GOAT
Arsenal icon Thierry Henry voted greatest ever Premier League player beating Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and record scorer Alan Shearer to award
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has been voted the Premier League's greatest ever player by a football fan survey.
The survey by Betfair asked more that 1,000 football fans to put forward their views on the Premier League’s best-ever player ahead of the big kick-off this weekend - which will represent the Premier League’s 30th anniversary.
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Henry earned 15 per cent of the vote ahead of five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo and Newcastle icon Alan Shearer.
The 1998 World Cup winner spent eight years at Arsenal between 1999 and 2007 and later returned to the club in 2012 on loan from MLS side New York Red Bulls.
In total, the Frenchman netted 175 goals in 258 Premier League outings and was a key figure in the club’s invincible season in 2003/04.
Runner-up behind Henry was Manchester United’s Ronaldo who spent six-years at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009 before making an emotional return of his own in 2021.
The Portuguese star was a popular choice for the 45-54 age group demographic who voted for him more than any other player.
Despite a 13 year period at Real Madrid and later Juventus either side of his two stints at Old Trafford, Ronaldo still boasts a solid Premier League goal scoring record with 102 strikes in 226 appearances.
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Next on the list is the Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer Alan Shearer who edged out Eric Cantona in fourth, whilst former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard took fifth place.
Shearer - a Premier League champion with Blackburn in 1995 - was instrumental in the growth of the League in the 1990s and 2000s and his total of 260 goals still stands as the record despite his retirement in 2006.
The former Newcastle United striker is still way out in front on the top scorer chart with second-placed Wayne Rooney 52 goals behind on 208.
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Current Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard picked up double the amount of votes of Mohamed Salah from Red supporters with the Egyptian coming seventh in the voting with 156 goals in 254 games for the FA Cup holders.
The Egyptian international came seventh in the voting, having scored a remarkable 156 goals in 254 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side, and counting.
Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne was the only other active player to make the top 20 with the Belgian star claiming eighth place despite inspiring City to four Premier League titles in the last five years.
Few could argue with Salah and De Bruyne's position in the vote, though, given the legends they were up against.
Premier League's best-ever player vote - RESULTS:
- Thierry Henry
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Alan Shearer
- Eric Cantona
- Steven Gerrard
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Mohamed Salah
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Ryan Giggs
- Sergio Aguero
- Frank Lampard
- Peter Schmeichel
- Paul Scholes
- Wayne Rooney
- Roy Keane
- Didier Drogba
- Patrick Viera
- Vincent Kompany
- Petr Cech
- Rio Ferdinand
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