Pick the 25 best Premier League players of the 21st century so far – talk about a thankless task. There’s no more popular championship on the planet and thus none more scrutinised. Or argued over. You’d be hard pressed to find a football fan anywhere in the world that doesn’t have a Premier League team – or at least watches the games on a daily basis, meaning everyone has an opinion on the EPL’s greatest teams, and players.
It’s, therefore, inevitable that the following list – which is based on a combination of titles, talent, longevity and impact – is going to provoke an avalanche of abuse. Modern greats like Robert Pires, Nemanja Vidic, Sol Campbell, Gareth Bale and Robin van Persie haven’t even made the cut for heaven’s sake!
It is important to note that achievements and performances that pre-date January 1, 2000 have not been taken into consideration, which precludes the peak years of Premier League legends such as Alan Shearer and Roy Keane, who would be shoo-ins for an all-time XI – but that caveat is hardly going to spare us the bitterest of backlashes. There are just too many contentious calls and compelling cases to be made for inclusion – or exclusion.
So, what are you waiting for? The sooner you get reading, the sooner you can express your outrage in the comments section!