The ultimate Premier League squad: The best to wear every shirt number
Telegraph has assembled a fabulous 23-man Premier League squad within a strict structure: The best player to wear each of the squad numbers from 1 to 23 during their time in the British top flight.
It's a slightly unbalanced squad, let's hope none of the defenders get injured, but we've simply chosen the player we thought wore each of the numbers best. Telegraph's Calum Wilson explains the selections. Let's begin:
23. Sol Campbell
A hero at Tottenham, where he wore 23 for the first five years of his career before switching to five. His next switch, to Arsenal, rather diminished his status in the other half of north London. He reverted to 23 for a hugely successful spell at Highbury in which he was part of the Invincibles team and scored in a Champions League final, which Arsenal went on to lose. One of the finest and most complete defenders to have played in modern English football.
Honourable mentions: Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher, Carlo Cudicini
22. Eidur Gudjohnnsen
Played for a total of five English clubs, including highly forgettable spells at Spurs, Stoke and Fulham, it was at Chelsea where the Icelandic striker shone most brightly. Arriving from Bolton in 2000 from the league below, he was one of a small group of players maintained from the pre-Abramovich signings maintained by Jose Mourinho in the brutally effective title-winning teams of 2004/05 and 2005/06.
Honourable mentions: Chris Sutton [Norwich], Gael Clichy, John O'Shea
21. David Silva
There are few players in Premier League history who can match Silva, now 30, in attacking midfield. The Spanish international joined City from Valencia in 2010 and in his first season helped deliver the club’s first major trophy in 35 years. In his second season in England, Silva was one of four City players to make the PFA’s Premier League Team of the Year.
Honourable mentions: Lucas Leiva, Leon Osman, Jimmy Bullard
20. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The Baby-faced Assassin arrived in the North-West from his native Norway in 1996 for a measly £1.5 million. For the majority of his stay in Manchester Solskjaer was regarded as the fourth choice striker behind Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Teddy Sheringham. He quickly became known as a super sub, his crowning glory being scoring the winner in the 1999 Champions League final.
Honourable mentions: Dele Alli, Deco, Javier Mascherano
19. Santi Cazorla
It’s well known that Arsene Wenger has trouble finding his pockets, but when he did back in 2012 he pulled out a gem of a signing in Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard immediately settled into life at the Emirates and produced a series of man of the match performances in his first two seasons. Perhaps only truly appreciated when, as is the case currently, he's missing from Arsenal's team.
Honourable mentions: Stiliyan Petrov, Diego Costa, Dwight Yorke
18. Paul Scholes
He scores goals. 107 in the Premier League to be precise. Salford-born Scholes was a vital part of Alex Ferguson’s midfield after making his debut in 1994. Went on to make 499 appearances in the top flight. Known for a late tackle or too, Scholes also received a whopping 97 yellow cards in Premier League matches. But his vision and technique was without parallel, especially for an Englishman.
Honourable mentions: Wayne Rooney(Everton), Jurgen Klinsmann, Jermain Defoe
17. Kevin De Bruyne
After years of being the next big thing at Chelsea, De Bruyne finally got his break with spells at Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg before returning to England as a £50 million summer signing for Manchester City. The Belgian forward has since proved his worth with a string of impressive displays and promises to improve even further.
Honourable mentions: Emmanuel Petit, Craig Bellamy, Alexis Sanchez
16. Roy Keane
After three seasons at Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, Keane’s tough-tackling performances earned him a move to Manchester United where the midfielder immediately had success, winning the first of seven championships in his debut season at the club. Utterly inspirational for the Premier League's most dominant club.
Honourable mentions: Arjen Robben, Aaron Ramsey, Dietmar Hamann
15. Nemanja Vidic
Vidic formed a formidable partnership at the back with Rio Ferdinand, helping steer United to five Premier League titles in his nine seasons at Old Trafford. Despite his hardman approach to defending, Vidic showed a softer side by gifting his 2006 League Cup winners’ medal to Giuseppe Rossi after making only two substitute appearances in the competition, to Rossi’s three starts.
Honourable mentions: Ray Parlour, Jamie Redknapp, Gareth Barry
14. Thierry Henry
In 2005 Arsenal legend Henry became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, surpassing the great Ian Wright. Henry’s most prolific spell came during Arsenal’s 2003/04 unbeaten season where, along with the league trophy, Henry collected a personal double by being the division’s top scorer and winning the player of the season award.
Honourable mentions: Luka Modric, Graeme Le Saux, Xabi Alonso
13. William Gallas
Unlucky for some, but not so for Gallas who is said to have chosen the number 13 shirt as it was his postcode when he lived in Marseille. The versatile defender, who signed for Chelsea in 2001, enjoyed his best years at the West London club where he helped Mourinho and co. to back to back Premier League titles. The Frenchman was shipped to Arsenal in the deal that brought Ashley Cole to the club, before later completing an unusual London hat-trick with a spell at Spurs.
Honourable mentions: Danny Murphy, Aleksandar Kolarov, Park Ji-Sung
12. Sami Hyypia
Hyypia enjoyed 10 seasons as a stalwart defender on Merseyside after signing as a relative unknown in 1999. The big Finn quickly established a strong partnership with Stephane Henchoz and the pair spearheaded Liverpool’s cup treble winning season in 2001, which saw the Reds win the UEFA Cup, League Cup and FA Cup.
Honourable mentions: Lauren, JohnObi Mikel, Phil Neville
11. Ryan Giggs
The hairy-chested Welshman first burst onto the scene in 1991, then just 17, before going on to add no fewer than 13 Premier League winners medals to his name. Giggs played 24 seasons in the top-flight becoming the league’s best provider of goals along the way. In total, Giggs managed an astonishing 162 league assists, a feat beyond even Mesut Ozil.
Honourable mentions: Gareth Bale, Didier Drogba, Gary Speed, Mesut Ozil
10. Dennis Bergkamp
The non-flying Dutchman never let a fear of flying affect his genius on the ground. The former Arsenal man’s elegance and grace was best exemplified in one mesmerising goal against Newcastle in 2002, described by the Telegraph’s Sam Wallace as “one touch so sophisticated that it did not so much guide the ball as issue it a series of instructions”.
Honourable mentions: Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero, Michael Owen
9. Alan Shearer
Will anyone ever beat Shearer’s 260 Premier League goals? The answer is probably not. No striker in the competition’s history has ever come close. Rooney is next in line, 66 behind, but Shearer can sleep easy given the United man’s current form. While the striker turned pundit looks at home on the Match Of The Day sofa, there aren’t many sides that would turn down the chance to have his goalscoring nous. Even now... Probably.
Honourable mentions: Robbie Fowler, Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand
8. Steven Gerrard
It’s a question which has split many experts over time, but in the Gerrard vs Lampard debate our number eight shirt goes to the former Liverpool man. Gerrard’s loyalty to his boyhood team earned the respect of the old romantics among us, but the fairytale ending slipped away before his eyes. At least he’ll always have Istanbul.
Honourable mentions: Frank Lampard, Nicky Butt, Chris Waddle
7. Matt Le Tissier
There aren’t many who would get the nod in an all-star team ahead of the likes of Cantona, Beckham or Ronaldo, but then again Le Tissier was a unique talent and rightly takes his place in the number seven slot. Le God’s ability to pick out the top corner from 40 yards made him one of the most universally beloved players in the division's history.
Honourable mentions: Cristiano Ronaldo, Eric Cantona, David Beckham
6. Tony Adams
Adams epitomises the phrase resilience in the face of adversity. The former Arsenal captain admitted he suffered from alcoholism in 1996 and just two years later celebrated with arms aloft in front of the Highbury faithful having clinched the title in Arsene Wenger's first full season. The 6'3" defender turned out over 500 times for Arsenal, retiring in 2002 after helping the North London team to a second double in four years.
Honourable mentions: Marcel Desailly, Gary Pallister, Steve Howey
5. Rio Ferdinand
The no-nonsense South Londoner was every striker’s worst nightmare, justifying why Manchester United once broke the British transfer record to steal him away from local rivals Leeds United. Ferdinand won six league titles in 12 years at Old Trafford before finishing his career with a handful of appearances at Queens Park Rangers.
Honourable mentions: Michael Essien, Pablo Zabaleta, Lucas Radebe
4. Patrick Vieira
Captain of arguably the greatest team to ever win the Premier League, Vieira and his invincibles tore up the record books during the 2003/04 season. The Frenchman went head to head (often literally) with Roy Keane and Manchester United, as the two clubs dominated the league at the turn of the millennium. Vieira later returned to Manchester to play two seasons at the Etihad Stadium.
Honourable mentions: Claude Makelele, Steve Bruce, Vinnie Jones
3. Gareth Bale
Bale might have been able to boast being the expensive footballer in the world, but back in 2009 he held a rather more embarrassing record. After waiting 1,533 minutes, Bale finally celebrated as part of a winning Spurs side and once he hit his stride he never looked back. The Welshman’s move from lost left-back to wing wizard saw him crowned the PFA Player of the Year 2012/13 and earned him the move to Spain. He eventually switched to number 11, but loses out there to a compatriot. We had to find room for him in our squad, though, so we've gone with his early-era Spurs number.
Honourable mentions: Ashley Cole, Denis Irwin, Ian Harte
2. Gary Neville
Neville made 400 Premier League appearances in 18 years at Manchester United, during which they clinched the title on eight occasions. Neville rarely contributed in the opposition half as he grew older, he scored only five league goals in his career. But early in his United days Neville was a more marauding presence, and combined beautifully with David Beckham. One of three of the Class of 92 to make our squad.
Honourable mentions: Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Kelly, Tony Hibbert
1. Peter Schmeichel
You’d be a brave man to try and take the number one jersey off The Great Dane, even Fergie would have had to think twice before reaching for the hairdryer. Schmeichel got his enormous hands on the Premier League trophy five times in eight years at Manchester United, ending his spell by captaining the famous treble winning side in 1999, before later returning to England with spells at Aston Villa and Manchester City.
Honourable mentions: David Seaman, Petr Cech, Edwin van der Sar
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