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Recently, the Premier League announced that they would be opening up a Premier League Hall of Fame. Induction into this prestigious Hall of Fame is reserved for only the elite of English football; the greatest of players plying their trade at the highest level, at a consistent basis for a Premier League club.
The Hall of Fame will recognise players of "exceptional skill and talent" who have played in the top division since it began in 1992. There is no nationality quota, which means both English and foreign players are eligible to be inducted. However, only retired players will be inducted, and each inductee will receive a personalised medallion, engraved with the year of their induction.
Since 1992, the Premier League has established itself as the most popular league in the world. With records in audiences across the globe and TV rights, England's top division of football has witnessed some of the greatest footballing talents of the last three decades. From Cristiano Ronaldo to Eden Hazard and Paul Scholes to Steven Gerrard, many legends of the game have made a name for themselves in this competition.
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The first two inductees into the Hall of Fame will be announced on March 19th. In this article, we take a look at who should be the inaugural five members into this committee -
#5 Tony Adams
The Golden Age of the Premier League is widely considered to have begun in the early 2000s till the day Sir Alex Ferguson retired. During that time, we saw the rise and the peak of some of the greatest players ever - Dennis Bergkamp, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, and Wayne Rooney, to name a few. However, the early days of the Premier League are often forgotten due to the glamour which came later - during those days, no player shined brighter or had more impact than Tony Adams.
A one-club man, Adams is one of the greatest defenders in the history of England's top flight. He spent 22 years with Arsenal and holds the unique distinction of being the only player to captain a title-winning team in three different decades. Making his debut in 1983 and retiring in 2002, Adams is one of the originals of the Premier League, who was everpresent when the First Division officially became the Premier League.
As a defender, there are only a select few who can stand toe-to-toe with the great Gunners captain. The former English international has won the Premier League twice, along with two first division titles. Barring Arsene Wenger, there is perhaps no personality greater than Adams when it comes to the rise of Arsenal Football Club - as such, it is no surprise that there is a statue of Adams right outside the Emirates.
Currently the President of the Rugby Football League in England, Adams is the original Premier League legend who was very important in the rise and establishment of the league as we know it today. Due to his class, consistency, and contributions to the league, his place here is well deserved.
#4 John Terry
We mentioned in the previous section that few defenders can stand toe-to-toe with Adams - John Terry is one of them. A case can be made for the former Chelsea player being the greatest defender in English football history; Terry was just that good.
When it comes to defenders, the current Aston Villa assistant coach has set the standard for every centre-back who dreams of making it big in English football. There is also the fact that Terry has won every single thing there is to win in club football. As Chelsea's longstanding captain, he led the Blues to five Premier League titles; no single player has captained his team to more Premier League trophies.
Aside from the club accolades, Terry was named UEFA Club Defender of the Year in 2005, 2008 and 2009, PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2005, and was included in the FIFPro World XI for five consecutive seasons, from 2005 to 2009 (the most inductions into this team for any English international).
Spending almost 20 years in the Premier League, Terry's consistency and his prowess at the back is the stuff of legends. It is hard to imagine any defender outdoing his legacy in England's top flight. As such, his inclusion here is a no-brainer.
#3 Alan Shearer
The Premier League Hall of Fame will most likely be dominated by players from Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United, and rightly so, as these teams dominated English football for the best part of three decades and housed the greatest players in the country. Alan Shearer, however, is one of the major exceptions to that norm.
Shearer makes this list simply because no single individual has scored more goals than the former English international in the history of the Premier League. Players such as Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Thierry Henry have come and gone, but no one comes close to Shearer's mind-blowing consistency in front of goal. The former Southampton player has scored 280 league goals in his career, out of which 260 came since the rebranding in 1992.
But perhaps Shearer's greatest achievement is not his goals, rather the historic 1994-95 season with Blackburn Rovers, in which he led the club to their first and only Premier League title. Since then, only Leicester City's crowning in 2016 can be compared to that historic feat over 25 years ago when the club snatched the league title from Manchester United on the final day. Shearer scored 34 goals that season in 42 games, a league record before the shift to a 38 game season.
The former Newcastle player's ability and consistency remain one of the most legendary tales of English football. It is hard to see anyone overtaking Shearer's tally of goals in the Premier League, and his name should be honoured amongst the greatest players ever.
#2 Thierry Henry
"He may be cast in bronze, but he's still capable of producing truly golden moments!"
Thierry Henry is considered by many fans and critics alike as the greatest player to ever kick a ball in Premier League history. It is not hard to see why that is such a popular opinion - he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year twice, the FWA Footballer of the Year three times, and was included in the UEFA Team of the Year five times, with many still lamenting over the fact that he missed out on a Ballon d'Or.
Arguably Arsene Wenger's greatest find, Henry became perhaps the biggest superstar of English football during his time at Arsenal. He is the Gunner's all-time leading goalscorer with 228 goals and has won the Premier League Golden Boot a record 4 times. He has won two Premier League titles and was the best player for that legendary Arsenal team which completed a league season unbeaten in 2004.
The former French international was not just about goals - his vision, his creativity, his lethal finishing, and the overall flair and style of his play separated Henry from the rest of the pack. Despite Shearer having more goals, many consider Henry to be the greatest striker in the Premier League era due to his versatile skill set and the magic which he weaved on the pitch. For all practical purposes, Henry is well and truly the Premier League G.O.A.T, and should be one of the first two players to be inducted on March 19th.
#1 Ryan Giggs
At the end of the day, football is a team sport and nothing matters more than the trophies which you hold high above your head after a gruelling season. No player in the history of English football has won more trophies than Ryan Giggs, and it is nearly impossible that anyone else will ever win as many titles as the legendary Manchester United player.
With 13 league titles, no non-Manchester United player even comes close to Giggs' trophy tally. If you were to combine all the Premier League titles won by the other four players in this list, the total is 10 - three less than the former Welsh international. Giggs may not be the best player to play in the history of this competition, but his legacy as a winner and competitor will forever overshadow anyone else's in England's top flight.
This is not to say that Giggs as a player was bad; he is one of the greatest to ever do it in England. The winger is the only player to score in 21 separate seasons in the league and holds the record for most assists in the league with 162. He is also the only player to have played in the first 22 seasons of the Premier League, as well as being the first player in history to win two consecutive PFA Young Player of the Year awards (1992 and 1993).
A technically gifted wide player with great vision, Giggs at his peak was one of the best players in the world. He has scored some legendary goals for Manchester United and is one of the major reasons why the club is considered one of the biggest in the world today. His pace, dribbling, and finishing made Giggs a headache for all defenders, and his longevity and consistency is matched by perhaps no other player in football history; let alone English football.
Due to his achievements in the Premier League and the numerous records which he will hold for a long time, Ryan Giggs should be the first-ever inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
