English Premier League: Ranking the Captains of All 20 EPL Clubs

When you look at each Premier League club, it's astonishing to see that just about every team has a solid captain.

Whether it's a no-nonsense central defender helping his side fight the relegation battle or a goal scoring striker pushing his team forward in the title race, every club in England's top tier has a strong captain.

As always, if you think I placed someone too high or too low on this list, let me know in the comments. There may be a few surprises on this list, but they won't go without explanation in the slide.

From last to first, here are all 20 Premier League captains ranked.

20. Gary Caldwell (Wigan Athletic)

After his arrival at Wigan last summer from Celtic, Gary Caldwell was appointed as the team captain almost immediately.

Since then, he's proved himself as the core of Wigan's side mostly consisting of young players. Caldwell faced a tough test last season as his team stared relegation in the face, but he led the side to pull a Houdini as they escaped the drop zone on the last day of the season.

It seems like Wigan will have to do the same this season, and Gary Caldwell certainly has his work cut out for him...

19. Danny Murphy (Fulham)

An ever-present fixture in the Fulham first team, Danny Murphy is the classic English captain.

He's led his side to as much success as a mid-table club can dream of since he arrived in 2007, including the 2009 Europa League final as well as fairly high finishes in the Premier League.

The funny thing is, Danny Murphy isn't Fulham's best player by a long shot. Still, he's a solid captain and will be hoping to turn his team's form around and achieve another respectable league finish.

18. Roger Johnson (Wolves)

Wolves got one of the bargains of the summer by grabbing former Birmingham defender Roger Johnson for just over £4 million. Almost immediately after arriving at the Molineux, Johnson was given the captain's armband with just one task to do for Wolves: avoid relegation.

The Englishman got his side off to a decent start, winning their first two matches, but since then they've sunk down into 17th place, gaining just 11 points from their first 12 matches. Wolves now face another season of fighting relegation, and Roger Johnson has the chance to be their hero.

17. Garry Monk (Swansea)

We don't know very much about Garry Monk yet as a Premier League captain, but he has the chance to prove doubters wrong and lead Swansea to another season in England's top flight.

The Englishman has seen his side start their first ever Premier League season much better than he would've expected, gaining 13 points from their first 12 matches, putting them in 13th place (let's hope that's not unlucky for them).

If the Swans continue to enjoy themselves with free-flowing, attacking football, Garry Monk's army may just stay up this season.

16. Grant Holt (Norwich)

Grant Holt has gotten his first ever Premier League season off to a solid start, scoring three goals and notching up two assists so far.

As a player, Holt is a decent attacking force who has the ability to score against most Premier League teams when he's at his best. But let's be honest here, Grant Holt is a big diver.

If he gets a soft challenge in the box, he'll throw himself on the ground. As a matter of fact, he'll throw himself on the ground pretty much anywhere on the pitch, regardless of whether he gets tackled or not. 

If he can keep up his decent form, the Norwich forward can help keep his team in the Premier League, but please Mr. Holt, could you stop diving so much?

15. Kevin Davies (Bolton)

Kevin Davies is well-known to most followers of football as one of the dirtiest, worst-tackling players in the game.

Nonetheless, he's a damn good captain. Maybe it's his tough, no-nonsense mentality, but the guy just knows how to lead his team. At 34 years old, he's still providing Bolton with a fairly consistent, goal scoring forward.

Although he's gotten his side off to, well, a pretty horrendous start, Davies certainly has the ability to help them turn it around and gain a respectable league finish.

14. Lee Cattermole (Sunderland)

I guess there's something about dirty players that make good captains.

His ruthless style of play and relentless tackles probably aren't the best influence on other members of the team, and have earned him a reputation of being one of the dirtiest players in the league, but nonetheless Lee Cattermole is still a decent captain. 

Maybe the trash talking and slide tackling isn't necessary, but Cattermole is yet another classic English captain, and a good one too.

13. Ryan Shawcross (Stoke)

Here's another of the league's dirtiest players, a player I have absolutely no respect for.

Maybe it's because I'm an Arsenal supporter and Ryan Shawcross brutally broke Aaron Ramsey's leg, or maybe it's because it's in my nature to hate just about every Stoke City player (once again because I'm an Arsenal supporter), but isn't Ryan Shawcross just a scary, despicable footballer?

Although I don't respect him in the slightest, Shawcross is a pretty good captain...

12. Joey Barton (Queens Park Rangers)

Speaking of despicable footballers...

After securing his move to QPR this summer, Joey Barton was almost immediately made the team captain by manager Neil Warnock. I mean, I guess I could see why he wanted him captain...I guess.

Barton is one of the many talented English footballers who never fulfilled his potential, and probably never will. Whether it's being stuck in prison or a Twitter obsession, Joey Barton's focus never seems to be on football.

However, he's gotten his career at QPR off to a good start, so who knows, maybe we'll see Barton at his best this season.

11. Phil Neville (Everton)

Phil Neville really is Mr. Everton.

After being dumped by Manchester United in 2005, the Englishman transferred to Everton and has been there ever since, making a whopping 203 league appearances and captaining the team to consistently high league finishes including two fifth-place finishes and one in sixth.

As a regular fixture in the Everton first team, Phil Neville is known to be a reliant full-back, but he's also known to be a commanding leader—a man who can "rally the troops" when the rest of his team needs him.

10. Chris Brunt (West Bromwich Albion)

Chris Brunt has had a delightful career with West Brom, proving himself as an excellent captain as well as a great player.

Although he's a physical midfielder, he's got enough technical ability to prove himself as a multi-dimensional player. The Northern Ireland international has a wicked left foot and when he connects with the ball, he's sure to test any Premier League keeper. 

As a superb leader and footballer, Chris Brunt can be West Brom's saviour this season.

9. Stiliyan Petrov (Aston Villa)

Although he's now 32 years old, Stiliyan Petrov has started his season in surprisingly good form.

Providing the creative spark for Aston Villa, on the Bulgarian's 200th appearance for the club, he scored a 20-yard screamer into the top corner—one of just seven Petrov has scored in the Premier League in his entire career. Sure, not the best output for a midfielder, but hopefully he'll improve that tally this season.

As a good leader and a good player, Petrov deserves his place on the middle of this list.

8. Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle)

Fabricio Coloccini has led Newcastle to an incredible start to the season, losing just one match after going on an undefeated run of 11 games.

The Argentine certainly deserves credit for helping Newcastle to the best defensive record in the league, conceding just 11 goals in 12 matches. This season, Coloccini has proven himself as one of the most solid centre-backs in England, making himself a transfer target for a number of clubs looking to tighten up their back line.

Personally, I think Coloccini should stay at St. James Park—erm, I mean the SportsDirect Arena, as he has the potential to achieve wonders there.

7. Ledley King (Tottenham)

Being fit for the first time in a while, Ledley King has enjoyed his start to the season as Tottenham's captain.

When he's gone, people tend to forget how good of a central defender he is, and the strong presence he brings to Tottenham's back line really is valuable to the club. As well as a superb player, King is also an excellent leader to the Spurs squad. He's been with the North London outfit for all of his life, and wants nothing less than success for the club he's been at since 1996.

If Ledley King was fit more often, Tottenham could be aiming at more than just a Champions League spot.

6. Christopher Samba (Blackburn)

Surprised?

Although Christopher Samba hasn't been in the best form so far this season, and doesn't seem to play with nearly as much passion as he did in past years, he's still a magnificent player. Samba is one of the most solid defenders in the league, and possibly the strongest player in the league as well.

Without him, Blackburn surely wouldn't even be in the Premier League. Samba's not only the best player on his team, but also the leader of the pack, and he does that job magnificently.

5. Vincent Kompany (Manchester City)

Vincent Kompany has proven himself as the heart of the Manchester City defense, as well as one of the best defenders in the world.

Earning himself a spot in the PFA 2010-11 Team of the Season, Kompany is absolutely rock solid, and is very rarely beaten both on the ground and in the air. As well as a brilliant defender, Kompany is also a fine leader, one of those classic, strong centre-back captains who pushes their team on.

It's quite likely that Vincent Kompany will lead his brilliant side to more than one trophy this season.

4. Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

Robin van Persie is quite possibly the most in-form player in the world at the moment. 

The Dutchman has been scoring two goals every game, bagging a whopping 17 goals so far this season in all competitions. Many are calling him the best player in the Premier League, so there's certainly no doubt about his ability.

After the departure of Cesc Fabregas this summer, van Persie was appointed captain, and that could very well be a factor behind his brilliant form. Although he's usually up front as a lone striker, Van Persie's been exceptional as the Gunners captain so far.

If his form continues at this rate, van Persie could be winning both individual and club honours as the captain of Arsenal.

3. Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)

So far this season, Nemanja Vidic has proven himself as Manchester United's most important player.

When he's in the starting lineup, United's defense is rock solid, but when he's not a part of the back line, many questions can be asked about the Red Devils defense. Arguably the best defender in the world at the moment, Vidic is also being dubbed by some as the best-ever defender in the air—that's right, ever.

Vidic has enjoyed plenty of success with Manchester United, and there's plenty of success to come for the outstanding team captain.

2. John Terry (Chelsea)

John Terry makes up for being a despicable human being (yes, I'm using that word again) by being a brilliant footballer.

Okay, in my opinion he doesn't really make up for his multiple abhorrent acts, but that's not the point. Although he's come under a barrage of fire from the media recently, John Terry has remained as the Chelsea captain, doing a superb job.

He's one of the most complete footballers you'll find; a player who can defend like nobody's business and score goals at the same time. However, his strongest attribute is certainly his leadership. I've thrown around the term "classic English captain" quite a bit in this slideshow, but John Terry really is the epitome of a classic English captain.

If it weren't for his scandals, Terry could very well have been first on this list.

1. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Although he hasn't been fit as much as Kenny Dalglish would like, when Steven Gerrard is in the starting lineup, it makes all the difference for Liverpool. 

Gerrard really is Mr. Liverpool, having been at the club since 1987 as a youth player and making a total of 391 league appearances for the Reds. The Englishman has had more memorable moments with Liverpool than one can count on both fingers, including his last-minute strike in the FA Cup final against West Ham and, of course, the miracle of Istanbul.

With his illustrious history with the club and his brilliance as both a player and a leader, Steven Gerrard certainly is the best captain in the Premier League.