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The Premier League’s Top 60 All-Time Greatest Players Have Been Ranked

The Premier League’s Top 60 All-Time Greatest Players Have Been Ranked

Some shocking omissions and placings as a result of a football writers' poll.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Thierry Henry has been voted the greatest Premier League player by a panel of football writers at The Athletic, but there are some shock placings in their top 60 countdown - with Paul Scholes only 19th.

That puts the Old Trafford icon far below rivals Steven Gerrard (eighth) and Frank Lampard (sixth) - with eight of his former Manchester United teammates ahead of him, including David Beckham (18th), Rio Ferdinand (11th) and Roy Keane (sixth).

Controversially absent from the list are the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Fernando Torres, Michael Carrick, David Seaman, Denis Irwin, Nicolas Anelka, Dwight Yorke and Jermain Defoe.

Of the players that are ranked, Eric Cantona appears remarkably high in third spot: below second-placed Alan Shearer but above Ryan Giggs (fourth) and Cristiano Ronaldo (fifth).

King Eric was the early catalyst for Man United's spell of dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson. However he played only five seasons in the post-1992, Premier League era, scoring 70 goals.

The highest-placed active Premier League player is Sergio Aguero in 10th. The Argentine who boasts 180 goals in 269 league games is far ahead of teammate Kevin De Bruyne (24th) and Liverpool's Mo Salah (25th).

A big challenge The Athletic team acknowledged in putting together The Premier League 60 was judging longevity against brief brilliance. Luis Suarez is 34th due to three-and-a-half years of scintillating football, while James Milner is 44th due to his adaptable consistency over 19 seasons.

In placing Henry first, however, they have married genius with durability. The Arsenal striker won England's Golden Boot four times in his eight full seasons, lighting up the Premier League with pace and skill while helping to redefine the role of a striker.

The full Premier League rankings are below.

60. Les Ferdinand

59. Jamie Carragher

58. Carlos Tevez

57. David de Gea

56. Jurgen Klinsmann

55. Gary Neville

54. Paolo Di Canio

53. Teddy Sheringham

52. Sol Campbell

51. Luka Modric

50. Ruud van Nistelrooy

49. Robin van Persie

48. Robert Pires

47. Edwin van der Sar

46. Claude Makelele

45. Matthew Le Tissier

44. James Milner

43. David Ginola

42. Robbie Fowler

41. Jamie Vardy

40. Gary Speed

39. Virgil van Dijk

38. Raheem Sterling

37. Sadio Mane

36. Michael Owen

35. N'Golo Kante

34. Luis Suarez

33. Harry Kane

32. Cesc Fabregas

31. Yaya Toure

30. Gianfranco Zola

29. Petr Cech

28. Ian Wright

27. Didier Drogba

26. Gareth Bale

25. Mohamed Salah

24. Kevin De Bruyne

23. Tony Adams

22. Andy Cole

21. Vincent Kompany

20. Ashley Cole

19. Paul Scholes

18. David Beckham

17. Peter Schmeichel

16. Eden Hazard

15. Dennis Bergkamp

14. John Terry

13. Patrick Vieira

12. David Silva

11. Rio Ferdinand

10. Sergio Aguero

9. Wayne Rooney

8. Steven Gerrard

7. Roy Keane

6. Frank Lampard

5. Cristiano Ronaldo

4. Ryan Giggs

3. Eric Cantona

2. Alan Shearer

1. Thierry Henry

What do you think of The Athletic's rankings? Let us know in the comments.

All imagery: PA Images

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Topics: Frank Lampard, Sergio Aguero, Football, Premier League, England, Alan Shearer, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona, thierry henry, Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Roy Keane