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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" - Richard Masters, Premier League CEO.
It's been a long time coming but, finally, Premier League fans have got their wish - the top brass in charge of the world's richest league has agreed to introduce a Premier League Hall of Fame.
With almost a quarter of a century's worth of legendary talent to sift through, there is going to be some debate as to which players receive the dubious honor of being among the Hall's first list of inductees.
As far as eligibility is concerned, the inaugural ceremony will only induct players who have retired and only the players' performance in the Premier League will be considered, meaning Steven Gerrard's Champions League heroics (for example) are to be discounted.
Only 2 players will enter the Hall of Fame this year and here are our top picks for the first set of awards:
#1 Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United; Southampton in old English First Division)
Alan Shearer may not be able to take you on a tour through his club trophy cabinet; he only won the Premier League trophy once in 1994-95 with Blackburn Rovers, but, so far as personal accolades go, few can hold a torch to the man from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.
He won the Premier League's Golden Boot award 3 seasons in succession between 94-97 and is currently the division's all-time leading goalscorer, having chalked up 260 goals for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, and his hometown club of Newcastle United during his incredible career.
On top of that, Shearer can still claim to be the player who has the most Premier League hat-tricks (11), the most penalties scored (56), the most Premier League goals scored in a single match (5), and the fastest player to reach 100 goals (124 games).
The stats don't lie. The powerful center-forward dominated the league for a decade, and, in our opinion, it's only fitting that he is the first inductee into the Hall of Fame.
#2 Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
In many ways, Ryan Giggs is the exact opposite of Alan Shearer: his personal statistics don't perhaps jump off the page at you at first glance like Shearer's do, but, when you take a look at the trophies he's collected, it's surely just a matter of common sense to have the flying-Welshman inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Ryan Giggs played his entire career at Manchester United during the most successful era of their history, under the guidance of the most successful manager in their history. Together, they lifted more honors than any other player/manager combination in the history of the English game.
Giggs was part of United sides that lifted the Premier League in 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97, 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, and 2012-13 - that's 13 times!!
It's unlikely this trophy haul will ever be beaten and, because of that, Giggs must surely be the second inductee into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
What do you think of our picks? Is there someone we missed? Have your say in the comments section below.
