Top 5 players who never got picked in the Team of the Year in Premier League history

2) Claude Makelele (Chelsea)

Claude Makelele now has a midfield position named after him

How many players do you know who have made such an impact on the game that they had their name resonate through history? The Panenka penalty? The Cruyff Turn? Well, remember the Makelele role?

The sale of Claude Makelele to Chelsea to sign David Beckham made Real Madrid players what the world was coming to. As Zinedine Zidane famously said, “Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?”

There has been no defensive midfielder quite like him – until now. N’Golo Kante has been voted in the Team of the Year twice now and it makes you wonder if players back then did not realise how pivotal he was to the game.

Tactically disciplined and with the ability to dictate the pace of the game, Makelele was a formidable force in both offense and defence. Positioning himself in front of the back-line, he was ever-alert and stopped attacks before opponents had a chance to build momentum.

He helped Chelsea to two league titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup in five seasons before his age finally slowed him down. He was 30 when he moved to Stamford Bridge after all. But at his peak, it was predictably Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard who were picked in the Team of the Year – ironically a combination that has never worked for England.