The greatest Premier League team of all time
The Premier League is currently hottening up, with just 3 games to go until this dramatic season will have reached it's thrilling climax. Liverpool and Manchester City are fighting for the title, with Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United fighting for Champions League football. There is even a battle for the final place in Europe, with the likes of Watford, Wolves, Leicester and Everton fighting for Europa League football, whilst Cardiff City and Brighton are essentially in a relegation shoot out.
We have therefore decided to analyse what we think is the greatest Premier League XI of all time, and have included some notable names who were close to making the XI in each position.
GOALKEEPER:
Peter Schmeichel:
Schmeichel won everything there was to win in his time at Manchester United, winning the Premier League 5 times (in the 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99 seasons). Schmeichel also won the 3 FA Cups, the League Cup and the Champions League. He made 310 Premier League appearances, keeping 128 clean sheets and the Dane is widely regarded as the best keeper of all time in the Premier League.
Notable mentions: Edwin Van der Sar, Petr Cech, David Seaman.
DEFENDERS:
Ashley Cole:
Cole was a large part of two of the most succesful Premier League teams of all time, Arsenal's invincibles and Chelsea. He won the Premier League 3 times (2001-02, 2003-04, 2009-10) as well as winning 7 FA Cups, the League Cup, Europa League and the Champions League. Cole made 385 Premier League appearances, keeping 164 clean sheets and scoring on 15 ocassions.
Notable mentions: Patrice Evra, John Arne Risse, Leighton Baines.
John Terry:
John Terry is without a doubt one of the best central defenders the Premier League has ever seen. Terry was the captain of a Chelsea side that won everything in an incredible period for the London club. Terry won 5 Premier League titles (2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10, 2014-2015, 2016-2017) as well as 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, the Europa League and the Champions League. Terry made 492 Premier League appearances, keeping 214 Clean Sheets and scoring 41 times.
Notable mentions: Ricardo Carvalho, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell.
Nemanja Vidic:
Nemanja Vidic played in arguably the greatest Premier League team of all time under Sir Alex Ferguson. He won 5 Premier League titles in this period (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-2009, 2010-11, 2012-13), as well as 3 League Cups and the Champions League. Vidic made 211 Premier League appearances, keeping 95 clean sheets and appearing on the scoresheet 15 times.
Notable mentions: Rio Ferdinand, Vincent Kompany, Jamie Carragher.
Gary Neville:
There can be no doubting that Gary Neville is the greatest right back of all time in the Premier League. Neville won the Premier League an astonishing 12 times in his career at Manchester United, as well as 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups and 2 Champions Leagues. Neville played 400 times for Manchester United, keeping 148 clean sheets and scoring 5 goals.
Notable mentions: Branislav Ivanovic, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna.
MIDFIELDERS:
Steven Gerrard:
Steven Gerrard is undisputedly one of the greatest Cental Midfielders the Premier League has seen. Although Gerrard never won the Premier League, he did win the League Cup 3 times, the FA Cup twice, the Europa league (then UEFA Cup) and the Champions League. Gerrard scored 120 goals and assisted 92 times in 504 Premier League appearances for Liverpool.
Notable mentions: Paul Scholes, Claude Makélélé, Patrick Vieira
Frank Lampard:
Lampard, like Gerrard, is without a doubt one of the greatest central midfielders the Premier League has ever seen. He was a part of Chelsea's golden years, winning the Premier League 3 times (2004-05, 2005-06, and 2009-10), he also won the FA Cup 4 times, League cup twice, Europa League and the Champions League. Lampard played 609 times in the Premier League, scoring 177 goals and assisting 102 times.
Notable mentions: Cesc Fabregas, Roy Keane, N'Golo Kanté
David Silva:
David Silva was a part of Spain's World Cup winning side in 2010 the season before joining Manchester CIty. Since then he has been sensational, winning the Premier League 3 times (2011-12, 2013-14, 2017-18) as well as the FA Cup and 4 League Cups. He is also still playing and is in the position to win much more. SIlva has played 279 times for City to date, scoring 54 goals and assisting 81 times.
Notable mentions: Yaya Touré, Luka Modric, Kevin De Bruyne.
FORWARDS:
Thierry Henry:
Henry is arguably the greatest Premier League player of all time, able to play on the left or at striker, he was a vital part of the invincibles Arsenal team. Henry, like Silva, won the World Cup in 1998 before joining Arsenal the following year. He won the Premier League twice (2001-02 and 2003-04) and the FA Cup 3 times at Arsenal, before going on to win the Champions League at Barcelona. Henry scored 175 goals and made 74 assists in 258 Premier League appearances.
Notable mentions: Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale, David Ginola.
Wayne Rooney:
Wayne Rooney was another part of the incredibly successful Manchester United team under Sir Alex Ferguson. Rooney made his Premier League debut aged just 16 at Everton before joining United, where he won the Premier League 5 times (2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-12), the FA Cup, 4 League Cups, the Europa League and the Champions League. Rooney scored 208 goals and assisted 103 times in 491 Premier League appearances.
Notable mentions: Alan Shearer, Sergio Aguero, Dennis Bergkamp.
Ryan Giggs:
Although Giggs usually played on the left hand side for Manchester United, he plays on the right hand side here to fit the formation. Giggs was another of the 'class of 92' that went on to win everything possible under Sir Alex Ferguson. Giggs won the Premier League 13 times in his time at United, as well as the FA Cup 4 times, the League Cup 4 times and the Champions League twice. Giggs played an incredible 632 times, scoring 109 goals and assisting 162 times.
Notable mentions: Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Arjen Robben.
