The English Premier League has revealed plans to launch an official “Hall of Fame” to celebrate the players who have starred since its inception in 1992.
On Thursday 19 March the first two inductees will be revealed and a shortlist of nominees will also be announced. Fans will be invited to vote on which players should be in the hall of fame.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “Since 1992, the Premier League has been home to world-class players who have defined generations and provided us with compelling football season after season.
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“A place in the Premier League hall of fame is reserved for the very best. It will be an occasion for our fans around the world to look back over the years and help us celebrate some truly exceptional playing careers.”
How it works
The league said in a statement: “To be eligible for the Premier League Hall of Fame, players must be retired, and only a player’s Premier League career is considered in their candidacy. Each inductee will receive a personalised medallion, engraved with the year of their induction.”
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Who will be the first two picks?
The Premier League’s announcement on Thursday created a social media storm with the topic providing many of the trends on Twitter.
Former Blackburn and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s record scorer with 260 goals, and Ryan Giggs, a 13-time title winner with Manchester United, are two of the leading candidates to be inducted.
With a record 653 appearances Gareth Barry is also mentioned by fans on social media while Sheffield United icon Brian Deane, scorer of the EPL’s first ever goal, was trending on Twitter.
Other icons who fans have put forward as their picks include Thierry Henry, Roy Keane, Didier Drogba, Eric Cantona, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
The hall of fame is only for players, but many fans have nominated legendary managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger to be inducted.
Ahead of the 19 March announcement it promises to be quite a lively debate between football supporters and pundits.
Here we take a look at the betting odds and best tweets...
First two players inducted: betting odds
Prices according to Sky Bet
- Alan Shearer: 1/8
- Ryan Giggs: 1/5
- Thierry Henry: 4/1
- Paul Scholes: 14/1
- Roy Keane: 14/1
- Patrick Vieira: 16/1
- Dennis Bergkamp: 20/1
- Frank Lampard: 20/1
- David Beckham: 25/1
- John Terry: 25/1
#PLHallOfFame: how Twitter reacted
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