. The South Africa international was Everton’s player of the season for 2009/10 despite missing 11 games with injury. Not the biggest or the quickest, Pienaar relied on nothing but pure footballing ability; they don’t make them like Steven anymore.
24. Kevin Davies
Back in 2010, Kevin Davies received his first England cap at the age of 33. Realistically he was never going to be part of the Three Lions’ future. Instead his appearance should be seen as more of a tribute to a mid-2000s Premier League great.
A decade at Bolton saw Davies become a key part of Sam Allardyce’s direct approach, with the striker frequently finishing the season with the highest number of fouls in the league. Capable of bashing about any defender that dared cross his path, Davies ended his top flight career with 88 goals (impressive) and 99 yellow cards (even more impressive). Fittingly, that only England appearance saw Davies booked during a 20-minute cameo from the bench.
23. Lomana LuaLua
As a striker with a record of 24 Premier League goals across seven years, younger readers may wonder what all the fuss is about with Lomana Tresor LuaLua. But the Congolese striker was about so much more than just goals (which, really, is lucky for him).
His gymnastic balance and agility combined with decent pace made him a thrilling watch. He’d even throw in somersault celebrations for good measure. Two memories stand out above all others: firstly, scoring against Newcastle whilst playing for them – firing home in the last minute while on-loan at Portsmouth and celebrating with his trademark somersaults.
Secondly, injuring himself a few years later after scoring for Portsmouth, due to an awkward landing following the acrobatic celebration. Football heritage.
22. Shaka Hislop
Former NASA intern Shaka Hislop originally wanted to play as a striker, only to be thrown into goal during a youth team game back home in Trinidad as he was the tallest player on the team.
‘Shak’ went on to be one of the most recognisable Premier League stoppers in the nineties and noughties. A huge presence between the sticks at 6ft 6, Hislop had memorable spells at Newcastle, West Ham and Portsmouth. Were it not for two stunning goals (one in the final seconds) from the Liverpool number eight, the 2006 FA Cup final would have in fact been known as the ‘Hislop final’ rather than the ‘Gerrard final.’
21. Bafetimbi Gomis
Often players who have built up a reputation amongst fans via how good they are on Football Manager, fail to live up to it in real life. See Mark Kerr, Freddy Adu and others.
Bafetimbi Gomis was different. When he finally arrived in the Premier League from Lyon, signing for Swansea in 2014, he showed what all the fuss was about. A mobile target man who could bully defenders at will, with the iconic ‘black panther’ goal celebration in his pocket, Gomis was loved beyond Swansea.
20. Laurent Robert
Few mid-2000s Premier League stars can boast a more entertaining goal highlight reel than Newcastle star Laurent Robert.
The French winger had a wand of a left foot, capable of pace and power simultaneously. Robert might struggle in today’s modern game - he wasn’t a fan of defending from the front - but what a player he was at the time.
Few players have contested their own goal of the season contest in one game, either, but Robert did. If you’ve not seen his double at home to Tottenham in December 2003, you’re missing out. Here's the first, here's the second… and here he is inexplicably tw*tting the ball into Olivier Bernard's face.
19. Craig Bellamy
Bobby Robson, manager of probably the best period of Craig Bellamy’s career, described him as a “great player wrapped round an unusual and volatile character.”
It summed up the Wales manager perfectly. Often Bellamy’s off-the-field incidents overshadowed just how good he was on it. If anything he remains underrated to this day.
During his years at Newcastle and Blackburn in particular, Bellamy had frighteningly quick pace and would terrify defenders. His finishing and energy made him one of the best strikers in the league for a number of years.
18. Steed Malbranque
Sometimes you can be well remembered as a scorer of great goals, rather than a great scorer of goals. This is exactly why so many football fans love Steed Malbranque, who was very much the former.
The French midfielder never got more than ten a season in England, and only once scored more than six. But those goals were often works of art, precise long-range strikes that most mere mortals could only dream of.
17. Bobby Zamora
A legend across the Premier League and EFL, Bobby Zamora’s career took off upon arriving at West Ham in 2004. The striker made 130 appearances for the Hammers over four seasons at Upton Park offering a consistent stream of goals on the way to the infamous 2005 FA Cup final defeat against Liverpool.
His form helped to facilitate a move across London to Fulham in 2008 as he led the line on the way to the UEFA Cup final alongside club heroes Zoltan Gera and Clint Dempsey, finishing the campaign as the club’s top goalscorer. He later established himself as a Queens Park Rangers hero, helping them back into the big time with a play-off final winner in 2014 before rounding off a remarkable career with one final season back with Brighton in 2016.
Rarely prolific, Zamora’s knack for scoring big goals in big moments has granted him hero status at a number of clubs as well as respect across England’s top flight.
16. Niko Kranjcar
Niko Kranjcar is one-half of arguably the most famous manager-player relationship of the 2000s due to his close ties with Harry Redknapp. The midfielder played under Redknapp at Portsmouth, Tottenham and Queens Park Rangers.
A technical wizard with an eye for the spectacular, Kranjcar lit up the Premier League with his remarkable goal catalogue, helping a struggling Pompey to FA Cup success in 2008 before following Redknapp to White Hart Lane. Despite an initial bright start, the Croatian eventually found minutes difficult to come by, departing for Dinamo Zagreb in 2012 before returning to Redknapp’s side at QPR a year later.
15. Juninho
A diminutive Brazilian arriving on Teeside was always certain to cause excitement amongst Middlesbrough as Juninho’s move from Sao Paolo was announced in 1995. Deployed as an attacking midfielder, Junionho’s influence helped Boro to a League Cup and FA Cup final in 1997, although relegation saw him depart for Atletico Madrid in 1998.
However, come the turn of the millennium, the fan favourite made an emotional return, initially on loan before re-signing permanently. His dazzling performances returned almost immediately, re-establishing himself as one of the most exciting players in the country on the way to Middlesbrough’s run to the 2004 League Cup title, the club’s only major honour so far. He was voted the club’s greatest-ever player by fans and remains a legend in Teeside to this day.
14. Mark Viduka
🇦🇺 Mark Viduka x Stereophonics#Barclaysmen pic.twitter.com/7rJRNFHuWaSeptember 10, 2024
A journeyman of the highest order, Mark Viduka’s Premier League career spans across nine years and three massive clubs. The Australian joined Leeds in 2000 from Celtic and hit the ground running immediately, netting 22 goals in each of his first two campaigns at Elland Road as the club surged to a top-four finish before financial issues sent them spiralling down the divisions.
Viduka was the marquee signing for a Middlesbrough side preparing for UEFA Cup action in 2004, joining for £4.5 million. His remarkable form continued as he quickly became a fan favourite during his three-year stay at the Riverside before departing on a free transfer to Newcastle to spend the final two years of his career.
The complete striker, Viduka’s 92 Premier League goals have cemented his place as one of the league’s greatest-ever strikers.
13. Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill x Editors#Barclaysmen pic.twitter.com/58gGro4m5qSeptember 9, 2024
Undoubtedly one of Everton’s greatest players of the Premier League era, Tim Cahill actually began his career in England at Millwall in the second division, spending six years in London before departing to Merseyside.
The Australian striker built a reputation as one of the most deadly players in the air across his eight years in the Premier League, despite his five-foot-ten frame as the Blue side of Liverpool enjoyed a consistent run of European finishes under David Moyes.
A key part of the side which reached the 2009 FA Cup final, Cahill made 226 appearances for the Toffees before departing for New York in 2012, leaving behind a lasting legacy at Goodison Park, with his trademark boxing celebration leaving corner flags worldwide in danger to this day.
12 and 11. Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse
The Senegalese striker partners that sent shivers down Premier League defences, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse were once the most formidable duo in the country for a period of time. Born in 2012, the partnership exploded with Cisse’s remarkable form upon arriving at Newcastle in the January window, scoring 13 Premier League goals in just half a season.
A perfect mix of pace, power and immaculate finishing, the duo combined to fire Newcastle to a fifth-placed finish that season, featuring wins away to Chelsea and at home to Everton, with the Stamford Bridge trip resulting in Cisse scoring one of the league’s greatest-ever goals.
Demba Ba would go on to join Chelsea just 12 months after Cisse’s arrival, with neither player able to hit the same heights again, yet no one will ever forget the year they spent on top of the world in Tyneside.
10. Zoltan Gera
Despite his status as a cult hero at West Brom nowadays, Zoltan Gera was once the poster boy for the club’s struggles as they stared down the barrel of relegation in 2005. Undeterred by public criticism, a drastic rise in form saw Gera play an integral part in the Baggies’ great escape.
He remained loyal through relegation to the championship a year later before eventually departing for Fulham in 2009, immediately becoming a key player for the West London outfit as they surged to an unlikely UEFA Cup final, scoring crucial goals along the way. The Hungary international developed an eye for the extraordinary over his teen year stint in England, including a return to West Brom in 2011, with goals from distance making up the majority of his fairly sparse scoring catalogue.
9. Tugay Kerimoglu
Another #Rovers legend, another certified #Barclaysman 🤩Tugay x Maximo Park 🎶#Barclaysmen 🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/taBGjwE7uOSeptember 11, 2024
Tugay joined Blackburn from Rangers at the age of 30 years old – yet he left as their best-ever Premier League player. With almost 300 appearances, the Turkish midfield maestro dazzled his Ewood audience with a brand of brilliance that combined running the engine room by himself with unleashing rockets from range: born in Istanbul, but spiritually Brazilian.
Ali Dia aside, Tugay became arguably Graeme Souness's defining buy, having captained Galatasaray under the Scot during the 90s. Helping Rovers to a League Cup final, then a sixth-place finish, Tugay was the artist among the bruisers: it was frequently noted that he could be playing at an elite level.
He's still the only Blackburn star to ever finish third at a World Cup. He rivals Alan Shearer as the club's greatest modern player. And he's still the only player to turn Ewood red-and-white, leaving after eight seasons in a goalless on-the-beach-already draw against West Brom. He's far more than ‘cult’ in that corner of Lancashire.
8. Geovanni
Geovanni arrived in England with plenty of fanfare. Capped at senior level with Brazil, and once an $18 million signing for Barcelona, the midfielder joined Manchester City in 2007 looking to reignite his career.
Scoring the winner against Manchester United helped fans warm to him immediately, helped by a dazzling ability to beat a man and a tendency for the odd screamer. He was, however, released in 2008 after failing to secure a contract extension, joining fellow Premier League outfit Hull City that same summer.
It was here that the samba star really kicked on, notching the Tigers’ first-ever Premier League goal, before rifling a belter against Arsenal just a month later, helping them to their only away win over the Gunners. Geovanni ended the season as the club’s player of the season, helping them narrowly avoid relegation and securing his status as a Hull City and Premier League cult hero.
7. Roque Santa Cruz
A towering South American with a keen eye for goal, as well as 150-odd appearances for Bayern Munich, Roque Santa Cruz possessed all the attributes to take the Premier League by storm.
The striker joined Blackburn in 2007 in a €5 million deal from the German giants and hit the ground running immediately. Santa Cruz netted 19 goals in his debut campaign in England, helping the Rovers to an unlikely seventh-placed finish in the league.
Six months later, the Paraguayan was on the move again, this time in a £17.5 million deal to Manchester City following their recent influx in cash. A handful of appearances in Manchester saw Santa Cruz lose the form that once dazzled fans, but his legacy was already secured, and at 43 years old, he still plays professionally to this day.
6. Adel Taraabt
A trailblazer of the ‘streets won’t forget’ movement, Adel Taraabt is one of the most technically gifted footballers in Premier League history, despite failing to even get close to his lofty potential.
The Moroccan lit up the championship under Neil Warnock at Queens Park Rangers before carrying that form into the Premier League, albeit on a less consistent basis. The king of nutmegs and seemingly able to sidefoot a shot into the bottom corner from any range, Taraabt personified the phrase ‘edge of your seat’.
Attitude problems later tarred his reputation in England before departing permanently in 2015, but no one can forget the jaw-dropping magic the midfielder once displayed at will.
5. Yakubu
King of the #Barclaysmen: Yakubu Ayegbeni. 👑@thecultraspod 🇳🇬 @NGSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/xOhOAQPV3TSeptember 12, 2024
The things that Yakubu has been centre-stage for in the Premier League – from Blackburn fans infamously releasing a chicken onto the pitch in protest of their owners, to scoring back-to-back Portsmouth hat-tricks – cement him in the very tapestry of the league's lore.
The Bayeux Barclaysman himself was the very model of a midtable hitman during his pomp, leading Portsmouth up before becoming Boro's biggest buy ever. He took a shirt number at Everton just as a target to hit that many goals in the season; he scored all four goals in 4-2 win for Rovers. Even now, he's the fourth-highest African scorer in Prem history with 96, leaving memories a-plenty and echoes from terraces of ‘feeding the Yak’.
That he scored hat-tricks with three different Premier League clubs – the only man to do so solely in the 21st Century – highlights quite how box-office he could be wherever he laid his hat, on his long and winding road from the northeast to the south coast via Lancashire and Merseyside. A true cult hit.
4. Jay-Jay Okocha
Consider it done 🤝Couldn't leave Jay-Jay out of the trend 💫#bwfc https://t.co/DWZudobLc9 pic.twitter.com/qvGUujZTqTSeptember 12, 2024
Arguably, the pioneering Barclaysman to which all others hold a candle, perhaps we'll never truly know how much Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha influenced Paris Saint-Germain team-mate and fellow artist, Ronaldinho. We've got a fairly good grasp on just how he changed the Premier League forever, mind.
Okocha wasn't just the face of Sam Allardyce's home for retired Galacticos up at the Reebok, he was the heart, soul and sinew. He joined in 2002, scored the winner on the final day of the season to keep Bolton in the big time and proceeded to drive them to eighth, then sixth.
The combination of the Nigerian's deftness, grace and will to work for the team was pivotal to a revolution in the northwest – and a cultural shift in English football. He's still revered to this day by those who never even supported the Trotters.
3. Michu
Perhaps the greatest one-season wonder in Premier League history, Michu’s 2012/13 season with Swansea will go down in Premier League folklore for all the right reasons. Having recently joined as an attacking midfielder, the Spaniard netted in each of his first three games, pairing a towering frame with spectacular on-the-ball ability.
He went on to score 18 league goals, as well as helping Swansea to the League Cup that season. Injuries then hindered his ability to kick on, eventually forcing him to retire in his early thirties, however, Michu’s legacy lives on thanks to one special, special campaign.
2. Rory Delap
My word. Not sure a compilation has ever gone this hard. The ultimate #Barclaysmen — Rory Delappic.twitter.com/cmLac38KiwSeptember 9, 2024
The man who made throw-ins the most dangerous set piece of them all for a period of time, Rory Delap needs no introduction on this list. A key figure in Tony Pulis’ Stoke side that frustrated their way to Europe in their prime, Delap’s remarkable ability to launch the ball from a throw-in became one of the most terrifying moves in the league, helped further by the sheer size of his teammates.
Of Stoke’s opening 13 goals of the 2008/09 season, seven were assisted by Delap throws, such was the devastation caused by his ability. An iconic player in an iconic team, a true ‘Barclaysman’.
1. Morten Gamst Pederson
We had to jump on this trend with the most quintessential #Barclaysman of them all 😅Morten Gamst Pedersen x The Subways 🎶#Barclaysmen | #Rovers 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/lb1dE6v6FESeptember 10, 2024
The mid-late 2000s Blackburn team is arguably the most highly-concentrated source of ‘Barclaysmen’ in the country, but no one typifies the name more than Morten Gamst Pedersen.
A beautiful blend of outrageous talent and frustrating inconsistency, when Pedersen put it all together there were few more entertaining players in the league at the time. Theatrical dives and wonder strikes were certain to keep fans entertained regardless of the outcome of the match.
Pedersen spent nine years at Ewood Park, ensuring he became a Blackburn legend, but the sheer wow factor on the field helped secure a place in the neutral’s heart as well.
