The best Premier League players ever

It's no surprise that as the world's greatest league, the Premier League has been home to more than its fair share of great players.

But of course, some have shined far brighter than others – and here at FourFourTwo, we've whittled them down to the creme de la creme.

These are the greatest players in Premier League history.

32. Sol Campbell (Tottenham, Arsenal, Portsmouth, Newcastle)

One of the best centre-backs of his generation, Sol Campbell had firmly established himself in the Premier League by the time he did the unthinkable in 2001: cross the North London divide from Tottenham to Arsenal.

Needless to say, Spurs fans weren't best pleased, but Campbell drowned out the hostility by winning two Premier League titles with the Gunners – the latter as a member of the legendary 'Invincibles'.

31. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)

Ruud van Nistelrooy smashed in 95 goals in 150 Premier League games for Manchester United – and only one of them was from outside the box. The Dutch striker was the definition of lethal inside the penalty area.

Premier League Player of the Season and Golden Boot winner with 25 goals in 2002/03 – when he won his only title – Van Nistelrooy was also a great penalty taker, scoring 18 out of 22 in the Prem.

30. Gianfranco Zola (Chelsea)

A great Premier League entertainer, Gianfranco Zola brought joy to Chelsea fans with countless moments of magic between 1996 and 2003.

The diminutive Italian forward was an enormously technically gifted player, excelling equally at creating for his teammates and carving out his own goalscoring opportunities – which he frequently converted in style.

29. Edwin van der Sar (Fulham, Manchester United)

Edwin van der Sar spent the first 11 years of his career with Ajax – winning the 1994/95 Champions League – and Juventus, so it was quite a coup when Fulham secured the enormous Dutchman’s services in 2001.

In England, Van der Sar continued to assert himself as one of the world’s finest goalkeepers – and in 2005, he joined Manchester United, winning four Premier League titles between 2007 and 2011.

28. David Silva (Manchester City)

Among Manchester City’s greatest players of all time, David Silva was pivotal in the club’s transition from Premier League contenders to dominant force.

Spending the whole decade with City, the World Cup and Euro-winning Spanish attacking midfield genius made 309 Premier League appearances, scoring 60 goals – among them so truly special efforts – and making it into the PFA Team of the Year on three occasions.

27. Andy Cole (Newcastle, Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Sunderland)

One of the deadliest finishers around during his 90s prime, Andy Cole racked up 187 Premier League goals in all.

Few players have marked their maiden Premier League campaign in such style as Cole, whose Golden Boot-winning haul of 34 goals in 1993/94 remained a competition record for almost 30 years.

Cole the Goal’s prolific form convinced Man United to cough up a British-record £7m in January 1995 – and he kept banging them in, later posting double-figure seasons for Blackburn Rovers and Fulham.

26. David Beckham (Manchester United)

Perhaps the most recognisable footballer of his generation, David Beckham proved just what a special talent he was by scoring that goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996/97 season.

One of the first names on the Manchester United teamsheet from then until his 2003 departure for Real Madrid, Becks won six Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson – one as part of the famous 1998/99 treble.

25. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

The first African player to score 100 Premier League goals, Didier Drogba joined Chelsea from Marseille for £24m in the summer of 2004 – and the iconic Ivorian frontman proved to be worth every penny.

Drogba helped the Blues to successive titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06, another in 2009/10, and one more in 2014/15 after returning for a second spell. He also got his hands on two Golden Boots.

24. Virgil van Dijk (Southampton, Liverpool)

Arguably the world's best centre-back at his peak, Virgil van Dijk got his Premier League break with Southampton – where he impressed so much that Liverpool came calling in 2018, paying a world-record fee for a defender of £75m.

And the dominant Dutchman was worth every penny to the Reds, playing an integral part in their maiden Premier League title triumph of 2019/20 – and later being appointed club captain.

23. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City)

Written off upon his 2015 arrival at Manchester City from Wolfsburg, having flattered to deceive during his previous crack at the Premier League with Chelsea, Kevin De Bruyne soon silenced his critics in utterly emphatic fashion.

An assist machine, the multiple title-winning Belgian playmaker equalled Thierry Henry’s record of 20 assists in a Premier League campaign in 2019/20, and passed the 100-assist mark in 2023.

22. Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

Known as one of the toughest defenders around during his prime, Nemanja Vidic marked himself out as an all-time centre-back great during a glittering spell with Man United.

Named 2008/09 Premier League Player of the Year – when he won his third of five titles – the no-nonsense Serbian superstar made it into three straight PFA Teams of the Year at the end of the 00s.

Vidic went on to wear the captain’s armband during United’s final two title wins under Sir Alex Ferguson, in 2010/11 and 2012/13.

21. Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)

An immensely transformative signing for Manchester City, Vincent Kompany arrived from Hamburg in the summer of 2008 – and went on to star in four Premier League title victories.

Captain for the first two of those, the highly dependable and hugely popular Belgium was right up there with the very best centre-backs of his era.

20. Petr Cech (Chelsea, Arsenal)

One of the greatest goalkeepers in Premier League history, Petr Cech wore the gloves as Chelsea conceded a miserly 15 goals all season en route to the title in 2004/05.

Voted Best European Goalkeeper in 2005, 2007 and 2008, the towering Czech Republic international made 333 league appearances for the Blues in all, reaching 100 Prem clean sheets in just 180 outings.

A four-time Premier League champion with Chelsea, Cech left for Arsenal in 2015, serving as number one for three seasons.

19. Mo Salah (Chelsea, Liverpool)

From the moment he scored on his Liverpool debut against Watford in 2017, it seemed obvious that Mo Salah was not the same Mo Salah who had flopped so spectacularly at Chelsea only a few years earlier.

PFA Players’ Player of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year and Golden Boot winner in his maiden Premier League campaign – notching 32 goals to beat Luis Suarez’s 38-game season record – the Reds’ ‘Egyptian King’ shared the latter prize with teammate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2018/19.

18. Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)

Part footballer, part magician, Dennis Bergkamp regularly made jaws drop throughout his nine years in the Premier League with Arsenal.

From this hat-trick against Leicester in 1997 to that 'How on earth did he do that?!' goal against Newcastle in 2002, the supremely gifted Dutchman was truly one of a kind.

Voted 1997/98 PFA POTY and FWA Footballer of the Year, Bergkamp helped the Gunners to three Premier League titles.

17. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

We’ll let Martin Tyler start this one off: “AGUEEEEEROOOOOOOOOO”

In the dying minutes of the final day of the 2011/12 Premier League season, Sergio Aguero produced the most dramatic moment in the history of the competition, scoring the goal which clinched Manchester City’s first title in 44 years.

Golden Boot winner in 2014/15, the devastatingly clinical Argentine amassed 184 Premier League goals in total, becoming the competition’s record foreign scorer.

16. Peter Schmeichel (Manchester United, Aston Villa, Manchester City)

A true goalkeeping legend, Peter Schmeichel was among the finest custodians in world football during the 90s.

Called the “bargain of the century” by Sir Alex Ferguson – who brought him to Manchester United from Brondby for £505,000 in 1991 – the gigantic Dane led the Premier League for clean sheets in 1994/95, 1995/96 and 1997/98, winning five titles.

Schmeichel left United for Sporting Lisbon in 1999 but returned to England for short spells with Aston Villa and Manchester City.

15. Ashley Cole (Arsenal, Chelsea)

Probably England’s greatest full-back of all time, Ashley Cole enjoyed immense success with Arsenal and Chelsea, winning the 2001/02 and 2003/04 Premier League titles with the former – and the 2009/10 championship with the latter.

An elite operator on the left, Cole was included in the 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05 PFA Teams of the Year. He left the Gunners for the Blues in 2006, making the Team of the Year once again in 2010/11.

14. Rio Ferdinand (West Ham, Leeds, Manchester United, QPR)

Eminently continental in his adeptness on the ball, Rio Ferdinand was not the typical English centre-half of his time – and that marked him out as one of the very best around.

Signed by Manchester United from Leeds for a British-record fee of around £30m in 2002 (which also made him the world’s most expensive defender for a second time), Ferdinand’s defensive class underpinned six Premier League title triumphs over the next 11 years.

13. John Terry (Chelsea)

Captain of Chelsea’s first five Premier League-winning sides, John Terry is regarded as one of the finest players in the Blues’ history – and one of the standout centre-backs of his generation.

Consistently rock-like at the back, Terry – who, thanks to his huge set-piece threat, is the Premier League’s top-scoring defender – was voted 2004/05 PFA Players’ Player of the Year as Chelsea let in just 15 league goals all season.

12. Roy Keane (Manchester United)

The ultimate Premier League hardman, Roy Keane was one of the competition's standout midfielders from its inception until the early 00s.

A seven-time champion with Manchester United – who he captained for eight years – the no-nonsense Irishman did the prestigious double of PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year in 2000.

11. Harry Kane (Tottenham)

In August 2011, Harry Kane made his Tottenham debut; within a matter of years, he had emerged as one of the most lethal strikers in world football.

Named 2014/15 PFA Young Player of the Year, by 2018, Kane was England captain, and had passed the 100-goal mark in the Premier League and won his first two Golden Boots.

10. Paul Scholes (Manchester United)

By the late 90s, Paul Scholes was establishing himself as of the best all-round midfielders in the game – and had already got his hands on three Premier League winner’s medals with Manchester United.

Handed his top-flight debut in September 1994, shortly before his 20th birthday, the 66-cap England international eventually partnered Roy Keane in an elite midfield duo and continued to enjoy success after success with United well into the 21st century.

9. Patrick Vieira (Arsenal)

An absolutely formidable midfield presence – for his world-class abilities both on and off the ball – Patrick Vieira was at the heart of everything good Arsenal did in the late 90s – helping Arsene Wenger’s men to their maiden Premier League title in 1997/98 – and early 00s.

A Premier League champion for the second time in 2001/02, then captain of the Gunners’ 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’, the World Cup and Euros-winning Frenchman was voted 2000/01 Premier League Player of the Season.

8. Frank Lampard (West Ham, Chelsea, Manchester City)

Generally considered to be Chelsea’s best ever player, Frank Lampard is also just about the finest goalscoring midfielder the Premier League has ever seen.

The Blues’ record goalscorer, Lampard hit double figures every season between 2003/04 and 2012/13 – becoming the first midfielder to record a 20-goal Prem campaign with 22 in 2009/10 – with his brace against Bolton Wanderers in April 2005 clinching Chelsea’s maiden Premier League title.

Lampard did the prestigious double of PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year in 2004/05.

7. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Liverpool’s greatest player of the modern era – and one of their greatest ever – captain fantastic Steven Gerrard pulled his boyhood club out of the mire time and time again, producing inspired performance after inspired performance and popping up with more than a few crucial goals.

A world-class box-to-box midfielder with a thunderous shot at his disposal, Gerrard – who won 2000/01 PFA Young Player of the Year and 2005/06 PFA Players’ Player of the Year – will go down as one of the best players never to win the Premier League.

6. Eric Cantona (Leeds, Manchester United)

Few players have ever influenced the Premier League so profoundly as Eric Cantona, the competition’s first foreign superstar and Manchester United’s greatest overseas import of all time.

Having arrived in the English top flight with Leeds, the famously enigmatic Frenchman joined their arch-rivals, United, in 1992 – and proceeded to play a talismanic role in four Premier League title wins, including as captain in 1996/97.

Voted 1993/94 PFA Players’ Player of the Year and 1995/96 FWA Footballer of the Year, Cantona scored 64 goals – among them that chip against Sunderland – and provided 56 assists in 143 Prem games.

5. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)

One of the most reliable providers of the modern era, Manchester United wing wizard Ryan Giggs registered 162 assists over the course of his 21-year Premier League career.

A one-club man, Giggs – who won PFA Young Player of the Year and PFA Players’ Player of the Year 16 years apart – was an integral member of all 13 of Sir Alex Ferguson’s title-winning sides, scoring in every Prem campaign bar his final one.

4. Wayne Rooney (Everton, Manchester United)

As soon as Wayne Rooney burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old with this screamer for Everton against Arsenal in 2002, it was pretty obvious that he was going to be one hell of a player.

By the mid-00s, the future England captain was turning it on for Manchester United – where he won back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year awards in 2004/05 and 2005/06, and three straight Premier League titles between 2006/07 and 2008/09.

Eventually United’s record goalscorer, Rooney added the senior PFA POTY award in 2009/10 and won a further two titles.

3. Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle)

The ultimate Premier League goalscorer, only one player even comes within 50 goals of Alan Shearer’s record of 260.

England’s Euro ’96 top-scoring striker got the vast majority of that 260 for Newcastle – where he enjoys godlike status – having previously fired Blackburn to the 1994/95 title as one half of the ‘SAS’ partnership with Chris Sutton.

PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1994/95 and 1996/97, Shearer won three straight Golden Boots between those seasons.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

It's hard to believe now, but Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon in 2003 as an unknown quantity. Five years later, he won his first Ballon d'Or.

Simply unstoppable for most of his first Premier League spell, which lasted until 2009, the Portuguese megastar banged in 31 goals in 34 games to win the 2007/08 Golden Boot, firing United to their (and his) second of three straight titles.

1. Thierry Henry (Arsenal)

Thierry Henry never won the Ballon d’Or – he really should have done – but nothing can take away from his greatness, and his status as the greatest Premier League player of all time (in FourFourTwo’s humble opinion).

Undoubtedly Arsenal’s best ever player, the beguilingly smooth Frenchman tore the English top flight a new one during the first half of the 00s, amassing 157 goals at an average of 0.7 per game from the 2000/01 to 2006/07 seasons – and winning an unprecedented four Golden Boots.

Voted PFA Fans’ and Players’ Player of the Year in 2002/03 and 2003/04, Henry was the main man in the Gunners’ ‘Invincibles’ campaign – which brought him his second Premier League winner’s medal.