Steven Gerrard and the Top 10 Players of the Premier League Era

The Premier League has produced some of the best players the world has to offer, from Eric Cantona, to Robbie Fowler, to Steven Gerrard, to Cristiano Ronaldo. This list will show you my opinions regarding the top 10 players in the Premier League era, and why. Sit back and enjoy.

10. Michael Owen

He may now be plagued with injuries, but back in the day, Michael Owen was simply unstoppable. From the 5 minutes of madness in 2001 in which he won the FA Cup for Liverpool, to his goals against Arsenal and Manchester United, Michael Owen never disappointed a Liverpool fan.

Owen grew up an Everton supporter but quickly grew into a Liverpool player. Impressing scouts, Owen scored over 100 goals for Liverpool. The subsequent appointment of Rafael Benitez brought about the downfall of Owen, who was sold to La Liga giants Real Madrid.

Owen played well in Spain, but nowhere near the classy form he produced at Anfield. Owen was later sold to Newcastle, where his plauge of injuries began. Owen was a disappointment for Newcastle, and he was then sold to Manchester United on a free transfer, where he usually sat behind Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov in the striking pecking order. Nonetheless, Michael Owen's performances with Liverpool give him a place on the list.

9. Fernando Torres

Fernando Torres, a former Athletico Madrid and Liverpool striker, now plays at Chelsea. Torres' career began in Spain, where he joined his fan-favored club Athletico Madrid as a boy.

Torres grew up to be a classy little striker, impressing scouts with his willingness to score and his 'never back down' attitude. Fernando became an inspiration to Athletico Madrid fans, scoring 82 goals in 212 La Liga appearances for the club.

Liverpool then witnessed this and signed Madrid's talisman for just £21,000,000, which then grew to £6M. Torres began life at Anfield with a goal, as it took him just 1 game to find the net.

Torres failed in his debut against Villa but scored in his anfield debut against Chelsea. He then went on to score many important goals: against Manchester United in the League, against Arsenal in the Champions League, against Chelsea in both the league and Champions League. Torres bagged an incredible 102 goals in 3 and a half years in the Premier League with Liverpool.

Torres was then sold for a massive £50M to Premier League giants, Chelsea. Torres hasn't exactly adapted to life in London but his instrumental performances for Liverpool, and even some for Chelsea, grabs him 9th on the list.

8. Didier Drogba

Last season's Golden Boot winner is a very large reason that Chelsea finished second in the Premier League this season. Unfortunately for Drogba, that statement can be seen as either a positive and a negative.

Drogba scored 29 goals and had 13 assists last season, helping Chelsea win the title by a single point over Manchester United, though that total was aided by the offsides ruling not being enforced on more then one occasion. This season, Drogba has scored 12 goals while picking up 15 assists, a dip in form but still more production than Wayne Rooney. Didier is a Chelsea hero and has helped them in winning the Premier League three times, the Carling Cup and the FA Cup.

Drogba is getting older now and doesn't have the pace or agility he had in 2005 or 2006 when Chelsea were crowned Premier League champions twice in two years with someone who played a special part on his career, the 'Special One' Jose Mourinho. Unfortunately, Didier's career maybe soon be coming to an end soon, but he still has a marvellous Premier League career to look back on.

7. Jamie Carragher

Jamie Carragher: a man of steel; a loyal player who seemed impossible to buy in the past. Carragher has made over 600 appearances for Liverpool and is vice captain, just behind Steven Gerrard, who will appear later on this list.

Carragher has been a loyal member of the Liverpool family. As a defender, you wouldn't think to see Jamie on here, if not for his 'man of steel' character, his will, his determination and his loyalty.

Jamie may not surpass Ian Callaghan's club record, but Carragher may get a spot above him as Liverpool's all-time best defender with Ian Callaghan and Sami Hyypia (who, unfortunately, is not included in this PL list) behind him. I think Carragher is one of the most loyal footballers in the world today and thoroughly deserves this seventh spot.

6. Thierry Henry

Embarrassing adverts for French car firms aside, Henry’s real va-va-voom was reserved for the football pitch. The slick Frenchman arrived at Highbury after half an underwhelming season at Juventus. Who, then, would have thought he’d become one of the best players England has ever seen?

Arsene Wenger set about transforming the winger into one of the most consistently deadly strikers in the world. Henry’s relaxed personality off-the-pitch and his goal-scoring on it won him fans across the country, as well as 2 titles and 3 FA Cups, 2 European Golden Boots and 3 Football Writers Awards.

Thus, Henry was respected on the field and off the field and was one of the most fearsome strikers in the world until age got the better of him a few years ago. He's now playing for a team in America (the country that hardly cares for Football, or as they call it, "Soccer").

5. Roy Keane

The angriest man ever to chastise consumers of seafood-based snacks, Roy Keane was a snarling pit-bull with a unmatched level of commitment to the cause. A captain who raised the games of those around him, the Irishman’s refusal to submit, and his insistence on constant striving forward, made him the ideal leader for Alex Ferguson’s United side.

He could play a bit too, with a fantastic engine and a take-no-prisoners approach to tackling. Keane was a proper midfield enforcer.

Further, Keane was a loner, with few friends in the game. He didn’t care what people thought of him, which was a shame, in a way, because most people thought he was a great footballer.

Keane's bad side, though, showed through quite a lot. His lazy, challenges, which got him many yellow and red cards, were his bad side. He was respected by some and hated by others. I am not a big fan of his, but I have to applaud the commitment he made on the pitch, which gives him fifth place.

4. Alan Shearer

He may not have had the best crack at managing, and we might already be sick of him on MotD, but none of that counts on this poll—Alan Shearer was the greatest goal-scorer in Premier League history.

An archetypal old-fashioned number 9, Shearer could score goals from anywhere, but he seemed to favour both using his excellent aerial threat and smashing them in from outside the box. This is why Alan Shearer is the SECOND TO LAST to be placed on this list.

You may not agree, but I do think there is one more striker that is better than Shearer. I'm not the biggest fans of Newcastle or Blackburn but I sure am a massive fan of Alan.

Going back to his goalscoring: he holds a fantastic record from the penalty spot, with 58 scored, while his simply stunning record at Blackburn—112 in 138—helped him climb the ranks to score by far and away the most goals in the Premier League.

Adding his influence as a captain and his former position as the most expensive player in the world, Alan Shearer blasts his way into my top ten, or even better, my top four.

3. Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney is a great player, who this season has been distracted by allegations of affairs (none of which matters now). Wayne Rooney is the greatest striker in the premier league era. I can't deny that. I may not like Manchester United, and I may not be a big fan of Rooney, but I do respect him and his accomplishments.

Rooney scored a hat-trick on his Old Trafford debut and has shined ever since. He maybe a miserable scouse, and not that fun, but that's because of Rooney's passion for football. He doesn't want newspapers; he doesn't want interviewers getting in his way; Rooney strives to improve each and every day.

Some people may think Shearer's the best striker in the PL era; some people think this is Gianfranco Zola (who is in my "Honorable Mentions" list), but I think Rooney is the best. His 'never give up' attitude over powers him.

No denying it, Rooney can mess things up when he's on the form of his life, but Rooney always comes back stronger. That's what earns him 3rd on my list.

2. Steven Gerrard

He might be a miserable Scouser with a permanent look of pained annoyance on his face, but Stevie G is a truly inspirational captain. Gerrard has won every title in the game, except the one he wants most—the Premier League.  

Despite that, the Liverpudlian has developed from a slightly wild upstart to one of the greatest central midfielders to play in the top flight. A box-to-box fighter, with passing and shooting to match, Gerrard could and often would single-handedly bring Liverpool back from the brink of disaster to the glory of victory, like the Miracle of Istanbul in which he gave Liverpool hope as he pulled back the 3-0 scoreline to 3-1. Gerrard's instrumental performance in the game did achieve the miracle as he won the penalty that Xabi Alonso scored to bring the score to 3-3.

Then, maybe the greatest moment of Gerrard's footballing career came as he held the UEFA Champions League trophy over his head after years of torment. Or maybe his greatest moment was his 40-yard wonder goal in stoppage time against West Ham in the FA Cup final—or perhaps, his goal against Olympiacos that got Liverpool into the Champions League knockout stage; there are loads of Gerrard moments I could write out right now but it would take A LOT of time, I mean A LOT.

Gerrard will always be an idol to Liverpool fans and perhaps his best years are behind him now, but his contribution to the Premier League era should not be under-estimated

1. Ryan Giggs

In at No. 1, Ryan Giggs.

Wow! Well, what can I say?

His star has faded a little as the years have taken their toll, but it is a testament to Giggs' fitness and quality that the Welsh Wizard is still playing his trade in the top flight almost twenty years after his debut.

At his peak, Giggs was a beguiling winger with the ability to tear teams apart with his pace, dribbling, crossing and finishing. His dedication to his club and his profession is admirable, and his trophy haul has made him the most decorated player in English football history.

From his wonder goal against Arsenal to his goal against West Ham a few seasons ago, Ryan Giggs, even at his age, can still pull off some of the greatest performances today. He's the oldest Manchester United player and you'd think it'd be a joke that he'd be the best player in a match. Well truth be told, he actually can be.

Giggs has played in the Premier League throughout his career and hasn't missed a season. The same can be said about his goal. Giggs has scored in every Premier League season and has played the most games in the premier league, so it's obvious Giggsy deserves first place.

Ryan Giggs does indeed have it all, and like what Wayne Rooney said on TalkSport 2 weeks ago, United fans will soon be calling him: Sir Ryan Giggs.

Honorable Mention

Gianfranco Zola

Dennis Bergkamp

Eric Cantona

Paul Scholes

Sami Hyypia

John Terry

Steve McManaman

Patrick Vieira

Robert Pires

Hope You Enjoyed

If you feel that I've left someone out or have the rankings mixed up, feel free to comment.