He was a combative player who could smell danger, read situations and tell where the ball was dropping. Eight goals and seven assists over the 1996/97 season earned a 21-year-old Becks the PFA Young Player of the Year gong but, like so many United players, he enjoyed his greatest season in their Treble-winning campaign of 1998/99. The Best Premier League Players Of 2023 - Ranker Thats right, I did just compare Lampard to Maradona: because without Lampard, the role of a midfielder in 2021 would be very different. Five years on, with a Premier League winners medal almost in his grasp, Gerrard slipped against Chelsea in that moment, the league was gone. Alex Hess, Marcus Alves, Alex Reid, Declan Warrington, Thore Haugstad, Michael Yokhin, Andrew Murray, Seb Stafford-Bloor, Jon Spurling last updated 9 November 2022 From Messi to Maradona, Cristiano. Lampards legacy, after those trophies won and 177 Premier League goals, was to alter what weve come to expect from a raiding central midfielder. Leeds United, Chelsea, Middlesborugh, Charlton Athletic. HIGHLIGHT Liverpool hammered Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford in March 2009, with Torres using Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand as his playthings. Alan Shearers record haul of 260 is a lofty, but certainly not insurmountable target. Captain Kompany was the constant throughout Citys astonishing ascent. Liverpool and Chelsea supporters will say he was shoved over on the left for England because Gerrard and Lampard were better. Although he initially struggled, Modrics mastery of the ball soon came to the fore over four brilliant seasons at White Hart Lane. Premier Lacrosse League Power Rankings - Lineups JUAN VERON EXCLUSIVE Ill never regret joining Manchester United I wished Id stayed there longer, Whos the greatest Premier League midfielder ever? A well-respected member of the Premier League who is missed by the football community. QUIZ How many of John Terry's 166 Chelsea team-mates can you name? SAIADO BERAHINO EXCLUSIVE Ive never publicly apologised for my behaviour towards Jeremy Peace at West Brom, but Id like to do it now. Happy birthday, Steve McManaman!https://t.co/SUUJQDiprjFebruary 11, 2016. Whether Essien was bludgeoning footballs from 30 yards, charging through a sea of midfield legs or crunching into tackles, he did everything with the utmost commitment. Lukaku remains the youngest ever foreign player to hit a ton of Premier League goals, aged just 24. HIGHLIGHT Five straight clean sheets near the end of 2015/16, when everybody began to believe in the impossible. Yogi Berra. 11 in 2001, where Jackson was No. Sheffield Wednesday, West Ham United, Charlton Athletic, Happy birthday Paolo Di Canio! The 34-year-old has rarely put a glove wrong since and is already a Leicester icon. Leeds United, Everton, Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers. Born: June 6, 1956, Stockholm, Sweden (age 63) Career: 1973-83. The Spaniard was defter than past midfield generals, his gift an ability to kill teams with devastating simplicity. CHRIS FLANAGAN What happened to England's "Golden Generation"? HIGHLIGHT Cantonas 1997 exit helped Cole, but Erics spirit lived on. Newcastle followed before a triumphant return to Leeds but Batty wasnt like other players. Where Patrick Vieira was fire and might, Petit may be reflected on as the cooler antithesis. Barcelona legend Xavi claims Scholes would have been rated even higher had he been Spanish. The only player to captain a title-winning team across three different decades. The Belgian is more than Pep Guardiolas creative hub, he has a midfield role all of his own; their multi-talented action hero with a passing range unrivalled. Hes been the Premier Leagues youngest-ever scorer, a touchline-hugging wideman under Sir Bobby Robson at Newcastle, and a goal-getter with Aston Villa. A third title was his would you believe it, indeed. Who should be at number 1? We asked former teammate Michael Ballack to tell us the importance of the man that Chelsea fans unfurled the Captain, Leader, Legend in honour of. That may be a stretch, but there was little doubting the schemers talents or the ease with which he could destroy defences single-handedly. Gabriel Jesus is the most divisive on this list The English Premier League is one of the most prestigious and competitive leagues in the world with some of the most jaw-dropping talent the game of soccer has ever seen, and in 2023, the best players in the world are showing up, showing out, and absolutely dominating the EPL like never before. A four-time NBA champion and three-time Finals MVP, O'Neal averaged a double-double during a career that spanned almost two decades. The best individual display Ive ever seen, Micah Richards later told FFT. Vieira was, and continues to be, unique. HIGHLIGHT A cracker against Coventry for Leicester in November 1999 was the very best of Heskey: terrific chest control, then a brilliant finish moving away from goal. His 2001 sale to Lazio remains Alex Fergusons biggest regret. He would have won more medals at Chelsea, but instead became an icon for a city that cherishes football above almost everything else. Andrei liked a derby. They all adored him. It wasnt even a fight: Reina immediately grabbed the No.1 shirt, racking up 134 clean sheets in 285 Premier League appearances for the Reds earning him the Golden Glove award in three consecutive campaigns. After a wobbly start, De Gea grew into a world-class stopper who bailed an ailing Red Devils side out for years, and was their player of the season in four of the five campaigns from 2013/14. United paid Monaco just 5.5m for the Frenchman in 2006, receiving more than eight years of fantastic service in return. Slight, short, foreign: would Silva be able to cope in English football? 50 Best Premier League Players of All Time, Ranked Shearer retired with 283 league goals and one celebration. These players are treated like strikers now. This iconoclast might have looked like a bit of a loner, but it also meant Berbatov fitted firmly into Spurs tradition of stylish crowd darlings. Do you agree with our list? He plays football regularly, and has a large, discerning and ever-growing collection of football shirts from around the world. If you were building a prototype Premier League player of the late-90s, they would have looked like the Liverpool captain. In September, they voted by ranking their Top 25 players in the league, the scores then get aggregated into these final rankings. He smashed five goals in a fixture when the Magpies started the day in 19th place. Alex Fergusons love of fast and skilful wingers can be traced back to Kanchelskis 650,000 arrival from Shakhtar Donetsk. He was quick, had superb technique and a strong personality, wrote Fergie. Manchester United, Aston Villa, Manchester City. Gerrard soaked up responsibility. He may not have won all of Lionel Messis trophies, but without him there wouldnt be a Messi. 50 Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time | Stadium Talk The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time | Britannica Anybody else would have looked for a penalty, fallen over or shot over the bar. Only Jimmy Greaves, Steve Bloomer, Dixie Dean and Gordon Hodgson have struck more goals in Englands top flight. I played against him a couple of times for Barcelona and realised what a quality player he is. Dublin achieved something deep with each passing Premier League campaign. Arsene Wenger built a cathedral of beautiful football at Arsenal, with silky attacking players his architects. He almost scorched the Anfield turf with his fierce running, yet so much of the Reds play went through him. HIGHLIGHT Injury to Pires forced Ljungberg to the left in 2001/02s run-in, but he popped up with six goals and helped to create Sylvain Wiltords strike to win the title at Old Trafford. Quiz! Jim Brown Gary Gait Mikey Powell John Grant Jr. Paul Rabil 1. HIGHLIGHT Look no further than Newcastle. The Connecticut-native won two Defensive Player of the Year honors (2012, 2013), played in eight All-Star Games, won two . They dont make full-backs like him anymore: imperious and unflinchingly consistent, he barely laid a toe out of step in 12 years at the top. Jim Brown Source: insidelacrosse.com The legendary player Jim Brown is widely considered one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time. Of his own volition, Ronaldo moved out to the right wing and put two superb crosses in, continued his gaffer. Boo. The towering skippers song, to the tune of Italian Eurovision ditty Nel Blu, Dipinto Di Blu (Volare), was top of the Highbury hit parade. The following will make you think 'how in under God did he get this SO Team(s): New York Mets (1967-77, 1983), Cincinnati Reds (1977-1982), Chicago White Sox (1984-86), Boston Red Sox (1986) Primary position: Starting pitcher What he's best known for . And an FA fine. I dont think theres been another player like Aguero in the history of Manchester City maybe David Silva, who also left his mark on an era. HIGHLIGHT In an outstanding 2010/11, he was otherworldly in a goalless draw against Manchester United; later, Fergie would name him his player of the season. He delivered 141 clean sheets in 344 Premier League matches, en route to two titles (after another in 1990-91) and more than a decade of reliable service. HIGHLIGHT As Arsenal gunned towards the finish line in 1998, Petits terrific goal decided a tight April encounter against Derby which set up their imminent trophy lift at Highbury. Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for Tuesday's AL vs. NL matchup, all from the MLB expert who has returned almost $7,000 to $100 bettors over the past two seasons, and find out All PLL 2021 Projections: First Team - Lacrosse All Stars Arguably more so, though, is the fact that hes also its third-highest assister. The crowd greeted CR7s introduction so loudly, and with such elation, that you wondered whether the new boy could possibly match their sky-high expectations. Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Stoke City. Not the ice-cool Cech, though. Future historians may struggle to summarise Lukakus career. Stam played in 14 of them, leaking only nine goals with seven clean sheets to pip Arsenal. HIGHLIGHT A looping corker against Arsenal in November 1997 one of his 11 goals that season summed up the Scousers cocksure confidence. HIGHLIGHT In November 1996, Everton beat Southampton 71 at Goodison Park with Speed scoring the only hat-trick of his career. Lee Zink. Arsenal trailed 2-1 to the Reds at half-time, their Invincibles status in jeopardy, but Henry seemed to slow down time by the touchline after the break; jogging, his right leg hovering like a magicians handkerchief over a dove, before passing to Ljungberg who looped Pires in to level proceedings. Okocha was the Ronaldinho of the Reebok. Great hair, too. Both physically elite and mentally resilient, he was an ace card in the Blues biggest games, but a flat-track bully as well. HIGHLIGHT A solo stunner against Arsenal in February 2017 was peak Hazard: glorious dribbling from inside his own half, opposition faintly embarrassed and a finish to match. A generation of children dyed their hair pink thanks to Freddie the Gunners action man. The American stopper holds the record for the most consecutive Premier League appearances. His understated influence underpinned Arsenal: the Invincibles owed their creativity to the ball-winner who let them flourish. HIGHLIGHT Being crowned Uniteds Player of the Year in 2013, as the Red Devils won a final Premier League title under Fergie. In reality, the sultry Frenchman embodied Arsenals late-90s passion, and played with similar bite to his midfield partner. TRANSFERS Real Madrid, PSG, or Manchester United: Where will Jadon Sancho go this summer? PLUS Thiago Silva and Alisson exclusives, Juan Veron, Corinthian figures, dirtiest game and more, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool. Pires grew to love English football, shining during the Gunners greatest spell with 14 goals in three seasons running from 2002-03. He could play in any position, too. Gary Gait The icon played in MLL's inaugural season at the age of 34. FOOTBALL MANAGER 10 of the game's greatest cult heroes. Best players at 2023 Women's World Cup: Morgan, Marta, more On the pitch, he was a typical English defender: strong, good in the air, fearless and a great tackler. Top 100 MLB players of all time - ESPN Bale went 24 Premier League matches without a win for Tottenham, stretching from his bow in August 2007 through to September 2009. #7 Kyle Bernlohr #6 Conner Fields #5 Zed Williams #4 Blaze Riorden #3 Matt Rambo #2 Garrett Epple #1 Tom Shcreiber Introduction to the list The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) is still in its infancy, coming out of only its second season and a shortened one at that. A pair of Golden Boots have come amid domestic, European and world titles in three full seasons at Anfield. Ferguson trusted the Irishman with his life - and rightly so. He was nearly 30 when the Premier League came calling but wasted no time lighting it up. Despite losing his all-time hits record to Rose, Ty Cobb still sports the game's best batting average at .366. HIGHLIGHT Four goals of outstanding class obliterated Norwich as Liverpool won 5-1 in December 2013 having struck a hat-trick past the same opposition a year earlier. Somehow, Seaman made his 1.3m British record move (for a goalkeeper) from QPR to Arsenal in 1990 look like a steal. The 2.6m arrival from Dutch outfit Willem II in 1999 was no headline-maker. Le Sulk notched impressive tallies at Houlliers Liverpool and Keegans City before he snatched the Golden Boot ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, and won a second Premier League and FA Cup Double in 2010 12 years after his first. Country: Sweden. From his raw arrival at a club still finding its way in 2008, to becoming its beating heart across four title triumphs, the Belgian led by example in steering the team to hitherto unscalable heights. College: LSU Years Active: 1967- 1970 Average: 44.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists Accolades: 2x National College player of the year, 3x Consensus first-team All-American, 3x SEC Player of the Year, 3x NCAA Season Scoring Leader, All-Time NCAA Division I leading scorer Pete Maravich is the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, and he claimed the incredible feat in just three years. Best on a Budget. In fact, he more than exceeded them. HIGHLIGHT Breaking Liverpools record of consecutive Premier League clean sheets (eight) during his first, rock-solid season. It was a 25-yard dipping volley then, smiled Phillips. You get it. Rich Jolly explains what made the all-time Premier League top scorer quite so unique. Vardy is now chomping into the Premier Leagues top 20 scorers of all time, having not played a game in it until the age of 27. FourFourTwo Legends of the Premier League - celebrating the top 100 players and iconic names of the Premier League, Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur. It's given us Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Keegan and Arsene Wenger. He won a double in 1997/98 and the PFA Young Player of the Year award a season later, having top-scored for Arsenal with 17 goals - but discontent was never far away. Ranked by votes from thousands of fans, this list features the all time NBA GOATs, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird. An important player for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton during his time in Englands top-flight, Speed was also a natural-born leader and inspirational figure in football. More than anyone else, he made Bolton fashionable with a dazzling array of flicks and tricks, rabonas and stepovers. With an expansion side coming, there will be turnover, meaning new opportunities for players, either on their current teams or a new one. That's a combinationof their ability, status and the moments they gave us over the years. Some players will also grow in their current role and get better chances to shine in 2021. Merlin soon dropped jaws with his effortless displays for a side on the ascent, and proved the fulcrum of four league titles under three managers. Fascinating feature articles, covering everything from grass-roots football to the international scene. HIGHLIGHT The Kops mosaic tribute for the Finns final Liverpool match in May 2009 was a fitting way to honour him. Theres a good reason why new midfield starlets are still labelled the new Vieira after all these years. The 100+ Best NBA Players Of All Time, Ranked by Fans Tim Stillman of Arseblog tells FFT all about why Super Pat was so integral to Arsene Wengers greatest sides. For six years, they rarely stopped. His career was no less on pointe. Jamie Ward of The United Stand tell us why theres only one answer in his mind. ED McCAMBRIDGE Pain, poverty, bribery and glory: the extraordinary rise of Roberto Firmino. HIGHLIGHT City pinched the 2018/19 title by just a point thanks to their humdinger of a win over Liverpool in January. Hes an outgoing guy who lives with enthusiasm. He looked after the other players, the staff he embodied everything that a captain should be. Mane has evolved from a talented, but erratic winger at Southampton into a world-class forward at Anfield, turning raw talent into consistent numbers. But perhaps no other player had ever assembled such a collection of goals; a compendium of free-kicks, volleys and inch-perfect long-range efforts that were necessary to prevent him from doing any more running. 10. After leaving for a prolific year at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea paid 15m for him in 2000, and were rewarded by back-to-back scoring seasons of 23. So, Vieira, Scholes, Gerrard or Lampard? HIGHLIGHT In a Boro career of near misses, finishing as runner-up to Gianfranco Zola for the FWA Player of the Year award in 1996/97 was an indication of Juninhos class. It was a measure of the uncompromising sod Fergies words. The 30 Best NBA Players of All Time, Ranked - Complex Carvalho was horrible to play against, Bobby Zamora told FFT in 2020. Debate NFL's top 100 players of all-time - ESPN HIGHLIGHT Netting twice from inside his own half. In 2008-09, with Gerrard playing in an adventurous role behind Fernando Torres, Liverpool finished second to a Manchester United side they had routed 4-1 at Old Trafford. Then it all changed seven strikes in the run-in saved the Londoners, before the Argentine proved his class in title triumphs at both Manchester clubs. HIGHLIGHT Re-signing for his hometown team in 1998, greeted by Battys coming home from the stands. Carew also had a 15 year stretch where he never dropped below .300, which is one of the best stretches in MLB history. Throughout my career, I thought it was so important to the success of a team in the short term and long-term to have a core of domestic players. Manchester United, Everton, Manchester City, Southampton. When he popped up against QPR to win us the Premier League in 2012, he was the only player who could have been in that situation. HIGHLIGHT With West Ham requiring a win on the final day of 2006/07 at Old Trafford, Super Tev stepped up, netting the only goal. HIGHLIGHT OK, so they werent all tap-ins. Best Premier League players EVER: 100 greatest footballers in England's top flight since 1992 By Conor Pope last updated 2 August 2022 After almost three decades of thrills and spills,. At 6ft 7in tall and with an impressive goal return, while he appeared for the likes of Aston Villa and Southampton early on in his career, not even Liverpool or Tottenham could resist the temptation of Crouchs abilities. What better way to kick-off your matchday? HIGHLIGHT Captain for the final game of the 2001-02 season, Irwin was given the United send-off he deserved. HIGHLIGHT No post-war Everton player has scored more Merseyside derby league goals (five). He wasnt just a solid squad player, but consistently ace for the worlds biggest club over two decades. Four seasons later, Manchester United came calling, Alex Ferguson ending a six-year wait for the reliable stopper he had been hunting since Peter Schmeichels exit. It's given us Centurions, Invincibles and Treble winners. Remove Lampards 43 spot-kicks and his goal average moves in line with the United mans. Cantona was the genius behind the club's first title under Ferguson, and three subsequent league triumphs, providing a youthful yet talented team with a genuine world-class focal point. He may have left Arsenal in 2007, but Henry at his peak would have thrived in any era, in any team in Premier League history. HIGHLIGHT In the closing stages of the final game of the season, the 36-year-old schemer tormented a defender some 11 years his junior, turning Jamie Carragher inside out and sending the Liverpool stopper tumbling, before darting past two more bamboozled Reds in a sumptuous piece of skill. He read the game superbly. Players who could crack the PLL's Top 50 in 2021 Duke Snider Age: 20 - 35 Aged 18, with blond streaks in his hair that hinted at a certain confidence, the wonderkid had arrived from Portuguese side Sporting for 12.5m days earlier, taking the No.7 shirt vacated by David Beckham. This list first appeared in the February 2021 issue of FourFourTwo. The fireworks, while brief, were also quite brilliant. Leicester City, Liverpool, Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa. Again and again. Hailed as the best keeper in Spain by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez upon his 2005 arrival from Villarreal, Reinas first task was to oust Champions League final legend Jerzy Dudek. Bruces contributions to early-90s Manchester United deserve much greater credit. He was 13 years old, and just floated over the ground like a cocker spaniel chasing a piece of silver paper in the wind.. The Frenchman was indeed phenomenal for the Gunners, but even he concedes that Scholes was the player who could do everything. The late Gary Speed was a consistent and reliable midfielder during his long and established career in the Premier League. His 2002 volley at Chelsea was almost as good, though. 20-16. For 1.5m in 2004, Everton bagged a player who would decorate matches with aerial brilliance and corner flag punishment for eight campaigns. He was simply unstoppable, that day, and became Everton's player of the year that season. An inspirational ace. How was it created? He began his professional career at Manhasset High School in New York and played lacrosse for Syracuse University from 1955-57. Sir Les shone in a functional QPR team, then plundered 41 league strikes over back-to-back seasons for Newcastles Entertainers. HIGHLIGHT Friedel bagged a 90th-minute equaliser for Blackburn against Charlton Athletic in February 2004 only for the Addicks to net an even later winner to take the spoils 3-2. By now, however, such lethal finishing felt like vintage Thierry, rather than an Ian Wright tribute act. McEnroe's left-handed serve-and-volley game may have been the best of all time, to the point where a common saying went that the best doubles team of all time was "John McEnroe and anyone." 6. First, a bullet derby header swung the 2011/12 title race to City. Two English legends make the top 100 with Shearer and Matthews getting the nod while one of the most successful players in football history, Dani Alves, makes the cut. HIGHLIGHT His September 2010 hat-trick for United against Liverpool featured a fine overhead kick. Outrageous, sickening goals, eulogised Barcelona idol Xavi, who developed an obsession with Le Tissier. Arsenal came 10th in the first Premier League campaign but won both the FA Cup and League Cup, with their No.8 tallying 30 in all competitions; in fact, he bagged at least 15 league goals in the first six of his seven Highbury seasons, and at least 23 in half of those, thriving alongside Alan Smith or Kevin Campbell in attack for George Grahams last few league campaigns. The talisman took on cult status in the 90s, with his long-legged stride, rocket shot and infectious energy endearing him to those who watched on. Milner has enjoyed the career of a dozen different players. Quiz! Ronaldinho, Kaka, Xavi, Iniesta, and Roberto Carlos are among many of the 21st century footballing greats. They made City what they are today. Younger generations recognise the straight-talking pundit, but those who watched G-Nev play will recall his days as a boisterous right-back over almost 20 years at United. Bargain of the century, was Alex Fergusons assessment of the great Dane, plucked from Brondy for 505,000 in July 1991. He let in a poxy 15 goals in his maiden campaign at Chelsea, which set the tone for an outstanding top-flight career in which he won four titles and four Golden Gloves. Only seven men have scored more Premier League goals than Defoe, who struck 162 times for five teams. Another 26 strikes helped Manchester United to their 13th Premier League crown under Alex Ferguson, in the Scots final year. His Old Trafford tenure was largely unhappy, his stints at both Everton and West Brom spectacular. Gareth Bale (twice, also for Tottenham) is the only other player to win the award for a side that didnt finish in the top four. Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) was an iconic trumpet player, renowned for his unique style and contribution to jazz music . West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Got to be Jermain Defoe's best ever #PL goal?#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/ra69KQ3iRODecember 9, 2018.

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