Sport
Who should be the next Premier League Hall of Fame inductee?
Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry became the inaugural inductees into the Premier League Hall of Fame, with few arguments made against them being selected as the first players. But debate is already raging over who should follow them into the elite club, with 23 names having been picked out as the next nominees by the Premier League. Here, we pick out six outstanding candidates to join Shearer and Henry in the Hall of Fame.
Premier League Hall of Fame
Paul Scholes
Many players from the wonderful Manchester United sides that were so dominant during the Sir Alex Ferguson era will eventually land a place in the Hall of Fame, but Scholes should be the first of them.
Even at his peak, Scholes was oddly underrated by a lot of people. He was notoriously shunted out to the left flank rather than being selected in central midfield for England. But Scholes earned huge respect from his fellow professionals. As the Barcelona and Spain icon Xavi put it: “Scholes is a spectacular player who has everything.”
The highlight reel of Scholes’ long-range goals will define the Premier League era for many United fans, with the midfielder winning an amazing 11 league titles at Old Trafford.
Henry himself has described Scholes as the greatest player in Premier League history – who are we to argue with that? It is worth noting Scholes’ team-mate Ryan Giggs would be a lock for a place in the Premier League Hall of Fame but he was omitted from the list of nominees amid his current court case.
John Terry
It will be tempting to pack the Hall of Fame with great goalscorers and magnificent midfielders, but dominant defenders should not be left out of the conversation either.
More than any other player, even fellow Premier League Hall of Fame candidate Frank Lampard, Terry epitomises Chelsea’s rise to the elite following Roman Abramovich’s takeover.
Terry played over 700 times for Chelsea and led them to five Premier League titles, though he missed their successes in both the UEFA Champions League final and the 2013 Europa League final due to suspension and injury respectively.
The centre-back was brilliant in both boxes, putting his body on the line regularly and scoring at a rate of almost one goal in every 10 games, a simply unprecedented record for a defender.
Patrick Vieira
Only one team has ever gone through an entire Premier League season without defeat so at least one of Arsenal’s famous Invincibles has to be included in the Premier League Hall of Fame, with Vieira a prime pick.
Like Scholes, Vieira was a box-to-box behemoth who could bend games to his will. The Frenchman cost just £3.5 million when he signed from AC Milan in 1996 – what a bargain.
Vieira’s nine seasons in north London yielded a trio of Premier League titles and four FA Cups, but that impressive trophy haul alone only scratches the surface of his immense influence. He also added a fifth FA Cup after wrapping up his Premier League career at Manchester City.
Peter Schmeichel
A goalkeeper should be in the next group of inductees and Schmeichel is the obvious candidate.
Schmeichel won five FA Premier League titles after joining United from his native Denmark, along with three FA Cups and a League Cup. He was United’s captain when they completed an amazing comeback against Bayern Munich to win the Champions League and seal the treble.
The goalkeeper’s commanding presence set a rock-solid base for the dominant United side, while his fantastic distribution helped to start countless attacks for the Red Devils as well.
Schmeichel also became the first goalkeeper to score a Premier League goal when he netted for Aston Villa in a game against Everton.
Steven Gerrard
Among the biggest arguments over the next tranche will be whether it should be Gerrard or his long-term England colleague Lampard who makes the cut. Strong cases can be made for both midfielders and Lampard’s superior goal record and trophy haul for Chelsea might mean that he makes the cut over the Liverpudlian.
But Gerrard had something unquantifiable by mere statistics and CVs, with his leadership skills dragging Liverpool through what was often a difficult era for the club.
Gerrard’s finest moments often came in cup competitions, with his starring roles in the 2005 Champions League and 2006 FA Cup finals securing his place in Liverpool folklore forever.
He may never have won the Premier League – his costly slip against Chelsea will have given him many sleepless nights – but Gerrard has certainly earned a place in the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Dennis Bergkamp
Wrapping up our selection is a pure artist, with Bergkamp’s elegance marking him out as one of the most watchable players in Premier League history. Dubbed the “non-flying Dutchman” due to his aviophobia, Bergkamp’s remarkable goal against Newcastle United in 2002 is one of the most famous of the Premier League era.
While some cynics still claim it was a fluke nearly 20 years later, Bergkamp is perhaps one of a handful of Premier League players who could have produced such an outrageous piece of skill. Bergkamp hit 87 goals in 315 Premier League games for the Gunners but numbers alone cannot sum up his importance to Arsenal’s Invincibles.
You could earn up to £100 (or currency equivalent) in bonus funds by joining Colossus with our New Player Bonus. Click here to join the action.
