20 Favourite Premier League Players

This is a sponsored post by Neil Tansley.

Some of the best players in world football have played in the Premier League, however just because they have some incredible skills, doesn’t mean they will be our favourites. Sometimes it’s the plucky underdog that wins our affection but sometimes, it’s those embarrassing howlers that can live in the memories of the fans.

We have taken a look at our 20 Favourite Premier League players and some of these players have a medal haul anyone would be jealous of, while others end up on multiple compilation videos of football fails.

Would Football betting tips be altered if your club were to sign one of the players from this list? Check them out and decide for yourself.

Luka Modric

The Croatian playmaker spent four seasons at Tottenham Hotspur where he gained notoriety for being a supremely gifted technical player. Although Luke Modric didn’t win anything during his time in the Premier League, he certainly left his mark.

Generally considered to be the main creative output for the teams he plays for, Modric has the ability to use both feet and pass with the outside of the boot, meaning he has the ability to pick out any team mates on the pitch.

David Beckham

Considered to be one of the greatest crossers of the ball, David Beckham became a legend in football during his time at Manchester United. Known for scoring free kicks, Beckham helped United win six Premier League, two FA Cups and was heavily involved in a memorable Champions League final in which Manchester United scored two goal in added time to beat Bayern Munich in 1999.

While internationally he never won anything with the England national team, his free kick against Greece which secured automatic qualification for the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan and his red card against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup in France were two of his more memorable moments.

David James

Although David James is known for being a pretty good goalkeeper, he is also known for having a gaffe or two in his game. He only has two winners’ medals to show for his time playing in the Premier League, a League Cup win with Liverpool in 1995 and an FA Cup win with Portsmouth in 2008.

There are only three players who have made more appearances in the Premier League than James. Ryan Giggs, Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard have all made more than the 572 appearances that the English shot stopper made.

Hernan Crespo

Hernan Crespo arrived in England with a reputation for scoring goals, even if he hadn’t managed to win a European League title prior to his move to Chelsea. He scored 20 goals in 49 appearances for the Blues in the Premier League, winning the 2005/06 Premier League title.

In the summer of 2006 he requested a move back to Italy and eventually moved on loan to Inter Milan for two seasons where he won Serie A in both seasons before moving permanently to Inter where he won a third Serie A in a row with the club.

Paul Scholes

The type of midfielder that England have been missing for years, Paul Scholes is considered to be one of the best central midfielders of his generation by his peers. He is known for his incredible ability on the ball, from passing the ball to striking the perfect volley and is one of the few English players who had the ability to control a game and dictate the flow.

By the time he retired in 2013 he had collected eleven Premier League winners’ medals, three FA Cups and two Champions Leagues, all for Manchester United, the only club he played for during his career.

Carlos Tevez

Argentine striker Carlos Tevez is a player who has been known to display a poor attitude at times, however his talent on the football pitch is undeniable. During his time in the Premier League, he turned out for West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City.

His club achievements include winning the Premier League three times, the Champions League once and the FA Cup once. While individually he was joint Golden Boot winner in the 2010/11 Premier League season alongside former team mate Dimitar Berbatov and was also included in the PFA Team of the Year for the same season.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Despite being known as a prolific goal scorer, Ruud van Nistelrooy didn’t always have it his own way, as the Battle of Old Trafford demonstrates, where van Nistelrooy missed his third penalty in a row. 

He managed to score 150 goals in 219 games in his five seasons with Manchester United helping the club win the Premier League and FA Cup before to moving to Real Madrid.

Sergio Aguero

In the past he has been compared to fellow Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world and back in the 2011/12 season he scored arguably one of the most famous Premier League goals. He won the title for Manchester City on goal difference over arch rivals Manchester United with a 95 th minute winner against QPR.

He also won the 2013/14 Premier League with the club as well as winning two League Cups. He has scored 171 goals in 257 games for City although injuries have hampered him during his time in the Premier League.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo spent six seasons at Manchester United after joining from Sporting CP back in 2003. While he didn’t start off as an amazing player, he managed to make his way up to the top, due to his hard work and dedication.

At United he won three Premier League trophies, the FA Cup once and the Champions League once. He would move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a then world record fee and he has gone on to win even more honours and score record breaking goals.

Rio Ferdinand

Back in 2002, Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United from Leeds United in what was at the time a record transfer fee in English football. Just over a year later the defender would miss a drugs test and would be banned for eight months between January and September 2004.

He is regarded as one of the best defenders England has ever produced and having won six Premier League titles and a Champions League, it’s hard to argue against this.

Robert Earnshaw

Robert Earnshaw is the only player to have scored a hat trick in the Premier League, all three divisions of the Football League, the League Cup, FA Cup and for his international team. Earnshaw played for both West Brom and Derby in the Premier League, although the latter being one of the worst periods of his career.

Early in his career, some of the Premier League’s bigger teams reportedly scouted him, however he never quite made enough of an impact. On his debut for Wales, he scored the winner in a 1-0 win over Germany.

Anthony Vanden Borre

The Belgian right back spent one season on loan at Premier League club Portsmouth from Italian Serie A club Genoa. He was part of the 2009/10 season squad that got relegated from the Premier League.

His most famous moment came in a 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers, where the defender picked up two yellow cards and was subsequently sent off, however over on Sky Sport’s Soccer Saturday, Chris Kamara, who was commentating on the game, missed that he had been sent off and believed he was being substituted instead.

Dean Ashton

Dean Ashton is arguably one of the most unfortunate English players, having had a succession of injuries which hampered his progression as a player, nevertheless he was able to produce some moments of pure class for West Ham in the Premier League.

Although being at the club for five seasons, due to injuries he only played in three of those seasons. In the 2007/08 season he scored a fantastic overhead kick against eventual Premier League champions Manchester United. He repeated the feat in March 2016 when he scored a similar goal in Mark Noble’s testimonial. He retired in December 2009 aged only 26 thanks to recurring ankle injuries which started after a training session with the England team in 2006, where following a tackle from Shaun Wright-Phillips, he broke his ankle.

Michael Ballack

Michael Ballack joined Chelsea on a free transfer in the summer of 2006, having left Bayern Munich after four seasons with the German giants. He is considered to be one of the most complete midfielders of his generation, having the physical presence and technical ability to be a versatile midfielder.

Three FA Cups and a Premier League title were won during his Chelsea career, while in his international career the best he could get was a runners-up medal in the 2002 World Cup. He unfortunately missed the 2010 World Cup due to an ankle injury he suffered in the 2010 FA Cup final against Portsmouth.

Jose Reina

The Spanish goalkeeper spent nine seasons at Anfield with Liverpool and joined the Reds the summer after their famous penalty shootout victory against AC Milan in the Champions League.

In his first season with the club he helped them win the FA Cup in a penalty shootout by saving three out of the four penalties from West Ham in the final. He was also involved in the team that won the 2005 European Super Cup against CSKA Moscow.

Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe is the 7th highest scorer in the Premier League and having signed for Bournemouth from relegated Sunderland, he has an opportunity to climb up the table this season.

Having played in the Premier League for West Ham, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Sunderland and Bournemouth he has proven he is able to adapt to different teams and remain prolific. He may only have 57 caps for England, but with a return of 20 goals, he has proven that he can be a good goal scorer even on the international stage.

Ledley King

Former Tottenham defender Ledley King had a relatively short career, retiring at the age of 31 due to injuries. He was tipped to be one of the greatest centre backs England has ever produced, with former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry praising him highly.

He won the League Cup with Spurs and managed to play 21 times for England and still has the record for the fastest ever Premier League goal at 10 seconds, in a match on the 9 th December 2000 against Bradford City.

Gareth Barry

He’s not the flashiest of players and his contributions often go unnoticed, but Gareth Barry has been a key component to his team’s successes on the pitch. As a defensive midfielder, he knows how to intercept passes from the opposition and has great tactical awareness.

He is close to overtaking Ryan Giggs as the player with the most appearances in the Premier League, having played for Aston Villa, Manchester City and Everton, while this summer he signed for West Brom and should become the record breaker as a Baggie.

Mart Poom

The Estonian goalkeeper joined Premier League side Derby County from Division One club Portsmouth in 1997. In his debut match, the club beat Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford and soon established himself as a fan favourite.

In his later career he joined Arsenal, where he won a runners-up medal when the Gunners lost to Barcelona in the Champions League final, despite him not actually playing a Champions League match for them. In doing so he became the first Estonian to win a Champions League runners-up medal.

Tore Andre Flo

The tall Norwegian striker signed for Chelsea back in 1997 and made 163 appearances for the club, scoring 50 goals for the Blues. It was in his third season where Flo scored his highest tally of goals, scoring 19 goals in the 1999/00 season.

His departure from Chelsea came about when the club signed Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen and he agreed a deal with Scottish Premier League side Rangers. On deadline day in the summer of 2002 he would return to the Premier League to play for Sunderland, however he failed to recreate his previous goal scoring form.