Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira become the latest inductees into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
They join eight other former Premier League players who were inducted when the initiative launched back in May 2021, with Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry being the first players to receive the honour.
Rooney becomes the fourth Manchester United player inducted into the Hall of Fame joining Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and David Beckham on the list of Premier League legends.
Vieira is the third Arsenal player to be selected to join this illustrious group of players, with Dennis Bergkamp having been one of six other players voted in by the public following Shearer and Henry’s inclusion.
The former Arsenal captain made 307 Premier League appearances, winning the competition three times with Arsenal under the stewardship of Arsène Wenger, including playing a vital role in their unforgettable, ’invincible season’ in the 03/04 campaign.
The Frenchman scored 31 goals in his time in the league, with one of his most memorable strikes helping to ensure his side went an entire season unbeaten as he netted the winner against Leicester City on the final day of the season.
The tough-tackling midfielder has gained the respect of football fans, pundits and former players alike for his time in the Premier League and no one could argue with his inclusion, which cements his place as one of the greatest players to grace the English game.
Wayne Rooney made 491 appearances as a Premier League player, making his debut in this competition for his boyhood club Everton in the 02/03 campaign. The 16 year-old from Croxteth became one of the youngest goal scorers in the leagues history, firing a long-range effort past England International goalkeeper David Seaman, in a 2-1 win over Arsenal.
Rooney made the move to Manchester in the summer of 2004 when Manchester United signed the 18 year-old forward for a deal worth £26 million. He went on to become the clubs all-time leading goal-scorer with 253 goals.
In his 13 years with the club, he picked up five Premier League winners medals and was part of the only side to win the competition in three consecutive seasons, winning the title in the 06/07, 07/08 and 08/09 campaigns respectively.
He later made the move back to Everton in July 2017 in a season where the Englishman made 31 appearances, finding the back of the net 10 times.
Rooney’s goal scoring prowess, coupled with a burning desire to win at all costs is something that was on display for all to see during his time in the Premier League. This combined with the statistics and personal accolades he accumulated over a very successful career means his induction into the Hall of Fame was an absolute no brainer.
25 former Premier League players have been nominated for potential inclusion, with fans having to vote for who they think should fill the six remaining spots making up this year’s round of inductees.
The voting closes 9pm BST on April 3, so if you would like to cast your vote, click here.
Who do you think should’ve made it into the Premier League Hall of Fame? Let us know by dropping a comment below
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Words by Ciaran Coyle
The best player in premier league history is finally in the HOF. People fault his personal life but act like they’ve never done anything in their lives like him before,just because hes a professional footballer he got done in the papers. Im sure you’ll have no sympathy for him as a journalist yourself you dont care about feelings and more about making your editors fat and wealthy which I think represents a far bigger socio-economical issue that needs stamping out in football. Despite all that this was a great article and well written by one of the last few journos who haven’t sold their sole to old nick!.
Keep inspiring