Micah Richards and Alan Shearer choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry while naming greatest ever PFA Players’ Player of the Year award winners

Micah Richards and Alan Shearer choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry
Micah Richards and Alan Shearer choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry

Premier League legends Alan Shearer and Micah Richards have both placed Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry in the top-three of their greatest ever PFA Players' 'Player of the Year' winners.

Speaking on the Match of the Day Top-10 podcast (as per The Mail), former England forward Shearer chose Ronaldo as his Number 1 pick, with Henry in second and himself third. Richards selected Henry for the top spot, with Shearer second and Ronaldo third.

All three Premier League greats have won the award twice, with Cristiano Ronaldo picking up the honor in 2007 and 2008. He was also only the second player to win the main award and the 'Young Player of the Year' in the same season (2006-07) after Andy Gray in 1977.

The Manchester United forward is the most recent player to cross the 100 Premier League goal mark and has won the league title three times. He was also the last player to win the Ballon d'Or while playing for an English side, which he did in 2008.

The Red Devils have endured a miserable season since the legendary forward returned, although the 37-year-old has netted 24 times in 38 appearances since his summer move from Juventus.

Ex-Manchester City full-back Richards selected Henry as his number one choice. The Frenchman is still idolized by Arsenal fans for his eight-season spell in English football which saw him score 175 top-flight goals.

Henry has since had a statue built of him outside the Emirates Stadium, and remains the highest goalscorer in the Gunners' history.


Richards and Shearer name top 10 PFA Player of the Year winners, including Cristiano Ronaldo

Shearer, who is the Premier League's all-time record goalscorer with 260, named Kevin De Bruyne as his fourth-best winner. The City maestro has won two previous awards and will surely be a contender to win it again this year.

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard rounded off the Newcastle icon's top-five. Richards named Reds duo Mohamed Salah and Luis Suarez in fourth and fifth respectively.

Richards completed his top 10 with De Bruyne in sixth, Wayne Rooney in seventh, Eric Cantona in eighth, Gerrard in ninth and Tottenham Hotspur legend Gareth Bale in 10th.

Shearer, who was given the same list of players as Richards, also plumped for Bale at 10. He placed Suarez in ninth, Rooney in eighth, Salah in seventh and Cantona in sixth.

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