I had already posted the list with names here but since I like most descriptions, and in many ways that's more important than the exact order, here the full list with text (I scanned that on my phone). It's the May 2008 edition of Four Four Two. Here is FFT their '100 best foreign Premier League players' from February 2017 - which was only published on their website and not magazine it should be stressed. IT'S THE bane of Michel Platini's life, but the English Premier League has long been the home of heroes for overseas stars. But who are the top 100 imports to UK football? We produced our list... 100 Kasey Keller Nationality American Clubs Millwall, Leicester, Spurs, Southampton, Fulham The first of a wave of American keepers has been a model of consistency and won a League Cup with Leicester. 99 John Harkes Nationality American Clubs Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, West Ham, Forest The first Yank to play in the Premiership won a League Cup, a Goal of the Season award and played in the FA Cup final. 98 Phillipe Albert Nationality Belgian Clubs Newcastle, Fulham The moustachioed central defender will forever be remembered for “that chip” against Manchester United. 97 Jan Age Fjortoft Nationality Norwegian Clubs Swindon, ‘Boro, Sheffield United, Barnsley An excellent target man who always chipped in with his share of goals. 96 Aiyegbeni Yakubu Nationality Nigerian Clubs Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton Seen as something of a mercenary but the striker has offered pace, power and goals wherever he has played. 95 Paulo Wanchope Nationality Costa Rican Clubs Derby County, West Ham, Manchester City The rubber-legged striker lurched from the sublime to the ridiculous. 94 Nolberto Solano Nationality Peruvian Clubs Newcastle, Aston Villa, West Ham A dead-ball and crossing specialist, “Nobby” has made over 340 appearances for English clubs. 93 Shunsuke Nakamura Nationality Japanese Clubs Celtic The left-footed playmaker became a double Player of the Year winner in Scotland last season. 92 Tim Cahill Nationality Australian Clubs Millwall, Everton An outstanding goalscorer from midfield. 91 Nwankwo Kanu Nationality Nigerian Clubs Arsenal, West Brom, Portsmouth Sublimely talented and infuriatingly inconsistent. When he’s good, he’s very, very good. 90 Tony Yeboah Nationality Ghanaian Clubs Leeds United In two seasons the powerhouse striker scored 33 goals – several unforgettable screamers – in just 62 games. 89 Antti Niemi Nationality Finnish Clubs Rangers, Hearts, Southampton, Fulham Still one of the best shot-stoppers. 88 Jesper Olsen Nationality Danish Clubs Manchester United The stylish left-winger starred for Denmark and United in the mid-’80s. 87 Dan Petrescu Nationality Romania Clubs Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford, Southampton World-class attacking right-back who arrived after starring at USA 94. 86 Attilio Lombardo Nationality Italian Clubs Crystal Palace The bald winger was voted Palace’s best ever player by fans, despite making just 49 appearances for the Eagles. 85 Pierre van Hooijdonk Nationality Dutch Clubs Celtic, Nott’m Forest The giant striker guaranteed plenty of goals and aggravation. 84 Tore Andre Flo Nationality Norwegian Clubs Chelsea, Rangers, Sunderland, Leeds Succeeded largely as a supersub at Stamford Bridge before proving he could do it from the start with Rangers. 83 Aljosa Asanovic Nationality Croatia Clubs Derby County After starring at Euro 96, the left-footed playmaker was a key signing at Derby. 82 Lucas Radebe Nationality South African Clubs Leeds United Leeds’ captain and defensive lynchpin. 81 Mark Bosnich Nationality Australian Clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea One of the finest keepers in the country before off-field problems scuppered him. 80 Uwe Rosler Nationality German Clubs Manchester City, Southampton, West Brom Great work-rate, fine link-up play and a goal roughly every three games made the German striker a cult hero. 79 Claudio Caniggia Nationality Argentinian Clubs Dundee, Rangers Lightning-fast striker soon silenced the cynics with his work-rate. 78 Benito Carbone Nationality Italian Clubs Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa, Bradford, Derby, ‘Boro High–maintenance – and highly paid – but a brilliant playmaker on his day. 77 Frank Leboeuf Nationality French Clubs Chelsea Much maligned but a cultured centre-back who did win “zee World Cup”. 76 Harry Kewell Nationality Australian Clubs Leeds, Liverpool Was PFA Young Player of the Year but suffered injury curse at Liverpool. 75 Gustavo Poyet Nationality Uruguayan Clubs Chelsea, Spurs Poyet’s goalscoring ability from midfield, particularly headers, made the midfielder a crowd favourite. 74 Shaun Goater Nationality Bermudan Clubs Rotherham, Notts County, Bristol City, Man City, Reading, Coventry, Southend The Goat was fed at several clubs and score the Bermudan striker did, usually with an enormous smile on his face. 73 Albert Johanneson Nationality South African Clubs Leeds, York City The first black player to appear in an FA Cup final (in 1965). 72 Slaven Bilic Nationality Croatian Clubs Everton, West Ham England’s tormentor brought a touch of class to English defences. 71 Jussi Jaaskelainen Nationality Finnish Clubs Bolton A bargain at £100,000 in 1997, nearly 400 games later he’s still a model of consistency. 70 Henning Berg Nationality Norwegian Clubs Blackburn Rovers, Man United, Rangers Won the title and League Cup with Blackburn with Man United’s treble tucked in between.69 Joe Marston Nationality Australian Clubs Preston North End The first Australian to appear in an FA Cup final – in 1954. 68 Craig Johnston Nationality Australian Clubs Middlesbrough, Liverpool Scored the Double-clinching winner in the 1986 FA Cup Final. 67 Ivan Golac Nationality Yugoslavia Clubs Southampton, Bournemouth, Man City Attacking right-back who become a cult hero at the Dell in the 1980s. 66 Roberto Di Matteo Nationality Italian Clubs Chelsea A goalscorer in two FA Cup finals. 65 Mark Viduka Nationality Australian Clubs Celtic, Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Newcastle Goals combined with clever hold-up play have made the big Aussie successful. 64 Ricky Villa Nationality Argentinian Clubs Spurs Often flattered to deceive at White Hart Lane, but when you’ve scored the greatest Wembley/FA Cup goal of all time (in 1981), who cares? 63 Igor Stimac Nationality Croatian Clubs Derby County, West Ham The pick of the Derby’s foreign imports, providing the defensive nous behind the Rams’ establishment as a Premier League force. He wasn’t bad for the Hammers, either. 62 Frank Sauzee Nationality French Clubs Hibernian Still known as “Le God” at Easter Road. 61 Carlo Cudicini Nationality Italian Clubs Chelsea The best keeper in the Premier League before being replaced by a better one. 60 Dimitar Berbatov Nationality Bulgarian Clubs Spurs, Man United Has “the best first touch in the Premier League”, according to Alan Hansen. 59 Eidur Gudjohnsen Nationality Icelandic Clubs Bolton, Chelsea A classy, deep-lying forward who formed a lethal partnership with Hasselbaink. 58 Ronny Johnsen Nationality Norwegian Clubs Manchester United, Aston Villa, Newcastle A key member of Man United’s Treble-winning defence. 57 Dietmar Hamann Nationality German Clubs Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester City Great tackling, positioning, passing and a thunderbolt of a shot. 56 Johnny Hubbard Nationality South African Clubs Glasgow Rangers, Bury, Ayr United The only foreigner to score a hat-trick in an Old Firm game. 55 Emmanuel Petit Nationality French Clubs Arsenal, Chelsea Combined perfectly with Patrick Vieira to win a League and FA Cup double. 54 Edwin van der Sar Nationality Dutch Clubs Fulham, Man United The giant Dutchman has been one of the best goalkeepers of his generation. 53 Roland Nilsson Nationality Swedish Clubs Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry Immaculate right-back who would probably be playing for one of the Premier League’s top sides in today’s game. Rarely put a foot wrong. 52 Alexei Mikhailichenko Nationality Ukrainian Clubs Rangers Sublimely gifted left-winger who arrived at Ibrox fresh from winning Serie A with Sampdoria to win five SPL titles in as many seasons. 51 Marc Overmars Nationality Dutch Clubs Arsenal The rapid winger was a key member of Arsenal’s double-winning side in ’97-98. 50 Arthur Wharton Nationality Ghanaian British clubs Rotherham (1889-94), Sheffield United (1894-1895), Stockport (1901-02) The lowdown The first black professional footballer was a syphilitic alcoholic who had an affair with his sister-in-law and numerous illegitimate children. But the Ghana-born goalkeeper was also an astonishingly gifted sportsman. Briefly holder of the world 100-yard dash record, Wharton stunned crowds with his displays and many believe only racism denied him a cap for his adopted country. Finest hour Although he had played for various top amateur teams, being picked for the Blades against Sunderland put him down in history as the top flight’s first black player. They said “I saw Wharton jump, hold the crossbar, catch the ball between his legs and cause three onrushing forwards to fall into the net” – The Sheffield Telegraph. NM
49 Russell Latapy Nationality Trinidadian British clubs Hibernian (1998-2001); Rangers (2001-03); Falkirk (2003-) The lowdown The ex-Boavista winger was absolutely integral to Hibs, and now Falkirk, far exceeding expectations in the SPL. Life in Scotland has frequently been bumpy for the fun-loving wee man, who hits 40 this year, but his skill, passing ability and joie de vivre ensure his talent will be remembered far longer than his indiscretions. Finest hour Not going on the piss with Dwight Yorke, but knuckling down as an elder statesman to earn Falkirk promotion in 2005 – quite an achievement for a man who prefers the sun on his back to the rain in his face. They said “Some of the things he does are amazing… the way he controls and passes the ball. He doesn’t need to break his stride” – Falkirk manager John Hughes. GT 48 Kazimierz “Kazi” Deyna Nationality Polish British club Manchester City (1978-81) The lowdown With Man City’s early-’70s glamour a distant memory, beleaguered Maine Road supremo Tony Book injected some Eastern European glitz in the form of “Poland’s Greatest Ever Player”. Having scored 45 goals for his country in 102 games (including captaining the Poles to within a whisker of the 1974 World Cup Final), Deyna scored six goals in the final eight games of the ’78-79 season, returning messiah Malcolm Allison labelling him “the most outrageously gifted striker I’ve ever coached”. Sadly, a series of injuries meant his and City’s fortunes’ plummeted. Deyna was killed in a car crash in 1989. Finest hour His appearance in Escape To Victory whilst at City. He said “I’m used to rain and sleet back in Poland, so I’ll feel right at home in Manchester.” JS 47 Youri Djorkaeff Nationality French British clubs Bolton Wanderers (2001-04); Blackburn Rovers (2004) The lowdown Born in Lyon of an Armenian mother and a Kalmyk father, himself a France international, Djorkaeff was a key part of the squad that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. A gifted forward-cum-attacking-midfielder, he was top-scorer in France for Monaco in 1994, then moved to PSG, Inter and Kaiserslautern before joining Bolton. Finest hour Although his final season at Bolton brought most goals, Djorkaeff’s most significant season was probably his first, as he arrived in January and struck four goals to help keep Bolton up in their first season back in the Premier League. He said “This place is unique with all the different nationalities and accents here. We speak Spanish, French, English, everything, but there is a tremendous team spirit.” JW 46 Cesc Fabregas Nationality Spanish British club Arsenal (2003-) The lowdown Poached from Barcelona’s youth team, Fabregas became the youngest ever player to represent Arsenal at 16 and 177 days, playing like a seasoned campaigner from day one. While still a teenager he achieved the previously unthinkable, replacing Patrick Vieira. Though lacking the physical presence of his predecessor, the Catalan’s passing range, vision and, as he has shown last season, eye for goal are on another level, and he is still just 20. Finest hour His display against Juventus in the 2006 Champions League quarter-finals, when he subdued Vieira – the moment most Gunners fans realised what Wenger already knew: the king was dead, long live the king. They said “There’s something superhuman. He passes brilliantly, scores lots of goals and conjures non-standard solutions to standard situations” – Alexander Hleb. DB 45 Sami Hyypia Nationality Finnish British club Liverpool (1999-) The lowdown Was Gerard Houllier’s tenure at Liverpool one of success or underachievement? Whatever side of the fence you are on, the Frenchman must be commended for bringing – at the paltry price of £2.5m – Sami Hyypia to the club in 1999. The big Finn has been a rock in the centre of defence, dominating centre-forwards in the air, while starting attacks on the deck. Finest hour The crazy Champions League run of 2005 saw many heroic performances, but Hyypia’s steely resolve in Turin that helped Liverpool to a winning 0-0 draw against Juventus was as vital as any. They said “When people mention foreign players, it’s always your Zolas or Bergkamps – no one mentions defenders. But for nine months of consistency, Sami has to be every bit as good as those guys” – Jamie Carragher. LM 44 Roy Wegerle Nationality American British clubs Chelsea (1986-88); Luton Town (1988-90); QPR (1990-92); Blackburn Rovers (1992); Coventry (1992-95) The lowdown The gifted South African, who represented the USA after marrying an American, was one of the finest strikers in the English game during his time at QPR in the early-’90s, despite having struggled to make an impact at West London rivals Chelsea when he first came to the country as a 22-year-old in 1986. Wegerle, whose brother Steve also had a brief stint in England with Coventry in 1975, was first spotted by ex-Loftus Road legend Rodney Marsh playing for the NASL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies. He came to QPR for £1m in 1990 after shining in a Luton Town side desperately struggling against relegation. It was an inspired piece of business by Don Howe. Following in a long line of famous players (Marsh, Stan Bowles, Tony Currie) to wear QPR’s No.10 shirt, Wegerle lit up countless Loftus Road afternoons with his seemingly effortless style. Not by chance, a side including Ray Wilkins, Les Ferdinand and Andy Sinton established QPR, formerly a mid-table side, as one of English football’s most entertaining outfits. With his elegant skills topped off by an equally impressive mullet, Wegerle looked set for bigger things and it was no surprise that a cash-happy Blackburn Rovers were soon trying to lure him to Lancashire. In 1992, with Jack Walker’s revolution in full swing, they got their man as Kenny Dalglish took Wegerle to Ewood Park in a deal worth £1m. However, despite helping Rovers gaining promotion to the promised land, Wegerle was never more than a bit-part player at Rovers and eventually moved to Coventry as part of an exchange deal that involved Kevin Gallacher moving in the opposite direction. Wegerle briefly shone in a poor Coventry side, but as injuries took their inevitable toll, one of football’s great nomads eventually headed back to the States in 1995 to see out the remainder of his playing days. Finest hour On October 20, 1990, QPR went to play high-flying Leeds United at Elland Road and found themselves 2-0 down inside the first 20 minutes. Many would fold, but Wegerle was undaunted. He picked the ball up inside the Leeds half and, in the flash of an eye, beat four men before slotting the ball home from the edge of the area. He later popped up with the winner to crown a stunning comeback. They said “He’s a player who can lift spectators out of their seats in awe at what he has done, and then leave them gasping at his next trick. He is a type of player not seen in England since the days of Best, Marsh and Osgood” – The Sunday Times. RE 43 Jay-Jay Okocha Nationality Nigerian British clubs Bolton Wanderers (2002-06), Hull City (2007-08) The lowdown It is testimony to Jay-Jay Okocha’s talent that there is a nagging sense that it remained unfulfilled. With all due respect to Bolton, do true greats play for them in the modern era? And in the mid-’90s, it looked as though he could be one of the all-time greats. Nigeria had the world at their feet; Okocha was the pick of a squad packed with the likes of Kanu, Sunday Oliseh and Taribo West. They came within a minute of beating Italy in the last 16 of USA 94, but won Olympic gold in 1996, beating Brazil 4-3 in the semis and Argentina 3-2 in the final. They were dynamic, exciting, and seemed poised on the brink of greatness... but that was as good as it got. After an epic 3-2 win over Spain in their France 98 opener, Nigeria had their eyes on a potential quarter-final against Brazil, but were hammered 4-1 by Denmark in the last 16. Okocha called it the biggest regret of his career. At club level, he developed a reputation for inconsistency. He got his chance at 17 with Borussia Neunkirchen and moved on to Eintracht Frankfurt, but it was at Fenerbahce where he really began to shine, scoring a goal every other game to win a move to PSG. There he stagnated before Sam Allardyce made him one of many unlikely heroes to be offered a second chance at Bolton. He cheerfully seized it. His ball-juggling, impishness and obvious love of the game were an instant riposte to those who hated Allardyce’s pragmatism. He and the bluff Bolton manager clearly shared a deep mutual respect, famously celebrating Bolton’s 2003 relegation escape by dancing together on the pitch, Allardyce honouring a promise to repeat the Nigerian’s soft-shoe shuffle celebration if the Trotters stayed up. Quite rightly so, given Okocha’s goal against main relegation rivals West Ham – a 20-yard blisterer into the top corner after a 40-yard run on the break. Other showreel clips include flicking the ball over an Arsenal player’s head and swapping inch-perfect 50-yard passes from wing to wing with Youri Djorkaeff. Okocha left for Qatar in 2007 but lasted just a season before returning to England with Hull –a decision, he said, inspired by God and a desire for competitive football. Finest hour The two exquisite free-kicks he scored for Bolton in their 5-2 win over Aston Villa in the first leg of their 2004 League Cup semi-final victory. They said “I’ve been associated with this club for 17 years and I’ve never seen anyone better. He’s better than Nat Lofthouse if we’re talking about talent” – Sam Allardyce after that semi-final. JW 42 Anders Limpar Nationality Swedish British clubs Arsenal (1990-94), Everton (1994-97), Birmingham (1997) The lowdown Desperate to inject some flair into a functional side, Gunners boss George Graham snapped up the mercurial Cremonese wideman after some sparkling displays in Serie A. Limpar’s quicksilver dribbling and devastating finishing (including a winner at Old Trafford) provided the springboard for Arsenal’s ’91 title triumph. Limpar eventually sowed the seeds of his own destruction by criticising Graham to a gaggle of Swedish hacks but went on to play a vital role in Everton’s 1995 FA Cup triumph. Finest hour His 40-yard lob in a 4-0 rout of Liverpool at Highbury in April 1992. “A goal from the Gods,” he claimed. They said “He had a tattoo on his back saying ‘Nobody’s perfect’. That summed up his team ethic” – David Seaman. JS 41 Lubomir Moravcik Nationality Slovakian British club Celtic (1998-2002) The lowdown If Larsson was the ruthless executioner, Moravcik was his grinning accomplice. Signed without fanfare as a 33-year-old from MSV Duisburg, the impish playmaker enjoyed a rapturous four-year Indian summer at Parkhead, as dazzling and delightful as it was unlikely. Finest hour His first two goals for Celtic, coming in only his second appearance and part of an historic 5-1 demolition of Rangers in 1998, take some beating. However, single-handedly bamboozling Juventus to inspire Celtic to a 4-3 victory in 2001 must edge it – it even prompted Zinedine Zidane to describe Moravcik as the best attacking midfielder he had ever seen. They said “Lubo is the most-two footed player in Europe, his talent is amazing” – Martin O’Neill. GT 40 Petr Cech Nationality Czech British club Chelsea (2004-) The lowdown Claudio Ranieri sealed Cech’s signing in January 2004 but it was Jose Mourinho who picked him ahead of Carlo Cudicini for his debut that August. In his first year, Cech went a Premier League record of 1025 minutes – over three months, spanning 11 games – without conceding a goal. His 25 clean sheets remains a record. Last season he fractured his skull against Reading but recovered and was playing again three months later. Finest hour A series of brilliant saves in Chelsea’s decisive 4-2 win over Barcelona the same season and keeping out Wayne Rooney in last season’s FA Cup final. He said “My first season was very successful, and in the second season, we retained the title. Thanks to that success, my position at the club improved.” BL 39 Brad Friedel Nationality American British clubs Liverpool (1997-2000); Blackburn Rovers (2000-) The lowdown Surely the best signing of Graeme Souness’s dud-filled managerial career, free-agent Friedel pitched up at Ewood Park in 2000 and remains rooted to its goalmouth. The big keeper had been itching for a proper Premier League chance after numerous work permit problems then three unfulfilled years at Liverpool. His career really took off during a five-month spell in 2002, with a match-winning display in the League Cup final then a heroic World Cup for the USA. You can count his bad games since then on the fingers of one hand. Finest hour That final. Spurs were hot favourites but Friedel’s performance has gone down in Rovers folklore. They said “He’s a bloody nice bloke and someone anybody would want to spend time with” – Graeme Souness. SH 38 Georgi Kinkladze Nationality Georgian British clubs Manchester City (1995-98); Derby County (1999-2003) The lowdown Arguably the most skilful dribbler to grace the Premier League, ‘Kinky‘ represented something of a coup for City chairman Francis Lee when he secured his signing from Dinamo Tbilisi and his skill endeared him to fans. Finest hour The song (to the tune of Wonderwall) may have been exaggerating when it claimed that all the goals he scored were blinding, but not by much. The best of a fine bunch, though, probably came in March 1996 in a game against Southampton, when he shuffled through five challenges before chipping Dave Beasant. They said “The rest of England won’t be familiar with Kinkladze’s name right now. But just you wait until the season starts. Every soccer fan in the country will be talking about him” – Alan Ball after signing Kinkladze. JW 37 Nicolas Anelka Nationality French British clubs Arsenal (1996-99); Liverpool (2001-02); Man City (2002-05); Bolton (2006-08); Chelsea (200 The lowdown Anelka cost Arsenal £500,000 when he moved from PSG aged 17 and within a year he’d helped them win a League and Cup double. Since then, he has played for a quarter of the top-flight’s clubs (as well as three foreign Champions League sides), and cost a world-record £84m in combined transfer fees. He has top-scored at every club – apart from Liverpool – and, despite his “Le Sulk” nickname, claims to have never fallen out with a coach or team-mate. Finest hour Scoring in Arsenal’s 1998 FA Cup Final win over Newcastle at Wembley. He said “My reputation proceeds me, but that’s got nothing to do with what I can do on the field. I just know that when I play, I have to show that I can be one of the best.” BL 36 Clyde Best Nationality Bermudan British club West Ham United (1968-75) The lowdown A groundbreaker for young black fans, Clyde Best stood up to the boo-boys to make himself a firm favourite at Upton Park, alongside Moore, Hurst and Peters. Possessed a ‘great touch for a big man’, a never-say-die approach, and a decent goal threat. Finest hour Though he didn’t win a medal with the Hammers, his MBE, awarded in 2006, was perhaps his crowning achievement, a long-overdue reward for his sterling efforts to beat the bigots. He said “They said black players couldn’t play in cold weather. Total nonsense. I thought that people of colour had dominated world football for so long – Pele, Garrincha, Eusebio – that abuse and ignorance wasn’t going to stop me playing football.” SM 35 Michael Essien Nationality Ghanaian British club Chelsea (2005-) The lowdown Essien arrived at Stamford Bridge in August 2005 for a fee of almost £25m after a protracted summer of bargaining between Chelsea and the Ghanaian’s former club Lyon. A supreme athlete capable of playing anywhere in midfield or defence, the 25-year-old has since gone on to establish himself as one of the club’s finest ever signings. Finest hour Chelsea looked set for a Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of Valencia at the Mestella in April 2007 before Essien drove home an injury-time winner to send the West Londoners through. They said “Michael is one of the reasons why in my fourth season at the club I wish to stay for a long time” – Jose Mourinho, shortly before clearing his desk. RE 34 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Nationality Norwegian British club Manchester United (1996-2007) The lowdown Unknown when he arrived in 1996, Ole is now immortalised at Old Trafford with a flag combining his name and number (20Legend) adorning the Stretford End. He scored 126 goals in 216 starts and was top scorer in his debut season as United won the title. Solskjaer developed a penchant for coming off the bench, like when he bagged four in 19 minutes against Nottingham Forest in 1999. “Good job they didn’t bring him on earlier,” mused Forest boss Ron Atkinson. Finest hour His toe-poked Treble-winner against Bayern Munich in 1999. “It was just instinct,” he said modestly. They said “Ole’s a natural. He seems to know where the ball is going to land inside the penalty area well before it arrives there” – Sir Alex Ferguson. NJ 33 Freddie Ljungberg Nationality Swedish British clubs Arsenal (1997-2007), West Ham (07-08) The lowdown A top performer in the Premiership for more than a decade, and a key component of every one of Arsene Wenger’s triumphs. Gay icon and underwear model for Calvin Klein he might be, but he is also a fierce competitor with a consistent knack for scoring goals when it matters most. His streak of seven goals in eight games during the 2002 run-in reinvigorated Arsenal’s title tilt on their way to the Double. Finest hour FA Cup final win over Chelsea in 2002 – regarded by Arsenal fans as “Freddie’s final”. With a red streak in his hair he terrorised the Blues defence and sealed victory with a terrific goal. He said “I usually don’t have sex [on match days]. Mentally, I want to keep the feeling in my feet. I think the feeling disappears out of your feet if you have sex before.” DB 32 Gianluca Vialli Nationality Italian British club Chelsea (1996-2000) The lowdown Unsurprisingly for one of football’s most famous smokers, Vialli lit the blue touchpaper at Chelsea when Ruud Gullit signed him from Juventus in 1996, bringing even more glamour and professionalism to the Chelsea revolution. He would later go on to be installed as manager, at the expense of a certain R Gullit. Finest hour Chelsea were 2-0 down at home to Liverpool in the fourth round of the FA Cup in January 1997 before Vialli’s two-goal salvo inspired an epic comeback as the Blues won 4-2. They went on to beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in the final, qualifying for the penultimate Cup Winners’ Cup; by the time they won it, Vialli was the boss. He said “I did not come here to have a holiday or to have fun. I came to do well and to become a legend in London at Chelsea.” RE 31 Juninho Nationality Brazilian British clubs Middlesbrough (1995-97, 1999-00 & 2002-04), Celtic (2004-05) The lowdown Known to the locals as “The Little Fella”, Juninho arrived on Teesside to the strains of samba music and 5,000 baying locals, and is widely regarded as the greatest player in Boro’s history. His transfer was something of a coup for Bryan Robson; the diminutive Brazilian boasted more tricks than the Great Soprendo and his low centre of gravity helped him ghost past players with ease. Not content with playing for Boro once he returned for another two goes before joining Celtic. Finest hour He’s got a good head for a little man... A diving header from Mikkel Beck’s cross against Chelsea in March 1996, which was later voted as Boro’s Goal of the Season. He said “I’d like to think I’ve helped Brazilians appreciate English football more.” NJ
30 Jan Molby Nationality Danish British clubs Liverpool (1984-95), Swansea City (1996-98) The lowdown On a cold autumn night at Anfield in 1985, Liverpool were hosting Manchester United in what was then the Milk Cup. Jan Molby, the Danish midfielder the club had signed the previous year, was still trying to convince some fans of his ability, so when he picked up the ball on the halfway line there would have been few in the ground quite prepared for what happened next. With a speed and agility that belied his generously proportioned frame, Molby sauntered past two United players before unleashing a howitzer of a shot from fully 30 yards that almost took the rigging into the Kop. You’ll have to take the word of the 41,000 fans there that night because a strike by the television camera operators strike meant there was no coverage, but those lucky enough to be present will tell you that it was the moment a new star was born. Up to that point things hadn’t been easy for Molby. His £225,000 move from Ajax in summer 1984 had been given the added burden of coinciding with the departure of Graeme Souness to Sampdoria. The loss of the talismanic skipper coincided with the club’s first trophyless season for nine years – and it was in the centre of midfield that the team were seen as lacking their usual nous. In the summer of 1985 Kenny Dalglish took over as manager and immediately addressed the flagrant misuse of Molby’s talents. The big Dane was an old-fashioned playmaker, schooled at Ajax by Johan Cruyff; asking him to get stuck in was akin to asking a fine-arts graduate to spraypaint cars. “I’ll buy you a Graeme Souness,” Dalglish told him, making Aston Villa’s hard-nut midfielder Steve McMahon his first recruit and letting Molby get on with creating rather than destroying. In the late-’80s there was no better passer in the English game than Molby. His range and vision, with either foot, helped Liverpool to League and FA Cup wins and earned Molby the affections of Kopites who nicknamed him “Rambo” while taking great pleasure at the gradual Scousification of his English accent. Injuries and a spell at Her Majesty’s pleasure hindered Molby’s progress but even when obviously overweight he ran games from the centre circle, conducting play to his own tempo. He left to manage Swansea in 1996 having given over 10 years to the cause. He always will be Liverpool’s Great Dane. Finest hour His Man of the Match display in the 1986 FA Cup Final against Everton. He had a hand in all three Liverpool goals, outmanoeuvred their great local rivals, and ensured Liverpool won their first-ever Double. They said “The most naturally two-footed player I’ve ever seen” – Kenny Dalglish. LM 29 & 28 Arnold Muhren & Frans Thijssen Nationality Dutch British clubs Ipswich Town (1978-82); Manchester United (Muhren, 1982-85), Nottingham Forest (Thijssen, 1983) The lowdown “The Dutchmen’s careers at Ipswich hardly got off to a flying start,” recalled former Portman Road supremo Bobby Robson years later. Signed in an audacious double swoop from FC Twente, the pair were afforded a distinctly lukewarm reception when they turned up in Suffolk, despite Robson claiming their arrival “could herald the dawning of a genuine Ipswich title challenge.” With Town having won the FA Cup in 1978, others remained sceptical. Kevin Beattie questioned the need “for the foreign lads at Ipswich”. For the majority of their early matches at Ipswich, the pair were peripheral figures in the hurly-burly world of Division One football. Thijssen was hardly enamoured with Town players’ diets, either, claiming: “If my coach back in Holland saw all the junk food and beer these players consume, he’d have a heart attack.” Muhren was horrified at the lack of medical expertise at the club. “Early on in my time there, I had a tight calf muscle, and I asked the physio if I could have a massage on the leg. ‘No, no,’ he said. ‘Go and run around in the cold. That’s the best thing for it.’” By the start of the ’80-81 season, the pair had begun to grab games by the scruff of the neck; Thijssen’s tight close control and Muhren’s raking passes made them arguably “the most potent midfield combination in Europe”, according to Johan Cruyff. After finishing runners-up in the league, and losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals, Ipswich finally garnered silverware with a 5-4 aggregate victory over AZ 67 Alkmaar in the UEFA Cup final. “Everyone said what a great side we were,” recalled Muhren, “and it was wonderful to actually have a major trophy to show for it during our time at Ipswich.” Once again, Cruyff waxed lyrical, claiming, “Bobby Robson’s team are possibly the most attractive passing side in Europe. In the main, you have to say that is down to the influence of Muhren and Thijssen.” With the Dutchmen having placed the Suffolk outfit firmly on the football map, both men, along with the England-bound Bobby Robson, took their leave of the club. Muhren joined Manchester United, winning the FA Cup twice, and Thijssen joined Brian Clough at Forest in 1983. But their hearts remain at Ipswich. “Arnold and myself look back on our time with Bobby and the boys with huge affection,” recalled Thijssen. “In a sense, we were a sign of things to come in the English game. But in the early-’80s, our aversion to ketchup and drinking sessions made us feel slightly out of place at times!” Best moment “It was one of the most surgical destructions of a British team I’ve ever seen,” claimed Brian Glanville after Muhren and Thijssen combined to inspire Ipswich to a 6-0 home win over Manchester United in 1980. They said “They address it and caress it in such a beautiful way that it’s a joy to behold” – Bobby Robson is impressed with his imports. JW 27 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Nationality Dutch British clubs Leeds United (1997-99), Chelsea (2000-04), Middlesbrough (2004-06), Charlton (2006-07), Cardiff City (2007-08) The lowdown Hasselbaink has proved himself to be one of the English game’s most prolific goalscorers, with a goal every other game for Leeds, Chelsea and Middlesbrough, despite appearing to be permanently angry on the pitch. Finest hour A priceless late winner for Leeds against Arsenal in May 1999 to seal fourth place in the Premier League for the Yorkshire side and end the Gunners’ title dreams. They said “He scored with a two-step run-up from 35 yards. It went past me like a bullet” – David James explains what it’s like to be on the receiving end. RE 26 Bert Trautmann Nationality German British clubs Manchester City (1949-64) The lowdown A paratrooper in the Luftwaffe, Trautmann was captured by the French, the Soviets and the Americans before finally being taken prisoner by the British. After the War he stayed in England doing bomb-disposal work and playing for St Helens Town. He was signed by City after impressing against them in a friendly and went on to make 545 appearances and won the FWA Footballer of the Year award in 1956. Finest hour The 1956 FA Cup Final against Birmingham, when he played the last 15 minutes with a broken neck sustained in making a save. City won 3-1. He said “I won the FA Cup, an OBE and Footballer of the Year, but for me the most important thing was the way the people of Lancashire and England accepted somebody who had been their enemy.” JW 25 Marcel Desailly Nationality French British clubs Chelsea (1998-2004) The lowdown Desailly was a World Cup winner and double European Cup-winner when he joined Chelsea in summer 1998. He played as a defensive midfielder under Gianluca Vialli but eventually moved to centre-back alongside Franck Leboeuf, William Gallas and then as mentor to a young John Terry. He eventually replaced Dennis Wise as captain and on his departure in 2004, was voted into Chelsea’s all-time XI. Finest hour Desailly was superb in Chelsea’s FA Cup final win over Aston Villa in 2000, and the 2-0 win over Manchester United in the Charity Shield later that year. He was also, indirectly, responsible for Ron Atkinson’s sacking as a pundit – for which many were thankful. He said “You have to sacrifice everything, to fight to stay at the top. It’s only when all that is done, you will have a long time to rest.” DB 24 Andrei Kanchelskis Nationality Russian British clubs Manchester United (1991-95), Everton (1995-96), Rangers (1998-2002), Southampton (2003) The lowdown A nippy winger who, despite being told he was too frail to make it in the game, became Manchester United’s best right-winger between Steve Coppell and Ronaldo. He scored 36 goals in 161 games, but it was his startling injections of pace that made him so popular – at Everton and Rangers as well as United. Finest hour His hat-trick against Manchester City in 1994-95, three of the 14 goals in 25 starts in a season that saw him crowned Player of the Year. They said “I told you what he has chairman, and that’s blinding pace. He’s powerfully built, too. For £600,000 he’s worth a gamble” – Sir Alex Ferguson to Martin Edwards during a game between Russia and Germany. NJ 23 David Ginola Nationality French British clubs Newcastle United (1995-97), Tottenham Hotspur (1997-2000), Aston Villa (2000-02), Everton (2002) The lowdown A swashbuckling winger who scorched the touchlines of St James Park, White Hart Lane and, to a lesser degree, Villa Park, Ginola turned heads with his pace, stylish feet and incisive running. He was the housewife’s choice de jour, long before “The Special One” pouted his way to Premiership glory. Sadly his position as one of Europe’s greatest stars wasn’t matched with silverware. For his flamboyance and entertaining spirit, though, Ginola was always worth it. Finest hour An FA Cup quarter-final goal for Spurs against Barnsley in 1999 that recalled the run of Ricky Villa in 1981. They said “Probably the best player in the world right now” –Johan Cruyff, 1999. MA 22 Claude Makelele Nationality French British club Chelsea (2003-2008) The lowdown A defensive midfielder in his early thirties, Makelele wasn’t the sexiest of Roman Abramovich’s original swathe of signings, in the hectic summer of 2003. Indeed, his pivotal role went largely unrecognised for the next two years, until Jose Mourinho picked the low-key Frenchman as his MVP in the triumphant first championship season. Eyebrows were raised, but soon enough pundits were renaming the anchor role in his honour. “That Makelele position, just in front of the back four” would swiftly become a Premier League cliché. Finest hour The final game of that 2004-05 campaign. Grateful Chelsea let Makelele take a late penalty; it’s saved, but he calmly nets the rebound, unleashing bedlam. He said “It’s the ultimate honour to have it named after me.” SH 21 Didier Drogba Nationality Ivorian British clubs Chelsea (2004-) The lowdown Drogba didn’t want to leave Marseille after helping them to the UEFA Cup final in his only season there and was widely derided despite scoring 10 league goals in his first season at Chelsea. But Jose Mourinho kept faith and was rewarded when Drogba became the first Chelsea player to score 30 goals in a season since Kerry Dixon in 1985. Finest hour Drogba ran to fetch Mourinho from the dressing-room after Chelsea’s Carling Cup final win over Liverpool, and has scored two brilliant goals against Barcelona. But his FA Cup final winner over Manchester United last season was his most important goal. He said “I’m proud of how I managed to change the way people in England saw me in my third season.” BL 20 Brian Laudrup Nationality Danish British clubs Rangers (1994-98), Chelsea (1998-99) The lowdown Rangers’ greatest ever overseas player, the £2.3m signing from AC Milan exhibited the kind of pace, close ball-control, pinpoint crossing and shooting that left SPL defences weeping. Given a free role by Walter Smith in tandem with Paul Gascoigne, Laudrup was a talismanic presence in one of the Gers’ greatest sides. Finest hour Despite winning the Footballer Writer’s Player of the Year twice in his four-year spell, scoring the bullet header against Dundee United that sealed Rangers’ historic, record-equalling nine-in-a-row run in 1996 marked the emotional peak of his fondly recalled spell. They said “The best investment I ever made on behalf of the club. Without question he is one of the most gifted players I’ve come across” – Walter Smith. GT 19 Robert Pires Nationality French British club Arsenal (2000-2006) The lowdown He spent his first season floundering like Bambi on ice. Then, suddenly, he found his feet and was central to Arsenal’s double winning campaign in 2002, forming a terrific understanding with Thierry Henry and providing more assists than any other player in the Premier League, despite his campaign being curtailed by injury. His strangely duck-like running style belied quicksilver feet and a sublime touch, and his Premiership scoring record of 62 goals in 189 games was one most strikers would envy. Finest hour At the Premier League trophy presentation at Highbury in 2002, his team-mates bowed down to Pires in ‘we’re not worthy’ tribute – acknowledgement of his influence. They said “Before that injury [in 2002] he was the best left-sided midfielder in the world” – Arsene Wenger. DB 18 Ruud van Nistelrooy Nationality Dutch British club Manchester United (2001-2006) The lowdown “When I eventually go,” said Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2004, “I would like the fans to think ‘He was OK’.” Though curiously never unconditionally adored at Old Trafford, the Dutchman’s legacy was safe two years later when he departed for Real Madrid. His stay had been more than OK. Signed from PSV Eindhoven for £19 million in the summer of 2001, the late-blooming Dutchman provided a constant supply of goals over the next five years, with 150 goals from 219 games. His 38 goals in the Champions League easily surpassed Denis Law’s all-time European club record. Finest hour A hat-trick against Fulham completed with a rare dribble from the halfway line en route to the 2003 title. They said “When he receives the ball inside the box, it’s almost a forgone conclusion he will score” – Eusebio. SP 17 Bruce Grobbelaar Nationality Zimbabwean British clubs Liverpool (1980-94), Southampton (1994-96), Plymouth Argyle (1996-97), Oldham Athletic (1997-98), Bury (1998), Lincoln City (1998) The lowdown While critics sneer that anybody could have kept goal behind Liverpool’s notoriously miserly 1980s defence, it’s worth remembering that Bruce Grobbelaar was hardly ever dropped by three of Anfield’s shrewdest managers: Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish. Finest hour The 1984 European Cup Final penalty shootout against Roma. Many remember his bandy legs putting off Graziani; equally entertaining was the “pretending the net was spaghetti” routine that bamboozled Conti. They said “Before the penalties, Jamie Carragher came up to me and said ‘Jerzy, remember Bruce Grobbelaar? He did crazy things to put them off. You have to do the same’” – Jerzy Dudek on the 2005 Champions League Final. NM 16 George Robledo Nationality Chilean British clubs Barnsley (1945-49), Newcastle United (1949-53) The lowdown Jackie Milburn was the local hero but alongside him was the guile and the intelligence of George Robledo, an inside-forward brimming with all the exoticism and creativity of, er, South Yorkshire. Jorge Robledo (as he was christened) was born in Chile, in the northern port of Iquique, but when he was five his Chilean father and English mother emigrated to Brampton, near Rotherham. He showed early talent as a footballer and he played as an amateur for Huddersfield’s reserve team while earning his money down the pit. He joined Barnsley with his younger brother Ted (Eduardo) towards the end of the War, and played for them for four years before Newcastle came calling. The club were interested only in him, but he refused to move north unless Ted came too, so Newcastle reluctantly signed the pair of them. After making his debut against Charlton on February 5, 1949, Robledo netted his first goal a month later against Sunderland, setting him firmly on the way to cult status on Tyneside. He suffered terribly from travel sickness and had to take the train even when the rest of the team went by bus, but as the goals flowed it hardly seemed to matter. His form also attracted attention back in South America, and, despite not speaking a word of Spanish, Robledo was included in the Chile squad for the 1950 World Cup. He made his debut against England, and went on to win 31 caps, scoring eight goals. His goals-per-game ratio was rather better for Newcastle, for whom he totalled 82 goals in 146 games. Just as crucial, though, were the number of passes he slid through to Milburn; theirs was arguably the greatest strike partnership in the club’s history. Robledo bade farewell to Tyneside in 1953 and returned to Chile to sign for the Santiago club Colo Colo. He finished his playing career with O’Higgins and retired with his wife to the coastal town of Vina del Mar, where he lived until dying from a heart attack in 1989. Finest hour Having become the first South American to play in the FA Cup final when Newcastle beat Blackpool in 1951, he was a key player as Newcastle retained the Cup the following year. He was top scorer in Division One that season and, when he added his 39th in all competitions with the winner against Arsenal in the final, it took him level with Hughie Gallacher’s club record tally for a season. They said “I just hope we see you later this afternoon, George” – Milburn to Robledo as they parted outside the hotel before the 1951 Cup Final. As the team took the bus to Wembley, Robledo took the train, and later set up the opener for his strike partner. JW 15 Paolo di Canio Nationality Italian British clubs Celtic (1996-97); Sheffield Wednesday (1997-99); West Ham United (1999-2003); Charlton Athletic (2003-04) The lowdown One of the biggest talents and mouths to alight upon these shores. A conundrum of a player with an unerring knack for stirring up controversies, he also once earned universal plaudits for an act of rare sportsmanship. What was never in dispute was his ability to boss games when the mood took him and a capacity for moments of breathtaking brilliance. He invariably prospered whenever handed centre stage. The Italian burst into Britain at Celtic as one of “The Three Amigos” (a sobriquet coined by the presumably map-shy Hoops chairman Fergus McCann) with fellow Euro-mavericks Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete – a forward line huge on flair and hopelessly lacking in discipline. He made his mark at all four British clubs that he played for, but he became a cult at West Ham, contributing 48 league goals from 114 starts. Shown the door by Sheffield Wednesday in January 1999 after flooring referee Paul Alcock in a match against Arsenal and thus earning himself an 11-match ban, he departed with a volley of abuse for his old employers. But he channelled his indignation into his new job, helping fire the Hammers up to fifth, their second-highest top-flight finish. His thunderous flying volley for West Ham against Wimbledon in 2000 was rightly proclaimed the BBC’s Goal of the Season. A law unto himself, the Italian, a self-styled “fascist, but not a racist” who has a tattooed homage to Mussolini on his arm, frayed the nerves of just about every manager he played for, including the normally laid-back Harry Redknapp. Nor did he spare team-mates; he thought Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand were too raw to play for England. It was a public bust-up with Redknapp’s successor Glenn Roeder, who made the mistake of trying to bring him to heel, that prompted his post-haste departure for a final English fling at the Valley. Finest hour Defying his bad-boy image with a shockingly rare act of sportsmanship at Goodison Park in December 2000. Di Canio spurned the chance to score in the final minute in order to call for attention for injured home keeper Paul Gerrard. FIFA gave him their Fair Play Award, with supremo Sepp Blatter gushing “Your spontaneous action deserves our special recognition and respect.” They said “I have a terrific bunch of lads and a wonderful team spirit and I will not stand by and watch someone wreck it. I don’t care who he is or how much talent he has. Paolo cannot get away with this time and again... Paolo is upsetting people left, right and centre and he should not be surprised if no one wants to talk to him” – a rare public rebuke from Harry Redknapp in 2000. DB
14 Eddie Firmani Nationality Italian (born South African) British clubs Charlton Athletic (1950-54, 1963-64, 1966-67), Southend United (1965-66) The lowdown Spotted as a Cape Town teen crashing home seven goals in a game by boss Jimmy Seed, the predatory Firmani became the best-known of a string of South African imports at The Valley, scoring more than a goal every other game during three spells with the Addicks. Set a British transfer record when he joined Sampdoria in 1963 for £35,000 and won three caps for Italy. Finest hour Firmani is the only man to have scored 100 goals in top-flight football in England and Italy. Top that, Rushie. He said “Italy was where I learned about tactics. English soccer was a different game. It was about being strong and powerful and playing at the very highest speed, getting long balls to the forwards.” SM 13 Jaap Stam Nationality Dutch British club Manchester United (1998-2001) The lowdown A £10.75m buy from PSV Eindhoven in summer 1998, Jaap Stam was possibly Manchester United’s greatest ever defender. His incredible strength, pace and awareness, plus his hulking 6ft 3in frame, made United almost invincible; he finished each of his three seasons in England with a Premier League winners medal, and in 1999 completed the Treble. A revelatory autobiography persuaded Ferguson to sell him to Lazio for £16.5m in August 2001, but the Dutchman played on with aplomb via AC Milan and Ajax. When he retired last year, Ferguson finally confessed: “It was a mistake.” Finest hour May 1999: three Treble-winning games in 10 days. They said “Without Jaap Stam Sir Alex would still be Alex” – Mike Ingham, BBC Five Live. SP 12 Ruud Gullit Nationality Dutch British clubs Chelsea (1995-1998) The lowdown Glenn Hoddle’s acquisition may have glamourised the Premier League – and ushered in a cosmopolitan era at Stamford Bridge – but his big idea for the Dutchman didn’t work. Hoddle had switched to sweeper during his final playing days of his own career, but Gullit doing the same threw his defence into disarray. The solution was obvious, but many wondered if the 32-year-old could cope with a frenetic English midfield. Cope with it? He revelled in it, running the show, scoring vital goals and narrowly losing out to Eric Cantona as Player of the Year. Finest hour A 70-yard burst to notch a glorious winner against Southampton. They said “His talent is God-given – and how he uses it!” – Saints boss Dave Merrington, shortly afterwards. RE 11 Dwight Yorke Nationality Tobagan British clubs Aston Villa (1989-98), Manchester United (1998-2002), Blackburn Rovers (2002-2004), Birmingham City (2004-2005), Sunderland (2006-) The lowdown Discovered by Graham Taylor in Tobago in 1989, Yorke enjoyed nine seasons at Villa Park before Alex Ferguson spent a club record £12.6m on him. Fergie’s chairman Martin Edwards and assistant Brian Kidd questioned him, but the intelligently skilful Yorke formed a brilliant partnership with Andy Cole and finished as the club’s top scorer with 29 goals as United won the Treble, and then another two league medals. He even impressed in a midfield role for Sunderland after his Sydney stint. Finest hour A double strike against Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in March 1999. He said “The manager doesn’t want me to live like a monk. If he tried, my football would go down the drain.” SP 10 Patrick Vieira Nationality French British club Arsenal (1996-2005) The lowdown Arsene Wenger’s first signing, and arguably his most important, Vieira arrived as a gangling, awkward unknown from AC Milan’s fringes and his £3.5 million fee seemed extravagant. But within a season he had established himself as the fulcrum of the new Arsenal, with a rare combination of elegance, power and an uncanny ability to retain possession in the face of allcomers. His personal duel with Roy Keane was, over many years, one of the Premier League’s most enthralling sideshows. Finest hour Captaining Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ to the title through a whole league campaign unbeaten in 2003-04. He said “I love the physical battles in England. In Italy there are too many free-kicks for small offences. I even miss Roy Keane.” DB 9 Jurgen Klinsmann Nationality German British club Tottenham Hotspur (1994-95, 1997-98) The lowdown He arrived in England a pantomime villain and left a conquering hero. This was no mean feat; English disaffection centred on the import’s reputation for diving and feigning injury. One writer wrote a column entitled ‘Why I Hate Jurgen Klinsmann’. An acrobatic header and some self-deprecating ‘dive’ celebrations later and the same writer was frantically penning a new column, this time headlined ‘Why I Love Jurgen Klinsmann’. The blonde bomber left a year later amid controversy, claiming a contractual clause that chairman Alan Sugar seemed unaware of. He later returned to single-handedly save Spurs from relegation. Finest hour Steering Spurs to an FA Cup quarter-final victory at Anfield. He was applauded from the pitch by The Kop. They said “He never ceased to amaze me” – Teddy Sheringham. MA 8 Cristiano Ronaldo Nationality Portuguese British club Manchester United (2003-) The lowdown The 30-year search for the new George Best ended shortly before his death when the Ulsterman finally anointed Cristiano Ronaldo. “Many players have been compared to me,” said Best, “but this is the first time it actually flatters me.” That was two and a half years ago. Now, Sir Alex Ferguson believes Ronaldo can lift himself still further, onto the plinth reserved for the game’s two greatest players. “At 22, he has the same skill factor as Maradona and Pelé,” Ferguson has said. “Cristiano is getting to the level of best player in the world. Thereafter, it is up to others to decide whether he is as good as Maradona and Pelé.” Signed from Sporting Lisbon at 18 for £12.24 million in 2003, he immediately displayed his raw talent, but blemished his reputation with culturally unnecessary stepovers, dives and sulky expressions that even Sir Bobby Charlton called “embarrassing”. After three seasons Ronaldo could have cut and run when he briefly became a pantomime villain after the last World Cup, but he stayed to enjoy the season of his life – scoring 23 goals, winning the Premier League title and both domestic Player of the Year awards. Last season he won both awards again, scoring 42 goals, 31 of them in the Premier League . As Ronaldo has said: “Maybe I’m too good.” Finest hour The free-kick that defied the laws of football physics against Portsmouth in January 2008. They said “Just like Michael Jordan, [Cristiano Ronaldo] is blessed with athletic genius that has never been seen before” – Carlos Queiroz. SP 7 Ossie Ardiles Nationality Argentinian British clubs Spurs (1978-88), Blackburn (1988), QPR (1988-89), Swindon (1989-91) The lowdown Arsenal fans owe a great debt to Ossie Ardiles. Prior to his arrival at the enemy’s gates in 1978 , Scottish internationals in Division One were regarded as exotic. On the pitch, the 1978 World Cup winner was a revelation. Alongside Glenn Hoddle, Ardiles’s quick thinking oiled a Spurs engine room buzzing with creativity. Tottenham were soon transformed from mid-table strugglers to trophy winners, claiming the FA Cup in 1981 and 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1984. Finest hour The 1981 FA Cup replay against Manchester City. Despite Ricardo Villa’s two strikes – including that goal – Ardiles orchestrated the Spurs midfield and secured his Wembley dream. He said “Ricky and I were nervous when we began but I fell in love with the club and it is still my favourite.” MA 6 Peter Schmeichel Nationality Danish British clubs Man United (1991-99), Aston Villa (2001-02), Man City (2002-03) The lowdown After arriving from Brondby for just £530,000 in 1991 the Dane, who kept 180 clean sheets in 398 games, would provide the foundation for five league titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League during eight years at Old Trafford. But he was always more than just a shot-stopper. He was a dominator, prowling his box like a territorial tiger and gobbling up crosses; a motivator, constantly haranguing all within earshot; a quarterback whose long throws could begin attacks. While Schmeichel’s status as the greatest keeper of the Premiership era is beyond doubt, it doesn’t quite do him justice. Sir Alex Ferguson believes he deserves something even grander: “A better goalkeeper never played the game.” Finest hour Repeatedly repelling Newcastle in a season-defining 1-0 win for United at St James’ Park in March 1996. They said “The bargain of the century” – Sir Alex Ferguson. 5 Gianfranco Zola Nationality Italian British club Chelsea (1996-2003) The lowdown Some foreign players, for all their skill, can rub opposing fans up the wrong way. Klinsmann was seen as a little theatrical, Henry slightly smug and Cantona could be just plain villainous. Gianfranco Zola also had all the skill, but played with such boyish enthusiasm that you couldn’t help but love him. In his eight years at Chelsea he was an example to all, always playing the game with a smile on his face. Chelsea fans voted him their best ever a few years ago, and there aren’t many who would change that opinion now. Finest hour The near-post flick against Norwich in 2002 when, seemingly nonchalantly, he back-heeled a whizzing corner into the net. He said “[In England] the fans go to the a stadium as if they were going to church. The match is a festival, the chance to give a day in good humour.” LM 4 Henrik Larsson Nationality Swedish British clubs Celtic (1997-2004); Manchester United (2007) The lowdown Celtic’s “King of Kings” arrived in 1997 in a £650,000 deal from Feyenoord. Pound for pound, this makes Larsson unquestionably one of the most successful imports ever to grace British football. But while 173 goals in 224 games for Celtic tells its own astonishing story, his contribution not just to Celtic but to the Scottish game was a unique and wholly positive one. Last year’s three-month cameo at Old Trafford, along with the Champions League winner’s medal he won with Barcelona in 2006, firmly nailed the coffin lid on all that “he can only score in Scotland” nonsense. Finest hour His core characteristics were best illustrated when he won the Golden Boot in 2001 with a tally of 35 goals –the season after an eight-month lay-off following a truly awful leg break against Lyon. They said “I always admired him. He’s just a great player” – Sir Alex Ferguson. GT 3 Thierry Henry Nationality French British clubs Arsenal (1999-2007) The lowdown The vision of Thierry Henry in full flight, drifting in from the left and suddenly shifting up into turbo mode and bearing down on goal was perhaps the scariest sight defenders in the Premier League have ever had to face. Arguably no other player in the English game’s history has managed to combine grace and athleticism to such devastating effect. Of Arsene Wenger’s many feats of reinvention, his decision to redeploy Henry from misfit wideman to centre-forward was surely his greatest coup. During his eight seasons at Arsenal, Henry scored 226 goals, shattering Ian Wright’s club record, and set the bar at a level that is unlikely to ever be matched – not bad for a player who admitted he “needed to be retaught everything about the art of the striker” after a barren 10-game start to his Gunners career. Excluding a final season truncated by injury, he never scored fewer than 22 goals in a campaign. Moreover, so many of them were of breathtaking beauty or match-turning and season-shaping importance. Though he was never a born captain, and struggled to accept players who were unable to play on his level, he was remarkably unselfish for a centre-forward and clocked up a huge number of assists. An unprecedented hat-trick of Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year awards underlined his position as the most consistent virtuoso since the new millennium. And had justice been done in 2004, he and not Ronaldinho would have been officially recognised by FIFA as the world’s best player, not least for his inspirational contribution, including 39 goals, to a campaign in which Arsenal’s “Invincibles” went the entire league campaign unbeaten. Finest hour A complete performance, that included two goals – one a trademark dazzler – as Arsenal demolished Inter Milan 5-1 at the San Siro, to avoid a Champions League exit against all odds. They said “He could take a ball in the middle of park and score a goal that no one else in the world could” – Arsene Wenger. DB 2 Dennis Bergkamp Nationality Dutch British clubs Arsenal (1995-2006) The lowdown Dennis Bergkamp’s arrival in North London from Inter Milan in 1995 - the one significant act of Bruce Rioch’s managerial tenure - was a watershed moment, not just for Arsenal but for English football. He was one of the first true “A-List” players to arrive from the continent, ahead of the Sky TV bonanza; that he should come to a club tainted by a reputation for dourness was a major coup. Of the many foreigners who have brightened the British game, perhaps only Eric Cantona and Gianfranco Zola can have such a transformational effect on the fortunes of their teams. Bergkamp scored plenty of goals - 120 in 424 games - but created even more, racking up 166 official assists. A chance first encounter with Ian Wright at a service station on the M25 just after he signed for Arsenal was the start of an unlikely and beautiful partnership; after Wrighty, Bergkamp went on to form equally potent tandems with Nicolas Anelka and then Thierry Henry. As Henry realised to his cost once his foil retired – and thereafter refused to let his team-mates forget – the Dutchman was quite simply irreplaceable. His 11 seasons at Arsenal took him to 37 years of age, and throughout he was an exemplary professional whose presence helped pedestrian colleagues raise their game. According to Arsene Wenger, he was the archetypal No.10, orchestrating play in the space between centre and front line, and bringing a previously unseen fluidity to the Arsenal attack. His soft feet, magical range of passing and ability to conjure goals of enduring brilliance – who could ever forget, for example, his brilliant flick, twist and half-volley against Newcastle? – made him unique. Finest hour His “perfect” hat-trick against Leicester City at Filbert Street in August 1997 – possibly the best ever scored (it earned a unique 1-2-3 in Match of the Day’s Goal of the Month). They said “If Ryan Giggs is worth £20 million, Bergkamp is worth £100 million” –Marco van Basten. DB 1 Eric Cantona Nationality French British clubs Leeds United (1991-92); Manchester United (1992-96) The lowdown It was, quite simply, a marriage made in heaven – if you happened to be a Manchester United fan, or if your name wasn’t Matthew Simmons. Eric Cantona’s arrival at Old Trafford in November 1992 arguably sent Alex Ferguson’s slow-burning Red revolution into hyper-drive, put the grand in grandeur and heralded an age of artistry, pomp and swagger not witnessed at Old Trafford since the halcyon days of Best, Law and Charlton. Twenty-six years of title-questing thirst were slaked within six months of Cantona’s shock trans-Pennine switch from Leeds United, where l’enfant terrible of French football had spent just nine months. Under Ferguson’s tutelage, however, he found his spiritual home. Over the next four-and-a-half years, Cantona was at the hub of a further three Premier League successes, including league and FA Cup doubles in 1993-94 and 1995-96, before disappearing as swiftly as he’d appeared, retiring from football in 1997, aged just 31, to pursue a career as an actor and beach footballer. If outsiders found Le Roi, as he was dubbed by the Stretford End, hard to love, even the coldest heart had to admire the audacity of a man who wore his collar up like a footballing James Dean and rambled like an existentialist philosopher. What Leeds United’s chief executive Bill Fotherby was thinking was anyone’s guess when he agreed to ship out Cantona just six months after the Frenchman had helped the Whites to their first title success since Don Revie’s 1970s heyday. Fotherby had telephoned Man United chairman Martin Edwards to inquire about re-signing Denis Irwin. Ferguson, in the office at the time, must have wet himself with glee when his hastily scribbled note ‘Ask him about Eric Cantona’ met with approving noises at the other end. Cantona wasted little time showing his flair: the goal he made – for Irwin – in United’s 4-1 win at Spurs in January 1993 featured a pass that took out eight defenders in one go, sending John Motson into a fit of hyperbole – “This man… is playing a game of his own.” Breathtakingly brilliant, he was equally capable of leaving you gasping on other fronts. His infamous kung fu kick earned him a $43,000 fine, a 10-month ban and 120 hours’ community service in lieu of a two-week jail sentence. Being an iconoclast, he scored on his return, from the penalty spot against Liverpool. A typical Cantona moment came as United sank Sunderland 5-0 in his last season. His first goal from open play in three months, a sublime chip, was followed by a regal 360-degree pirouette. Five months later he’d gone – and rare is the man who calls time on his own United career. Finest hour The volleyed winner against Liverpool in the 1996 FA Cup Final was perhaps his most memorable moment, but the influence he had on the emerging talents of Giggs, Scholes, Beckham and Gary Neville helped create the modern-day football superpower that is Manchester United. He said “I’m so proud the fans still sing my name, but I fear tomorrow they will stop. I fear it because I love it. And everything you love, you fear you will lose.” SM
I saw one from a similar time, October 2006. This one was voted by 1.5 million people (SkySports said on the video) and that makes it interesting. Might be skewed towards the clubs with the largest fanbases or lowest antipathy. 50) Kinkladze 49) Viduka 48) Vialli 47) Van der Sar 46) Robbie Keane 45) Malbranque 44) Drogba 43) Kanchelskis 42) Yeboah 41) Patrik Berger 40) Cristiano Ronaldo 39) Riise 38) Di Matteo 37) Friedel 36) Solano 35) Yorke 34) Ljungberg 33) Given 32) Xabi Alonso 31) Poyet 30) Anelka 29) Stam 28) Hamann 27) Solskjaer 26) Gudjohnsen 25) Petit 24) Kewell 23) Cech 22) Overmars 21) Hasselbaink 20) Okocha 19) Hyypia 18) Desailly 17) Pires 16) Irwin 15) Lucas Radebe 14) Klinsmann 13) Djorkaeff 12) Juninho 11) Van Nistelrooij 10) Di Canio 9) Makelele 8) Ginola 7) Vieira 6) Bergkamp 5) Roy Keane 4) Schmeichel 3) Zola 2) Cantona 1) Henry As noticed by me on the 2003-04 thread, Gudjohnsen never received honors or even an ESM vote, but good to see he ranks in the pack here
You might be interested in this too Puck, if you've not already noticed it (the latest in a series of 'Top 10 'X' of the Premier League era' picked/discussed by Ian Wright and Alan Shearer with Gary Lineker as host - this time Top 10 European imports, including from Republic of Ireland, but excluding goalkeepers - the 10 names are pre-determined and they just order them) https://www.givemesport.com/1563234...mier-leagues-top-10-greatest-european-imports
Yes thank you. Here some comments on text, and with the people voting on the order. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/52279932 I had listened the beginning already and heard about who they left out from the options (including the #3 foreign scorer RvP, and Fa Cup finals phenomenon Drogba, who has actually a good amount of assists as well). Just thought this one from 2006 would be interesting and only discovered it this week.
Yes I have seen the half hour now. I don't think there is anything new for us, or a surprising new insight, but nice that Lineker also did a shout-out to Thijssen and Muhren at 9:30 - 11:00 in the video here. I think the timing of this video maybe favors Kompany a little bit. Let's see from 5 or 10 years on. The BBC links also directs to pages of other categories. In the 2006 vote Hasselbaink comes out fine, but just like Van Hooijdonk (is in FFT 2008 piece above) and others he is left out of the VI top 50 of 2018 (for which they did a real effort I think, put some time in).
Yes, I noticed that comment about Thijssen and Muhren when I was listening on the radio. Lineker is the oldest of the 3 I suppose, but was beginning his own career when they were playing at Ipswich of course. My tendency is to always err towards peak (in a way it's fairer in terms of player comparisons for this because otherwise some players will be hugely advantaged over others purely on number of years in England; in another way though I can see that rewarding longevity quite a bit recognises the overall impact of the player), so I was feeling I'd probably have put Pires, Zola and Klinsmann in the 10. Zola was certainly mentioned by Wright I remember - I do think he had certain spells of great form, including an immediate impact, but other times with less great sustained form I think. If counting up number of 'great seasons' I suppose Hazard would have more probably to be fair (I wasn't thinking I'd take Hazard out a top 10 anyway, but leaning to peak maybe I'd slot him below those 3).
Some strange things here. Something like Klinsmann with one season where he won the league cup ahead of Vieira is pretty inconceivable.
I assume here you have read the text. Not that I disagree with you, but; One could argue Klinsmann reached a higher peak (in awards, at a more favorable position perhaps) and also higher impact in both spells, several years apart. Right or wrong, not a super high number English league players have reached the Ballon d'Or podium. Furthermore, he was maybe also more likeable and charismatic, winning over people. Captain Vieira has the most red cards in EPL history (#12 in yellows) while in appearances he is tied for 119th. Eventually that costs you points as a team.
I noticed only one Brazilian on the list. There were simply not many great Brazilians ever played in the UK. On top of my head, I can only think of a two good ones missing on the list, Philippe Coutinho and Giberto Silva. I have not decided if they belonged to this list.
The best (and most influential) Brazilian for a prolonged period of time at a top team is probably Fernandinho, although in appearances he is surpassed by Willian and Lucas Leiva. He was also someone who only got better (or more important) when he approached 30. The most appearances until 2008 had Gilberto Silva, who is indeed not on both lists (unlike some of his compatriots that actually didn't play at a top side). https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/appearances?se=-1 Fernandinho his toughest opponents, according to himself:
This gives more context: https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ijk-europeans-who-influenced-english-football https://audioboom.com/posts/7573030-get-a-wim-jonk-while-you-re-at-it
The Athletic and their writers had this top 60 (although they say the point is the profiles and not the order). With some placings I really disagree. Either because they didn't do much at continental level or because the gap between players looks unusually large (Henry vs Nistelrooy, although the former was obviously the better player, as said by the latter too; Rooney vs Van Persie). Of modern players I'd have Hazard (marginally) higher than Aguero or Silva. I think Hazard has an argument he was the best player of the league in about three or four seasons (anything between two and four). Someone like Pires looks also a bit wrongly placed, next to e.g. Milner. To tie up some loose ends they've placed several Dutch players at the bottom (very typical for the last 20 years, the default attitude within this era of Cambridge Analytica and Big Five dominance is to not like and rate). 60. Les Ferdinand 59. Carragher 58. Tevez 57. De Gea 56. Klinsmann 55. G. Neville 54. Di Canio 53. Sheringham 52. Campbell 51. Modric 50. Van Nistelrooij 49. Van Persie 48. Pires 47. Van der Sar 46. Makelele 45. Le Tissier 44. Milner 43. Ginola 42. Fowler 41. Vardy 40. Speed 39. Van Dijk 38. Sterling 37. Mane 36. Owen 35. Kante 34. Luis Suarez 33. Kane 32. Fabregas 31. Yaya Toure 30. Zola 29. Cech 28. Ian Wright 27. Drogba 26. Bale 25. Salah 24. De Bruyne 23. Adams 22. Andy Cole 21. Kompany 20. Ashley Cole 19. Scholes 18. Beckham 17. Schmeichel 16. Hazard 15. Bergkamp 14. Terry 13. Vieira 12. David Silva 11. Rio Ferdinand 10. Aguero 9. Rooney 8. Gerrard 7. Roy Keane 6. Lampard 5. Cristiano Ronaldo 4. Giggs 3. Cantona 2. Shearer 1. Henry Your ideas? For Shearer I'd give this #2 placement an okay if also euro 96, on home soil, is made part of the equation. Otherwise not really. Shearer his open play goals production is skewed towards the period before the league had made their way in the coefficients (that makes the European scene important). As discussed a few times before, unlike Cantona the pair Zola and Bergkamp actually turned up in Europe a number of times against good/elite clubs, and played finals with the club too (with Zola scoring and winning as well).
Thanks. I think your comments seem very reasonable in terms of RVN, Pires etc. I guess they weigh longevity pretty heavily (hence this time we really do see Vieira way ahead of Klinsmann for example), so any idea of "I'd say this player was better than these players ahead myself" I could offer could be complicated by that. Considering that though, Cantona might seem somewhat high (although he didn't play in the PL for a completely insignificant period relative to other candidates and what you said about Hazard could apply to him too in terms of at least having an argument as the league's top player in 2 seasons, and he was a leading player throughout his time even if with a ban for a time and then with less great form for large parts of his final season). Personally I'd have Bergkamp ahead of him whichever way I looked at it I guess, but I wouldn't say people can't see things the other way of course.
Yeah although somewhat awkwardly written I'm following this series too (because it has nice videos to illustrate the point) 1271815798198284288 is not a valid tweet id The 6th profile for the Football Flashbacks Series is on Patrick Vieira. He's regarded by most as one of the best in the PL's history, which made him an interesting figure to examine.Spoiler: I couldn't quite get there myself, but I do think he was great https://t.co/2ieqbYDU3B— Mohamed (@MoeSquare) July 28, 2020 So I wanted to check this, and currently there's been nearly 10000 views on the three retro profiles done on Zidane/Keane/Makelele, which is pretty cool. I wasn't expecting that this would turn into a ongoing series of mine, but it's nice that people seem to like it so far— Mohamed (@MoeSquare) June 16, 2020 (Nikos Overheul is himself very good)
Van Nistelrooy is actually today still the player with the most CL goals for English clubs (35 goals for a PL club). Not good enough for top 50. Includes goals in KO rounds where his team went out. Van Persie is sixth or seventh on this list (with Drogba, Rooney, Giggs and Agüero nearby and Henry a bit ahead). Anyway, the point is clear (the social pressures are clear) and I have also reached the stage to stop bothering/correcting these things too much.
Based on the discussions I've had with some of the contributors, it's exclusively about Premier League performance. Not any other performances. I think the list itself is questionable, though not way off, but the profiles are really good and a very interesting summary of the individuals.
Okay thanks, that makes the thing look better to be honest. A few of the highest overseas scorers still missing (can't find one with the Opta assists added, which is for some in the top 10 a considerable amount): https://www.fourfourtwo.com/gallery/50-highest-foreign-goalscorers-premier-league-history https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47474106
I must say the below puts things into an interesting, and additional, perspective. This would be the overview of the 20 highest overseas scorers - just in the league - and the minutes, taken from the league website (Ronaldo with 84 goals, 11 penalties and 34 assists in 14.541 minutes): 20 (#37 above). Sadio Mane, 84 goals (0 pens), 29 assists (15.127 minutes) 19 (#16). Eden Hazard, 85 goals (16 pens), 54 assists (19.468 minutes) 18 (N/A). Fernando Torres, 85 goals (1 pen), 29 assists (14.677 minutes) 17 (N/A). Olivier Giroud, 86 goals (2 pens), 28 assists (13.709 minutes) 16 (#15). Dennis Bergkamp, 87 goals (5 pens), 94 assists (22.161 minutes) 15 (N/A). Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, 91 goals (0 pens), 37 assists (13.940 minutes) 14 (N/A). Mark Viduka, 92 goals (5 pens), 28 assists (18.221 minutes) 13 (N/A). Dimitar Berbatov, 94 goals (9 pens), 40 assists (17.515 minutes) 12 (N/A). Yakubu Aiyegbeni, 95 goals (18 pens), 26 assists (18.989 minutes) 11 (#50). Ruud van Nistelrooij, 95 goals (15 pens), 14 assists (12.175 minutes) 10 (N/A). Emmanuel Adebayor, 97 goals (10 pens), 36 assists (17.924 minutes) 9 (#27). Didier Drogba, 104 goals (4 pens), 54 assists (17.525 minutes) 8 (N/A). Romelu Lukaku, 113 goals (6 pens), 35 assists (19.079 minutes) 7 (N/A). Dwight Yorke, 123 goals (6 pens), 50 assists (27.417 minutes) 6 (N/A). Nicolas Anelka, 125 goals (7 pens), 48 assists (28.164 minutes) 5 (N/A). Robbie Keane, 126 goals (17 pens), 37 assists (24.444 minutes) 4 (N/A). Jimmy Hasselbaink, 127 goals (14 pens), 58 assists (21.561 minutes) 3 (#49). Robin van Persie, 144 goals (15 pens), 53 assists (20.120 minutes) 2 (#01). Thierry Henry, 175 goals (23 pens), 74 assists (21.308 minutes) 1 (#10). Sergio Aguero, 180 goals (26 pens), 46 assists (19.302 minutes) @PDG1978 I'd say depending on peak or longevity (or both) Torres, Berbatov, Yorke, Anelka, Hasselbaink (maybe Lukaku as well) wouldn't look out of place in a top 50. Some of the gaps between players are too extreme I believe (see also Fink Tank et al.). Even better would be to exlude/mention set piece assists as well but can't do that right now. That would 'hurt' Henry and benefit Bergkamp for instance. I know cumulative achievement and longevity is a factor but there really are blind spots in the list and a truly enormous bias towards British players (which the rest of the world is happy to eat).
Yeah, sure I think Torres and Berbatov probably had a higher rep at certain points than retrospectively, but for a while were probably widely thought of more as 'world class players' than a Les Ferdinand or even an Andy Cole for example. Yorke at his peak was receiving Ballon d'Or votes etc wasn't he (not solely for Premier League displays I suppose). I remember when looking through those assists numbers before that Hasselbaink's total stood out and even seemed a bit surprising (he was seen as more a striker than a rounded forward I guess, although his partnership with Gudjohnsen for example was highly regarded I remember as a true partnership feeding off each other rather than mainly Gudjohnsen feeding Hasselbaink). Maybe it comes down to the type of assists too, but high numbers at least should reflect the capability to be unselfish at the right moments and to pick out team-mates in goalscoring positions etc. But I haven't read the pieces yet and like you've both said maybe that's where the value lies with the list. The order will always be arguable I suppose, and maybe if longevity is indeed factored in with high weighting then a Torres or Berbatov lose out a bit (not only by being foreign and not starting in the league of course, but because of perceived/real drop off in form and reputation - undoubtedly real for Torres I suppose and more arguable/variable for Berbatov at Man Utd maybe).
Yes, I guess those BdO votes was also based on his 8 goals and 8 assists in the CL when they won the treble. He was seen as more skilled than Cole as well I think. Cole naturally does have the more accumulated numbers to be fair (187 goals with 1 penalty and 73 assists in 31.640 minutes, vastly more minutes than practically any outfield overseas player; surprising btw that Giggs is 'only' #4 in minutes). But also then one can wonder whether the difference in rank makes sense and I wouldn't be surprised a calculation will show Yorke is the more influential and points-above-replacement player overall. True, that perceived decline doesn't help. On peak over a few years I'd say Torres is top 50 (even though not so much in technical ability for his position). Also think Kompany has received a bump in hindsight (compared to Yaya for ex. who looks as one to get overlooked in due time) but also think Hazard is a top 10 candidate on peak and reasonable longevity, more so than places 11 to 14 ahead of him I'd say (just on league displays).
The profiles look good, I agree. Ginola vs Pires doesn't look entirely right to me, although I understand the former was the more captivating personality and player perhaps (I know Ginola won player of the year but he combined it with quite low productivity, similar to Bale his first in 2011). I think anyone of the top 10 is a legit top 10 candidate based on league displays and ability, although the gaps with some of the contemporaries are sometimes too large (see Fink Tank for Rooney vs the rest, spanning pretty much Rooney his entire PL career). There can be some doubts about both Cantona and Shearer in the top three. An exception is Gerrard I'd say and maybe also Aguero, who was never (maybe ~2015 an exception) among the very best league players and had to wait very long to get recognition despite having a big profile and a favorable nationality. One could also expect even more goals with the supercharged teams he was on; he has been on 20 or more non-penalty goals once. Gerrard I think - just on 'league influence relative to success' - is more like for 10-25 I tentatively feel (e.g. his 2004-05, 2006-07 league season not immediately better as e.g. Tielemans last year I think). Outside the top 10 I'm thinking of Hazard and Bergkamp (although not the best age for that) primarily, David Silva plausibly as well (although I understand Ken Early's point on whether he was ever in the running for player of the year). Goalkeepers are hard to place; not sure whether the idea of Schmeichel a tier higher than Cech holds if you really break it down (although Schmeichel in the PFA team only once is not correct). With peak entering the fray a dozen others are thrown in the mix (Torres for example) next to the Suarez and Klinsmann here. Beckham as well. Either way, if you glance this list then it is almost a miracle countries as 'Holland' have a favorable/strong head-to-head against England with their world class staffing, players and the rest.
Probably TAA will also be here in the future My problem with him is - in terms of the single best right back in the world - his bad defense for a full-back, and also the low passing accuracy (75% or lower) and low crossing accuracy (roughly ten percent points below standard level) while being unmarked and unchallenged. More stats: https://sportstar.thehindu.com/foot...undesliga-ligue-1-serie-a/article31211876.ece Not unthinkable the defending will improve in due time, with various high profile coaches passing by.