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Over the years, the Premier League has been the setting for some of the greatest endeavours of numerous superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and many more players. Even though many such stars have graced the Premier League and left a mark, the league and its fans would have loved to see many other active and now-retired world class players on English soil.So here are ten such players who we wish had played in the English Premier League.Honourable Mentions: Philipp Lahm, Roberto Carlos, Franck Ribery, Thiago Silva and Gianluigi Buffon
#10 Andres Iniesta
Iniesta is one of the best players to have come through Barcelona’s fabled La Masia academy and the little Spaniard has spent his entire playing career so far with the Catalan club. His ball control, balance, dribbling and agility combined makes him a very lethal player. His ability to easily dribble past multiple players is a treat to watch and it also leaves space for other players to exploit.
The Spaniard has already won everything he can with Barcelona on more than one occasion, so maybe it is time for him to think about new adventures and new challenges? Iniesta could follow in the footsteps of Bastian Schweinsteiger and move to England to prove his ability to adapt to the English game before he retires.
Most Suitable Club: The problem with Liverpool is that they haven’t always strengthened their squad equally well in all areas. Midfield has been one such area for a long period and that had left Gerrard with a lot of work to do in recent years. A player of Iniesta’s calibre and creativity would have helped Gerrard and Liverpool massively.
#9 Luis Figo
Luis Figo’s compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo is among the best players to have played in the Premier League and we would have loved to have Figo play in England as well. He started his career with Sporting in Portugal just like Ronaldo, but unlike the latter Figo moved directly to Spain.
The retired Portuguese International is famous for representing both Barcelona and Real Madrid during his best years, before moving to Italy to play for Internazionale, where he finished his career on a high.
The 42-year-old has won League titles with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Internazionale as well as the UEFA Champions League with Real in 2002. He was renowned for his skillful play, his dribbling ability, a mixed bag of tricks and brilliant crosses. His skillset is quite similar to Ronaldo’s, so there is no doubt that he would have settled into the Premier League quite easily.
Most Suitable Club: Figo would have been a great addition to Chelsea’s title-winning squads during Jose Mourinho’s first tenure. The Blues did have players like Arjen Robben and Joe Cole, but a player of his experience and quality could have made that side a Champions League winning team.
#8 Xavi
Although Xavi spent almost his entire career with Barcelona, there is nothing wrong in wishing that the Spaniard had graced the Premier League with his presence. Xavi is considered by many as the greatest midfielder of all time. This stems from his ability to find and exploit spaces which most midfielders wouldn’t spot with such relative ease. His pinpoint passing and his ball retention were key to Barcelona during its successful years in the last decade.
The veteran left Barcelona this summer to play in Qatar after winning eight league titles and four UEFA Champions League titles among other numerous club honours. In addition to this, he is also a two-time Euro winner and a World Cup champion with Spain.
Let’s hope that Xavi doesn’t enjoy the climate in Qatar and returns to Europe with a Premier League club before he calls it a day.
Most Suitable Club: Since Xavi is most famous for his passing technique, he would have easily been a great fit for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side.
#7 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the most recognizable faces in football along with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Swedish striker is known for his flamboyant and acrobatic style of play as well as his famous comments about himself.
Ibrahimovic is famous for moving from one club to another quite often as he has played for several top clubs across Europe. He played for Ajax in Netherlands before moving to Italy to play for Juventus and then Internazionale. He left Italy to play for Barcelona in 2009 before returning to Italy again, but this time with AC Milan and his adventures have currently taken him to France with PSG.
He has played for PSG for three seasons now and, going by his past record, it is time for him to move elsewhere and we hope that this time it will be to England to increase the viewer ratings of the league with his presence alone.
Most Suitable Club: When you think of English clubs who have always had great strikers, Manchester United comes to mind. Ibrahimovic would have been a great addition to the list and would have thrived in Sir Alex Ferguson’s 4-4-2 system.
#6 Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo is one of the finest midfielders of our generation and a player who has won the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League twice and six Serie A titles among other trophies. Although the Italian has not been gifted with pace, stamina or physicality, he has been praised for his touch, his flair, his dribbling ability, his close control, his creativity and vision.
To sum it up, he was an all-round technician and for this reason he has been nicknamed as “Maestro” or “Mozart” for his ability to orchestrate the game while sitting deep in midfield. His teammate Gianluigi Buffon even said that Pirlo is among the best players to have come from Italy.
Pirlo played for the fiercest rivals in Italy, namely, Internazionale, AC Milan and Juventus, before recently moving to the US to play for New York City FC in the MLS. The veteran was a target for many clubs outside Italy, but for varied reasons a move never materialized.
Most Suitable Club: Carlos Ancelotti openly admitted that he tried to bring Steven Gerrard to AC Milan to pair him up with Pirlo, but maybe Rafa Benitez should have brought Pirlo to Liverpool to see how the pairing would have worked. In the process he could have formed a midfield diamond comprising of Mascherano, Alonso, Pirlo and Gerrard!
#5 Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho is one of the most loved and respected footballers of our generation, even amongst the opposition fans. The Brazilian enjoyed the best years of his career in Spain while playing for Barcelona and during this period he even won the Ballon d’Or.
The 35-year-old played for clubs in his country, Brazil, and then for European clubs from France, Spain and Italy, before moving back to Brazil and most recently to Mexico.
Even though Ronaldinho was clearly past his best during his later years in Europe, he could have still been a great signing for many European clubs. Sadly, Ronaldinho left Europe in 2011 and has never returned, despite being linked with several moves every year.
The Brazilian would have set the Premier League alight with his skills on the ball, his dribbling and his vision – just like Cristiano Ronaldo did during his time at Manchester United.
Ronaldinho was subject to interest from Manchester City after their takeover in 2008 and the English club’s efforts to land the player ended in vain despite their best efforts and hefty wage offers.
Most Suitable Club: Ronaldinho turned down Manchester City to sign for AC Milan in 2008, but come to think of it, he would have received far more adoration in England than he would have at AC Milan as the Milan team was already full of stars unlike that City team.
#4 Kaka
Kaka was a treat to watch during his time in Serie A with AC Milan and some of his best Champions League performances have come against English opponents, most notably against Liverpool in the 2005 final and against Manchester United in the 2007 semi-final. During his peak years the Brazilian used to consistently provide defence-splitting passes, score from distance and was quick and agile – all traits that can make any midfielder succeed in the Premier League.
The former Ballon d’Or winner was subject to a bid from Premier League club Manchester City in 2009, but the move never materialized. Back in January 2009, City was ascending the league table thanks to the money invested by Sheikh Mansour and the Eastlands club made a then world record £91m bid to acquire Kaka.
However, Kaka was not interested in the hefty package City offered him and he stayed in Milan till the end of the 2008/09 season, before joining Real Madrid in the summer. City has been on the rise from thereon, but Kaka’s career went the opposite way after his move to Real Madrid.
Most Suitable Club: If Kaka had accepted the move to Manchester City back in 2009, then City would have built a team around him and he could have easily been the star of the club like he was at AC Milan.
#3 Ronaldo Nazario
Ronaldo Nazario or simply Ronaldo is regarded by many as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, striker to have played the beautiful game. If not for his injury-plagued career, El Fenomeno would have had a greater scoring record than he already possesses.
Many of the best strikers of today have gone on record to say that they have idolized the Brazilian and the most notable among the lot is Zlatan Ibrahimovic who even said that “There will never, in my view, be a better player than him.”
Back in his day, Ronaldo was setting new standards for strikers by being an individualistic attacker who could score as well assist his teammates. His incredible speed, technique and good physicality would have easily allowed him to settle into the Premier League.
Ronaldo played his trade with PSV in Netherlands, followed by multiple teams in Spain and Italy, before returning to his country and calling it a day.
Most Suitable Club: Jose Mourinho would have loved to have a striker like Ronaldo in his younger days due to his incredibly hardworking nature and his prowess in front of goal. Mourinho’s Chelsea and Ronaldo would have been a match made in heaven.
#2 Zinedine Zidane
The French wizard was named as the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll back in 2013, but we don’t need an award to know how amazing Zidane was as a player. He had an extremely successful career during which he has won almost everything he could at both club and international level, including the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Euro, the UEFA Champions League and multiple league titles.
It is well known that Zidane came very close to joining the Premier League in 1995 when he was linked with a move to Blackburn Rovers. The club’s owner Jack Walker turned down the chance to sign Zidane because his team already had Tim Sherwood!
Just imagine the combination of Zinedine Zidane and Alan Shearer playing for Blackburn Rovers under Kenny Dalglish? Mouthwatering, isn’t it? If only we had a time machine to undo the past, because Zidane’s mesmerizing first touch, his passes, his goals and his character would have made him an instant star in the Premier League.
Most Suitable Club: Sir Alex Ferguson was a huge admirer of Zidane and the Scot would have loved to have Zidane play for Manchester United along with Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. As if the United side from those days was not strong enough already.
#1 Lionel Messi
Many fans would love to see Lionel Messi play for a Premier League team so that he can answer many questions, including the most commonly asked one: “Can he do it on a cold, wet night in Stoke?”
Jokes aside, in the past many have asked if Messi would thrive in the Premier League considering the far more physical football the teams in England play. This question also stems from the fact that Messi’s greatest nemesis, Cristiano Ronaldo, was a huge success in the Premier League.
Messi’s record against English teams isn’t as good as it is against teams from other leagues and that’s probably why people doubt his ability to succeed in England. In 22 games against English teams in the Champions League, Messi has only scored 10 times. He hasn’t scored against Chelsea in eight attempts and against Liverpool in two attempts.
But he has been devastating against Arsenal with 6 goals in 4 games, of which four were scored in just one game. Messi has also scored two goals each against the Manchester teams and he scored one apiece in the Champions League finals of 2009 and 2011.
Come on, Leo. Move to England and cast all doubts aside and stamp your credentials as one of the greatest of all time.
Most Suitable Club: Messi thrives when his team plays a beautiful passing game and there is only one English club which comes to our mind in that case and that’s Arsenal. A player like Messi leading the current Arsenal line-up would make them a force to reckon with.
