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Right-winger: Cristiano Ronaldo
We're now entering the territory of superstardom and Cristiano Ronaldo was certainly one of the biggest attractions in the Premier League during his Manchester United stint. He came to England as a young boy from Sporting Lisbon with an ambition to become the best player in the world and that became very obvious in his time at Old Trafford.
He set himself on the road to becoming the best player he could be and knew he had the power and the ability to pull it off - nothing was going to get in his way! He loved the spotlight and the stardom that came with it and almost fed off it to produce the Cristiano Ronaldo show whenever he could. I don't like to say things like this lightly and I don't mean to disrespect the rest of his teammates, but once he began to mature, it got to a stage where he was winning games on his own. Ronaldo knew that he could turn it on whenever he wanted to and grab the game by the scruff of the neck by doing something outrageous.
He was a raw talent when he arrived and Sir Alex Ferguson allowed him to do whatever he wanted within the boundaries of the game, much like Eric Cantona. As the years went by, he began delivering magic week in and week out and in turn, his ego began to grow. Ronaldo's showmanship matured at Manchester United and he took it onto another level at Real Madrid - he polished his career progressively and added a shine to his game due to his desire to reach the highest level.
We've all heard stories of his long training sessions and the work he does behind the scenes to look after himself - no wonder he's still going strong at the age of 36! He wasn't at his best at Euro 2020 but wow, he scored five goals and cemented his legendary status on the international stage.
I'm a Lionel Messi man, but I have immense respect for Cristiano Ronaldo and you just can't ignore what he's done over the years. David Beckham is another player I enjoyed watching, so he deserves a special mention.
Central midfield: Roy Keane
I can't remember which game it was because it was so many years ago, but I was working for an Irish Radio station at the time and was sent pitchside to conduct a few player interviews after the game. Roy Keane was hailed as the biggest midfield talent since Liam Brady and was still a young lad, so I decided not to interview him. Next thing you know, he came over and almost berated me by asking why I didn't offer to interview him - that was my first little flavor of Roy Keane the character! He was a fearsome competitor and a bold guy who didn't tolerate anything he didn't like. He just wanted results and didn't really care how his team won - he operated in a world of "cannot lose."
He was a very good passer of the ball and exuded infectious energy that rubbed off on the rest of his teammates - you just had the belief that if Roy Keane played, everything was going to be okay. The levels he demanded were an extension of Sir Alex Ferguson - he ruled by fear and affected everyone in a positive way.
I remember the UEFA Champions League semi-final against Juventus in 1999 and he was absolutely incredible in the second leg. That was a seriously good Juventus side, but Keane produced a performance for the ages and pretty much ran the show for Manchester United. He picked up a yellow card and ended up missing the final along with Paul Scholes, but Manchester United came from two goals down to win the tie 3-2 and it was all driven by Keane, who also got his name on the scoresheet that night!
He had the biggest heart you could ever want and threw himself at absolutely everything that came his way. Keane worked tirelessly for the team and obviously that changed a little bit as he got older, but he wouldn't let you get away with it if you didn't deliver what he wanted. Patrick Viera, his adversary, was another incredible central midfield player, as was his former Manchester United teammate, Paul Scholes.
Central midfield: Steven Gerrard
Liverpool's Mr. Dynamic, Steven Gerrard, is one of the most sumptuous passers I've had the pleasure of watching in the Premier League. Imagine a midfield of Roy Keane and Steven Gerrard - they'd have complemented each other perfectly! Anything Keane couldn't do, Gerrard excelled at. He led by example in the big moments and just raised his game when his team needed him.
Unlike many other players, he didn't play in great teams. He carried Liverpool teams over the years by producing a standard that few could match in world football. Paul Scholes loved a tackle but he wasn't particularly great in that aspect and Patrick Vieira's physicality was off the charts, but Gerrard had no issues with his game whatsoever.
Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson were both interested in acquiring his services all those years ago, but he stayed on at his boyhood club and cemented his status as an all-time great. His love for Liverpool prevented him from winning more trophies, but he is up there with Kenny Dalglish as one of the greatest players in the club's decorated history based on which generation you're from.
When you look back at Gerrard's best goals for Liverpool, some of them are absolutely outrageous. The equalizer against West Ham United in the 2006 FA Cup final immediately comes to mind - I was there with my son that day and that's a goal I'll remember for a long, long time. His strike against Inter Milan at Anfield and the one he scored against Middlesbrough from almost near the halfway line were memorable goals as well - we could form a list and just keep on going! He must have problems deciding what his best goal is because there are so many to choose from, but that just goes to show how he was always the man for the big moments.
Gerrard could change games in a flash with a moment of magic and the Liverpool players who played alongside him are incredibly lucky, because they always knew that he would do something to turn the game on its head. When I played for Liverpool, we would often turn to Ian Rush and believe he would score when we needed him, which was pretty much the case with Gerrard in his prime.
What he's doing as a manager currently is basically something he has done throughout his career, which is upholding the lofty standards he has set for himself. He has basically brought Rangers back to the top after all their troubles and is making quite the impression as a bright young tactician.
Kevin De Bruyne is pushing closer these days - in two or three years, he could well be there! Another player who deserves a mention is Cesc Fabregas, who I thought could be a Ballon d'Or winner some day when he burst onto the scene at Arsenal. He was a sumptuous passer who was really smooth and calm on the ball - watching him play under Arsene Wenger was absolutely gorgeous.
Another player on my apology list is Frank Lampard, he's very unlucky not to be there on my team. He was a midfielder, but his finishing was incredible and he remains Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer, which is absolutely phenomenal considering the players they've had over the years.
Left-winger: Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs was one of the most exciting sights in the Premier League - he was fearless from a very young age and drew comparisons with the legendary George Best. Some of my mates were season ticket holders at Old Trafford and they used to go just to watch the Welshman explode on the left flank. Giggs had a lovely free running style that was a joy to watch and had no respect whatsoever for the defenders he came up against - he just ripped them apart!
The audience at Manchester United worshiped him and he was a treat to watch. He thrilled and entertained for more than two decades and developed into a central midfielder as the years went by. He wasn't the best midfielder and it goes without saying that he was better off as a winger, but he had the intelligence to adapt to a different position and was a lovely passer of the ball.
I admire him for being able to do that - he tried to change his game to keep up with the times, as opposed to staying in wide positions and attempting what he used to do in his prime. Giggs had a wonderful, natural flair to just bypass players in his younger days and also had the cleverness to extend his career by adapting to a central midfield position in his 30s.
With David Beckham, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, Manchester United were blessed with an embarrassment of riches. The variation across the four players is as good as it comes and they could pretty much deliver whatever was asked of them.
I was also a huge fan of Robert Pires. Thierry Henry naturally grabbed all the headlines at Arsenal, but Pires was an incredible player as well. He wasn't pacy, but his head was always up and he drifted inside to weave his magic. There was a craftiness and guile that stood out about him - he was a wonderfully clever player who could just drift past players with consummate ease.
Also Read: Paul Merson column - Ranking the 5 best managers in the Premier League right now
