Ronaldo, Rooney, Aguero – what would some of the best bits from Premier League history look like if no one was there to watch them?
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Usually, playing football matches behind closed doors is reserved for clubs who have broken rules. It's a traditional naughty step, handed out by governing bodies to prevent a home advantage of a roaring crowd.
If the Premier League returns this summer, complete with the closed-door policy, there will be an unprecedented look and feel to the league. The fans are, to many at least, what makes English football so special.
The oohs and the aahs merely punctuate the great moments in football. If you were lucky enough to be in the stadium for say, Thierry Henry's spectacular solo destruction of Tottenham Hotspur, or Phil Brown lecturing his Hull City players on the pitch - later recreated by Jimmy Bullard's hilarious celebration - you forever have a story that none of your mates have.
So... what if these incredible Premier League moments took place in front of no crowds? What would that look like?
Wayne Rooney's overhead kick in the Manchester Derby
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It may have come off his shin, but at least in this version no one was there to mention that.
Aguerooooooooooo wraps the title up for Manchester City
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"I swear you'll never see anything like it," Martin Tyler screamed. And no one was there to see anything like it.
Blackburn Rovers clinch the title in 1995
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There's something quite sad about Colin Hendry holding Rovers' triumphant trophy aloft in front of an empty stand, isn't there? At least we've taken it back to Ewood, rather than Anfield.
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Thierry Henry knee-slides in front of the Tottenham fans
(Image credit: Future)
The image Arsenal cast into a statue for Henry: the man himself once claimed that he has the photo and that every time he looks at it, he notices another face in the crowd he'd never seen before.
Leicester City pull off the miracle in 2016
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Jamie Vardy's having a party... but only the Leicester squad are invited.
Liverpool break Newcastle United hearts in a 4-3 thriller
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It's the defining match in Premier League history for many - but the magic of Anfield isn't quite the same with an empty crowd.
Tony Yeboah scores that goal against Wimbledon
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He scored so many beauties. Perhaps we would've all heard the twang of the crossbar if Selhurst Park had been empty.
Eden Hazard turns it on to decide the title
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Perhaps the feistiest game in the last decade: maybe Stamford Bridge would have felt like less of a cauldron if it were empty.
Hull get a dressing down on the pitch
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Really, this moment is a lot less embarrassing for Hull's players if no one was there to see it.
Cristiano Ronaldo announces himself to English football with a stunning debut against Bolton Wanderers
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If Cristiano Ronaldo is chopped to the ground and no one is there to hear, does he still make a sound?
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Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
