Premier League Immortals: BT Sport followers pick their all-time Premier League XI

To celebrate 30 years of the Premier League, BT Sport decided to mark the anniversary by running a Twitter poll asking people to pick their all-time XI. 

The response was overwhelming, with around 200,000 votes cast overall. With so many outstanding players, there were always going to be a number of controversial selections. 

You can still pick your own XI at btsport.com/immortals or by going to the BT Sport app.

Two of the nominees, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, will now face each other in the dugout for the first time as Aston Villa take on Everton on Saturday lunchtime in a game you can see live on BT Sport 1 HD and Ultimate. 

However, only of them has made our final XI. Let's get into the results...

Goalkeeper: Peter Schmeichel

The Great Dane saw off competition from David Seaman, Petr Cech and Edwin van der Sar for the No 1 spot. 

Despite making the fewest league appearances of the four nominees, Schmeichel picked up the most titles (five). 

The Manchester United legend is also the only goalkeeper to have won PFA Player of the Year award. 

Right-back: Gary Neville 

The one-club man won eight Premier League titles, more than any other defender nominated. 

Fellow right-backs Kyle Walker and Cesar Azpilicueta may be slightly fresher in fans' memories thanks to their current service to Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, but Neville's energy, spirit and quality at both ends of the field shone through time after time under Sir Alex Ferguson and earned him 49.4% of the vote in this poll. 

Centre-back: Rio Ferdinand

So often found alongside Gary Neville in a relentlessly dominant Manchester United side, Ferdinand's composure and elegance in possession stood out. 

His 504 appearances are the most of any of the defenders nominated and he also bagged five titles in his career, most of them in partnership with the uncompromising Nemanja Vidic. 

Jaap Stam, Sol Campbell and Tony Adams narrowly missed out on this team as a result. 

Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk

Van Dijk has earned 41.5% of the vote to see off John Terry (29.4%), Nemanja Vidic (19.3%) and Vincent Kompany (9.8%) for a spot alongside Ferdinand. 

Despite being the least experienced of the quartet and having just one title to his name, the consistency of Liverpool's backline over the last few seasons means the Dutchman is likely to be in contention for several more Premier Leagues over the coming seasons. 

Left-back: Ashley Cole

No surprises here. Ashley Cole's guile in attack and positional brilliance make him one of the most complete full-backs in the history of world football. 

His star quality wasn't mirrored by the amount of silverware he amassed, but he was part of the iconic Invincibles side. 

Patrice Evra and Denis Irwin were a distant second and third respectively in the poll.

Midfielder: Patrick Vieira

The rangy Frenchman was fierce in the tackle, a master of regaining possession and the instigator of counter-attacks, also possessing a blistering shot.

Remembered best for his era-defining rivalry with Roy Keane in the middle of the park, he would have won far more than three titles were it not for the indomitable Red Devils. 

In this narrow midfield three, Vieira (41.4%) beat Gerrard (35.6%) to the spot, with David Silva (15.1%) and David Beckham (7.9%) trailing in third and fourth respectively. 

Midfielder: Steven Gerrard

Gerrard comfortably saw off competition from Yaya Toure, Ryan Giggs and Cesc Fabregas for this place in our team.

Undoubtedly the best player never to win a Premier League title, his character and love for Liverpool dragged the Reds to wins that looked impossible to achieve. 

Now carving out a career in the dugout in England with Aston Villa, Gerrard's determination to succeed is still clearly evident. 

Midfielder: Kevin De Bruyne

One of the most spellbinding passers of a football in Premier League history, De Bruyne has been the lynchpin of a Manchester City side that has won four titles in the past five seasons under Pep Guardiola. 

Extroardinarily consistent, the 31-year-old shares the record for the most Premier League assists in a single season with Thierry Henry (20). 

As a result of the Belgian's inclusion in this team, Vieira's arch-nemesis Keane misses out, as does Lampard and N'Golo Kante. 

Forward: Mohamed Salah

The twinkle-toed Egyptian saw off Cristiano Ronaldo for a place in the front three (42.9% to 38.6%) and currently the shares the record with the Portuguese for the most goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season (31). 

The 30-year-old's mazy dribbling, lightning-quick movement, ability to link the play and calmness in front of goal have all been significant assets to Jurgen Klopp, and he is now under contract until 2025 having signed a new deal this summer.

Didier Drogba and Dennis Bergkamp were the other star names to miss the cut. 

Forward: Alan Shearer

Impossible to leave out. The Newcastle hero spearheaded one of football's great underdog stories, helping Blackburn win the Premier League before returning to Tyneside and breaking Jackie Milburn's record of 200 goals for the Magpies. 

Shearer has 260 Premier League goals - by far the most - and won the competition's Golden Boot for three years running from 1994/95 to 1996/97.

In a supremely high-quality group of nominees, Wayne Rooney, Sergio Aguero and Andy Cole miss out. 

Forward: Thierry Henry

Received the highest proportion of votes for any player (79%). Henry's searing pace scared the life out of defenders, with his trickery and impudence often leaving opponents red-faced. 

A specialist at spotting weakness, his ability to play through the middle and out wide proved invaluable for Arsene Wenger, and he would no doubt have threatened Shearer's league goals record had he not left for Barcelona at the age of 29. 

Eric Cantona, Harry Kane and Michael Owen were the other candidates who fell a long, long way short of the Frenchman.