The evolution of English football has seen the Premier League emerge as a passion shared worldwide. The league has played host to the development of some of the greatest talents the world of football has seen, with fans tuning in from every corner of the globe to catch a glimpse of the magic.
Who is the greatest Premier League player of all time? A question that will never stop being argued by fans in households and pubs across the planet. So here at NetBet, we’ve done our best to help you come to a decision – with a few stats that you might be able to use to prove your point the next time you decide to jump into the debate that this question undoubtedly sparks.
5. Ryan Giggs – Manchester United
Ryan Giggs is the single best example of a dying breed of traditional winger. Electrifying pace, the ability to turn on a sixpence and crossing that every striker dreams of – United fans were treated to it 963 times.
The Welshman tops the table for most goals created in Premier League history and it’s not even close. 162 times he assisted teammates, whilst chipping in 109 goals of his own along the way. 23 seasons of raw talent and 34 trophies to show for it- 34! He has won more trophies than Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs.
He set the league alight at just 17 years old and continued to do so until the ripe old age of 40. Giggs made the game look easy, with an almost effortless style of dribbling and an air of arrogance that only the best can get away with. No goal better sums the winger up than his FA Cup semi-final winner against Arsenal.
With the game between England’s two powerhouses tied at 1-1 in extra time, Giggs latched onto a pass on the halfway line. What followed was mesmerising. He began to glide past a first, a second, a third and then a fourth on his way to burying the ball in the top corner. Then commenced a celebration as iconic as the goal itself – with hairy chest on show and his jersey wind-milling above his head, Giggs had set United up for the unimaginable. The treble was on, and the rest is history.
4. Alan Shearer – Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United
Shearer signing for Blackburn symbolised the start of the Premier League era. What followed was a run of incredible goalscoring prowess taking Blackburn to the league title.
Three years in a row, the Geordie took home the Golden Boot. Nobody could get close to him. He took a newly promoted Blackburn all the way to the top, netting 34 times in 42 games during their league winning season – one which may be regarded as the greatest individual campaign in league history.
The move to boyhood club Newcastle was inevitable, as was the amount of goals he would go on to score. Sitting pretty at the top of the all-time Premier League scorers list, Shearer’s 260 goals is undeniably one of the great sporting achievements.
He could and did score with every inch of his body, and the player that Kenny Dalglish called ‘priceless’ has cemented himself as the most prolific striker in Premier League history.
Shearer famously turned down Sir Alex Ferguson’s United not once, but twice. Nobody turned down United in that era. So the only question that still lingers – could it have been more?
3. Wayne Rooney – Everton, Manchester United
The only athlete to reach his prime before puberty, Wayne Rooney had asserted his dominance on English and European football by the age of 21.
Just as capable of bullying defenders at 16 as he was at 30, the short-tempered Scouser combined power and determination with sheer and utter class to become one of the greatest Premier League players of all time.
What made Wazza just so remarkable was his appetite for the game. He made a name for himself with tenacity and a world-class right foot, but as his career progressed, you got the feeling that he could play in any position on the pitch and still be a standout performer.
Central midfield? No bother, his passing was second only to Paul Scholes in a red shirt. Full-back? He’s got an engine like a pick-up truck and crossing like prime Beckham. Centre-half? Well you wouldn’t want to be a striker against him, he’d take the ball but you were definitely going up in the air after it.
It was this fearless attitude that made United fans fall in love with him – and the 183 league goals he scored in a red shirt helped. Second only to Shearer in goals scored and trailing only Giggs and Fabregas for goals created, Rooney could do it all – and he might be the most complete footballer the league has ever seen.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United
Now if we were judging these players based on the entirety of their careers, Cristiano Ronaldo would be first by a long shot. But it seems a disservice to those who peaked during their time in English football to compare them to a man who went on to become perhaps the greatest player of all time – so we’ll stick to their time in the Premier League.
It was a pre-season friendly in 2003 when an 18 year-old Cristiano Ronaldo seized his opportunity to impress with a memorable performance against Manchester United. Ryan Giggs recalled giggling to himself as Ronaldo picked up the ball and turned John O’Shea inside out. Sir Alex had seen enough.
Rio Ferdinand talks about how the players urged the club to sign the Portuguese wonderkid after the game and within a week the deal was done. United had got their man, and he went on to win three league titles with the club – including a stunning individual 2007/2008 campaign when CR7 scored 42 goals in 46 appearances, taking United to their second consecutive Premier League trophy and their first Champions League win in nearly a decade.
His work ethic is astonishing and he was simply unplayable at United. Terrifying pace, dribbling that could make you nauseous and deadly accuracy with both feet – not to mention his trademark knuckleball free-kicks. He had matured into one of the best players in the world, and when he left to fulfil his dream of playing in Madrid, nobody quite knew just how unbelievable he would be – except that is for Cristiano Ronaldo himself.
1. Thierry Henry – Arsenal
Let’s talk about a player who made the game look infuriatingly easy, someone with the ability to single-handedly dismantle the opposition without so much as breaking a sweat – Thierry Henry.
A footballing icon – Henry oozed style. With a flair and swagger only comparable to Ronaldinho, the Frenchman’s tantalising style of play inspired a generation of youngsters, screaming ‘Henrrryyyy!’ as they dribbled past their friends and slotted through a pair of jumpers for goalposts.
His time at Arsenal was nothing short of miraculous. 175 times he sent the opposition goalkeeper trudging back to collect the ball from the net, and if he didn’t fancy scoring himself, he’d dribble past a couple of helpless defenders and pop it on a plate for someone else. 249 goals and assists in 258 Premier League appearances for the club. That’s 0.97 goal contributions per game – a strike rate that is frankly so ludicrous that you would barely believe it to be true if it hadn’t happened right in front of our eyes.
That’s just his individual achievements. He was also a key factor in the greatest team campaign in Premier League history when Arsene Wenger masterminded an undefeated league season. The Invincibles were an anomaly, led by talisman Thierry Henry who grabbed the Golden Boot and Player of the Season in a truly special campaign.
What were the odds on that? Luckily someone has already crunched the numbers for us. The likelihood of Arsenal completing that season without a defeat was around 0.06%, or 1 in 1,600 attempts. Now that must have been worth a few quid.
Thierry Henry defied odds for years at Arsenal, and his cultured footballing ability is generational. He is the greatest player the Premier League has ever seen.
