http://www1.skysports.com/football/...teds-ryan-giggs-has-been-premier-leagues-best ⦠I would agree with him in terms of outlasting Cantona, Henry and Ronaldo etc.
There are a few players who would be in line and Giggs is certainly one of them but opinions will vary.
Shearer for me. Ronaldo one of the most if not the most talented but 3 seasons does not put you in the running. Henry put in a longer shift but he was also part of a great Arsenal side which makes a massive difference, he was average before Arsenal and little better than average at the end of his Arsenal career. Cantona, good at Leeds, and excelled in a good United side, as with Henry, you put good players in a great side and they will look even better. No doubt all great players but for me Alan Shearer was brilliant no matter where he went or who he played with. It's always attacking players that seem to be remembered as greatest players. Roy Keane was immense in the PL and for me better for United than Cantona, the latter's charisma seems to get him extra points. Alas supporters of teams with great players will pick their own and some will like to narrow it down to the PL, the time United have dominated, but really that's bolllocks, who's been the best top flight player ever in England is the real question.
Depends on how you look at it. For long term quality and consistency it's between Shearer, Giggs, Scholes and Keane, arguably with Gary Neville, Ashley Cole and Irwin in there too as the most consistently good defenders over a decade and more. But for the absolute best it's hard to look past Ronaldo - he was the only player to be undisputedly one of the best two or three in the world whilst playing in the PL, tho' Henry came pretty close during his peak.
Gerrard and Lampard kind of sit in the middle for me. They'd need to keep delivering for the next three or four years to match the long term impact of Giggs, Scholes, Shearer etc, and haven't quite reached the peaks Ronaldo and Henry did. Still quality players tho', no denying they are amongst the best the PL has seen, but I wouldn't put either of them as the outright best.
Good reasoned response Swarbs but Giggs has offered little for a couple of yrs now so I dont think Gerrard has to deliver for another 3 or 4 yrs imo And just at UIR
Ah, but all that doesn't matter when you're a top top top top top top tippety top player. I think the nominations for the 20 seasons award sums up the best players in the PL pretty well: Giggs, Bergkamp, Cantona, Henry, Keane, Ronaldo, Scholes, Shearer, Vieira and Zola. Barring the obvious bias towards midfielders and attackers ahead of defenders that's a pretty comprehensive list, with Giggs winning the award.
No go one DR, whats he done? We are talking about the premier league here. Its best player ever. Why do you feel he should be included?
Giggs started playing at the top level in 1992, so has delivered at the top level for 20 years now even with his recent drop off in effectiveness, which is perfectly understandable for a 39 year old! Gerrard didn't really break through until 2001 so he's only had about 12 years. He's also dropped off quite a bit from his peak since 2009. Imo he hasn't really offered much more than Giggs for the last few years, last season aside, tho' obviously he's been hindered by injury in that time.
You saying Gerrard hasnt been a good Premier league player? You're talking bollocks and im not giving you any more time
Where did I say hes not been a good premier league player? I said hes not been the best nor is he anywhere near. 20 players out of thousands is a very exclusive club. Theres been 100s of good players. In the premier league Gerrard has done nothing. Hes done far far more in cups.
Giggs, Scholes, Keane, ferdinand, Schmeichel, Ronaldo, rooney, Cantona, vidic, Carrick. Theres 10 players from just one club who have more of a claim than Gerrard. All mentioned have played a massive part, as individuals in the leagues most successful side. Are they all better players than Gerrard? No. Were they more important? Yes Are they more deserving of a place on the list?
Was thinking Irwin as I posted too He was epic, quite consistent hard worker, far more consistent than a lot of others mentioned. Ronaldo, sorry, a great player but 3 seasons, that puts him out of the running, you are just tagging how good he still is on to his 3 good seasons in the PL.
Aye, but wasn't he played on the right wing and right back much of that time, as well as needing all those operations on his groin and back. Pretty sure he admitted himself that he was out of his depth and didn't really break through as a top class player until around 2001. I agree he'd almost certainly be on a list of the top 20 PL players, and you could make an argument for top ten, although he wouldn't displace any of the ten listed above imo, and that doesn't even include the defenders. But I wouldn't put him in the same bracket as Giggs, Scholes, Shearer, Keane, Ronaldo, and Henry in terms of his overall level and impact in the PL.
