There is so much talent in the Premier League that it is hard to pick the greatest player in the history of the league.
The Premier League has had several exceptional players, ranging from clinical goal scorers to powerful defenders.
The top 50 players to have played in the Premier League are ranked in this article according to their contributions to the league and their performances.
The Premier League has been home to some of the greatest players in the world throughout its existence, sparking heated discussions among football fans everywhere. With so many varying viewpoints, it is still difficult to choose the player who has been the league’s unquestionable best since its founding in 1992. The appeal of ranking players endures despite differing viewpoints.
Over the league’s more than three decades of existence, fans have had the good fortune to see several exceptional talents. As exceptional football players have joined the English game, it has grown more difficult to arrange them in a logical hierarchy.
Nevertheless, an attempt has been made to rank the top 50 players who have played in the division. The following criteria have been taken into account in order to rank these men who have left an unmatched legacy in England’s top flight:
Longevity Trophies Objectives Helps Maintain Clean Sheets
Individual Honours
The top 50 players in the Premier League
Rank
The player
Clubs
1.
Henry Thierry
The Arsenal
2.
Rooney, Wayne
Manchester United and Everton
3.
Shearer, Alan
Newcastle United and Blackburn
4.
Giggs, Ryan
United Manchester
5.
Ronaldo Cristiano
United Manchester
6.
De Bruyne, Kevin
Manchester City and Chelsea
7.
Cantona, Eric
Manchester United and Leeds United
8.
Gerrard, Steven
Liverpool
9.
Salah Mohamed
Liverpool and Chelsea
10.
Scholes, Paul
United Manchester
11.
Lampard, Frank
Manchester City, Chelsea, and West Ham United
12.
Keane, Roy
Manchester United and Nottingham Forest
13.
Vieira, Patrick
Manchester City and Arsenal
14.
Terry, John
Chelsea
15.
Aguero Sergio
City of Manchester
16.
Kane, Harry
Tottenham
17.
Bergkamp, Dennis
The Arsenal
18.
Didier Drogba
Chelsea
19.
Ashley Cole
Chelsea and Arsenal
20.
Van Dijk, Virgil
Liverpool and Southampton
21.
Schmeichel, Peter
Manchester City, Manchester United, and Aston Villa
22.
Silva, David
City of Manchester
23.
Eden Hazard
Chelsea
24.
Beckham, David
United Manchester
25.
Ferdinand, Rio
Manchester United, Leeds United, West Ham United, and QPR
26.
Andy Cole
Blackburn, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and four more
27.
Kompany, Vincent
City of Manchester
28.
Fabregas Cesc
Chelsea and Arsenal
29.
Petr Cech
Arsenal and Chelsea
30.
Suarez Luis
Liverpool
31.
Vidic Nemanja
United Manchester
32.
Adams, Tony
The Arsenal
33.
Zola Gianfranco
Chelsea
34.
Kante N’Golo
Chelsea and Leicester City
35.
Michael Owen
Stoke City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Liverpool
36.
Van Nistelrooy, Ruud
United Manchester
37.
Toure Yaya
City of Manchester
38.
Van Persie, Robin
Manchester United and Arsenal
39.
Sheringham, Teddy
Manchester United, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, and two more
40.
Vardy, Jamie
City of Leicester
41.
Pires, Robert
Aston Villa and Arsenal
42.
Campbell, Sol
Portsmouth, Arsenal, and Tottenham
43.
Neville, Gary
United Manchester
44.
Seaman, David
Manchester City and Arsenal
45.
Robbie Fowler
Manchester City, Leeds United, Liverpool, and Blackburn
46.
Claude Makelele
Chelsea
47.
Yorke, Dwight
Blackburn, Manchester United, Aston Villa, and two more
48.
Carragher, Jamie
Liverpool
49.
Barry, Gareth
West Brom, Everton, Manchester City, and Aston Villa
50.
Irwin, Denis
Wolves and Manchester United
50Denis Irwin
328 Premier League games
First up, we have Mr. Dependable. Few players were as reliable as Irwin for Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering Manchester United team during the 1990s, albeit there will be more glamorous names on this list. Irwin, who is right-footed, played left-back for the majority of his career at Old Trafford and did a great job connecting with Ryan Giggs down that flank.
In addition, the 56-cap international was a consistent penalty taker. Although Irwin would not be everyone’s first pick, he would undoubtedly be in the running for the left-back position alongside another player who will be covered later on this list. Supporters like to argue over who should be included in an all-time Premier League XI.
49Gareth Barry
653 Premier League games
Barry is deserving of his spot on our list just for his longevity. He should take pride in the fact that he has made the most Premier League appearances in history (653). After waiting patiently for a huge move, he was finally signed by Manchester City in 2009, and under Roberto Mancini, he went on to win the FA Cup and the championship.
After progressing through the youth ranks at Villa Park in the late 1990s, the Englishman spent the majority of his career at Aston Villa. He later played professional football for the team for over ten years. Barry moved to the Etihad as City started to establish itself as a major financial force. He went on to win an FA Cup and a Premier League championship before finishing his career at the top level with stints at Everton and West Brom.
48Jamie Carragher
503 Premier League games
Carragher was a mainstay of the back four for 15 years, which is worth acknowledging even though he was never able to win the title at Liverpool. In his early days with the team, Carragher was employed as a makeshift right-back. He later joined Sami Hyypia in the middle of the back four and developed a strong bond with the Finnish centre-back.
With 508 top flight matches under his belt, he was a reliable player for the Reds, helping them win the Champions League in 2005 and almost every other major title available. Carragher was crucial to Liverpool’s victory over AC Milan in that 2005 final, which is widely regarded as the greatest Champions League comeback in history. Even though it’s not in the Premier League, this match exemplifies the former vice captain’s values of risking his life for his team.
47Dwight Yorke
375 Premier League games
Yorke was one of the best strikers in international football at the turn of the century. During United’s treble-winning season, he scored 29 goals in all competitions. The next year, he scored an additional 24 goals. Yorke’s importance during a particularly successful time in United’s history cannot be understated; he was lethal in front of goal.
Yorke is actually one of Manchester United’s greatest attackers ever, even with all the amazing goal scorers that have called Old Trafford home. The former Trinidad and Tobago forward was scoring goals for Aston Villa even before joining the Red Devils, which only strengthens his legacy in the Premier League.
46
There are 144 Premier League games for Claude Makelele.
Makelele’s contribution to the Premier League was unique. His exceptional positional awareness allowed him to defend the back four in a way that had never been seen before. He had to make this list because that role is now named after him. No player has ever performed the role as well as Makelele, though a few have joined the division and done well in it.
Given his skill and achievements, the Frenchman might have been higher on this list after playing a significant role in José Mourinho’s team that won the 2005 and 2006 titles. However, he only played for England for five years before returning home to play for Paris Saint-Germain in 2008. This somewhat hurts him because other players have been in the league for many more years.
45Robbie Fowler
379 Premier League games
With 25 league goals in 1994–95 and 28 in 1995–96, Fowler made his debut in the mid-1990s. He never quite managed to duplicate these stats after an explosive start to his career, which is why he is not higher on this list. As one of the best finishers Liverpool has ever seen, he will always hold a special place in the hearts of the club’s supporters.
When Fowler scored three goals against Arsenal at Anfield in five minutes, it was the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history. Eventually, after almost twenty years, Sadio Mane, another player who would later play for the Reds, broke this record. Despite periods at Leeds United and Manchester City not doing his time on Merseyside credit, Fowler is a member of the Premier League 100 club.
44David Seaman
344 Premier League games
Seaman became one of the oldest Premier League players in history by playing at the highest level into his forties. For more than ten years, the 6′ 4 goalie was a dependable presence in goal for Arsenal, helping the team win the FA Cup four times and the Premier League twice.
Seaman recorded 141 shutouts during his playing career, making him the only custodian on this list with more Premier League clean sheets (more on him later). The goalie was previously regarded as the best in the nation, and his distinctive long hair and noticeable moustache made him even more recognisable to fans.
43Gary Neville
400 Premier League games
For more than 15 years, United had a very good right-back. In addition to his success as a pundit, the eldest Neville brother was a great player for Ferguson’s team, creating a strong relationship with David Beckham down the right-hand side.
Even though he is frequently included in the above mentioned all-time Premier League XIs, he still receives very little attention. Given that Neville had the extremely challenging job of taking over as captain at Old Trafford from Roy Keane, and that the changeover seemed smooth to the outer world at least, it is only just that he receive his flowers. This only serves to highlight Neville’s leadership abilities in addition to his underappreciated skill on the pitch.
42Sol Campbell
503 Premier League appearances
Another player from ‘The Invincibles’, Campbell made the contentious decision to join Arsenal in 2001 instead of Tottenham, but it paid off. He would make more than 500 appearances in England’s top level during his career, winning the Premier League twice and the FA Cup four times. Even now, Spurs supporters are still upset that their former defender become a star for their bitter rivals in North London.
As his career came to a close in the late 2000s, Campbell was even a good defender while he was at Portsmouth. Before ending his career with Newcastle in 2011, the former England international also had a brief comeback to the top division in 2010 with Arsenal. Campbell’s durability in the game was demonstrated by the fact that, even well into his 30s, he never appeared to be out of his depth.
41Robert Pires
198 Premier League games
Pires was an important member of “The Invincibles.” He was a smooth player who could also make crucial contributions in the closing third. He scored 43 top-flight goals for the Gunners over three seasons from 2002 to 2005—those are unbeatable stats.
When Pires and Thierry Henry lined up for the Gunners, the opposition defenders realised they were going to have a terrible time because the French pair had developed a remarkable combination at Highbury. For someone his size and stature, the winger was incredibly light-footed, and his speed and strength enhanced his skill when he had the ball. Pires is deserving of being remembered as one of the greatest wingers in Premier League history.
40Jamie Vardy
315 Premier League games
Even though Vardy was just 27 when he made his Premier League debut, he has more than made up for it. He helped Leicester pull off a title-winning miracle in 2015–16 with 24 league goals, and he has been a reliable goal scorer for the Foxes ever since. He currently has well over 100 Premier League goals, and he still has the opportunity to increase that number in the future.
The man who would go on to become a deadly shooter in the league had a huge change of fortunes after struggling in his debut season in the top division of English football after helping Leicester get promoted from the Championship. Many of the defenders Vardy has faced over the years have suffered greatly as a result of his quickness and deft movement.
39Teddy Sheringham
418 Premier League games
It would be impossible to omit Sheringham off this list given his 146 Premier League goals. The attacker, who played for Tottenham and Manchester United for the majority of his career, was an excellent team player, as seen by his 52 Premier League assists. A superb forward with the ability to both score and create opportunities for others.
Sheringham, who became the oldest goalscorer in Premier League history at the age of 40 while playing for West Ham, also matured like a great wine. With the ability to score goals with both his foot and his head, the Englishman had an incredible career at the top.
