This is a discussion that always comes up and everyone always has a different opinion on it, but who do you consider to be the best player the premier league has seen?
Would it be Ronaldo or did he have his best performances and take football to the next level when he joined Madrid. Or Salah who has been consistently good every year in the premier league and just seems to get better each year.
Would a prime Henry or Rooney make the number one spot, because of how much they contributed to their teams.
Could Rodri be included as number one, although he plays in a position that might not get the recognition it deserves, city aren’t the same team without him, but probably needs a few more years in the premier league to be considered the best.
Or could Kane get the number one spot. A great player and goal scorer but probably would miss out on the best player due not winning anything at spurs.
Aguero and Suarez are two that deserve a mention. As much as I hate to admit it. Suarez probably not as much because of the shorter time he had in the premier league but would be up there if he played more years in the league, but what great players both were.
I couldn’t have said it better myself …
Definitely Bergkamp for me , he was the catalyst that started the ball rolling ( pardon the pun ) and the premier league hasn’t looked back .
I know others would argue the for some of the great players that came later like Zola , Henry , Salah and so forth but in my humble opinion it started with Bergkamp he was sublime…
John Hartson said it best and i quote " if Bergkamp played football in the snow , he wouldn’t leave any footprints "
There are many factors that go into this debate. Footballing ability, stats, longevity, trophies, and then the bias of the type of footballer they are, the position they play in, the team they play for etc.
For example, you might love an old fashioned centre back, an inverted winger, holding midfield player. The one with the best ability might play for the team you dislike the most so he’s not on your list.
There’s been many great players in the premier league over the years that I despised because of who they played for but would have loved to have had at United. Steven Gerard ,prime example. Patrick Viera another.
For me, and yes this is slightly bias, it’s Wayne Rooney. He won everything. He had the ability. He’s has the longevity and he even kept a high level when he dropped into a deeper role later in his career. To be the all time leading goalscorer for the premier leagues most successful club you have to be special.
It’s a strange one, I think Rooney often gets overlooked in conversations like this. But undeniably he is up there.
You make a great point about type of footballer. Like that, you might relly enjoy a top save as much as a wonder strike but are any goalkeepers involved in these discussions?
It’s definitely subjective, such is the way with art😉
The Ronado shouldn’t be considered best or in best ever yeam for premier league because he " exploded at Madrid " can get quite annoying. Ronaldo went to Madrid with Balon D’ors , champions leauge, a world record trannsfer etc. The way some tell it its as if Madrid picked up a diamond in the rough. As for the best ever?? Its subjective but I feel it can be simplified somewhat. If you were to have 1 choice of player to play for your team at their best surely its going to be someone who changes the team instantly and if thats the case who is getting picked over , Ronaldo, Henry, Suarez, Salah, Bale, De bruyne or maybe a kane depending on what your team may need. I feel the biggest fans of Bergkamp, Scholes, Lampard, Hazard, Rooney and many others would have trouble not picking from the first list if push really came to shove
I think De Bruyne can fit into either list, he has been a great player who can be considered with the best to play the game.
When I say Bergkamp its definitely a biased choice and i know other players have done more in the game. For me he is a player i look to that along with Wenger changed what Arsenal where then for the better so holds a place in my heart as one of the best ever, not all will agree for sure.
I certainly wouldn’t argue with Brrgkamp as a choice, nor would I argue with many other options. The point i was trying to argue is that I think there are only a small amount of players that in their prime could come in overnight and change a team completely. That been the Henry, Suarez, Ronaldo, Bale etc. List. Thats not to say if your club was already scoring 100 goals a season you might pass on 1 of these and go for a Keane, Viera, Terry, Aguero. So for example I don’t see prime Keane or Bergkamp as great as they were coming in and shooting say Spurs or current united up the table, but i do see prime Ronaldo or Henry having 40+ Goal involvments in a season