Simply The Best
- Daniel Austin-Chukwu
- Apr 8, 2023
- 4 min read
The Premier League has recently adopted something that is well known in American team sports: the Hall of Fame. This rite of passage recognises those who have made an exception contribution to the Premier League since its inception in 1992. Thus far, 16 players and two managers have been inducted. For the 2023 class, the league is giving fans a chance to vote who the next three players should be that enter the Hall of Fame out of a shortlist of 16 players. It’s going to be tough, but I’m going to provide my picks for this latest round of inductees.
Rio Ferdinand
I think all Premier League fans can agree that Rio Ferdinand is one of the greatest centre-backs to ever grace the Premier League. People have him to Virgil Van Dijk which is my eyes is somewhat unfair. Not because VVD isn’t elite (he obviously is), but it seems that we forget the Rio Ferdinand was Van Dijk even before Van Dijk. We’re talking about a player who, along with Nemanja Vidić (also nominated by the way), formed arguably the most successful defensive partnership in Premier League history. If you look at what he’s achieved in his career in England, not many have a list of achievements that he does: 504 appearances, 189 clean sheets, 6-time Premier League winner, 6-time PFA Team of the Year representative. His accomplishments don’t do him justice.
From the moment he burst on the scene as a youngster at West Ham, it was clear that he was destined for bigger and better things. After establishing himself at West Ham, he made the move to Leeds (in what was, at the time, a British transfer record) where he was part of a team that was one of the more exciting teams to watch in the early 2000s. He eventually became club captain, a sign of his growing ability and confidence. It wasn’t long before a big team came knocking for him, and Man United duly obliged. The rest you could say is history. When we talk about the great centre-backs of the modern game, Rio Ferdinand must be in the conversation and would be a worthy inductee into the Hall of Fame.
Petr Čech
In an era where midfielders and attackers get all of the praise, I want to show some love to a goalkeeper that, I feel, goes under the radar a bit when we talk about Premier League greats. If it wasn’t for the existence of Peter Schmeichel, we all would crown Petr Čech as the undisputed greatest stopper to place in the English top-flight since its restructuring. As a United fan, I will not act like I religiously paid watched him regularly during his playing days. But, similarly to Rio Ferdinand and Man United, he was a critical piece as part of a keeper and centre-back partnership that helped Chelsea achieved unrivalled success. He played 443 games for Chelsea and Arsenal, achieving an almost 1 to 2 ratio in terms of clean sheets to appearances. He’s a 4-time Premier League winner and 4-time Golden Glove winner. The stats speak for themselves.
In his first season after joining from Rennes, he kept 24 clean sheets (a record that stands to this day) as Chelsea won the league with 95 points, the fourth highest ever total points tally. I personally think he deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame for what he went through injury wise let alone his footballing contributions. Against Reading in October 2006, he suffered a nasty head injury after colliding with the knee of Stephen Hunt. He had to undergo surgery for a depressed skull fracture and, according to reports at the time, the injury could have cost him his life. It’s a miracle that he was able to return to first-team action in just under three months. And then to have the career that he’s had is a testament to his mentality and his ability to overcome the odds. For that, he would be my second inductee.
John Terry
This last one was a toss-up between like three players: Ashley Cole, Andy Cole, and John Terry. Ashley Cole is in my opinion the best left-back in Premier League history and I’m in no doubt that his time will come, but I don’t think his time has come just yet. With Andy Cole, he probably isn’t one of the first strikers you think of when we’re talking about the best number nines to play in the league. He’s the fourth highest scorer with 187 goals but again, I don’t think he should be next up. So, by a process of elimination, JT would be my last entrant into the Hall of Fame. In terms of leadership and the ability to galvanise a squad, there weren’t many players in their time that John Terry. He may have not been the quickest centre-back around but he more than made up for his with his footballing IQ, no-nonsense defending and his bravery while on the pitch.
He achieved phenomenal success throughout his playing career whilst at Chelsea (and briefly Aston Villa for a season). He’s a 5-time Premier League winner, 3-time PFA Team of the Year representative, 1-time PFA Players’ Player of the Year as well as making just under 500 appearances. His superior aerial ability helped him have an eye for a goal, which makes it no surprise that he’s the highest scoring Premier League defender with 41 goals. His contribution to not only Chelsea, but also the league in general will forever be celebrated and for that, he’s place in the Hall of Fame is only a matter of time.
This Week’s Hot Take
The Premier League should have different types of Hall of Famers. In American team sports, they have first ballot Hall of Famers, athletes who are inducted in their first year of eligibility and receive at least 75% of the votes. In the grand scheme of things, how you make it into the Hall of Fame doesn’t matter. But it will make it clear that not all that get inducted are made equal. Maybe something for the Premier League to consider moving forward.
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