Paul Merson names his pick for the best player the Premier League has ever seen

Paul Merson has named who he believes to be the greatest player in the history of the Premier League.

Merson had 32 years of history to choose from, dating back to when the Premier League initially formed following a breakaway from the Football League and the old First Division.

A number of players over the years have staked their claim to be ranked as number one, including Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, the Manchester United trio of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, and Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer.

In the modern day, Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero rank as four of the most impactful players to have graced the league.

But Merson, who spent 12 years at Arsenal between 1985 and 1997, before subsequent spells at Middlesbrough and Aston Villa, has chosen a different name as his top Premier League player ever.

The former England midfielder instead chose Arsenal icon Dennis Bergkamp.

Merson spent two years playing with the Dutchman at the end of his time in north London, with Bergkamp going on to help Arsenal win three Premier League titles and four FA Cups.

His final game for the club was the 2006 Champions League final, which Arsenal lost 2-1 to Barcelona in Saint-Denis, France.

Bergkamp did score 120 goals in 423 appearances for the club, but his main attributes were instead his incredible in-game intelligence, link-up play and passing ability.

His strike partnership with Thierry Henry became one of the greatest the league has ever seen, and Merson was left in no doubt as to the qualities of his former team-mate.

Speaking to Jeff Stelling on Football's Greatest, he revealed that, in fact, Bergkamp narrowly edged out Henry as the best player in the Premier League's history.

Merson explained: "You could easily make a case for him [Henry] to be number one, in my opinion. Easily.

"He is the only player I've ever seen, in the Premier League, look like a 20-year-old playing in an under-12's league.

"[As number one] I've gone for a player who is the best player I've ever played with in a million years, Dennis Bergkamp. I didn't know a professional footballer could be that good.

Bergkamp - Best player in PL history

According to Paul Merson, Bergkamp is the best player PL has ever seen.

1⃣ Bergkamp
2⃣ Henry

Henry when asked about the best player he played with:
Dennis Bergkamp

Journo:
Not Messi?

Henry:
Dennis. Bergkamp.pic.twitter.com/8Z6CdNTvX9 https://t.co/ppssHAyqyb

— 🇳🇴 kimmoFC (@kimmoFC) June 20, 2024

"He was unbelievable. I had a good brain, I could see things on a football pitch. I had good vision. I'd never seen anything like [him].

"He had eyes in the back of his head. He was as cool as ice. You ask anyone who played with him... you talk with Thierry Henry, he'd say Dennis Bergkamp [as the best]. Ian Wright [would say] Dennis Bergkamp.

"If you made a run, he would find you. He had everything."

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