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Top 10 Greatest Premier League Players of all Time (no, no 1 is NOT Henry)
Ever since 20 February 1992, when 22 of the biggest football teams in England broke away from the now defunct First Division, the Premier League has now grown to become the biggest football league in the world, with a fanbase of billions of people from around the world. Over its 30-year history, the top flight of English football has produced many world stars in its grand playground, with some leaving behind memories treasured in the forms of either a thunderous finish or a heroic save.
Bear in mind, that this is a purely subjective list based on my own beliefs and opinions, proof of which is already in the title of this article/blog/post. Thus, without further ado, here are my top 10, based on their legacy, their achievements, and their prowess.
10. Sergio Aguero – Arguably the greatest South American player to ever play in the Premier League, Aguero acquired legendary status in his very first season with Manchester City, scoring a goal in the 93rd minute to win City their very first PL title. Over the years, he had proved himself as the epitome of what a striker is supposed to be and ended up winning City 4 more titles, as well as becoming their all-time top scorer.
9. Mohamed Salah – On 22nd June 2017, a then relatively unknown Mohamed Salah came to Liverpool as a former Chelsea reject and underrated talent. 180 matches, 118 goals, a Champions League, FA Cup, and a League trophy later, he ended up as currently one of the best strikers on Earth, with his explosive talent showcasing itself almost every time he stepped on the grass.
8. Alan Shearer – Before any of these big names on the list were dominating the English football scene, Shearer was the first one there, the very first superstar the Premier League ever produced. Everyone knows his claim to fame comes from his record as the Premier League’s all-time top scorer, but fewer know that he was part of a Blackburn Rovers team that beat a then up-and-coming Manchester United squad, at the time when they were just approaching their prime, with him scoring 34 goals in 40 games that season, which pretty much brought about his arrival into the football scene as a huge inspiration to the hard-working lower classmen in England.
7. Peter Schmeichel – Too many people, a perfect goalkeeper is someone who can not only be a hero between the sticks, but also an imposing figure, someone who can strike terror into the hearts of other strikers. Peter Schmeichel was that one goalkeeper. 5-time Premier League and Danish Superliga champion, European Champion in the year 1992, 41% clean sheet percentage, almost 300 clean sheets, no wonder people call him one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time.
6. Eric Cantona – Cantona is one of the biggest examples of the belief that numbers don’t always mean anything. In terms of actual stats, Cantona should not have broken past the top 10 barriers in the first place, but it was just his sheer charisma, elegance, and his composure that made him so deadly and reliable. Cantona was responsible for helping build Manchester United into a football juggernaut, and even today, King Eric’s legacy lives on.
5. Steven Gerrard – If Cristiano Ronaldo had an eagle eye for passing and played
midfield instead of striker, he could hold a candle as compared to the red
the giant that was Steven Gerrard. Arguably the greatest player to never win the
competition, his talent was unsurpassable and his positioning skills were as
precise as a surgeon. Very few people showed that much footballing IQ on the pitch as much as Gerrard did.
4. Paul Scholes – As I said earlier, very few people showed such a high footballing IQ as Gerrard did, and Paul Scholes was not only part of that group, but was possibly the most intelligent player to ever step on a football pitch. Like Gerrard, he also could score and play anywhere up the pitch, but perhaps the biggest thing which separates the two of them is that Scholes had the rare ability to orchestrate the game according to his will, with the help of his positioning skills and short passing. Scholes has a reputation of being your favorite midfielder’s favorite midfielder, with players like Xavi, Zidane, Socrates, Carlos Tevez, and even Thierry Henry giving him his due praise.
3. Ryan Giggs – If longevity was a person, it would probably be Ryan Giggs. Never has there been such a player who could maintain a highly effective and physical playing style for such a long time as Ryan Giggs has ever done. Giggs had the almighty and divine gift of the assist, and wherever you are in the box, Giggs will always find you is the stuff of legend. He was arguably the greatest assistant the world has ever seen, and it’s no wonder that he holds the record for most assists in the League. He and Paul Scholes were teammates for their entire careers, with both winning the League 10 times, and being part of the Champions League winning squad of 1999 and 2004.
2. Thierry Henry – Thierry Henry was an absolute monster in Arsenal, smashing records left and right such as most Golden Boot wins, most assists in a season, the only player to rack in 20+ goals and assists in a single season, one of the few players to go undefeated in a season, but perhaps the main reason he was remembered so reverently for his time in the Premier League is that he was the people’s champion, the people’s hero, one who would play just like how millions of kids and teenagers imagined how they wished to play, and Henry was that one player. However, how no matter how mercurial a striker he was, there can be only one that takes the top spot.
1. Wayne Rooney – Henry may have been a hero to the masses and an excellent football player, but there are still some players that have honed their footballing skills to such an extreme level that their positions end up becoming cardinal traits. Similar to this, Wayne Rooney was the pure amalgamation of what a striker is supposed to be: ruthless, strong, energetic, selfish for goals, and an unnatural animal instinct. Along with being a 5-time PL winner, a Champions League winner, and Man United’s all-time top goalscorer, the most important thing was that whether you like it or not, it was Rooney who was the true face and personification of the Premier League and was very important to the league’s growth in terms of fame and audience. For a short time, albeit, the Premier League was his stage, and he was the lead actor.
Saarnav Das
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