Premier League turns 25: 10 most iconic players
In the last of theScore's "Premier League turns 25" series, we look at the most iconic players to grace the pitches of England's top tier since 1992. This isn't just reserved for the best - there's no Cristiano Ronaldo in here - but for those who left an indelible mark on the country's game.
10. Matt Le Tissier
Some will be irked at Steven Gerrard's omission from this countdown, but there's no denying that Matt Le Tissier was an unrivaled purveyor of party tricks, and remained a one-club man.
What was best about Le Tissier is that he looked more like a heavy-drinking welder than a player who has the best highlight reel in 25 years of Premier League football. He could've played for any club in the division, but was tied to his beloved Southampton.
His finest half-hour came after an indifferent 60 minutes against Newcastle United in 1993. Seeing that manager Ian Branfoot was preparing to substitute him, Le Tissier used four touches - a backheel flick, toepoke, lob over Kevin Scott, and a composed side-footer - to eviscerate the Magpies. Not content with one of the greatest goals in Premier League history, in the closing stages he controlled the ball with his thigh from 25 yards out before walloping an unstoppable volley into the top corner.
9. Frank Lampard
If someone asked you to name a player best at arriving late in the box to blast home, it's likely you'd reply "Frank Lampard."
The midfielder's formative years at West Ham United weren't the easiest. He obtained the unfair "Fat Frank" tag and struggled to fit into the gritty East-End life with his private school education. His £11-million transfer to Claudio Ranieri's Chelsea in 2001 was a natural fit.
Lampard became the second midfielder to tally 20 or more goals in a Premier League season - preceded by Le Tissier (although he was regularly deployed up top), and followed by Yaya Toure - when he struck 22 in 36 appearances in 2009-10.
Across all competitions, Lampard is Chelsea's all-time top scorer with 211 hits.
8. Didier Drogba
John Terry was the loyal captain at the centre of Chelsea's Russian rejuvenation, and, before that, Gianfranco Zola was the luscious entertainer keeping the paying punters happy.
But it's Didier Drogba, the Ivorian who took time to settle in after his £24-million switch from Marseille in 2004, who's held in the loftiest regard by the Stamford Bridge faithful.
In two stints with the Blues, Drogba won four league titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and the club's sole Champions League triumph. He was an outrageous specimen of brute strength and insurmountable power, as capable of rifling in an effort from distance as he was at pocketing a well-executed header.
7. Patrick Vieira
There was only one match for Arsenal midfielder Patrick Vieira's physicality in his pomp: Roy Keane.
The Frenchman clashed with Manchester United's battle-hardened skipper on numerous occasions; the two key figures in what used to be the biggest team spat in English football.
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Vieira was an impeccable box-to-box midfielder of supreme strength and understated pace. He enjoyed a career swansong at Manchester City, where his leadership helped Roberto Mancini usher the club into the country's elite.
6. Eric Cantona
Although it's likely Eric Cantona would claim otherwise, it's a shame the Frenchman is mostly remembered for an impulsive kung-fu kick on a foul-mouthed Crystal Palace fan.
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Cantona pushed to leave Manchester United after receiving his eight-month ban but, in a masterstroke by manager Alex Ferguson, he was encouraged to stay. He then employed himself as the chief overseeing the Class of '92, cockily cavorting across the attacking line and habitually finishing with aplomb.
5. Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp wasn't prolific for Arsenal. The Dutchman scored 87 across 315 top-flight outings, but his artistry and knack for infiltrating pockets of space taught English football that there's more to being a forward than finding the back of the net.
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His goal against Newcastle in 2002 - with his back to goal, he neatly brushed the ball one side of Nikos Dabizas, spun the other side of the defender, and then shrugged off the Greek while stroking the ball home - has gone down in history.
Bergkamp's tactical genius was totaalvoetbal personified.
4. Alan Shearer
Will anybody ever catch Alan Shearer?
The Geordie hero had a ferocious right peg, a head that could accelerate more pace than most footballers' favoured foot, and was a tireless worker.
Wayne Rooney is the second-highest scorer in Premier League history with 198 goals, but that's still 62 behind the amount Shearer tallied at Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, and Newcastle.
He was an upstanding professional, who held wearing the No. 9 shirt for Newcastle over any cup or title. Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane, take note.
3. Roy Keane
The snarling Irishman didn't make many friends during his time with Manchester United between 1993 and 2005, but he wouldn't care one jot.
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He even attacked the club's home support, accusing them of being more concerned about consuming prawn sandwiches than keeping up with the team's fate, and effectively ended Manchester City captain Alf-Inge Haaland's career with a terrifying revenge tackle.
Ultimately, Keane quickly established himself as the greatest captain of the Premier League era after leaving Nottingham Forest in 1993. If the team wasn't performing, he was often the man that dragged Fergie's fledglings over the line.
2. Thierry Henry
Like Bergkamp, Thierry Henry forced English viewers to look differently at the role of an attacker.
Most Premier League fans were accustomed to a meat-and-potatoes style of forward play: meeting crosses by clambering over a defender's back or arriving at the back stick with a tap-in. In Henry, the top flight was introduced to a striker that could interfere in other areas of play, such as exploiting channels to the left, and dropping deep to draw space for his midfielders.
He was a genius. A man who tickled the top of the ball with the careful precision that Gustave Courbet exhibited when recreating landscapes and still life with his paintbrush.
For many football fans, Henry should top this list.
1. Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs' career can be split into two parts.
First, there was the traditional left-winger: kicking up chalk down the flank, and dizzying full-backs with his relentless pace and trickery. He scored in his first full start against Manchester City, and didn't look back from there.
Then came his latter years, moving into the centre to dictate United's play. His off-field activities did their best to tarnish his reputation, but fell short. His 632 Premier League appearances will soon be surpassed by Gareth Barry (who's on 628), but the Welshman was key in his side collecting a whopping 13 English titles.
Le Tissier and Giggs are the only one-club men on this list, but the latter is the one who ended his days more decorated than a Christmas tree in an Essex town square.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)