60. Michael Carrick
West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United
Manchester United almost didn’t sign Carrick in 2006, when chief executive David Gill phoned a golfing Alex Ferguson to say Spurs had upped the price – “typical Daniel Levy,” hissed the Scot. Some baulked at the £18m price tag, but Carrick’s class across 450-plus appearances brought five Premier League titles and proved he was worth every penny.
HIGHLIGHT Being crowned United’s Player of the Year in 2013, as the Red Devils won a final Premier League title under Fergie.
59. Gary Neville
Manchester United
Younger generations recognise the straight-talking pundit, but those who watched G-Nev play will recall his days as a boisterous right-back over almost 20 years at United. His intelligence, tough tackling and top-notch crossing made him an Old Trafford mainstay, even as his manager rebuilt several title-winning sides.
HIGHLIGHT Zealous celebrations after a late Rio Ferdinand winner against Liverpool at Old Trafford in January 2006 secured legendary status among Red Devils. And an FA fine. Boo.
58. Les Ferdinand
Queens Park Rangers, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Leicester City, Bolton Wanderers
For the first six years of the Premier League, only Alan Shearer hit more goals. ‘Sir Les’ shone in a functional QPR team, then plundered 41 league strikes over back-to-back seasons for Newcastle’s ‘Entertainers’. A move to Spurs didn’t take off, but at Leicester a 37-year-old Ferdinand’s dozen goals showed his class.
HIGHLIGHT Ferdinand headed the Magpies’ third goal in the 5-0 gubbing of Manchester United from Shearer’s centre – a partnership which sadly lasted just a single campaign.
57. David Seaman
Arsenal, Manchester City
Somehow, Seaman made his £1.3m British record move (for a goalkeeper) from QPR to Arsenal in 1990 look like a steal. He delivered 141 clean sheets in 344 Premier League matches, en route to two titles (after another in 1990-91) and more than a decade of reliable service.
HIGHLIGHT Posting 19 shutouts and leaking only 15 goals during a silverware-less season is hardly fair, but that was Seaman’s superb 1998-99. Arsenal finished one point behind Treble-winning Manchester United.
56. Nicolas Anelka
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion
Anelka was 17 years old when he became Arsene Wenger’s first official signing at Highbury. He won a double in 1997/98 and the PFA Young Player of the Year award a season later, having top-scored for Arsenal with 17 goals - but discontent was never far away.
Le Sulk notched impressive tallies at Houllier’s Liverpool and Keegan’s City before he snatched the Golden Boot ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, and won a second Premier League and FA Cup Double in 2010 – 12 years after his first.
HIGHLIGHT Anelka’s brilliant, rifled finish against United at Highbury in November 1997 was crucial to Arsenal’s Double and marked the real arrival of a thrilling prospect.
55. Gareth Bale
Tottenham Hotspur
Bale went 24 Premier League matches without a win for Tottenham, stretching from his bow in August 2007 through to September 2009. Four years after that first win, he was the planet’s most expensive player.
The Welshman’s evolution from skinny left-back to world-class attacker culminated in an explosive 2012/13 – one of the greatest individual campaigns in English football – in which he scored 21 league goals.
HIGHLIGHT A 90th-minute rocket to down West Ham at Upton Park in February 2013 encapsulated Bale at his best. Devastating.
54. Dwight Yorke
Aston Villa, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sunderland
Yorke had already hit 60 Premier League goals by the time he arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 1998 – but better was to come. Alongside Andy Cole, the £12.6m man from Aston Villa registered 18 league strikes during United’s Treble-winning campaign, pocketing himself the Golden Boot for good measure.
HIGHLIGHT A hat-trick and assist in a 6-1 stuffing of title rivals Arsenal at Old Trafford in February 2001 showcased Yorke’s class.
53. Raheem Sterling
Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea
Sterling was almost a title winner at 19; key in the fearsome Liverpool frontline of 2013-14. Many mocked City for shelling out £52m to sign him in 2015 nonetheless, but they were wrong to: Sterling has since honed his forward play to become a phenomenon for Pep Guardiola, helping City win consecutive Premier League crowns in the process. An inspirational ace.
HIGHLIGHT Being named PFA Young Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year as the Sky Blues pipped old club Liverpool to the title by a point in 2018-19.
52. Ricardo Carvalho
Chelsea
“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.
HIGHLIGHT With Carvalho in tow, Chelsea conceded just 15 goals as they sealed their maiden Premier League triumph in 2004/05.
51. David Ginola
Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Everton
𝕊 𝕆 𝕃 𝕆 special from David Ginola 🤩#GoalOfTheDay pic.twitter.com/tYrleT2ZSSApril 26, 2020
In the season when Manchester United won their famous Treble, 32-year-old Ginola became the first player of the Premier League era to win the PFA award without playing for a top-two team – Spurs finished 11th. Gareth Bale (twice, also for Tottenham) is the only other player to win the award for a side that didn’t finish in the top four.
Alex Ferguson was aggrieved when Ginola scooped the PFA Player of the Year award ahead of any of his players heroes, but the Frenchman was tremendous that season. The tricky winger dazzled supporters at Newcastle and Tottenham (less so at Aston Villa), and left numerous opposition full-backs with twisted blood.
HIGHLIGHT The FA Cup goal against Barnsley is Ginola’s piece-de-resistance - but the Frenchman scored another cracker as Manchester United were thrashed 5-0 on their St James’ Park return.
