Best ten Premier League players revealed.
The writers at the Daily Telegraph have picked their top one hundred Premier League players of all time, with a Manchester United legend pipping a former Arsenal great to first place.
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With so many world class players having played in England’s top division now, it is difficult to narrow down the very best in the league’s history, with almost any of these players in the top ten likely to be considered as strong contenders for first place.
Still, the top ten has now been revealed, and perhaps unsurprisingly it is former Manchester United players who dominate, with so many greats playing for the Old Trafford club and contributing to their immense success in the last two decades.
Continue reading to see who finished in the top ten:
10) Frank Lampard
The only former Chelsea player in the final ten of the list, Manchester City star Frank Lampard will always be best remembered for his long career at Stamford Bridge, during which he became one of the best players in the world and undoubtedly one of the best players ever to grace the Premier League.
9) Dennis Bergkamp
A class act, former Arsenal forward Dennis Bergkamp comes in at 9th place, though some would argue he could be even higher on pure ability alone. One of the first truly world class players to come to England from abroad, Bergkamp changed the face of the Premier League forever.
8) Eric Cantona
Another hugely entertaining import in the earlier years of the Premier League, Eric Cantona was a massive player for Manchester United and helped establish Sir Alex Ferguson’s side as a dominant force of the game.
7) Patrick Vieira
An outstandingly competitive midfield player, Patrick Vieira combined great physical presence with technical ability like few others, and is certainly an all-time great for the Premier League as well as for Arsenal, whom he led to three Premier League titles.
6) Cristiano Ronaldo
Despite arguably peaking after leaving Manchester United for a move to La Liga giants Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly among the finest players to grace the game over here, having reached incredible goalscoring levels in his final few seasons at Old Trafford.
5) Paul Scholes
A long-serving great, Paul Scholes is certainly a special talent and one of the most gifted English players of his generation, having inspired immense success during his time at Manchester United.
4) Alan Shearer
The all-time leading Premier League scorer, there can be no disputing Alan Shearer’s place in this list, and again some may argue he is deserving of a higher finish due to his incredible goalscoring record and contribution to the English game.
3) Roy Keane
Up there with Patrick Vieira as an all-time midfield great, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane’s willingness to win made him a force to be reckoned with on the pitch and he is perhaps one of the club’s most important players in the Premier League era.
2) Thierry Henry
A sensational talent, former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry is the highest scoring foreign player in Premier League history, and he did things on the football pitch that no one else could even dream of. On talent alone, the Frenchman might be first on this list, though he has been picked second here.
1) Ryan Giggs
Voted in 1st place is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs. The Welshman was a highly exciting young talent in the early days of the Premier League and went on to represent the Red Devils for his entire career, becoming almost synonymous with the English top flight. Giggs remained a highly influential member of the club’s first-team until retiring last season with the biggest collection of honours of anyone in the English game.
List courtesy of the Daily Telegraph.