Ranking the 5 greatest player rivalries in Premier League history

#3 Thierry Henry (Arsenal) vs Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United)

Ruud van Nistelrooy (left) and Thierry Henry led the line for their clubs in what was a glorious phase for football in the early 2000s.

Thierry Henry and Ruud van Nistelrooy locked horns several times during the pair's time in the Premier League. Their managers competed to be the league's best. Their teams competed for the coveted Premier League title, and the two engaged in fierce battles to win the Golden Boot award.

Henry arrived at Arsenal in 1998, and went on to make 258 appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners. The Frenchman scored 175 goals and provided a stunning 100 assists during that time. He ended his Arsenal career with a tally of 228 goals, finishing as their all-time top goalscorer.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, meanwhile, played in the Premier League for a much shorter duration. The Dutchman made 150 appearances for United in the league, scoring 95 goals and providing nine assists. He won one FA Cup and one Premier League title with United, rounding off the league-winning season with a Golden Boot for himself.

Van Nistelrooy was a consistent and prolific striker, and held the record for most consecutive games with at least one goal scored with ten games. It was broken and bettered by Jamie Vardy (11) for Leicester City in 2015, fittingly against Manchester United.

The pair lit up the Premier League with their goalscoring exploits as Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United engaged in several epic battles.

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#2 Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) vs Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are two of the greatest English midfielders to have played the game.

Rarely does one get the chance to witness such a long-drawn career rivalry between two players with near identical trajectories.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard played together in the Premier League for 17 seasons. While Gerrard played all of those seasons for Liverpool, Lampard represented West Ham and Manchester City, and had a long and legendary spell with Chelsea.

Gerrard played 504 Premier League games for the Reds, scoring 120 goals and assisting 100. Unfortunately, he never won the league title. However, Gerrard won two FA Cups, the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Champions League during his time with the club, cementing his spot in their history as a legend.

Frank Lampard, meanwhile, made a total of 609 appearances in the Premier League for his three clubs. He scored 177 goals and set up 124.

The Englishman won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, one UEFA Europa League and one UEFA Champions League title with Chelsea. Lampard is Chelsea's all-time top goalscorer with 211 goals in all competitions.

The pair was also part of the England squad for many years, but was unfortunate not to win any major honours for country. However, any football fan will remember the feeling one felt when commentators Peter Drury and Martin Tyler screamed one of the players' last names when the ball hit the back of the net.

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#1 Patrick Vieira (Arsenal) vs Roy Keane (Manchester United)

Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira always fought for their teammates and led from the front, even if that meant sacrificing themselves.

The rivalry between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira felt more than just two captains of two big clubs standing their ground. It felt like war. Rather, it was war.

Relentless in their dominant physical approach to the game, both players were combative midfielders who played box-to-box roles. Vieira made 307 appearances for Arsenal and Manchester City in the Premier League. He scored 31 goals and assisted 32. Keane, meanwhile, made 366 appearances in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest and Manchester United. He scored 39 goals and provided 25 assists.

The two faced off in several heated games between Arsenal and Manchester United in the late 1990s and early 2000s. On one occasion, they were even involved in a heated exchange in the tunnel before a game at Highbury.

Here is another clip of the pair fighting for the ball in an FA Cup clash between the Gunners and the Red Devils.

However, in a remarkable interview years later, the two seemed to be all smiles and full of respect for each other. They acknowledged what the game meant for both of them, as well as explained why they played how they did. Keane and Vieira also discussed the infamous tunnel bust-up during the clip. You can watch it below.

It is fiery when two big players from big teams come together and have a few words to say or a push here and a shove there. But to see two of the greatest captains in the history of the Premier League do it was different gravy.