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
source https://www.sportbible.com/football/news-legends-top-10s-the-premier-leagues-top-60-all-time-greatest-players-have-been-ranked-20210302
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