Thierry Henry, Kevin De Bruyne & the 25 best Premier League players of the 21st century so far - ranked

Perhaps the most influential player in Manchester City's ascent to the summit of English football, Yaya Toure joined from Barcelona in 2010 and quickly became the club's colossus in central midfield. The Ivorian had absolutely everything, an intimidating mix of technique and physique, making him almost impossible to dispossess.

Toure was named in the PFA Team of the Year at the end of City's first two Premier League title wins, in 2011-12 and 2013-14, hitting a whopping 20 goals in the latter triumph. When he left the Etihad in 2018, captain Vincent Kompany said, "I just want to say thank you to Yaya. If anyone is going to be considered a legend at this club, it's him."

Cesc Fabregas was just 16 when he made his Arsenal debut. It was immediately obvious that the Gunners had acquired a truly special talent from Barcelona, a classy yet combative midfielder that belied his tender age with the staggering composure and quality of his performances. Indeed, it came as no surprise to see Arsene Wenger make Fabregas club captain in 2008 - when the Spaniard was still only 21.

Although Fabregas made his professional bow during the 2003-04 'Invincibles' season, he didn't get a medal as he never made a Premier League appearance. However, he won two titles after returning to England to join Chelsea in 2014, and continued to wow audiences with his wondrous range of passing, eventually ending up with 111 Premier League assists - which puts him third on the all-time rankings.

Unquestionably a controversial inclusion - for a variety of reasons. The Uruguayan upset, offended and sometimes even bit people during his playing days. Suarez also only spent three-and-a-half seasons in the Premier League - but was named in the team of the year twice, and even won Player of the Season in 2013-14, after netting a record-breaking 31 times in just 33 appearances.

The former Liverpool striker was like nothing English football had ever seen before, a terrifying force of nature capable of scoring every type of goal from every possible angle. He tormented defenders with his incessant pressing and bamboozled them with his incredible ability to find space where there appeared to be none. "It's a rare combination," Steven Gerrard later said of Suarez, "to be a miraculous footballer who is willing to use his gifts to selflessly assist and create goals for a team-mate."

Ashley Cole was always a divisive character. It wasn't just Arsenal fans who criticised the manner of his protracted move to London rivals Chelsea in 2006. However, nobody would dispute the claim that 'Cashley' was an outstanding player, and arguably the best left-back in the world for a significant stretch of his career.

He proved an absolute revelation after breaking into the Arsenal line-up while still only a teenager and was a key member of two title-winning teams. After his acrimonious exit, he would go on to lift the Premier League trophy for a third time at Stamford Bridge, while also making a fourth PFA's Team of the Year.

"He's certainly the best Premier League left-back ever," Arsene Wenger recently said. "When you look at what he did at the club level, it shows remarkable consistency - and that is always the mark of a big player."

Petr Cech essentially took over from Peter Schmeichel as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League and arguably surpassed the Dane's remarkable achievements. Indeed, when it comes to keeping clean sheets, Cech really is in a league of his own.

He managed 202 shut-outs during his 15 years in the Premier League - 33 more than his closest rival - and won a joint-record four Golden Gloves, with two different clubs (Chelsea and Arsenal). It's also highly unlikely any No.1 will ever beat his record of 24 sheets across a single season.

Cech may have played behind some brilliant back-lines in England but it's worth remembering that the great Gigi Buffon considers the four-time Premier League champion the finest all-round goalkeeper of his generation.

By the time Virgil van Dijk retires, he could well have staked a serious claim to be considered the best defender in Premier League history because, at 33, he still looks like the finest centre-back in world football.

Much will obviously hinge on whether the Dutchman extends his stay at Anfield beyond the summer but we can already say that Van Dijk is a Liverpool legend, a transformative signing from Southampton that helped turn the Reds into the best team in the world - and end their English title drought in the process.

With the Netherlands international now poised to captain Liverpool to another title, Vincent Kompany believes Van Dijk, who has been included in the PFA Team of the Year four times and named Player of the Year in 2018-19, ranks above not only himself but also the likes of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry in the list of the EPL's greatest centre-halves. "There was a Liverpool before Virgil and one after him... I'll give him top spot for that reason," the City icon said.

Erling Haaland has been in England for less than three full seasons and yet the Manchester City striker is already being touted by some as the greatest goalscorer the Premier League has ever seen. It's easy to understand why. Haaland's numbers are sensational, borderline ridiculous, in fact.

He's averaged just under a goal a game (84 in 94 at the time of writing) and has already won two Golden Boots. He's also hit as many hat-tricks (eight) as Harry Kane managed in his entire Premier League career.

If he stays at City, and avoids any major injury issues (he's currently sidelined with an ankle problem), the Norwegian will break every goalscoring record in English football history. "He's an incredible machine," Pep Guardiola says, and one that the City boss believes will "compete with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in terms of goals".

The 'one-season wonder' turned out to be one of the most consistent performers in Premier League history! Harry Kane was by no means considered destined for greatness. He had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Millwall, Norwich City and Leicester during his early days at Tottenham but after netting 21 times in 34 appearances during the 2014-15 season, he never looked back - and never stopped scoring.

By the time of his departure for Bayern Munich last year, Kane was second in the Premier League scoring charts, with 208 goals. He's also claimed three Golden Boots and earned inclusion in the PFA Team of the Year six times in total.

He may not have got his hands on the Premier League trophy (or any trophy for that matter) but Kane is unquestionably a Premier League great now widely regarded as one of the most complete forwards in the world.

John Terry polarises opinions as a person but, as a player, almost every Premier League follower would agree that he's an all-time great. After coming through the youth team ranks at Chelsea, the uncompromising centre-back became the dominant force in a dressing room full of world-class players signed at great cost by Roman Abramovich.

Jose Mourinho immediately made Terry his captain upon taking over at Stamford Bridge in 2004 and that decision was almost immediately vindicated, with the Englishman inspiring the Blues to back-to-back titles. By the end of his career, Terry had lifted the Premier League five times, and also chipped in with 41 goals - the most by any defender in the history of the competition. No wonder, then, that for Chelsea fans he remains their 'Captain, leader, legend'.

An atypical English centre-half, Rio Ferdinand was the picture of poise in possession, a defender that never had any issue with bringing the ball out from the back and into midfield. However, while the six-time Premier League champion was often paired with a 'stopper' like Nemanja Vidic, the former West Ham man could do the 'dirty work', too, as he was both strong in the air and the tackle.

Ferdinand was also incredibly consistent. In exactly half of his 12 seasons at Old Trafford, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year. “He was without a doubt the best centre-back I ever played with," Paul Scholes would later reveal. "I would say for a time as well he was the best centre-back in the world. To play in front of him, he made your job so easy."

Before Rodri came along, the Premier League hadn't produced a Ballon d'Or winner since Cristiano Ronaldo's first spell at Manchester United. However, the Manchester City and Spain star picked up the prestigious individual honour last October and although Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior were enraged by the outcome of the vote, Rodri was a most worthy victor thanks to another stellar season for club and country.

He not only inspired City to a historic fourth consecutive title, he also won the European Championship with Spain, and the Ballon d'Or was just and long overdue for one of the classiest and most effective defensive midfielders of the modern era. There has been no more consistent or influential player in world football for the past few years, having taken his all-round game to a whole other level since being signed by Pep Guardiola in 2019. Indeed, the four-time title winner, who can also play at the back, recently added goals to his game, meaning he is now pretty much a total footballer. "He's able to do everything," as Guardiola says. "An unbelievable player."

Has the Premier League ever seen a more intimidating target man? Didier Drogba had every physical attribute you'd want in a No.9: height, pace and power. The Ivorian was also a fearsome competitor and incredibly unselfish, which made him both a nightmare to play against and a dream to play off.

Carles Puyol has openly admitted that Drogba was the toughest opponent he ever faced, while former team-mate Frank Lampard pointed out that Drogba played even better in big games. "It was a different Didier," the Englishman said. "He was like an animal."

Drogba won two Golden Boots while scoring 104 Premier League goals across two spells at Chelsea, topped the assists charts in 2005-06 and also won four titles. In short, a striker that was successful because he was so often unstoppable.

Vincent Kompany arrived at Manchester City in 2008 as a defensive midfielder. He left 11 years later lauded as one of the finest centre-backs the Premier League has ever seen. A towering presence, Kompany was unsurprisingly dominant in the air but the big Belgian was also a fantastic distributor of the ball and a masterful organiser of those around him. Injuries were often an issue, particularly during his later years at the Etihad, but Kompany nearly always stepped up to the mark when his team-mates needed him most.

Indeed, City's former captain scored two of the most important goals in the club's history: a powerful header against Manchester United in 2012, and stunning strike from distance against Leicester City in 2019, that were effectively title-winners. The Premier League Hall of Famer was, as Kevin De Bruyne said, a "Big player, big personality and a big leader."

Eden Hazard's dramatic decline at Real Madrid was as surprising as it was saddening, because he had arguably been the best player in the Premier League for the majority of his seven seasons at Chelsea.

With his low centre of gravity, brilliant ball control and outstanding dribbling skills, the Belgian quickly became a hero at Stamford Bridge following his 2012 move from Lille and inevitably drew comparisons to the great Gianfranco Zola - but even from the Italian himself.

Hazard inspired Chelsea to two title triumphs and was named Premier League Player of the Season in 2014-15, as well as making the Team of the Year on three other occasions. Could he have achieved even more? Absolutely, Hazard was an "awful trainer". But, as Gary Neville once said, watching him play was like witnessing poetry in motion.

The man responsible for the most famous goal in Premier League history, with Aguero whipping the ball into the back of the QPR net with typical power and precision to win the 2011-12 title for Manchester City in the most dramatic fashion possible. It was the first of five Premier League triumphs for the Argentine attacker, who netted 184 times in total, which puts him fifth on the all-time leading scorers' list.

Aguero would be ranked even higher had he not been regularly hindered by injury but this diminutive but explosive Romario-like striker will forever be remembered as one of the finest forwards the English game has ever seen. "Aguero's numbers speak for themselves," Pep Guardiola once pointed out. "He's a legend, a part of history in the club." And the Premier League.

For 10 magical seasons, the playmaker nicknamed 'Merlin' illuminated the Premier League with his wand of a left foot. Silva was a joy to behold on a football field, an elusive, sprite-like presence that moved nimbly in between the lines, causing chaos wherever he went with his dribbling skills and precision passing.

Roberto Mancini couldn't quite work out how Manchester City had managed to sign the Spaniard, whom he pointed out belonged at Barcelona alongside the likes of Andres Iniesta and Xavi - both of whom adored their international colleague.

In the end, though, they end up building a statue of Silva at the Etihad because the club's era of unprecedented success simply wouldn't have happened without a player that won four Premier League titles, was named in the Team of the Season three times and sits seventh in the all-time standings for assists.

Cristiano Ronaldo may have tarnished his Manchester United legacy during his acrimonious second spell at Old Trafford but nobody will ever forget what it was like to watch the Portuguese go from show-pony to the most complete forward on the planet during his first stint in England. "There have been a few players described as 'the new George Best' over the years, but this is the first time it's been a compliment to me," the Northern Irishman quipped all the way back in 2003.

Ronaldo really did prove the most worthy recipient of the United No.7 jersey. The winger with the dancing feet and stunning strike was named Player of the Season during two of the Red Devils' three consecutive Premier League title triumphs before his departure for Real Madrid in 2009 - as well as picking up the Golden Boot and European Golden Shoe at the end of the 2007-08 campaign, after 31 goals in just 34 games.

Patrick Vieira was the archetypal modern midfielder. He was tall yet technically gifted, an elegant and erudite athlete who knew how to both win the ball and use it efficiently. Consequently, the fearsome Frenchman became the beating heart of Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles', the indefatigable force that made the whole team tick.

Vieira reached a level of sustained excellence that few other players have ever matched - as so wonderfully illustrated by the fact that the former Arsenal captain was named in the PFA's Premier League Team of the Year for six successive seasons (and five times in the noughties).

"He was an exceptional player for us," Wenger would later say of Vieira, who also lined out for Manchester City at the tail end of his career. "At Arsenal, we will be forever grateful for Patrick's contribution. He was special."

Liverpool's Egyptian King wasn't considered a particularly prolific player when he arrived at Anfield from Roma in 2017 but he immediately broke the Premier League's single-season goalscoring record by netting 32 times in just 36 games. Two more Golden Boots have followed (and a third is on the way) but his greatest achievement was arguably firing the Reds to a first English title for 30 years, in 2019-20.

When one considers that Salah also boasts a whopping 86 EPL assists, and has shown no signs of slowing down as he pursues a second championship at the age of 32, there's zero doubt that the winger will have moved up this list by the time he decides he's done tormenting Premier League defenders. As Klopp once said, "When he sits in a studio in a few years as a pundit, everybody will know how good he was. For us, it’s clear, though. He is an all-time great."

It's funny to think about now but Chelsea fans were more than a little sceptical when the club signed Frank Lampard from West Ham in 2001. He quickly set about becoming an icon at Stamford Bridge, though, and one of the most feared and revered players in world football. Lampard even finished second in the 2005 Ballon d'Or voting to Ronaldinho, after scoring 13 goals in Chelsea's first English top-flight title triumph since 1955, while also finishing top of the assists charts.

Lampard struck 16 times as the Blues retained their crown the following year and, in total, he hit double figures in 10 consecutive Premier League seasons - which is testament to not only his fine finishing but also his remarkable consistency. A centurion in terms of both goals and assists, Lampard is rightly regarded as one of the most complete midfielders England has ever produced.

Loved by Liverpool fans but reviled by their rivals, Steven Gerrard remains a very divisive figure in Premier League history. Indeed, there are those that would argue that he doesn't even belong on this list because he never got his hands on the trophy, with his infamous slip against Chelsea in 2014 playing a pivotal role in Brendan Rodgers' Reds throwing away the title.

However, Gerrard was rightly among the first batch of inductees to the Premier League's Hall of Fame because he made the PFA's team of the season a still-unmatched eight times. Liverpool's real-life 'Roy of the Rovers' was a multi-talented midfielder that repeatedly rose to the occasion - and often while surrounded by vastly inferior team-mates. Indeed, even the great Paul Scholes has admitted that he wouldn't have been capable of carrying a club in quite the same way his compatriot did for so many years at Anfield.

Manchester City aren't exactly the most popular team in the Premier League but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that doesn't enjoy watching Kevin De Bruyne in action. The classy Belgian is a joy to behold when fully fit and firing, a wonderfully elegant footballer capable of pulling off passes that others can't even see - which helps explain why he's won the Premier League's Playmaker of the Year award on three occasions.

He would have claimed even more had it not been regularly hindered by injury but De Bruyne's CV is as impressive as his unstoppable mix of intensity and innovation. He has six Premier League titles to his name and been named in the Team of the Year five times. De Bruyne is, quite simply, one of the finest footballers ever to grace the English game and "The Godfather of attacking midfielders", as Joe Cole once put it. He'll be sorely missed when he leaves the Etihad at the end of the 2024-25 season - and not just by City fans.

When a 16-year-old Wayne Rooney ended Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten run with a stunning strike for Everton at Goodison Park on October 19, 2002, Arsene Wenger proclaimed the already fully-formed forward "the biggest English talent" he'd seen during his time in charge of the Gunners. Sir Alex Ferguson was just as smitten and signed the Scouse street-footballer for Manchester United just two years later for £25m - which proved an absolute bargain. Rooney won 16 trophies at Old Trafford, including five English titles, and went on to become United's all-time leading marksman (208 goals).

When it comes to Rooney, there's always the nagging feeling that he could have achieved even more had he looked after himself better, but we're still talking about a truly exceptional all-round attacker that ranks second for goals and fourth for assists in the all-time Premier League standings.

Paul Scholes won 11 Premier Leagues (and eight from 2000 on), so we're talking about one of the most successful players in English football history here. What's arguably even more impressive than his trophy haul, though, is the esteem in which he's held by his peers. Thierry Henry labelled Scholes the best player in the Premier League, Zinedine Zidane said he was his toughest opponent, while Xavi called him a "role model".

Scholes could both see and play every possible pass, while he also boasted a thunderous strike, which enabled him to score 107 Premier League goals - so many of which were spectacular. Of course, Scholes' skills were never properly utilised at international level by England but Sir Alex Ferguson knew exactly how to get the best out of 'The Ginger Prince', whom he even talked out of retirement to win one more title in 2013. "He was an absolutely perfect player," the Scot enthused.

Compiling the rest of the list may have been incredibly difficult but there was never any doubt over who was going to be No.1. Henry isn't just the greatest Premier League player of the century; he's the finest footballer it has ever seen.

A lethal finisher blessed with blistering pace that was as effective as he was elegant, Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer could tear a team to shreds all on his own. "It was embarrassing for the defenders: he just scored when he wanted," said former Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who converted his compatriot from a winger into a striker.

Henry was at his peerless best during the historic 2003-04 season, when he scored 30 times for 'The Invincibles', and the French forward remains the only player ever to record 20 goals and 20 assists in the same campaign - the perfect testament to his all-round excellence.