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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.
Four of the players to appear in today's list (Independent) Here are next twenty players in our countdown, placed from 80th -61st .
IndyPL100: 80-61 80-61: #IndyPL100 countdownShow all 21 1 /2180-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown #IndyPL100: 80-61 Join us for the second part of our countdown through the 100 greatest players in Premier League history.
Independent
80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 80. Branislav Ivanovic Has an argument to be the best right-back in the league's history: Tougher and stronger than most, with a tremendous appetite to attack - chipping in with 34 goals and 34 assists in his time in London. A threat in the opposition's penalty area and with the positional nous at the back due to his versatility to play inside at centre-back. Everything you would want and more from a right-back. JR.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 79. Gary Speed A Premier League giant. Rarely troubled by injury or suspension, Speed made 535 Premier League appearances during his career – putting him at fifth in the all-time list. His tragic suicide shocked the sport, marking a turning point in the conversation around mental health in football. SL
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 78. William Gallas Not many players have the skill, or the gall, to become first-team regulars at Chelsea, Arsenal AND Tottenham. It was at Stamford Bridge the enigmatic Frenchman enjoyed the most success, winning two league titles. TK.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 77. Mesut Ozil He may be inconsistent. He may drift in and out of games. And he may be a divisive character at the Emirates. But when he is on song, there are few players who can read the game like Mesut Ozil. Often an unbridled joy to watch: he has been Arsenal’s key player for over five years now. LB.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 76. Gilberto Silva The invisible Invincible. Played a key if understated role in the best Arsenal team of all-time, alongside Patrick Vieira. A bargain at £4.5m. TK.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 75. Jamie Carragher A one-club man, Liverpool's vice-captain for 10 years, and the club's second-longest ever serving player. Never won a league title with Liverpool, but did win two FA Cups, three League Cups and a Champions League. A first-team regular from 1997 until he retired, in 2013. MC.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 74. Paul Ince At his best, Ince played a crucial role in both of Alex Ferguson's first two Premier League titles. He was the midfield enforcer who never stopped, but he also weighed in with his fair share of goals arriving on the edge of the box. After six years at Old Trafford, Ince moved to Inter Milan before later spells at Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Wolves. LO
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 73. Les Ferdinand The eighth highest scorer in the Premier League with 149 goals. Prolific for both Queens Park Rangers and Newcastle, while also becoming hugely popular at White Hart Lane. LB.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 72. Raheem Sterling A genuine superstar in the making, Sterling has hit new heights in the past two seasons. His contributions both with and without the ball have proved vital at Manchester City, and have similarly injected a sense of energy and purpose into England’s frontline. And at 24, he’s only going to get better. SL
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 71. Mark Hughes Sparky had success at Chelsea before two-year spells at Southampton, Everton and Blackburn, but his high-point came earlier as the perfect foil for Eric Cantona in Manchester United's first two title wins. Hughes was an all-round striker who could hold up the ball, lose his marker in the box and finish, but above all it was undying tenacity that Ferguson most valued. LO
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 70. Gary Pallister Pallister won four titles at Old Trafford as the sidekick to Steve Bruce at the heart of Alex Ferguson's early success. Coming off the back of winning the PFA Player of the Year Award in 1991-92, Pallister played every minute of the first Premier League season in 1992-93, as United became champions for the first time in 26 years. LO
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 69. Jurgen Klinsmann Often foreign strikers can take a season or two to acclimatise to the rigours of the Premier League. Not this man. Arrived at Spurs from Monaco and immediately scored 20 goals in 41 league matches, despite a turbulent season which saw Osvaldo Ardiles replaced by Steve Perryman and then Gerry Francis. LB.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 68. Ricardo Carvalho His partnership with captain John Terry in central defence was hailed as a major factor behind Chelsea's two early titles under Jose Mourinho. Intelligent on the ball and a fantastic distributor, Carvalho complemented the traditional, hard-nosed approach adopted by Terry. SL.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 67. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Before he was an unexpectedly high-achieving interim manager, he was one of the best strikers in the business. Few could have expected quite how successful the Norwegian would become at Old Trafford when he was signed on the cheap to provide backup to Eric Cantona and Andy Cole. MD.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 66. David Ginola One of the most charismatic players ever to grace the Premier League who delighted fans at Newcastle, Spurs, Everton and Aston Villa with his mazy dribbling and sumptuous first touch. LB.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 65. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Prolific for Leeds and Middlesbrough, but his prime was probably spent with Chelsea, who made him their club record signing for £15m in 2000. He also formed one half of one of the best strike partnerships in the league's history alongside Eidur Gudjohnsen. While known for pounding the ball with tremendous force, his intelligent movement and ability to perfectly deliver the ball for a team-mate made him a great striker. JR.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 64. Diego Costa Chelsea’s raging bull, Costa terrorised opposition defences during his three years at the club. In that time he scored 52 goals from 89 league appearances, scoring a number of pivotal goals in the title run-in under Antonio Conte. A forceful presence who knew how to lead the line all by himself. SL.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 63. Ledley King Arguably the most naturally gifted defender of his generation. What a shame his was a career blighted by injury. When asked what defender he most disliked playing against, Thierry Henry once replied: “Ledley King was the best defender I've played against and the only one that didn't have to foul me to get the ball.” LB.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 62. Michael Essien A complete midfielder who would have mixed it with Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira in their prime. The Ghanaian was immense as a box-to-box presence during perhaps the peak years in the league's history. His bending strike against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge stands out as one of his finest moments. JR.
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80-61: #IndyPL100 countdown 61. Marc Overmars Initially struggled at Arsenal. But soon found his feet, ending his debut campaign with 12 goals and becoming a key player in the Arsenal side which won the double in 1998. Eventually left for Barcelona in a £25m deal, making him the most expensive player in Dutch football history. TK.
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