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This week, The Independent is counting down through the 100 greatest players ever to grace the Premier League .
We asked all of our sportswriters to rank their greatest players in the history of the league, with each player assigned points before an overall list was then worked out.
In voting for the greatest ever Premier League player, we generally considered a few broad factors: a player’s ability and the actual application of that ability; the consistency of that application; the level they reached; their influence on the competition and – of course – their level of achievement.
Here’s our Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney explaining exactly what we were looking for, and how the process works .
Each day this week at 10am we will be revealing twenty players, with the winner finally crowned on Friday. We began with numbers 100-81 on Monday and 80-61 on Tuesday .
We are now halfway through our Premier League countdown (Getty) Here are next twenty players in our countdown, placed from 60th — 41st.
IndyPL100: 60-41 60-41: #IndyPL100 countdownShow all 21 1 /2160-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown #IndyPL100: 60-41 Join us for the third part of our countdown through the 100 greatest players in Premier League history.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 60. Fernando Torres The Spaniard exploded on to the English football scene at Liverpool and never looked back becoming one of the most feared No 9s in the history of the league. A big-money move to Chelsea didn’t go as planned but that relentless early run at Anfield was matched by few we’ve ever seen. BB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 59. Kevin de Bruyne His legacy will be defined by what comes next, but at his peak, De Bruyne might be the finest midfield seen in the Premier League. After City pounced on the Belgian just a few years after Chelsea's foolish decision to sell him, De Bruyne's dynamism has seen him able to influence games no matter the circumstances. Capable of swiping the ball into the top corner from distance, whip the ball around corners for team-mates to chase or simply to establish a pattern of possession, De Bruyne has it all. JR.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 58. David Seaman A cult hero with Arsenal Seaman set the standard for English goalkeeping for over a decade. Twice a Premier League champion and a four-time FA Cup winner even his late-career ponytail can be forgiven. BB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 57. Luka Modric The Croatian would ascend to greater heights at Real Madrid, where he has won four Champions League titles and a Ballon d’Or. But before that he was a key player for Tottenham Hotspur, helping the north London side into Europe’s premier club competition for the first ever time. LB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 56. Dennis Irwin One of the best full-backs ever to grace the Premier League. Irwin was a mainstay in the Manchester United team during his decade at Old Trafford, winning seven Premier League titles (only Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have more). He could play either side, took free-kicks and penalties, and dovetailed brilliantly with Giggs, who later said he was able to stay high up the pitch because Irwin needed such little defensive cover. LO
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 55. Gary Neville No defender has more Premier League winner's medals than Neville's eight. He was consistent and reliable defensively and formed a fruitful partnership with his close friend David Beckham on United's right, before later becoming captain of his one and only club. LO
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 54. Xabi Alonso A key part of the Liverpool team which won the most thrilling Champions League final in history. Helped usher in Rafa Benitez’s Anfield revolution, forming a wonderful midfield partnership with Steven Gerrard before departing after five seasons for Real Madrid. LB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 53. Paulo di Canio The Italian was one of most exciting among a raft of imported No10s who arrived in the late 1990s and lit up the Premier League show. His early success at Sheffield Wednesday was effectively ended when he pushed over referee Paul Alcock, receiving an 11-game ban, but he shone at West Ham and his volley against Wimbledon will go down as one of the great Premier League goals. LO
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 52. Edwin van der Sar A case can be made that the Dutchman was equal to any goalkeeper in the league's history. After years of failure to find a successor to Peter Schmeichel, Sir Alex Ferguson stole Van der Sar for a meager £2m from Fulham, securing a key cog in four titles during his time at the club. JR.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 51. Dimitar Berbatov A player whose brilliance was defined by an artisanal elegance and the complete elimination of any superfluous movement. Struggled in his first few games for Tottenham before finding his rhythm, eventually moving to Manchester United for a club-record fee. Won two league titles before departing for Fulham. Arguably the most misunderstood player in Premier League history, and among the more underrated. LB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 50. Steve Bruce Alex Ferguson's defensive lieutenant captained United to three Premier League titles during the 90s, scoring two famous late headers against Sheffield Wednesday to win United's first title for 26 years. He is widely considered the greatest Englishman never to have represented his country. LO
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 49. Nicolas Anelka Scored goals wherever he went. Won league titles with both Arsenal and Chelsea, while becoming a key player at Liverpool, Manchester City, Bolton and West Brom. JDM.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 48. Dwight Yorke Another striker who positively plundered goals in his prime Yorke is most famous for his near unstoppable partnership with Andy Cole at Manchester United. But it’s his record at Aston Villa – 73 goals over nine years – that earns him his place here. BB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 47. Jaap Stam Asserted himself as one of the best defenders in the world before famously falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson and leaving for Lazio. Ferguson would later admit to making a mistake. “At the time he had just come back from an achilles injury and we thought he had just lost a little bit,” he wrote. “We got the offer from Lazio, £16.5m for a centre back who was 29. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. But in playing terms it was a mistake. He is still playing for Ajax at a really good level.” MC.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 46. Claude Makelele His immense legacy is that a position was defined after him and that Real Madrid were haunted by his sale to Chelsea for years to come. Adept at playing his role without the need to fly into challenges or impose his physicality, Makelele simply pinched possession and kept the ball moving with sheer ease. A master. JR.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 45. Teddy Sheringham The eleventh-highest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League with 146 goals, and the competition's 19th-highest appearance maker. A cult hero at Spurs thanks to two prolific spells at White Hart Lane, but it is at Manchester United that he enjoyed the most success, winning three consecutive Premier League titles between 1998-2001. LB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 44. Michael Carrick Possibly the most under-utilised and underrated English footballer in modern times. A vital cog for both West Ham and Tottenham before his big move to Manchester United. He would go on to make over 300 league appearances for the club, winning an extraordinary five titles. JDM.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 43. Ian Wright From the Hackney Marshes to Highbury Wright’s story is the stuff of fairytales. An all-round, out and out striker Wright scored every type of goal, famously breaking Cliff Bastin’s Gunners record despite spending his first seven years at Crystal Palace. Only Thierry Henry has more in the famed red and white. BB.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 42. Robbie Fowler One of the most ruthless goalscorers the Premier League has ever seen. 120 goals in just 236 league appearances in his first stint at Liverpool, before more troubled spells Leeds, Manchester City and Blackburn. No matter. You do not earn the only semi-ironic nickname ‘God’ for no reason. JDM.
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60-41: #IndyPL100 countdown 41. Carlos Tevez Always controversial, always deadly in front of goal, always a delight to watch. Pitched up at West Ham in 2006, scoring seven priceless goals to help keep the Hammers up. From there he formed a formidable strike partnership with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, winning two league titles, before his acrimonious move to City. He would spend four successful seasons across town, scoring another 58 league goals and winning the title once more. JDM.
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