Midfielders
Centre Midfield: Michael Ballack
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Another player who left Bayern for free, the German international joined Chelsea in 2006. This was the first time Ballack was playing outside Germany, but that did not affect his performances in the least. In 4 excellent seasons at the club, Ballack added a number of trophies to his already glistening trophy cabinet. These included the Premier League, 3 FA Cups and a League Cup. To go with the 5 titles, Ballack also got a UCL runners-up medal.
Ballack, considered to be one of the finest midfielders in the game, made over 100 appearances for the club before heading back to Germany when he signed for Bayer Leverkusen in 2010.
Holding Midfielder: Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry left Manchester Ciy in 2013 at the age of 33 to join Everton on a season-long loan which then turned into a permanent deal a year later. In a youthful side containing Stones, Barkley, Lukaku, Deulefeu and Besic, Barry was expected to have limited playing time and maybe last for just a season. 2 years down the line though, at the age of 35, he has made over 100 appearances for the club and was named Everton’s Player of the Year. One of the most established defensive midfielders in the league, Barry has been a mainstay in the Everton line-up.
Attacking Midfielder: Jay Jay Okocha
Jay Jay Okocha, a Bolton legend, lit up the Premier League for 4 seasons with his out of the world skills and flamboyant goals. The man who was “so good he had to be named twice,” made 124 league appearances in 4 years at the club. The Nigerian, who joined Bolton from PSG in 2002 is considered one of the greatest African players of all time. Okocha was responsible for Bolton staving off relegation and also for establishing them as a mid-table team.
Manager, Sam Allardyce was full of praise for the Nigerian star. “His abilities as a footballer are outstanding,” said Sam. “I’ve seen many players display great skills during training but I’ve never seen anybody produce them like that on match day. Whenever you’re feeling miserable, all you have to do is to watch him come in with a great big smile and that really helps to lift up everybody.”
Central Midfielder: Gary Mcallister
Mcallister joined the Reds from Coventry in 2000. Aged 35, most people were surprised at manager Gerard Houllier’s decision, but it did not take long for the Scot to show just what he brought to the table. The Scotsman helped Liverpool to a treble which included the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup and has been described by Houllier himself as his most inspirational signing ever.
Mcallister’s finest moment was arguably his 40-yard screamer in the dying seconds against Everton to secure victory in the Merseyside derby.
