Ranked! The 100 best Premier League players ever

Who's on your list of the best Premier League players ever? We all have a good idea.

It's given us Sir Alex Ferguson, Kevin Keegan and Arsene Wenger. It's given us mayhem, magic and Mike Dean. It's given us Centurions, Invincibles and Treble winners. There's no division in football quite like the Premier League, where the geniuses and madmen of the game flock to write their name in history. For 28 years, we've witnessed incredible sights - and some of the greatest players to ever live.

Here at FourFourTwo, we've decided to rank the top 100 footballers to appear in the Premier League - that's England's top tier since 1992 - based on their impact. That's a combination of their ability, status and the moments they gave us over the years…

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How FourFourTwo's experts decided the 100 greatest players in Premier League history

FourFourTwo last compiled a list of the greatest Premier League players of all time back in 2021, which formed the backbone for this update. Our esteemed team discussed that original century at length, reordering it slightly based on legacy. Players were put forward to be added before a new list of 120 was compiled, and whittled down to just 100.

We poured over 33 years of this magnificent competition, while assessing previous lists on the best goalkeepers in the history of the Premier League, the best defenders, the best midfielders, the best wingers and the best strikers.

Players on this list are judged and ordered according to a number of factors. We've only included players based on what they did in the English top flight since the 1992/93 season, considering their peak level, their longevity and their impact to the Premier League.

You'd struggle to tell the tale of the division without this century of stars. And this is the story of the Premier League…

100. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

As clinical as they come, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name can still be heard ringing out from the stands at the Theatre of Dreams some twenty odd years after his spell with the club.

Solskjaer quickly developed a knack for being not just a dependable super-sub under Sir Alex – he virtually defined the phenomenon, winning a remarkable six Premier League titles. Known for scoring important goals at just the right time, he summed up what it meant to work hard and results will come.

99. Steve Bruce

Bruce’s contributions to early-90s Manchester United deserve much greater credit.

As one half of a formidable defensive partnership with Gary Pallister, the affable Northumbrian helped United win three of the opening four Premier Leagues – the first as skipper, via one almighty intervention...

Brucie’s brace – superb headers in the 86th and 96th minutes – gave United a fabled 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday in April 1993. Fergie’s side never looked back, sealing the title with two matches to spare.

98. Dion Dublin

An explosive hat-trick for Coventry City against Sheffield Wednesday in December 1995, coming during a purple patch where Dublin began to assert himself as one of the premier marksmen in English football, was the moment in which everything changed.

From there, Dublin achieved something deep with each passing Premier League campaign. The talisman took on cult status in the ’90s, with his long-legged stride, rocket shot and infectious energy endearing him to those who watched on.

If that’s not enough, Dublin once lived with actor Jason Statham, went on to invent his own percussion instrument (The Dube) and now successfully presents Homes Under the Hammer. Dion, we salute you.

97. Peter Crouch

Crouch will always remain one of the Premier League’s most surreal players.

Bullied and bashed for a frame so rarely seen at any level of the game, Crouchy was a unicorn: able to pluck the ball from the air with his 6ft 7in physique, yet comfortable playing on the ground, too. He appeared for the likes of Aston Villa and Southampton early on in his career, but not even Liverpool or Tottenham could resist the temptation of Crouch’s abilities

It is still incredible how someone so tall could score the countless number of bicycle kicks the England international managed to pull off. His hold-up play was great and when fully confidence, there was no stopping him.

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In retirement, he's rightly lauded as a cult hero who few would have predicted to have the impact he did. He netted over 100 Premier League goals, managed a goal every other game for England and has truly earned that beloved status.

Still underrated? We reckon so.

96. Patrice Evra

One of the best full-backs of his generation, Patrice Evra’s tenacity, attacking endeavour and defensive solidity earn him a valiant spot in our list. Evra arrived at Manchester United from Monaco back in 2006 and spent eight trophy-laden years with the Reds, cementing his spot at left-back.

The Frenchman won five Premier League titles and was an instrumental part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s remarkable final years at Old Trafford, with United continuing to chug away by winning trophy after trophy in the English top-flight. A small spell with West Ham United transpired in 2018, too.

95. Emmanuel Petit

Where Patrick Vieira was fire and might, Petit may be reflected on as the cooler antithesis.

In reality, the sultry Frenchman embodied Arsenal’s late-90s passion, and played with similar bite to his midfield partner. ‘Manny Small’ helped to deliver Wenger’s first Double, and later moved to Stamford Bridge via one unhappy season at Barcelona.

As Arsenal gunned towards the finish line in 1998, Petit’s terrific goal decided a tight April encounter against Derby which set up their imminent trophy lift at Highbury.

94. Mousa Dembele

Ask anyone who played with him.

Mousa Dembele is often described as the best that any team-mate had the joy of playing with. Underappreciated and then some: he received half the credit of some of his counterparts.

Two sterling seasons with Fulham were enough for him to be considered one of Craven Cottage's best top-flight players ever before Dembele joined Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham. The Lilywhites' best-ever Premier League era was defined by the Belgian – carried, even, some might say - with their eventual decline coinciding with the silky midfielder leaving the limelight.

It's impossible to describe that Spurs side without him: he was an all-action midfielder at a time where specialists were taking over – but more than that, he just was wonderful to watch. And sometimes, that's all that's needed to get on these kinds of lists, right?

A valued member of golden generations, the streets will always remember Dembele – and few will ever give him the credit he truly deserves.

93. Gareth Barry

Still the record appearance-maker in the Premier League, Gareth Barry’s 653 outings for various different clubs make him a true legend of the game, in every sense of the word. Known for his versatility and consistency, Barry was a key figure in midfield, accumulating 53 assists and 32 goals throughout his career.

A dependable and hard-working character, Barry won two Premier League titles during his time with Manchester City and was often overshadowed by the more flamboyant English midfielders of his time. He ended his career with West Bromwich Albion in 2020 but still plays amateur football in Sussex at the tender age of 44.

92. Kevin Phillips

As a youngster with Southampton, Phillips would clean Alan Shearer’s boots. By 2000, the strike pair were on either side of the Sunderland-Newcastle divide and Phillips was pipping his senior to the Premier League Golden Boot.

In fact, Phillips outscored anyone in Europe in his first top-flight season, as the Black Cats finished seventh. He is the only Englishman to win the European Golden Shoe.

Southampton pounced to bring him back to the south coast for £3.25m, where he forged a fine partnership with James Beattie. When Beattie moved to Everton, Phillips struggled without a pacy forward and was again relegated in 2004/05.

The eight-cap England man had spells with Aston Villa and Birmingham, and by late 2013 was still coming off the bench for Crystal Palace at 40, before finally heading back to the Championship.

91. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

After netting 24 goals for Boavista in 1996/97, Dutch ball-batterer Hasselbaink picked Leeds ahead of Werder Bremen.

It turned him into a cult hero in England. Jimmy plundered 34 goals over two Premier League seasons – and after leaving for a prolific year at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea paid £15m for him in 2000, and were rewarded by back-to-back scoring seasons of 23.

He's still regarded as one of the finest-ever Blues pre-Roman Abramovich. Stints at Middlesbrough and Charlton cement him firmly in Barclaysman territory, too.

90. Juninho

Juninho loved Boro so much he signed for them three times.

The first time, was initially as a fancy new arrival from Brazil in one of football's most shocking-ever transfers in October 1995 – then again in 1999 and 2002, in one of English football's most enduring (and unlikely) love stories.

His star may have diminished with each return, but the schemer’s twinkle-toed displays at the tip of Bryan Robson’s midfield in his first spell secure his standing as one of British football’s most-loved imports.

The Brazilian helped to popularise the no.10 in the Premier League, with the mercurial little genius inspiring a wave of moving from a bog-standard 4-4-2 to the 4-4-1-1 formation to accommodate his brilliance.

Though the Italian owes a little to Juninho in the way he settled into the Premier League, Gianfranco Zola beat him to the FWA Player of the Year award in 1996/97. In a Boro career of near misses, it was an indication of Juninho’s class.

89. Ricardo Carvalho

“Carvalho was horrible to play against,” Bobby Zamora told FFT in 2020. “He’d always know where the referee was, and he’d be getting in these little fouls when nobody was looking.”

The Portuguese defender followed manager Jose Mourinho in swapping Porto for Chelsea in 2004, forming a watertight partnership with John Terry on the way to three league titles. With Carvalho in tow, Chelsea conceded just 15 goals as they sealed their maiden Premier League triumph in 2004/05.

It's forgotten sometimes that RC was as much as the enforcer as JT. An underrated defender, for sure.

88. Raheem Sterling

It’s a bit unfair, really, that if a player suddenly gets really good late on in an otherwise unremarkable career they get plaudits for it – but if they hit their peak in their younger days before declining, they are criticised.

Sterling’s best days look to be behind him now, but let’s not forget just how revelatory and important he was in that scintillating Liverpool side that went so close to winning the title in 2013/14 as a teenager.

Nor should we ignore that while Sterling’s subsequent move to Manchester City was controversial, he was for a long time one of their most trusted and dependable players, registering more than a goal every other game at his peak from 2017-2020.

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We suspect history will be kinder to Sterling than the current view of him. This was a guy who reinvented himself, became key to Pep Guardiola and became the first player to appear for four separate Premier League sides in Europe.

One of the finest English talents of a generation: he definitely lived up to the hype he showed as a wonderkid.

87. Emile Heskey

With 110 goals, Heskey's a member of the 100-club in the Prem – but the Leicester man was always valued for more than his bare numbers.

His total may have been helped by longevity over innate scoring talent – few players have exceeded Heskey’s 516 top-flight appearances – but that's a skill in itself. He earned every single strike through his tireless work ethic and selfless style.

And though he was mocked by some – infamously, one chant claimed that “even Heskey scored, a line that the forward reclaimed when he named his autobiography – he had fans in high places. Not just the slew of managers who picked him, from Gerard Houllier to Sven-Goran Eriksson.

There's a reason every poacher who played with him adored him; there's a reason that Liverpool opted for Fowler or Owen and not both at once. Even Brazilians pined for him.

“Heskey may be heavily criticised by some English fans, but I don’t see it like that,” noted former FIFA World Player of the Year Rivaldo in 2002. “I played against him a couple of times for Barcelona and realised what a quality player he is.

“If you ask me which Englishman I think would be able to cope with playing in my team, Brazil, I say Heskey.”

86. Tim Cahill

A beloved figure on Merseyside, Tim Cahill’s contribution at Everton will always be remembered as one that included a diligent work ethic, energy, and a knack for scoring crucial goals.

Having arrived from Millwall for a minimal fee in 2004, Cahill was a midfield enigma and crucial part of the Toffees side that consistently yielded top-half finishes in the Premier League and even helped them reach the 2009 FA Cup final. His seven-year spell at Goodison Park is one that is often referred to as heroic and the Australian may just have the crown as Everton’s best-ever Premier League player of the modern era.

85. Jamie Carragher

You may have no idea how good a footballer Jamie Carragher actually was. Blame it on that video of Thierry Henry outrunning him. Blame it on Virgil van Dijk failing to pick him for the current Liverpool squad.

But typically for a “student of the game”, the Sky Sports pundit defended with intelligence over any kind of power or pace.

The one-club man took a good few years to break away from the utility player tag after coming through Liverpool’s academy as a central midfielder, then spending entire seasons playing at left-back and then right-back. But Carragher truly hit his stride after Rafael Benitez moved him to centre-back upon his arrival in 2004, when the defender was 26 years old.

He stayed there for the rest of his career, forming a formidable partnership with Sami Hyypia and helping Pepe Reina win the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for most clean sheets for three years running.

The Premier League title eluded Carragher, but he won everything else going in his 16-year senior playing career at Liverpool – including the club’s player of the year award in the memorable 2004/05 season that featured that huge Champions League triumph.

84. Roberto Firmino

Initially regarded with slight scepticism by some fans after arriving at Liverpool in 2015, Bobby Firmino was beloved by the time he brought his time at the club to an end in 2023.

Although he was signed in Brendan Rodgers’ final summer at Anfield, Firmino proved to be the perfect fit for Jurgen Klopp’s style of play: a tirelessly hard-working and intelligent false nine who would go out of his way to link the play with the midfield and platform his teammates on the flanks.

He was proof of the changing tides of English football. Yes, this is a country that has a long and storied history of producing quality no.9s – but the love that Firmino evoked was proof that someone defter, more delicate, could inspire a sea change.

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The Brazilian was still able to chip in with a respectable goal tally, however, netting over 100 for the Reds and reaching double figures in all competitions in all but one of his eight seasons at the club – including an impressive 27 in 54 appearances to help Liverpool push Manchester City and reach the Champions League final in 2017/18.

A high presser with the flair of a samba dancer. It was a match made in heaven on Merseyside.

83. Robbie Keane

You can’t tell the story of the Premier League without including Robbie Keane’s iconic cartwheel celebration, something he broke out after the majority of his 126 Premier League strikes.

Coventry City shelled out £6 million for Keane’s services in 1999, setting a British record for the most expensive teenager, with Inter Milan coming calling a year later, putting him alongside the Brazilian Ronaldo. A stint at Leeds followed before he finally got setteld at Tottenham, where he spent nine seasons, netting over a century and sandwiching a one-year spell at Liverpool in 2008/09.

An infectious character, Keane’s intelligence, work ethic and goal return made him a favourite for club and country.

82. Freddie Ljungberg

There can’t be many players who have made a better first impression than Ljungberg did at Arsenal: the new arrival from Halmstad scored just moments after coming on as a substitute against Manchester United in 1998.

That set the tone for Ljungberg’s spell as a Gunner, where he earned a well-deserved reputation as a big-game player. The Swede scored in back-to-back FA Cup finals and came up with more big goals against the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool as he helped them to two league titles – including as an Invincible – and three FA Cups.

It says it all that when a star-studded Arsenal won the double in 2001/02 and Thierry Henry bagged 24 goals, it was in fact Ljungberg who scooped the Premier League’s player of the season award.

But Ljungberg's influence went beyond the pitch. He summed up the guile and the winning mentality of that early Arsenal side but also the fun – and that's without mentioning a generation of kids who copied the iconic shock-pink mohican.

Including a certain Harry Kane, who dyed his hair as a 10-year-old in tribute to his hero, while celebrating the Gunners' 2004 title…

81. Gary Speed

Gary Speed began the Premier League era as a title winner with Leeds United and his standards rarely dropped over the next 15 seasons, as he turned out more than 500 times for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle United and Bolton Wanderers in the top flight.

Comfortable across the midfield and one of the best headers of the ball in the game, Speed was one of the most reliable performers of his or any other era, while off the pitch his professionalism and inspirational presence saw him set the standards for everyone he played with.

His tragic death in 2011 came just as he had transformed the Wales team and put in place the foundations for their future successes.

80. Jurgen Klinsmann

In an Ossie Ardiles team built to score, Klinsmann thrived.

“It wasn’t ridiculous at all playing with five attacking players,” he insisted to FFT. “I had a lot of fun, and I still think that had we been more consistent defensively, and not made so many individual mistakes at the back, we could have played that system.”

Naturally, he opened with a goal on his Premier League debut: a trademark thumping header at Hillsborough, followed by his now-legendary diving celebration.

79. Jaap Stam

Jaap Stam enjoyed a distinguished career at Manchester United and was considered one of the true centre-back greats of his era. A noble reputation for winning one-on-one duels and with a hard-as-nails persona, Stam won three Premier League titles and was pivotal to Sir Alex Ferguson’s success in the early 1990s/late 2000s at Old Trafford.

After a fallout with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, he moved to Lazio in 2001 but would still hold a strong reputation as one of the Premier League’s defensive icons and one that perhaps deserves a little more respect.

78. David Ginola

One of the first wave of overseas luxury players who lit up the 90s with continental class, David Ginola is beloved by multiple fan bases.

A wonderful dribbler with a flair for outrageous individual goals, Ginola fit right in as part of Kevin Keegan’s hugely entertaining side of nearly-men in 1995/96 before losing his place under Kenny Dalglish and moving to Tottenham.

After Manchester United’s treble-winning season in 1998/99, it surely had to be Sir Alex Ferguson’s men who swept home the individual honours... right?

Nope. Ever-so-handsome and mercurial winger Ginola beat the entire United squad to both the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year awards after a superlative season for Spurs.

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None other than Johan Cruyff declared Ginola to be the best player in the world. He was worth it, all right.

It didn’t last, and he was sold to Aston Villa just a year later, ending his career with a little-remembered spell at Everton in 2002 – but those who saw Ginola at his best will tell you just how incredible he could be.

77. Jay-Jay Okocha

Even the most stubborn and hard-working of sides need a bit of flair to succeed.

Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers side of the early 2000s most certainly fulfilled their end of those criteria, but ‘a bit of flair’ does not do Okocha justice. He had loads of flair.

The Nigerian international quickly became every neutral’s favourite Premier League player. Unbelievably skilful with the ball at his feet, Okocha often looked to be making the game up all over again as he went along – and loving doing it. If you love football, you loved Okocha. He was joga bonito before Nike packaged it up and sold it to millions.

Bolton benefited from Okocha’s presence mightily, finishing in the top eight four years in a row from 2004-2007. And when you think of that Trotters, line-up, of course, you picture the smiling assassin himself, rainbow-flicking his way through English football.

Retrospective comparisons to Ronaldinho are no accident, by the way; Okocha made a big impression on the Brazilian during their time together at Paris Saint-Germain just before Okocha moved to Bolton.

76. Les Ferdinand

Part of perhaps the last golden age of English centre-forwards, Ferdinand made his name at Queens Park Rangers before earning a big-money move to Newcastle United as Andy Cole’s replacement in 1995. His impact was immediate.

Ferdinand racked up 25 goals in his first season at the club as they went so close to claiming the Premier League trophy, earning the nickname ‘Sir Les’ for his exploits. After 16 goals in his second campaign, he was a household name.

Newcastle fans were left to rue that Ferdinand only got one season playing alongside blockbuster signing Alan Shearer when he was sold to Tottenham.

Injuries contributed to Ferdinand’s goalscoring rate slowing down at White Hart Lane, but he enjoyed an excellent individual late-career year at relegated Leicester City in between more forgettable spells with West Ham and Bolton.

Les is a part of the tapestry of the league, too, having scored the 10,000th Premier League goal in 2001 for Tottenham against Fulham.