This is a topic about players who have made the Premiership into one of the top leagues in the world, some people may not agree with players who are on the list or excluded from the list and if that is the case please PM me as to why a player should be added and removed and it will be considered.

I may of missed some players off accidently or even purposely but these players and this list has been bought together by a panel of four people {Myself, Alex, Matty and Brian}.

The player profiles were mainly taken from Wikipedia and 1-2 other various sources, now i'm not doubting their reliability one or two things may not be correct so if you see any errors then please let me know and i will change them immedietly.

Although this is a topic on players who made the Premiership what it is today, which in general also means legendary players a few players made the grade without being "legends" or "world class" players, but more for their services in the league, i.e Tim Sherwood

Other than that, enjoy reading about some of the top players of the Premiership

Please note that the order of players is entirely random, this is not a list of top to bottom or visa versa, as you will see it's quite mixed up in terms of players and clubs.

List of the Players and the order they can be found:

David Seaman
Tony Adams
Paul Merson
Martin Keown
Lee Dixon
Nigel Winterburn
Ian Wright
Ray Parlour
Dennis Bergkamp
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Paul Scholes
David Beckham
Stan Collymore
Gary Neville
Ryan Giggs
Patrick Vieira
David Platt
Dion Dublin
Emmanuel Petit
Marc Overmars
Robert Pires
Ugo Ehiogu
Colin Hendry
Tim Flowers
Tim Sherwood
Nigel Martyn
Neville Southall
Robbie Fowlers
Sami Hyypia
Paul Ince
Ian Rush
Steve McManaman
Denis Irwin
Eric Cantona
Gary Pallister
Peter Schmeichel
Roy Keane
Dwight Yorke
Andy Cole
Alan Shearer
David Ginola
Les Ferdinand
Tino Asprilla
Tony Yeboah
Niall Quinn
Gianfranco Zola
Matt Le Tissier
Gianluca Vialli
John Barnes
Michael Owen
Teddy Sheringham
Paul Gascoigne
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Andrei Kanchelskis
David Batty
Gary Speed
Sol Campbell
Chris Sutton
Steve Bruce
Marcel Desailly
Duncan Ferguson
Jaap Stam
Paul McGrath

David Seaman:-



David Seaman (MBE) was born 19 September 1963 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire and is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal and most recently with Manchester City. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury. He was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to the sport.

In England he is generally regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all time, and his peak was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper.

He began his career at Leeds United, the club he supported as a child but after not making it there he went to Division 4 club Peterborough United for a £4,000 fee in August 1982.

in October 1984, Second Division Birmingham City paid £100,000 for Seaman's services. They ended up winning promotion at the end of that season, but were relegated from the top flight after one season.

Seaman was not to follow them back to Division Two. In August 1986 he moved to London club Q.P.R. for a fee of £225,000. Playing at a higher profile club, and on a plastic pitch, he was to earn his first England cap. This came under Bobby Robson in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988. Whilst at Q.P.R., Seaman was coached by Arsenal double-winner (of 1971) Bob Wilson, who was to work with him for more than a decade.

Arsenal, who had won the league in 1989, wanted to sign Seaman, but the deal involved Arsenal's keeper John Lukic (who, incidentally, was Leeds' first choice goalkeeper back in 1982) heading the opposite way on loan. Lukic did not want to do this, and the deal broke down and remained unresolved as the deadline passed. As soon as the season ended, and English clubs were allowed to buy players again, Arsenal manager George Graham came back for Seaman, with £1.3 million (at the time a British record for a goalkeeper) being the agreed fee. Lukic, who was highly popular amongst Arsenal fans, left to rejoin Leeds.

Seaman played in goal for Arsenal more times than anyone else, and also holds the Arsenal Premier League appearances record, with 344.

Titles and Achievements:

75 Full Caps
6 Caps for England B
10 Caps for England Under-21

World Cup Appearances in 1998 and 2002
Euro Championships Appearances in 1196 and 2000

Premiership Winner:

1991
1998
2002

FA Cup Winner:

1993
1998
2002
2003

League Cup Winner:

1993

Cup Winners Cup Winner:

1994


Tony Adams:-



Tony Adams (MBE) was born on 10th October 1966 and was an English football player and now manager. He spent his entire playing career (22 years) at Arsenal, and is considered one of the club's greatest players of all time.

Adams was born in Romford in the London Borough of Havering and, having supported the club as a boy, joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1980. He made his first team debut on November 5, 1983, at the age of 17 against Sunderland. Together with Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Steve Bould, Adams was part of the "famous four" that lined up in Arsenal's defence, which under George Graham was renowned for its well disciplined use of the offside trap. On January 1, 1988, he became Arsenal's youngest ever captain at the age of 21; he would remain club captain for the next 14 years.

With their strong defence playing a huge part, Arsenal won the League Cup in 1986-87, and followed that by lifting the First Division trophy in 1988-89 and again in 1990-91. In 1992-93 Adams became the first player to captain his side to a League Cup and FA Cup double, and lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup the year after.

By then he had also made his mark on the international stage; he made his debut for England against Spain in 1987, and played in Euro 88. Adams's international career suffered a couple of setbacks after such early promise; he was surprisingly left out of the 1990 World Cup squad by manager Bobby Robson, and missed Euro 92 due to injury. However, he still maintained a regular place in defence, and after the retirement of Gary Lineker in 1992, Adams unofficially shared the captaincy of England with David Platt, though Adams got the job outright before Euro 96, as Platt's place in the side became less sure.

handsomely, captaining the club to two Premiership and FA Cup Doubles, in 1997-98 and 2001-02; he is the only player in English football history to have captained a League-winning team in three different decades.

After his second Double win in 2002, Adams retired from professional football altogether, his last match being the 2002 FA Cup Final. He played 668 matches for Arsenal (only David O'Leary has played more) and was the most successful captain in the club's history. No Arsenal player since has worn the number 6 shirt that Adams wore when playing, although the club have not formally retired the number. He is nicknamed "Mr. Arsenal". In May 2002 he was honoured by Arsenal with a testimonial game against Celtic. Many Arsenal legends played, including Ian Wright, John Lukic and Adams' fellow back four stalwarts, Dixon, Winterburn and Bould. The game finished 1-1 with Lee Dixon, in his final appearance for the Gunners, getting their goal.

In 2004, Adams was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact on the English game.


Paul Merson:-



Paul Merson was born in Harlesden on the 20th March 1968 and is a retired English football player. His playing career has included spells at Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Portsmouth. He also played for England 21 times. He was a skilful forward who later in his career dropped more into the midfield.

Born in London, Paul Merson started his career at Arsenal, joining the club as an apprentice in 1984. After a loan spell at Brentford, he made his debut for the Gunners on November 22, 1986 against Manchester City, and gradually established himself in George Graham's successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s. By the 1988-89 season he was a regular on the right wing, at the end of which Arsenal secured the First Division title with a last gasp Michael Thomas goal in the final game against Liverpool. Merson scored ten times that season, made his debut for the England U21 side, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year.

With Merson, Arsenal bagged another league championship in 1991, both the FA Cup and League Cup in 1993 (Merson scoring the first goal of the League Cup final), and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994. He also made his debut for the full England side, in a friendly against Germany on September 11, 1991.

In 1995-96, Paul Merson remained a regular first team player under Arsenal's new manager Bruce Rioch and continued to play regularly in 1996-97 following the appointment of Arsène Wenger. In a somewhat surprising move, at the end of the 1996-97 Premiership campaign, in which Arsenal finished third, Merson was sold to relegated Middlesbrough in a £5 million deal - making him the most expensive player ever signed by a non-Premiership club. In all Merson played 425 times for Arsenal, scoring 99 goals.

Paul Merson was a key player for Middlesbrough's promotion success as Division One runners-up in 1997-98. Merson also held the distinction of being the only player in England's 1998 World Cup squad not to play for a top flight club. In that tournament, he played in England's famous second round match against Argentina, scoring in the penalty shootout, although England eventually lost.

In the autumn of 1998, Paul Merson was sold to Aston Villa for £6.75 million. He quickly established himself as a fans favourite due to his creative, flamboyant brand of football. He remained on the club's payroll for nearly five years, helping them reach the 2000 FA Cup final, before he was finally given a free transfer at the end of the 2001-02 season. Merson signed for Division One club Portsmouth, and was instrumental in the club's promotion to the Premiership in 2002-03.

he announced his retirement from professional football playing on 9th March 2006.

Martin Keown:-



Martin Keown was born on July 24th 1966 in Oxford and is a former English footballer, with full Irish heritage, who spent most of his career at Arsenal.

A tough and uncompromising centre back from Oxford, Keown played for local sides as a boy, before joining Arsenal on a schoolboy contract in 1980, though he made his professional debut on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion in 1984. Keown returned to Arsenal to make 22 appearances, before being sold by new Arsenal boss George Graham to Aston Villa in 1987.

Keown played for Villa for three seasons, before moving to Everton in the summer of 1989; at Everton he made his England debut in 1992 against France. With an injury to Mark Wright he was called up into England's squad for Euro '92, and played in all three of England's matches.

In February 1993, Keown was re-signed by his old club, Arsenal, for £2 million. Keown competed with Steve Bould for the second central defence place alongside Tony Adams. Keown didn't feature in Arsenal's FA Cup and League Cup double of 1993 thanks to being cup-tied, and was only a sub in Arsenal's Cup Winners' Cup win over Parma the following year. However, he became an integral part of Arsène Wenger's double Double winning sides of 1998 and 2002.

Keown's early ascension to the England team under Graham Taylor did not continue under Terry Venables, who ignored him completely. Keown earned a recall from Glenn Hoddle in 1997, and Keown went to the 1998 World Cup, but did not play. Keown became a regular under Kevin Keegan (captaining the side against Finland) and played in two of England's Euro 2000 matches. By the time Sven-Göran Eriksson became manager, Keown's age was starting to count against him, though he went to the 2002 World Cup, again as a non-playing squad member. In all he played 43 times for England, scoring two goals.

Keown remained at Arsenal until 2004, winning another Premier League title, before being released on a free transfer. He signed for Leicester City, but left after less than six months (it was rumoured he had fallen out with Leicester boss Micky Adams), and signed for Reading in January 2005 until the end of the season, whereupon he retired from the game.

Keown joined the coaching staff of Newbury in August 2005, but is now coaching back at former club Arsenal where he is taking his coaching badges.


Lee Dixon:-



Lee Dixon was born on March 17th 1964 in Manchester England, he was a footballer who formed part of the hugely-respected Arsenal defence for the entire 1990s and beyond.

Dixon worked his way to the top of football slowly - he played for Burnley (where he served his apprenticeship), Chester City, Bury and Stoke City before he was signed by Arsenal boss George Graham in January 1988.

Though Arsenal had seemingly found their replacement for England full back Viv Anderson, who had been sold to Manchester United, it took a while for Dixon to be given a first team role at Highbury. With the veteran international Kenny Sansom at left back, the equally left-sided Nigel Winterburn had been a guarded success in the unfamiliar right back role, though Dixon did make his debut against Luton Town in February 1988 and played six times in total before the season ended. In the summer, Sansom left Arsenal and Winterburn moved across, allowing Dixon to take over the No.2 shirt, which he duly did for well over ten years.

His first Trophy was the League in 1988/1989 where Arsenal pipped Liverpool to the league with last gasp drama in a game that will never be forgotten for both Liverpool, Arsenal and football fans alike. Arsenal struggled to hold on to the title the following year but there was personal joy for Dixon as he made his England debut in April 1990 in a World Cup warm-up game against Czechoslovakia.

O'Leary ended up in Dixon's place at right back for the 1993 League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday because Dixon was unfit. Arsenal won 2-1. Dixon was back when the sides met again for the FA Cup final which Arsenal won by the same scoreline in a replay, after the initial game had ended in a 1-1 draw. Unfortunately, 1993 did not go well internationally, with England failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the USA. Dixon's 21st cap, in a 7-1 win over San Marino in the final qualifier (a result which was immaterial) seemed to be his last as Taylor quit as manager and Terry Venables took over, experimenting with other right backs until installing Gary Neville in the spot in 1995, a role he maintains to this day.

In 1994, Dixon won a European medal to complement his domestic collection as Arsenal's legendary defence showed off their considerable ability to repel creativity among natural footballers.

Arsenal won the "double" again in 1998 and Dixon received a testimonial the following year as he entered his tenth full season at Arsenal. He also got a surprise recall to the England squad by caretaker boss Howard Wilkinson, who had temporarily taken over after the resignation of Glenn Hoddle. Dixon played in a 2-0 defeat by France at Wembley and then quietly disappeared away from the international scene again, never to return. He had won 22 caps but not played in a major tournament.


Nigel Winterburn:-



Nigel Winterburn was born on December 11 1963 in Nuneaton West Midlands and is a retired English footballer who formed part of the legendary Arsenal back four of the late 1980s and all of the 1990s.

A left back, Winterburn began his career with Birmingham City but never played for the first team, though he did earn youth caps for England. He joined Oxford United and then in 1983 he was recruited on a free transfer by Dave Bassett to join the infamous Crazy Gang of Wimbledon, who were on a steady climb up the divisions after gaining promotion from the non-league pyramid six years earlier. Winterburn settled into the famed Wimbledon mentality and won England under 21 honours.

Winterburn won the Wimbledon supporters Player Of The Year in each of the four seasons he spent at Plough Lane, and his sublime performances amidst a slightly more industrial style of football alerted the attention of Arsenal manager George Graham, who was seeking a long-term replacement for captain Kenny Sansom.

In the summer of 1987, Arsenal gave a cheque for 350,000 pounds to Wimbledon and Winterburn went to Highbury. He didn't depose Sansom, still an England mainstay, straightaway - indeed, his earliest performances in the team were at right back, an emergency measure employed by Graham after he'd been unsuccessful in finding a worthwhile replacement for Viv Anderson.

Though heavily left-footed, Winterburn settled into the right back role as best he could and became quickly involved in two controversial incidents of his first season. Firstly, he was seen to openly goad Brian McClair after the Manchester United striker had missed a late penalty in an FA Cup tie at Highbury. This brought huge criticism of Winterburn, and when Arsenal reached the League Cup final later that season, an incident occurred which to many brought Winterburn's just deserts.

Sansom left Arsenal and Winterburn settled into his more familiar left back role as a result, staying in it for more than a decade. He and fellow full back Lee Dixon flanked two superb central defenders in captain Tony Adams and veteran David O'Leary, joined during the 1989 season by Steve Bould.

Winterburn made his England debut later the same year, coming on as a substitute in a 0-0 draw against Italy. Though many media outlets and Winterburn's own club manager regularly extolled his virtues as an England left back, the national coach, Bobby Robson, had him as no higher than third in the pecking order at left back. Stuart Pearce was going to the 1990 World Cup as first choice, with Tony Dorigo as back-up. Only injury to either would see a way open for Winterburn, and that didn't happen.

Arsenal ended 1990 trophyless, but Winterburn and his fellow defenders - now galvanised by the arrival of goalkeeper David Seaman - re-emphasised their stout meanness the following season by regaining the League championship with the loss of just one match. Two years later, Winterburn was in the Arsenal team which won both cup competitions and thus completed his domestic set of medals. Arsenal defeated Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals.

Arsène Wenger arrived at Arsenal at the end of 1996 and instilled new self-awareness and dietary habits into the Arsenal squad, allowing the ageing defence to thrive in the latter years of their careers and prolong their shelf lives on the pitch. With the experienced six players at the back helped along by some shrewd and talented global signings, Arsenal won the "double" of Premiership and FA Cup in 1998.

Ian Wright:-



Ian Wright (MBE) was born on the 3rd November 1963 in Woolwich, London and is a former professional footballer.

He signed professional terms for Palace in 1985 at the age of 22. Ian spent six seasons at Palace and in 2005, he was voted into their Centenary XI, and in 2006, named 'Player of The Century', essentially an award for Palace's greatest ever player.

He quickly made his mark in his first season, scoring nine times to finish as Palace's second highest scorer behind Phil Barber. When Mark Bright arrived on the Palace scene the following year the duo soon established a successful striking partnership and it was largely their goals which took the top flight via the playoffs in 1989.

Wright was called up for England B duty in December 1989 but a twice-cracked shin bone reduced his initial impact in the First Division. However, after recovering from the injury he made a dramatic appearance as a 'super-sub', in the 1990 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. He equalised for the Palace a few minutes after coming onto the field forcing extra time, then putting them ahead in extra time. The eventual score was 3-3, but Palace lost the replay 1-0.

The next season he gained full international honours, and reached a hundred goals for Crystal Palace. He scored twice as Palace beat Everton to win the Zenith Data Systems Cup at Wembley. Wright became renowned for his deadly striking ability, as shown when he scored a hat-trick in just eighteen minutes in Palace's penultimate game of the 1990-91 season away to Wimbledon.

He signed for Arsenal in 1991 for £2.5m, which was at the time a club record fee. He scored on his debut against Leicester City in a League Cup tie, and then scored a hat-trick on his League debut against Southampton. He won the Golden Boot in his first season and went on be the club's top scorer for six seasons in a row. He played a major part in the club's success during the 1990s, winning an FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993; he scored in both the FA Cup final and the final replay. Wright also helped Arsenal reach the 1994 European Cup Winners' Cup final, although Wright was suspended for the final in which Arsenal beat Parma 1-0.

Wright scored in every round but the final of Arsenal's 1995 Cup Winners' Cup campaign, but the arrival of Bruce Rioch heralded a bleaker time; the two did not get on and eventually Wright handed in a transfer request (which he later retracted). The arrival of Dennis Bergkamp, however, heralded a brief but fruitful striking partnership.

By the time Arsène Wenger had arrived at Arsenal in September 1996, Wright was nearly 33. Despite his age, he continued to score regularly, and on September 13, 1997 he broke Cliff Bastin's Arsenal goalscoring record with a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers (a record since surpassed by Thierry Henry in October 2005). A couple of months later he suffered a bad hamstring injury which ruled him out of the club's run-in to a League and Cup Double; Wright was named as a substitute in the cup final against Newcastle United but did not play.

In the summer of 1998, Wright moved to West Ham United; he spent nine months at the Hammers without reaching the same form he had at Arsenal. He had subsequent short spells at Nottingham Forest, Celtic, and Burnley (who he helped to promotion to Division One) before retiring in 2000. While at Burnley he scored one of his greatest goals ever in a game against Notts County. Without this strike Burnley would not have gained automatic promotion that season.

Wright made his England debut while still a Palace player, in 1991, although he did not make it into the squad for Euro 92. Wright's form for England was never as fruitful as it was for Arsenal, though he scored a crucial goal against Poland in a qualifier for the 1994 World Cup, but Graham Taylor's England still failed to qualify. Wright was only a fringe player under Terry Venables, but was recalled by Glenn Hoddle and his goals helped England win the 1997 Tournoi de France and qualify for the 1998 World Cup. He missed the finals, however, with a recurrence of the hamstring injury which had ruled him out of Arsenal's double win. Wright was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game.

Honours and Achievements:

Crystal Palace:

English Second Division (old) playoffs winner (1988/89)
ZDS Cup winner (1991)
Golden Boot (leading scorer in English First Division Championship (old)) (1991-92)
Highest goalscorer for Crystal Palace post-war with 117 goals. He is third Highest overall.

Arsenal:

Golden Boot (leading scorer in English First Division Championship (old)) (1991-92)
FA Cup winner (1993, 1998)
Cup Winners' Cup winner (1994)
League Cup winner (1993)
FA Premiership title (1997-98)

Wright is Arsenal's second highest goalscorer, with 185 goals in 288 games in all competitions; he held the top goalscorer record from September 13, 1997 until October 18, 2005, when Thierry Henry surpassed his total.

England:

33 caps, 9 goals


Ray Parlour:-



Ray Parlour was born on March 7th 1973 and is a former England international footballer born in Romford, England. He currently plays for Middlesbrough in the English FA Premier League.

Parlour is most famous for his time at Arsenal, where he played for 14 years. Parlour joined Arsenal as a trainee in 1989, and made his debut for the Gunners against Liverpool on January 29, 1992, where he unfortunately conceded a penalty in a 2-0 defeat.

He properly broke through in 1994-95, and played in Arsenal's Cup Winners' Cup final loss to Real Zaragoza that season. However, Parlour only fully developed as a player after the arrival of Arsène Wenger as manager in 1996; he became a regular fixture playing on the right wing or in central midfield for Arsenal; in 1997-98 Arsenal won the Double and Parlour proved instrumental. He was man-of-the-match in the Gunners' FA Cup Final win over Newcastle United that season; he set up Nicolas Anelka for Arsenal's second goal in a 2-0 win. However, he missed out on the 1998 World Cup that summer.

Parlour finally made his England debut in a Euro 2000 qualifier against Bulgaria on October 10, 1998. He won ten caps for his country but did not play in any tournament finals; a knee injury forced him out to withdraw from England's squad for Euro 2000. His final cap came in a friendly against Italy on November 15, 2000; Parlour was called up into the squad several times by new coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, but he never made it onto the pitch under the Swede.

Parlour continued to enjoy success with Arsenal for another four years (winning another Double in 2002), but generally received little acclaim in the media compared with many of his Arsenal team-mates. He finally claimed his place in the spotlight with a 30-yard strike to open the scoring in the 2002 FA Cup Final against Chelsea; Arsenal won 2-0, with the second goal from Fredrik Ljungberg. In total, with Arsenal, Parlour won three FA Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a League Cup, and played 467 matches, scoring 32 goals.

He moved to Middlesbrough in the summer of 2004, although he still remains a fans' favourite at Arsenal. He was an unused substitute in Middlesbrough's appearance in the 2006 UEFA Cup final against Sevilla, which they lost 4-0. In June 2006, Parlour was promoted to player/coach at Middlesbrough by new boss Gareth Southgate, along with ex-Boro player Colin Cooper. Ray Parlour is now taking his coaching badges.

Honours and Achievements:

FA Premier League Winner:

1998
2002
2004

FA Cup Winner:

1993
1998
2002
2003

League Cup Winner:

1993

Cup Winners Cup Winner:

1994


Dennis Bergkamp:-



Dennis Bergkamp was born on May 10th 1969 in Amsterdam and is a retired Dutch professional footballer. He played for Ajax Amsterdam, Internazionale, Arsenal F.C and the Netherlands national football team; he spent the final 11 years of his career playing for Arsenal. Bergkamp played most of his best games as a support striker, where his tactical awareness and deft passes made him a great exponent of the game from the "hole".

His parents, who were football fanatics, named him after Manchester City, Manchester United and Scotland striker Denis Law, though they altered the spelling of the name.

Bergkamp was brought up through Ajax Amsterdam's famous youth system, joining the club at age 12. He was given his professional debut by coach Johann Cruyff on December 14, 1986 against Roda JC, and went on to make 14 appearances that season. He played as a substitute in the 1987 European Cup Winners Cup final against Lokomotive Leipzig, which Ajax won.

The following season, Bergkamp became a regular for Ajax, winning the Dutch league in 1990, the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the KNVB Cup in 1993. From 1991 to 1993 Bergkamp was top Dutch scorer, and he was voted "Player of the Year" in 1992 and 1993. In all, Bergkamp scored 122 goals in 239 games for his hometown club.

In the summer of 1993, Bergkamp and his Ajax team-mate Wim Jonk were signed by Internazionale of Milan. However, his time in Italy was less successful. Although he won a second UEFA Cup in 1994, he found it hard to adapt to the Italian defensive style of play, scoring just 11 times in 50 appearances. Bergkamp's poor form was not helped by his frosty relationship with the Italian press, and indeed some of his teammates. However, the fans did take to calling him "Beavis" due to his perceived resemblance to Beavis of Beavis and Butthead fame.

After two unhappy seasons at Inter, Bergkamp was signed by Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch in June 1995 for £7.5m. Bergkamp made his debut against Middlesbrough in August 1995 but had to adapt to the English style of play which is why it took him eight games before he managed to score his first goal, against Southampton. Slowly but surely, Bergkamp's stature grew, playing as a forward behind the main striker, Ian Wright, with whom he formed an effective partnership. Bergkamp has been regarded by many football pundits such as Alan Hansen as being the greatest foreign player to grace the English game.

Bergkamp hit his best form for Arsenal after the arrival of Arsène Wenger in September 1996. Arsenal won a Premiership and FA Cup double in the 1997-8 season (although Bergkamp missed the cup final with an injury), and Bergkamp was voted PFA Player of the Year. In September 1997 he became the first and so far only player to have come first, second and third in Match of the Day's 'Goal of the Month' competition. He scored 16 times that season, as well as being involved in setting up many more. At the end of that same season, he helped the Netherlands to a fourth-place finish at the 1998 World Cup.

While his form since has not matched the spectacle of that season, Bergkamp continued to be a regular in the Arsenal team. He won the double again in 2002, the FA Cup in 2003 and the Premiership for a third time in 2004. The club's domestic success has not been matched in European competition, the closest to winners' medals coming when they lost the 2000 UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray on penalties and the 2006 Champions League final to Barcelona.

Bergkamp's arrival at Arsenal was significant, not only as he was one of the first world-class foreign players to join an English club but also because he was a major contributor to the club's return to success after the stagnation of the mid-1990s. It has been suggested that his signing, in which Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein was the major mover, has been the most significant in Arsenal's history, helping to attract other top-class players to the club.

In 2005, due to Arsenal's reluctance in offering him a new deal, there was speculation that Bergkamp would leave the club, and possibly football altogether. Bergkamp had said he would retire from football if not offered a new contract with Arsenal for the 2005-06 campaign, despite interest from his former club Ajax. Following Arsenal's penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final in Cardiff though, it was revealed he would sign a one-year contract extension, keeping him at the London club for their final season at the Arsenal Stadium at Highbury.

To commemorate Bergkamp's time at Arsenal, on April 15, 2006 Arsenal titled their home match against West Bromwich Albion as "Dennis Bergkamp Day". Bergkamp came on as a substitute, setting up Robert Pirès goal and scoring a curler himself as Arsenal ran out 3-1 winners. Bergkamp scored 121 goals for Arsenal in 424 appearances.

Bergkamp has officially retired from competitive football after the 2006 Champions League final game against Barcelona on May 17, 2006. The last game he played in Arsenal colour coincide with the last game at Highbury, against Wigan Athletic on May 7, 2006.

Bergkamp will have the honour of being the focus of the first match at Arsenal's new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial will be played in his honour at the new stadium, with Arsenal playing his old club Ajax.

Honours and Achievements:

English Premiership Winner:
1998
2002
2004

English FA Cup Winner:
1998
2002
2003
2005

Ruud Van Nistelrooy:-



Ruud van Nistelrooy was born on July 1st 1976 in Oss, North Brabant, Netherlands and is a Dutch football player currently playing for Manchester United. He wears the number 10 for Manchester United and usually the number 9 or 10 for the Netherlands.

A prolific striker with an outstanding finishing ability and excellent reflexes, often regarded as one of the best strikers playing today, he is also a regular penalty taker and has agility and balance for his height (1.88 m, 6 ft 2 in), which is often credited to his previous training in gymnastics. For the Netherlands, van Nistelrooy has a return of a goal every other game, scoring 26 times in 50 appearances. For Manchester United he has scored 150 goals in 219 games, as of April 1, 2006. Spanning his time at PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United, van Nistelrooy has scored 46 goals in 55 UEFA Champions League matches (43 in 54 excluding qualifying matches which are not officially counted by UEFA), an enviable return for any striker.

However, despite being the Barclays Premiership’s second highest scorer with 21 goals this season, van Nistelrooy had to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench after being dropped for the Carling Cup final against Wigan Athletic. He scored against West Ham on his return to the first team on March 29 but was dropped to the bench again for the next match against Bolton. He did come on as a second half substitute, though, and scored the winner in a 2–1 victory. It was his 150th goal for Manchester United. Whether van Nistelrooy will remain as a United player after the World Cup is in considerable doubt. There are strong rumours that he may go to Spain or Germany. Nevertheless, he has maintained his desire to stay at United and contribute to their future success.

In his schooling days, van Nistelrooy started off as a central defender and then was moved to central midfield for Dutch second division club-side, FC Den Bosch, but was converted into a centre forward at SC Heerenveen in 1997. In 1998, on his 22nd birthday, he was signed by PSV Eindhoven for £4.2 million, a record sum of money for a transfer between two Dutch football clubs.

Van Nistelrooy repaid the faith by scoring 31 goals in 34 matches in his first season at PSV and being voted Dutch Player of the Year by his fellow professionals. In his second season, he notched up another 29 goals.

Manchester United almost signed van Nistelrooy on 25 April 2000 for a fee of £18.5 million. However, the deal fell through when van Nistelrooy failed a medical due to a cruciate knee ligament injury which he suffered against Danish side Silkeborg on the 6th March, 2000.

However Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson persevered and almost exactly a year later, 24 year old van Nistelrooy signed for a then British transfer record of £19 million on 23 April 2001 from PSV. During his first season at Manchester United, he proved his worth by scoring 23 goals in 32 games, achieving a feat of scoring in a record eight consecutive FA Premier League games. He also scored 10 Champions League goals capping an incredible debut season by being named the PFA Players' Player of the Year.

During the following year, the 2002–03 season, van Nistelrooy scored 25 Premier League goals and 14 goals in European competition while leading Manchester United to the Premier League title. He also broke the record for scoring goals in European competitions for Manchester United in this season.

van Nistelrooy started off the 2003–04 season in spectacular fashion, scoring twice in his first two league games. He also managed to score his 100th and 101st goals for the club against Everton at Goodison Park on 7 February 2004, as United earned a 4–3 Premiership victory.

Van Nistelrooy missed a large part of the 2004–05 Premiership season through injury, but was still the top goalscorer in the Champions League with 10 goals. He is currently the fourth most prolific scorer in European Cup / UEFA Champions League together with Eusébio, with 47 goals, only behind Alfredo di Stefano, Raúl, and current leader Andriy Shevchenko. He did however, sign a contract a new contact with Manchester United in January 2004, potentially keeping him at the club till 30 June 2008

At the start of the 2005–06 season, van Nistelrooy returned to form, scoring in United's first four Premiership games.

He has now struck up a great striking relationship with Wayne Rooney, both in great form in the 2005–06 season. The pair struck up the deadliest Premiership partnership by netting more than any other two players combined. Although as of late December, the manager Alex Ferguson has been testing a new attacking partnership of Louis Saha alongside van Nistelrooy's with Wayne Rooney in a withdrawn role, mainly due to the lack of players in midfield.


Paul Scholes:-



Paul Scholes (born November 16, 1974, in Salford, Greater Manchester) is an English football player who has spent his whole career at Manchester United.

Salford-born Scholes joined Manchester United as a trainee on leaving school in the summer of 1991 and in his first season guided the club to victory in the F.A. Youth Cup. He did not make his breakthrough into the Old Trafford team until the 1994-95 season, when he made 17 league appearances and scored five goals. The 20-year-old Scholes proved himself to be a promising understudy for the likes of Eric Cantona and Andy Cole. In the F.A. Cup final he twice came close to scoring goals which would have seen United and not Everton win the F.A. Cup. Scholes is often disregarded as one of the most influential midfielders of his generation, living in the shadow of players such as Zinedine Zidane, however to Manchester United and die hard England fans, his performances are much appreciated.

Scholes was unable to secure a regular first team place until the 1997-98 season, when he played in midfield after the ninth game when Roy Keane was ruled out by injury.

In 1998-99, Scholes was a key player in Manchester United's Premiership title, F.A. Cup and UEFA Champions League "Treble" success. He scored one of United's two goals against Newcastle in the F.A. Cup final but was ruled out of the Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich through suspension, brought about by a yellow card received in the semi-final away tie against Juventus.

Since then, Paul Scholes has established himself as an excellent midfielder at both club and international levels. He became a key player in both the Manchester United and England squads, playing an important role in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

He announced his retirement from international football in August 2004, stating that club football was of the utmost priority and that he vowed to excel with Manchester United.

Most observers now agree he has been one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in the modern English game. He is also considered as one of the finest midfielders for Manchester United. He has averaged double figures in goals scored per season for his whole career and is well equipped in his heading too, despite being only 1.7m tall.

In ten years as a first team player at Manchester United, Paul Scholes has won six Premiership titles, three F.A. Cups, the European Cup and the Inter-Continental Cup, amongst many other personal accolades.

Scholes' retirement from England helped revive his club form in 2005. Scholes was unlucky enough to miss a crucial penalty in the penalty shootout during the 2004-5 FA Cup final against Arsenal. However, he was ruled out for most of the 2005-06 season with blurred vision. The cause of this was initially uncertain, at first leaving Scholes' career in the balance. It was later cured and he appeared in United's final game of the 2005-06 season, against Charlton Athletic.

Scholes has, however, declared that when the time comes for him to leave Manchester United, he would not rule out ending his career at his boyhood club, Oldham Athletic.


David Beckham:-



David Beckham (OBE) was born on May 2nd, 1975 and is an English footballer who plays for Real Madrid and is captain of the English national team. As of December 2005, Beckham is one of only four players to have appeared 100 times in the UEFA Champions League, he is also the fifth most capped England player of all time, as well as being the only Englishman to score in 3 different World Cups.

He was Manchester United's mascot for a match against West Ham United in 1986. The young Beckham had trials with Leyton Orient and attended Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence, but signed schoolboy forms at Manchester United on his thirteenth birthday, and subsequently signed a Youth Training Scheme contract on 8 July 1991. He was part of an exceptionally talented group of young players at the club who helped the club to win the FA Youth Cup in May 1992, with Beckham scoring in the second leg of the final against Crystal Palace. He made his first appearance for United's first team that year, as a substitute in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion, and signed his first professional contract shortly afterwards.

He went to Preston North End on loan in the 1994–95 season to get some first team experience, then made his first Premier League appearance for Manchester United on 2 April 1995, in a goalless draw against Leeds United.

United manager Alex Ferguson had a great deal of confidence in the club's young players, and when three of his first-team players left the club at the end of the 1994-95 season, he made the decision to let youth team players replace them instead of buying players from other clubs, initially attracting a great deal of criticism. The criticism increased when United started the season with a 3–1 defeat at Aston Villa, with Beckham scoring United's only goal of the game. However, United won their next five matches and the young players performed well. Beckham became a regular player in the team and helped them to win the Premiership and FA Cup double that season, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Chelsea and also taking the corner that Eric Cantona scored from in the FA Cup Final.

In August 1996, Beckham became something of a household name when he scored a spectacular goal in a match against Wimbledon. With United 2–0 ahead, Beckham noticed that Wimbledon's goalkeeper Neil Sullivan was standing a long way out of his goal, and hit a shot from the halfway line that floated over the goalkeeper and into the net. He became an automatic first-choice player at United that season, helping them to retain their league championship, and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year by his peers.

In the 1998–99 season, he was part of the United team that won the treble — Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, a unique feat in English football.

Throughout the season, Beckham was jeered by opposition supporters whenever he touched the ball (from getting sent off vs Argentina in World Cup '98), but he consistently played well and his crossing provided a significant number of goals for United's forwards Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole.

United needed to win their final league match of the season at home to Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to ensure they would win the league championship, but Tottenham took an early lead in the match. Beckham scored their equaliser and United went on to win the match and the league.

Beckham played in United's FA Cup final win over Newcastle and played in centre-midfield for the UEFA Champions League final against Bayern Munich as United's first choice centre-midfielders were suspended for the match. United were losing the match 1–0 at the end of normal time, but won the trophy by scoring two goals in stoppage time. Both of the goals came from corners taken by Beckham.

The relationship between Ferguson and Beckham began to deteriorate, possibly as a result of Beckham's fame and commitments away from football. Beckham had a good season for his club, though, and helped United to win the Premier League by a record margin.

Following an injury early in the 2002-03 season, Beckham was unable to regain his place in the Manchester United team, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær having replaced him on the right side of midfield. His relationship with his manager deteriorated further on 15 February 2003 when, in the changing room following a defeat to Arsenal, Alex Ferguson kicked a football boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, with bookmakers offering odds on whether he or Ferguson would be first to leave the club. Although the team had started the season badly, their results improved greatly from December onwards and they won the league. He was still a first-choice player for England, however, and he was awarded an OBE for services to football on 13 June 2005

Manchester United had been keen to sell Beckham to Barcelona but he refused to go there, instead signing a four-year contract with Real Madrid, worth a potential €35 million. The transfer was completed on 1 July and made him the third Englishman to play for the club after Laurie Cunningham and Steve McManaman. It was speculated that Real's desire to sign him came from the merchandising opportunities he would bring as well as from his football ability. For example, Real Madrid shirts bearing his name and number sold out in Madrid on the day his transfer was completed and the club were expected to receive €624,000 for the sale of the shirts. Beckham had worn the number seven shirt for Manchester United and England, he was unable to wear it at Madrid as Raúl González had the right to wear it written into his contract. Being a fan of Michael Jordan, he decided to wear 23 instead.

Beckham immediately became a favourite with the Real Madrid supporters, scoring five times in his first 16 matches, but the team, whose club president expected them to win either the Spanish league or the Champions League each season, was not performing well.

Real Madrid had another disappointing season, finishing second to Barcelona in La Liga and only reaching the last sixteen in the Champions League.

Last Season Beckham and Real Madrid had another poor season, going without a trophy again which caused more critcism of the Galactico's, Beckham is currently on England duty representing and captaining the country in the World Cup 2006.

Stan Collymore:-



Stanley Collymore was born on January 22nd, 1971 in Stone, Staffordshire and was a talented English 1990s footballer.

A talented centre forward, Collymore started his career as an apprentice footballer with Walsall F.C., and also Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., before being released and signing for then GM Vauxhall Conference team, Stafford Rangers F.C., where again he took the notice of several football league clubs by showing an eye for spectacular goals before being given his chance as a full-time professional with Crystal Palace at the age of 19, in late 1990.

After learning his trade as understudy to the prolific Crystal Palace partnership of Mark Bright and Ian Wright, Collymore dropped down a division to Southend United and there scored 18 goals in 31 games to help keep the club in the then First Division when the odds of relegation seemed certain.

He nearly went to Nottingham Forest on deadline day in March 1993, but Brian Clough had not seen him play, so reversed a decision made the day previously. This almost certainly affected both clubs positions that year as it would have been hard to envisage 1st Division survival for Southend had he gone and maybe Forest would still have been in the Premier league.

However such were the quality of his goals, usually spectacular solo efforts, Nottingham Forest changed their minds and bought the striker for a club record fee that reached 3 million pounds in the summer of 1993, having only been bought by Southend United also for a club record fee of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds 6 months earlier. Collymore's goalscoring record with Forest was phenomenal, 50 goals in 71 games, and after being the main catalyst for helping Forest to immediate promotion back to the premiership in 1993, cemented his reputation as one of the brightest young talents in world football by finishing his first season in the top flight with 25 goals, and astonishingly helping a team that had been relegated only 24 months earlier to finish third in the premiership in his first season. That prompted Liverpool to come in for him with a British transfer record bid of 8.5 million pounds at the end of the 1994-95 season.

Collymore scored a spectacular goal on his Liverpool debut and began a fruitful, enigmatic and controversial two year spell with the club. Highs included scoring at a ratio of a goal every other game and creating many goals in a superb partnership with Robbie Fowler,who were regarded as the best strike partnership in Europe to winning caps for England. Also, memorably scoring two goals, including the winner against Newcastle United at Anfield which is widely regarded as the greatest game in the history of the English Premiership. Indeed, it was voted by viewers of Sky Sports as the greatest sporting moment in the channel's first ten years.

Lows saw Collymore fined after refusing to play for the reserves, refusing to move closer to Merseyside from his home town of Cannock, publicly criticising manager Roy Evans and his tactics, and playing badly in the 1996 FA Cup final against Manchester United during which Collymore was substituted and Liverpool lost 1-0.

He helped Liverpool to third place in the Premiership, Liverpool F.C.'s highest position since winning the Championship in 1990. Undoubtedly a great footballer on his day, Collymore set himself up for a head on collision with his club that made a transfer inevitable and compounded with the emergence of Michael Owen through Liverpool's ranks, the striker was sold to Aston Villa in 1997 for 7 million pounds, again, a club record.

Collymore's time at Villa was eventful off the pitch, with his long-term treatment for depression earning him harsh criticism in the British tabloid press and the ridicule of manager John Gregory, but widespread public support for confronting an illness that affects so many people. In the three years that he spent at the club, Collymore scored only 15 goals, having been frozen out of the squad for over a year of Gregory's reign as manager, and receiving regular treatment for clinical depression. Highs though included being only the third Aston Villa player in history to score a hat-trick, in European competition, the other two being his boyhood idols Gary Shaw and Peter Withe.

Collymore since Aston Villa went on to play for Leicester City, Bradford City and Spanish Side Real Oviedo before retiring at the young footballing age of 30.


Gary Neville:-



Gary Neville (born February 18, 1975 in Bury, Lancashire) is an English footballer who is England's most capped right full back, and also Manchester United's club captain. He is one of only four player to appear in the UEFA Champions League 100 times. He started his career at Old Trafford as a central defender. He was later converted into a full back because it was felt he may have been too short to play centrally.

Gary is from a sporting family; his younger brother Philip Neville is also a footballer and their sister Tracey Neville has represented England at netball. Gary was also a talented cricketer in his teens; he played for the Bolton Cricket League and his biggest achievement was his partnership with Matthew Hayden when he scored 109 in 1992.

Gary and Phil Neville were team-mates at both club and international level all their careers until Phil joined Everton in 2005. Indeed, they play the same position and therefore often found themselves as rivals for a place in the Manchester United side.

Gary made his senior debut for Manchester United, his only club, in 1994 (having joined as a schoolboy in 1991) and made his first appearance for England the following year when he was picked by Terry Venables for the friendly against Japan.

The elder Neville brother is sometimes criticised by football fans for his supposedly underwhelming displays, but he is more often heralded by football observers who see a competent, experienced defender who can lead teams from the back. He is also useful joining the attack - David Beckham has spent most of his career with Gary playing close behind him in support, which he has said acts as a great reassurance.

Gary signed a four year contract with Manchester United in the summer of 2004 and seems now destined to spend his entire playing career there. He is also a good candidate, injury permitting, to achieve 100 appearances for England

In December 2005, Gary was appointed the new captain of Manchester United, following Roy Keane's departure. He has been picked as England's first choice right back at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, despite missing the latter stages of the qualification campaign with injury. He returned to the England team in March 2006 for a friendly against Uruguay and has won 80 caps, putting him joint ninth in the all-time list.

In March 2006, Gary made his 500th senior appearance for Manchester United in a Premiership match against Birmingham City - only the eleventh player to do so. In interviews conducted to mark this achievement, Gary declared his wish to keep playing for Manchester United until the age of 39.


Ryan Giggs:-



Ryan Giggs was born on the 29th November 1973 in Cardiff and is a Welsh football player, renowned worldwide as being one of the greatest wingers in the history of world football.

Giggs currently plays for Manchester United for whom he is their longest-serving player. Giggs had played for the England Schoolboys, but plays for the Welsh national team as an adult, once holding the record for being the youngest player to ever play for Wales.

Giggs is the most decorated footballer in the history of Manchester United, having won eight FA Premier League championships (a record he shares with Liverpool F.C.'s Alan Hansen, Phil Neal and Kenny Dalglish), four FA Cup titles, two League Cup titles and one Champions League.

He has also won the PFA Young Player of the Year award twice, making him the first player to win the award in consecutive years - a feat matched only by Robbie Fowler and current team-mate Wayne Rooney. Giggs holds other records, including that of the top all-time scorer in the FA Premier League not to play in the position of striker, and, interestingly, holds the record for scoring Manchester United's fastest goal (15 seconds), set in November 1995 against Southampton F.C.

Giggs began his football career at Manchester City F.C. and was signed as a young 14 year old by the club after being spotted on the streets of Manchester.

Giggs's talent grew in reputation, and thus Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United went to his house to urge him to sign for Manchester United instead of Manchester City. He persuaded Giggs by waiving YTS Scheme forms with the opportunity to turn professional in three years. Giggs ended up signing with Manchester United.

A left-sided winger who occasionally plays as a supporting striker for United, Giggs shot to superstardom in Great Britain in 1992 as one of the most exciting talents in the history of the game when he was barely 18 years old.

Giggs's form in the years after the achievements of 1999 were reflective of Manchester United's dominance of the English game up till 2003 (when the club won its last FA Premier League title)- with Giggs still relishing his left wing slot. United won the League title four times within those years, and had always made it to UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals at the very least. He celebrated his 10-year anniversary at Old Trafford with a testimonial match against Glasgow Celtic at the start of the 2001-02 campaign. A year later, he bagged his 100th career goal in a draw with Chelsea F.C. at Stamford Bridge.

He managed to win the FA Cup once more in 2004, making him the only player in history to have won the trophy four times.

In 2006 Giggs signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester United when chairman David Gill relented on his normal policy of not signing players over 30 to contracts longer than one year. The extension, which runs through to July 2008, will most probably keep him at Old Trafford for the remainder of his playing career.

Honours and Achievements:

Premier League Winner:

1993
1994
1996
1997
1999
1900
2001
2003

Champions League Winner:

1999

FA Cup Winner:
1994
1996
1999
2004

English League Cup Winner:

1992
2006

Intercontinental Cup Winner:

1999

English League Cup Winner:

1994

UEFA Super Cup Winner:

1991

Patrick Vieira:-



Patrick Vieira was born on June 23rd 1976 in Dakar Senegal and is a French football midfielder, who currently plays for Juventus F.C. He captained Arsenal and won the World Cup with France in 1998.

In September 1996, the incoming Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger asked for him to be bought from AC Milan before he took up his position. Vieira's height, stamina and physical strength meant he settled in England quickly, while his composure and the quality of his passing meant he became an integral part of Wenger's stylish attacking side. While at Arsenal, he made his debut for the French national side, in 1997 against the Netherlands.

Forming a midfield partnership with compatriot Emmanuel Petit, Vieira won the Premiership and FA Cup Double in 1998, his first full season at the club. That summer, he was called up to France's 1998 World Cup squad. Vieira came on as a substitute for Youri Djorkaeff in the final against Brazil, and set up Petit for France's third goal in a 3-0 win.

Vieira's time at Arsenal was beset by disciplinary problems - in 2000-01 he was sent off twice in two consecutive matches, though after returning he didn't accrue a card for 28 matches. In all he has been sent off eleven times in his career.

Vieira would go on to win Euro 2000 with France, as well as a second Double with Arsenal in 2002. After Tony Adams's retirement in 2002, Vieira (already vice-captain) became club captain, since which his temper and associated disciplinary problems cooled somewhat. Though he missed Arsenal's 2003 FA Cup final win with injury, Vieira lifted the trophy jointly with captain for the day David Seaman.

In 2003-04 at Arsenal, he captained the side on a historic unbeaten season in the Premier League, and in the 2005 FA Cup Final he scored the winning kick in a penalty shoot-out after a 0-0 draw with Manchester United. In total, Vieira played 407 times for Arsenal and scored 33 times. For France, Vieira has appeared 83 times, scoring four goals as of December 2005.

Vieira's starring performances for Arsenal earned the attention of several major clubs abroad. In the 2003 and 2004 offseasons, he was strongly linked with a move to Spanish superpower Real Madrid. The Spanish side reportedly offered Arsenal £23 million for him, but after much deliberation Vieira decided to stay at the club where he made his name. However, a year later Vieira was finally tempted away from Highbury. Arsenal accepted a bid of €20m (£13.7m) from Italian giants Juventus F.C. on July 14, 2005, and Vieira agreed a five-year contract with the Serie A side the following day. In his autobiography, he cited the main reason for his leaving Arsenal as the board's 'neutral' position over the Juventus bid.

Honours and Achievements:

FIFA World Cup Winner:

1998

European Championship Winner:

2000

English Premiership Winner:

1998
2002
2004

English FA Cup Winner:

1998
2002
2003
2005


David Platt:-



David Platt was born on June 10th 1966 in Chadderton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham and was an English footballer, regarded as one of the most industrious and complete midfield players the country has produced with a goalscoring ability the envy of most strikers.

Platt was rejected by Manchester United as a youngster and allowed to join Crewe Alexandra from where he carved out a reputation as a strong-running, free-scoring midfielder. Top clubs came to look, and he eventually joined Aston Villa.

After adapting quickly to top-flight football, Platt was given his first England cap by Bobby Robson in a friendly against Italy in 1989. Although he had few caps and had shown little promise as an international footballer by the time Robson named his 22 players for the 1990 World Cup, Platt got a place due to his versatility and reliability.

Platt was on the bench for all of England's group games, but was sent on as an extra time substitute in the second round game against Belgium. He responded by scoring a memorable volley in the very last minute of the extra period - his first goal for his country - sending England into the quarter finals.

With captain Bryan Robson suffering an injury, Platt started the next game - a quarter-final tie against Cameroon - as his replacement, and scored the opening goal in a 3-2 victory. He also appeared in the semi-final against West Germany which went to a penalty shootout after finishing 1-1. Platt scored England's third penalty, but the next two were not converted and England went out of the tournament. Platt ended the competition on a personal high by scoring his third goal of the finals in a 2-1 defeat by Italy in the third place play-off.

Platt became England's most consistent performer of the early 1990s, scoring goals with frequency from midfield and proving an inspirational leader. He was captain for much of this period, though Tony Adams also skippered the side. Adams was, however, a less automatic choice and was also injured more.

Platt appeared as a substitute in most of the Euro 96 games, and started the quarter final against Spain as Ince was suspended. In the semi-final, he once again scored in a penalty shoot-out against Germany, but equally similarly, ended up on the losing side. Platt retired from international football afterwards after 62 appearances (13 as captain) and an impressive 27 goals.

Meanwhile, his abilities as a footballer had in 1991 taken him from Aston Villa to Italy, where he successfully turned out for Bari, Juventus and Sampdoria, costing many millions of pounds in transfer fees. Arsenal then recruited him in 1995 and he finally won domestic honours in the game three years later as part of the squad which won both the FA Premier League and the FA Cup. The match David Platt is most remembered for was his 83rd minute header against Manchester United in November 1997, helping Arsenal to a 3-2 victory over their closest rivals and keeping Arsenal in the title race.


Dion Dublin:-



Dion Dublin (born 22 April 1969 in Leicester) is an English footballer. He is currently a free agent. Dublin started his career and made his name as a goal-scoring centre forward but in recent years has shown his versatility by becoming an accomplished defender. He now appears for his club in either position as needed. He previously played for Norwich City, Cambridge United, Manchester United, Coventry City, Millwall, Aston Villa and Leicester City.

Dublin began his professional footballing career with Norwich City on leaving school in 1985, but he never made the first team and was given a free transfer in 1988. He signed for Cambridge United, and his prolific goalscoring won them promotion from the Fourth to Second Division in successive seasons (1990 to 1991). In 1991-92, he played a big part in helping Cambridge finish in a club-best fifth place in the last ever season of the old Second Division, but when Cambridge failed to win promotion via the playoffs Dublin was put up for sale. During his time at Cambridge he fathered an illegitimate child by a married older woman. He was sold to Manchester United for £1million, but missed most of the 1992-93 season due to a broken leg - although he did merit enough league appearances for a Premiership title winners medal.

In 1993-94, Dublin regained his fitness but his first team chances were restricted by the excellent form of Eric Cantona. He was left out of the FA Cup winning team and failed to merit enough appearances for another Premiership title winners medal, and soon after the end of the season he was sold to Coventry City for £2million.

In four-and-a-half years with Coventry, Dublin established himself as one of the Premiership's top strikers and during the 1997-98 season won the first of his four England full caps. That season, he equalled the Coventry City record for most goals in a Division 1/Premiership (top flight) season with 23 (18 League, 4 FA Cup, 1 Coca-Cola Cup). He shared status as the Premier League's top scorer with Blackburn's Chris Sutton and Liverpool's Michael Owen - each Englishman scoring 18 league goals.

In the autumn of 1998 he chose to move to nearby Aston Villa for £4.5million.The News of the World reported on October 25, 1998 that Blackburn were lining up a £6million bid for Dublin who was supposedly angry with Coventry about the new book "Staying Up" written with the approval and co-operation of Coventry chairman Bryan Richardson. In one section, Richardson is involved in a light-hearted conversation with Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson over the enormous size of Dublin's 'manhood'. In December 1999 whilst playing for Aston Villa against Sheffield Wednesday, he sustained a life threatening broken neck as a result of which he permanently has a titanium plate holding three neck vertebrae together. In April 2000, a week after returning to the team, he helped Aston Villa reach their first FA Cup final in 43 years (which they lost 1-0 to Chelsea) scoring a penalty in the semi-final shootout with Bolton Wanderers.

Having regained his fitness, Dublin remained on the Villa Park payroll until 2002, when faced with competition for a first team place by Juan Pablo Ángel and Peter Crouch, Dublin spent several weeks on loan at First Division Millwall, scoring 3 goals in 7 league matches. Returning to Villa, he found himself again a first choice striker, partnering Darius Vassell up front. When his contract expired in the summer of 2004 and he was given a free transfer. He was signed by Leicester City, who had just been relegated from the Barclaycard Premiership to the newly named Coca Cola Football League Championship. In his first season with the Foxes, he scored only 4 goals in 38 league and cup matches.

During season 2005-06 he lost his place as the team's main striker to Mark de Vries, but continued to appear as a defender. His contract at Leicester City was terminated by mutual consent on January 30, 2006. Later the same day he signed for Celtic on a short term deal until the end of the season. 2005-06 could easily prove to be his last season as a player, but Dublin achieved double success in it, with Scottish League Cup and Scottish Premier League winner's medals. He came on as a sub and scored the final goal as Celtic won the Scottish League Cup final, and also played enough matches with Celtic to merit a title medal to go with the Premiership title medal he won with Manchester United 13 years earlier. In the league, he made three league starts and eight substitute appearances for Celtic, scoring once.



Emmanuel Petit:-



Emmanuel Petit was born on September 22nd 1970 in Dieppe France and is a former football player, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea. He represented France at the international level.

Petit began his career at minor club ES Argues, before being signed by Arsène Wenger's AS Monaco at the age of 18. He made his debut soon after and played in the 1989 French Cup final. Petit became a regular at Monaco, at left back or centre back; in 1991 he won the Cup with Monaco, and also played in the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup final (which Monaco lost to Werder Bremen). In 1996-97, his final season at Monaco he captained his side to the Ligue 1 title.

Petit joined Arsenal in June 1997, where he was reunited with his former Monaco manager, Arsène Wenger. Wenger switched Petit from centre-back to defensive midfielder, and partnered him with fellow Frenchman Patrick Vieira. The French duo formed a midfield partnership which brought instant success, as Arsenal won the Double with Arsenal in his very first season, clinching both the Premier League title and the FA Cup. Altogether, in the three seasons in his Arsenal career, Petit made 118 appearances and scored 11 goals, including a stunning drive from outside the area against Derby County (which was also the winning goal), during the 1997-98 season.

However, Arsenal could not prolong their initial Double success and went trophyless for the following two seasons. Petit moved to FC Barcelona (together with Arsenal team-mate Marc Overmars) in the summer of 2000. At Barcelona he was moved back into defence, and suffered a rash of niggling injuries; as a result, he failed to settle and could not hold down a regular place. He moved back to England to sign for Chelsea in 2001 for £7,500,000. He initially was a first-team regular for the Blues in a largely disappointing debut season and played in the 2002 FA Cup final which Chelsea lost to his old club, Arsenal. His second season saw a significant improvement, as he formed an impressive midfield partnership with Frank Lampard as Chelsea mounted an unexpected title challenge. Petit particularly impressed in the winner-takes-all final game of the season against Liverpool as Chelsea secured the 4th UEFA Champions League berth. However, after a series of knee injuries, he spent much of his final season of his career on the sidelines, and he was released on a free transfer in the summer of 2004. After spending six months looking for a new club, including a training stint with Bolton Wanderers, Petit announced his retirement on January 20, 2005, when he found out he required a knee operation and would probably never regain full fitness.

Honours and Achievements:

Premier League Winner:

1998

FA Cup Winner:

1998

World Cup Winner:

1998

European Championship Winner:

2000


Marc Overmars:-



Marc Overmars (born March 29, 1973 in Emst) is a former Dutch football player. He was best known as a right-footed left-winger, although he had that rare ability to be able to use both his feet with equal precision and power. Known for his great speed and blitzes into enemy territory.

In all, Overmars played 86 games for the Dutch national team, scoring 17 goals. Overmars was the youngest Dutch player to reach 50 caps with the Dutch national team. His final match was the Netherlands' loss to Portugal in the semifinals of the 2004 European Championships.

Overmars first joined a small Dutch club called SV Epe before joining Go Ahead Eagles. Willem II Tilburg later bought him from Go Ahead Eagles for ₤200 000 and during the 1991/1992 season, AFC Ajax Amsterdam bought him. In 1993, he made his debut in the Dutch national team against Turkey. By the time of the 1994 World Cup, Overmars was a regular in the Dutch national team.

Marc Overmars became famous with Ajax under Louis van Gaal. He was the member of the Ajax team that won the European Cup in 1995 against A.C. Milan of Italy. However, soon after he suffered a serious right knee injury in 1996, which kept him out of Euro 96. Despite his injury, Overmars was signed by Arsène Wenger's Arsenal in the summer of 1997.

It was at the London club that his talents were demonstrated with utmost skill, scoring vital goals, including one in the 1998 FA Cup final and a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, which helped Arsenal to the Double. In the 1998 World Cup, he was a regular fixture for Holland where he assisted his nation to a semi-final showdown with Brazil. Overmars was one of the best Dutch players in the tournament but suffered an injury in the 2nd round game against Yugoslavia.

In the summer of 2000, he moved to Spain and joined FC Barcelona, for ₤25 million (€39.6 million). That made Marc Overmars the most expensive Dutch player ever. This transfer was the first in the history of football to be announced via the player's personal website. Despite a difficult first term at his new club, Overmars was still an impressive performer, registering eight times in 31 appearances. He was a regular feature of Barcelona's 2001-02 UEFA Champions League campaign in which he scored once in ten matches en route to the semi-finals. Unfortunately for the former Arsenal star, he failed to inspire FC Barcelona to any trophy success.

By now, Overmars was being continually troubled by a persistent knee injury. After taking doctors' advice on the problem, on July 26, 2004, he announced his retirement from professional football.


Robert Pires:-



Robert Emmanuel Pirès (born October 29, 1973 in Reims, France) is a French international football player, of Portuguese and Spanish descent. He now plays for Villarreal CF as a midfielder. He normally plays on the left side but can play all across midfield or even as a support striker. In recent seasons with Arsenal FC, he has combined well with left-back Ashley Cole to create attacking options on the left flank for Arsenal.

Pirès was a graduate of the FC Metz youth academy, making his senior debut in 1993, against Lyon. During his six seasons there, he scored 43 goals in 162 matches, and won the Coupe de la Ligue, prompting a £5 million move to Olympique de Marseille in 1998.

At Marseille, Pirès had a mixed two-year stay. His first season saw him miss the French league title by a point, and his second season saw him suffer a spate of on- and off-field problems, which led him to boycott the club at the season's end.

He was signed by Arsenal for £6 million in 2000, after a stiff competition from Real Madrid, replacing Marc Overmars who had left for FC Barcelona. Initially, his form was indifferent, and some people criticized him after his comments saying that the English game was too physical. However, he slowly began to regain the form he had shown at Metz, scoring a superb goal against Lazio in the 2000-01 Champions League, and the winner against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup semi-finals; however Arsenal went on to lose the Cup final to Liverpool 2-1.

By 2001-02, Pirès had fully got to grips with the English game and had one of his best seasons. He led the Premiership assist charts and was voted both FWA Footballer of the Year and Arsenal's player of the season, as Arsenal won the league title. This was despite not playing the last two months of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in a match against Newcastle United.

After a lengthy layoff, Pirès returned, for the 2002-03 season, scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Southampton. He went on to be a crucial part of Arsenal's quest for the Premiership title in the 2003-04 season, which they achieved unbeaten, the first time an English top flight club had done so in 115 years.

Pirès was part of France's 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning squads (Pirès laid on the pass for David Trézéguet's winning goal in the final), but had to miss the 2002 World Cup due to the injury he sustained playing for Arsenal. He also played in 1996 Olympic Games and Euro 2004. However, a dispute in late 2004 with French national coach Raymond Domenech put a halt to Pirès' international career. Despite this, he has won 79 caps for his country and scored 14 goals.

In the 2004-05 season critics said his form had been indifferent. But Pires could still point to the leading goalscorers table, where he finished the third top scorer in the Premiership with 14 goals, behind teammate Thierry Henry and Crystal Palace's Andy Johnson. He also picked up a second FA Cup winners' medal after Arsenal beat Manchester United on penalties.

During the 2005-06 season, Pirès wrangled with Arsenal over a new contract, the player hoping for a new two-year deal. In keeping with the club's policy regarding players over 30, Pirès was only offered a 12-month extension to his contract, which expires in June 2006. In May 2006 he agreed to an offer from Villarreal after a month of speculation, during which time he played against Villareal in the Champions League semi-final.

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