Premier League Hall of Fame: Rio Ferdinand becomes the first player inducted in 2023

The Premier League Hall of Fame pays homage to former players and managers who have made outstanding contributions to the competition since its inception in 1992.

Read on for a full list of inductees into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

Players

Alan Shearer

Clubs: Southampton, Blackburn & Newcastle

At a grand total of 260, it's likely Alan Shearer's all-time Premier League goal record will never be surpassed, although Harry Kane may have something to say about that.

The ultimate centre-forward, Shearer was capable of converting the smallest of half chances from any angle, and was just as devastating in the air as he was with his left and right foot.

Despite being one of the most sought after marksmen in the world, the lure of playing for his boyhood club Newcastle United proved too tempting.

The then-world record £15m move made him a Geordie legend, but it meant he lifted the Premier League trophy just once after twice turning down a move to Manchester United.

Thierry Henry

Clubs: Arsenal

With his pace, power and grace, Thierry Henry gave Premier League defenders nightmares for eight sensational seasons.

Converted from a winger to striker by Arsene Wenger, he revolutionised the English game with his unique combination of skill, athleticism and ruthless finishing.

He scored over 20 Premier League goals five seasons running, claiming four Golden Boots, with some of the most jaw-droppingly spectacular efforts English audiences have ever seen.

Not content with just scoring he provided 74 assists, including a record 20 in 2002/03, and he won two Player of the Season awards.

Eric Cantona

Clubs: Leeds & Man Utd

A trailblazing Frenchman who paved the way for generations of foreign players after him, Eric Cantona was a one off.

He proved the catalyst for Manchester United's dominance of the Premier League in the 1990s after his shock move from defending champions and bitter rivals Leeds United in the competition's inaugural campaign.

Cantona helped United to end their 26-year title drought that year, going on to win the Premier League title four times in the next five seasons at Old Trafford before his retirement in May 1997.

The Frenchman inspired his team with his approach and his skill that brought plenty of magic moments, such as his iconic lob (and celebration) against Sunderland in December 1996.

Roy Keane

Clubs: Nottingham Forest & Man Utd

Roy Keane was the ferocious heartbeat of Manchester United's midfield during their domination of the Premier League in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The tough-tackling Irishman joined Sir Alex Ferguson's revolution from Nottingham Forest for a British-record fee in 1993 before eventually becoming club captain in 1997.

Arguably the greatest Premier League captain to lead out a side, his energy and fighting spirit inspired his team-mates to seven titles during his time at the club. 

David Beckham

Clubs: Man Utd

David Beckham brought a range of passing the Premier League had never before experienced.

His right foot set the Premier League alight on the opening weekend of the 1996/97 season, when he scored for Manchester United from the halfway line at Wimbledon.

He tormented opponents with whipped, curling crosses that were impossible to defend and easy for team-mates to score as United claimed six titles with Beckham in the side.

And from free-kicks the former England captain scored 18 Premier League goals, a total no player has been able to match.

Dennis Bergkamp

Clubs: Arsenal

Dennis Bergkamp’s arrival in 1995 introduced the Premier League to a new level of skill that inspired Arsenal to three titles and opened the competition’s borders to more international stars.

The Dutchman’s technical ability and eye for a pass gave the competition some of its most entertaining play.

As well as providing gilt-edged chances for team-mates, Bergkamp scored some spectacular goals, including the strike against Newcastle United which was voted by fans as the best goal in the Premier League's first 25 years.

Frank Lampard

Clubs: West Ham, Chelsea & Man City

Over the course of 21 seasons in the Premier League, Frank Lampard was one of the competition’s most complete midfielders.

A champion on three occasions at Chelsea, no midfielder has ever got near his 177 goals for the Blues, West Ham United and Manchester City.

No player has matched his getting double figures for goals in 10 consecutive seasons as he became Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer.

Named Player of the Season for 2004/05, he also surpassed a century of assists in the Premier League.

Steven Gerrard

Clubs: Liverpool

After coming through Liverpool’s academy, Steven Gerrard spent 17 years as the driving force of the Merseysiders’ midfield in the Premier League.

Famed for his driving runs, ability to inspire team-mates and spectacular strikes from distance, only Frank Lampard has scored more from midfield than Gerrard's 120 goals.

The Reds’ long-serving captain also provided 92 top-flight assists and won six monthly awards in his stellar career.

Patrick Vieira

Clubs: Arsenal

Patrick Vieira came to the Premier League a relative unknown but left having redefined the role of a central midfielder.

The Frenchman provided a rare combination of power, aggression and skill at the heart of an Arsenal midfield that won three Premier League titles.

His long-range strikes and late runs into the penalty area brought 31 goals, including the one that sealed Arsenal’s Invincible season in 2003/04, the captain lifting the Premier League trophy after an unbeaten campaign.

Wayne Rooney

Clubs: Everton & Man Utd

After announcing himself on the Premier League and global stage with a sensational first goal for boyhood club Everton against Arsenal, Wayne Rooney lived up to that promise by becoming one of the competition's greatest ever forwards.

Rooney scored 208 Premier League goals, a tally beaten only by Alan Shearer, and provided 103 assists, the third-highest total in the competition's history, in 491 appearances.

He won five titles, one Player of the Season award and was named Player of the Month five times in a glorious 13-year spell at Old Trafford, bookended by two stints at Goodison Park.

Ian Wright

Clubs: Arsenal & West Ham

 A latecomer to the professional game, Ian Wright certainly made up for the lost time in his career.

After his move from Crystal Palace, the livewire striker was Arsenal’s leading scorer in the club’s first five seasons in the Premier League.

A scorer of spectacular goals, Wright also had the knack of being in the right place at the right time and in helping Arsenal to the 1997/98 title, he surpassed Cliff Bastin's club record of 178 goals.

Peter Schmeichel

Clubs: Man Utd, Aston Villa & Man City

Few goalkeepers have dominated the Premier League like Peter Schmeichel did with Manchester United in the 1990s.

Schmeichel’s long throws that launched United attacks were an innovation in the competition that endures to the present day.

But his spectacular saves, including his “star fish” jump, denied strikers time and again and helped him to five titles as well as the Player of the Season award in 1995/96.

Paul Scholes

Clubs: Man Utd

Ranked by his peers as one of the finest midfielders of his generation, Paul Scholes helped Manchester United to 11 Premier League titles across three decades.

Scholes was a creative influence and attacking threat in United’s midfield.

His vision and range of passing helped to provide 55 assists for his team-mates, while his fearsome shooting ability produced some memorable strikes among the 107 goals he scored in 499 league appearances.

Didier Drogba

Clubs: Chelsea

Blessed with pace, power and skill, Didier Drogba was instrumental in helping Chelsea to two successive Premier League titles in 2004/05 and 2005/06.

The Ivorian netted 104 Premier League goals with many struck spectacularly from distance or powered in with his head.

As well as lifting four Premier League titles in two spells with Chelsea, Drogba claimed two Golden Boots.

Vincent Kompany

Clubs: Man City

Man City's Captain Fantastic, Kompany had the honour of hoisting the Premier League trophy aloft four times after pulling the team from mid-table to the top in 11 glorious years at the Etihad Stadium.

In 2011/12, as well as keeping 15 clean sheets he scored a crucial header against title rivals Manchester United in the run-in to be named the Player of the Season as City claimed a first Premier League title.

He earned 94 clean sheets in total and continued his knack for scoring vital title-race goals, with a final-day effort in 2013/14 and a 2018/19 wonder strike versus Leicester City both pivotal in City being crowned champions those seasons.

Sergio Aguero

Clubs: Man City

Sergio "Kun" Aguero was the competition's most prolific striker over his 10 years in England.

No player with 20 goals or more holds a candle to the Man City forward's minutes-per-goal ratio, and the Argentinian's total of 184 Premier League strikes is the most by an overseas player.

Aguero put his name in Man City folklore with his stoppage-time winner to clinch the club's first Premier League title in his debut 2011/12 season, the first of five winners' medals.

He also won the 2014/15 Premier League Golden Boot and claimed the Player of the Month accolade seven times.

Rio Ferdinand

Clubs: West Ham, Leeds, Man Utd & QPR

Rio Ferdinand broke the mould of the English centre-back in the Premier League.

Composed and stylish, he made his first-team debut for West Ham United at 17.

After Leeds United made him the world’s most expensive defender, Manchester United broke the British transfer record two seasons later and immediately reaped rewards as they regained the Premier League title in 2002/03.

That was the first of six Ferdinand claimed in his 12 seasons at Old Trafford. His 504 Premier League appearances are second among central defenders.

Managers

Arsene Wenger

Clubs: Arsenal

It was “Arsene who?” when Wenger arrived at Arsenal in 1996, but within two years the Frenchman had etched his name into the history of the club and the Premier League.

Over the course of the next two decades, Wenger's genius and vision revolutionised the English game on and off the pitch.

Under his guidance, Arsenal combined a ruthless edge to match their brand of quick passing, which led them to three Premier League titles.

His free-flowing side from 2003/04, dubbed “The Invincibles”, will go down as one of the best in English football history, going an entire season unbeaten.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Clubs: Man Utd

Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in British football history, winning 13 Premier League titles with Manchester United.

He ended Man Utd’s 26-year wait for a top-flight title in the inaugural Premier League season of 1992/93. He went on to enjoy unprecedented success over the next two decades until his retirement at the end of the 2012/13 campaign.

Alongside his 13 title successes, Ferguson also won the Manager of the Month award 27 times and the Manager of the Season accolade 11 times. His all-time Premier League record stands at 528 wins from 810 matches.