Over the past two months, The Athletic have been counting down the 60 greatest players to have ever graced the Premier League.
Called ‘The Premier League 60,’ the series was designed to “reflect and honour the greatest players to have graced and illuminated the English top flight in the modern era, as voted for by our writers.”
Naming just the greatest player in England’s top-flight in the past 28 years is hard enough. Naming the top 10 is incredibly difficult. But naming the top 60 is a nigh-on impossible task.
The list is sure to upset plenty of fans but let’s take a look at what The Athletic have come up with:
60 | Les Ferdinand
59 | Jamie Carragher
58 | Carlos Tevez
57 | David de Gea
56 | Jurgen Klinsmann
55 | Gary Neville
54 | Paolo Di Canio
53 | Teddy Sheringham
52 | Sol Campbell
51 | Luka Modric
60-51 summary:
Just one current Premier League player features in this section - Manchester United’s David de Gea. The 10th and 11th top goalscorers in Premier League history also feature with Les Ferdinand and Teddy Sheringham featuring. Ballon d’Or winner, Luka Modric, just misses out on the top 50.
50 | Ruud van Nistelrooy
49 | Robin van Persie
48 | Robert Pires
47 | Edwin van der Sar
46 | Claude Makelele
45 | Matt Le Tissier
44 | James Milner
43 | David Ginola
42 | Robbie Fowler
41 | Jamie Vardy
50-41 summary:
Jamie Vardy was playing non-league football not so long ago and now he’s ranked as the 41st best player in Premier League history. Former United strikers, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie sneak into the top 50.
40 | Gary Speed
39 | Virgil van Dijk
38 | Raheem Sterling
37 | Sadio Mane
36 | Michael Owen
35 | N’Golo Kante
34 | Luis Suarez
33 | Harry Kane
32 | Cesc Fabregas
31 | Yaya Toure
40-31 summary:
A lot of current and former Liverpool representatives with Virgil van Dijk, Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mane, Michael Owen and Luis Suarez in the 40-31 section. Current Premier League stars, N’Golo Kane and Harry Kane also feature.
30 | Gianfranco Zola
29 | Petr Cech
28 | Ian Wright
27 | Didier Drogba
26 | Gareth Bale
25 | Mohamed Salah
24 | Kevin de Bruyne
23 | Tony Adams
22 | Andy Cole
21 | Vincent Kompany
30-21 summary:
PFA Player of the Year winner Kevin de Bruyne comes in at No.24, ahead of the likes of Didier Drogba and Gareth Bale. Meanwhile, current Liverpool star Mohamed Salah just makes the top 25. Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany doesn’t quite break into the top 20.
20 | Ashley Cole
19 | Paul Scholes
18 | David Beckham
17 | Peter Schmeichel
16 | Eden Hazard
15 | Dennis Bergkamp
14 | John Terry
13 | Patrick Vieira
12 | David Silva
11 | Rio Ferdinand
20-11 summary:
Paul Scholes has to settle for 19th, which certainly surprises us. He finds himself behind Eden Hazard (16th) and David Silva (12th). Dennis Bergkamp may also be disappointed with being No.15.
10 | Sergio Aguero
9 | Wayne Rooney
8 | Steven Gerrard
7 | Roy Keane
6 | Frank Lampard
5 | Cristiano Ronaldo
4 | Ryan Giggs
3 | Eric Cantona
2 | Alan Shearer
1 | Thierry Henry
10-1 summary:
Thierry Henry is the greatest player to play in the Premier League. We’re not going to argue with that. The Frenchman scored 175 goals in 258 matches for Arsenal and was simply sensational during his nine years in the league.
Meanwhile, the Premier League’s record goalscorer, Alan Shearer finishes second with Eric Cantona, perhaps surpassingly, also making the podium. Ryan Giggs and Cristiano Ronaldo make up the top five, while Frank Lampard edges out fellow centre-midfielders Roy Keane and Steven Gerrard. Wayne Rooney and Sergio Aguero complete the top 10.