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#3. Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick will be remembered as one of the Premier League's elite midfielders.
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Carrick spent the entirety of his career in England, with his most memorable stint coming at Manchester United. Carrick started out with West Ham United, where he spent five years before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 2004.
Carrick spent two years with Spurs before joining Manchester United in 2006, where he went on to become a club legend. Carrick operated as a deep-lying midfielder and was extremely versatile.
He displayed an extraordinary work-rate on the field. He was always one of the first names on the team sheet during his time with the club. Carrick went on to win five Premier League titles with United as well as one UEFA Champions League title.
Carrick has ventured into the managerial side of the sport, most notably managing Manchester United recently as interim coach.
#2. Lucio
Lucio is certainly one of the most underrated footballers of all time.
The Brazilian enjoyed a long and successful career, representing several top clubs and winning a multitude of trophies. Lucio was a centre-back by trade and was an extremely reliable player.
Lucio played for several clubs during his career, including Bayern Munich, Juventus, Inter Milan and Bayer Leverkusen. He won three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich as well as Serie A with Inter Milan. He also won the UEFA Champions League with the Nerazzuri in 2010.
Lucio enjoyed great success on the international stage as well. He won the FIFA World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and also won the FIFA Confederations Cup twice.
He will be remembered as an extremely adept defender who was excellent in the air. His man-marking ability and intelligent reading of the game made him one of the standout defenders of his generation.
#1. Denis Irwin
Denis Irwin is one of the most decorated footballers in Manchester United history.
Irwin started his career with Leeds United before moving to Oldham Athletic in 1986. He spent four years there before joining Manchester United. Irwin had an incredibly successful stint with United, where he spent 12 long years.
Operating primarily as a left-back, Irwin was one of the most reliable players on the team. Regarded widely as a "no-nonsense" defender, Irwin enjoyed vast success with the Red Devils.
In his 12 years with the club, Irwin won seven Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League title. He also won two FA Cups. Sir Alex Ferguson has described him as "pound for pound, the best signing of his career."
Irwin was a key member of the Manchester United side that dominated the Premier League stage for a long time. He will forever be regarded as a club legend.
