Football League 100 Legends

The Football League 100 Legends is a list of 100 great association football players who played part or all of their professional career in English Football League and Premier League football.[1] The players were selected in 1998 by a panel of journalists, including veteran reporter Bryon Butler, and the list was intended to reflect the League's history by including players from throughout the preceding 99 seasons. The Football League also announced plans for a gala dinner later in the season at which surviving legends would receive a specially commissioned award.

Billy Bassett played for West Bromwich Albion in The Football League's first season

The list includes 34 players who began their playing careers before the Second World War, 37 who began their careers between the end of the war and 1980, and 29 whose professional careers began after that date. At the time of the list's publication, six of the legends were still active, all playing in the Premier League. The last of the players to play professionally was Ryan Giggs, who retired at the end of the 2013–14 season. All 100 of the legends played in The Football League except Dennis Bergkamp, who did not begin playing in England until after the Premier League replaced the Football League as the highest level of the English football league system in 1992.

At the time of its announcement, the Football League chief executive Richard Scudamore stated that the list was "almost impossible to better";[1] however, contributors to the BBC News website thought differently, providing many alternative suggestions.[2][a]

Legends

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A statue of Steve Bloomer, who was honoured for his career with Derby County and Middlesbrough before the First World War
 
A statue of Wilf Mannion, whose career spanned either side of the Second World War
 
A statue of Duncan Edwards, who died at the age of 21 in the Munich air disaster
Name[3][4] Football League/Premier League club(s) Career
  Billy Bassett West Bromwich Albion 1888–1899
  Archie Hunter Aston Villa 1888–1890
  John Goodall Preston North End, Derby County, New Brighton Tower, Glossop North End 1888–1904
  Steve Bloomer Derby County, Middlesbrough 1892–1915
  Billy Meredith Northwich Victoria, Manchester City, Manchester United 1893–1925
  Bob Crompton Blackburn Rovers 1896–1921
  William Foulke Sheffield United, Chelsea, Bradford City 1894–1908
  Alf Common Sunderland, Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Arsenal, Preston North End 1900–1915
  Sam Hardy Chesterfield, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest 1902–1926
  Bill McCracken Newcastle United 1904–1924
  Viv Woodward Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea 1908–1915
  Clem Stephenson Aston Villa, Huddersfield Town 1910–1930
  Charles Buchan Sunderland, Arsenal 1910–1929
  Elisha Scott Liverpool 1912–1934
  David Jack Plymouth Argyle, Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal 1919–1935
  Dixie Dean Tranmere Rovers, Everton, Notts County 1923–1939
  George Camsell Durham City, Middlesbrough 1924–1939
  Hughie Gallacher Newcastle United, Chelsea, Derby County, Notts County, Grimsby Town, Gateshead 1925–1939
  Harry Hibbs Birmingham 1925–1939
  Alex James Preston North End, Arsenal 1925–1938
  Eddie Hapgood Arsenal 1927–1939
  Cliff Bastin Exeter City, Arsenal 1927–1948
  Wilf Copping Leeds United, Arsenal 1930–1939
  Stanley Matthews Stoke City, Blackpool 1931–1966
  Ted Drake Southampton, Arsenal 1931–1939
  Joe Mercer Everton, Arsenal 1932–1954
  Raich Carter Sunderland, Derby County, Hull City 1932–1953
  Peter Doherty Blackpool, Manchester City, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Doncaster Rovers 1933–1954
  Frank Swift Manchester City 1933–1951
  Tommy Lawton Burnley, Everton, Chelsea, Notts County, Brentford, Arsenal 1935–1957
  Wilf Mannion Middlesbrough, Hull City 1936–1956
  George Hardwick Middlesbrough, Oldham Athletic 1937–1956
  Johnny Carey Manchester United 1937–1954
  Stan Mortensen Blackpool, Hull City, Southport 1938–1958
  Neil Franklin Stoke City, Hull City, Crewe Alexandra, Stockport County 1946–1958
  Trevor Ford Swansea City, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City, Newport County 1946–1961
  Nat Lofthouse Bolton Wanderers 1946–1961
  Tom Finney Preston North End 1946–1960
  Alf Ramsey Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur 1946–1955
  Len Shackleton Bradford (Park Avenue), Newcastle United, Sunderland 1946–1958
  Jimmy Dickinson Portsmouth 1946–1965
  Arthur Rowley West Bromwich Albion, Fulham, Leicester City, Shrewsbury Town 1946–1965
  Billy Liddell Liverpool 1946–1961
  Billy Wright Wolverhampton Wanderers 1946–1959
  Jackie Milburn Newcastle United 1946–1957
  John Charles Leeds United, Cardiff City 1948–1966
  Ivor Allchurch Swansea Town, Cardiff City, Newcastle United 1948–1968
  Danny Blanchflower Barnsley, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur 1948–1964
  Bert Trautmann Manchester City 1949–1964
  Jimmy McIlroy Burnley, Stoke City, Oldham Athletic 1950–1968
  Tommy Taylor Barnsley, Manchester United 1950–1958
  Cliff Jones Swansea Town, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham 1952–1970
  Johnny Haynes Fulham 1952–1970
  Duncan Edwards Manchester United 1953–1958
  Jimmy Armfield Blackpool 1954–1971
  Terry Paine Southampton, Hereford United 1956–1977
  Bobby Charlton Manchester United, Preston North End 1956–1975
  Jimmy Greaves Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United 1957–1971
  Denis Law Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, Manchester United 1956–1974
  Gordon Banks Chesterfield, Leicester City, Stoke City 1958–1973
  Dave Mackay Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County, Swindon Town 1958–1972
  Bobby Moore West Ham United, Fulham 1958–1977
  Alan Mullery Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur 1958–1976
  Geoff Hurst West Ham United, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion 1959–1976
  Nobby Stiles Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Preston North End 1959–1974
  Johnny Giles Manchester United, Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion 1959–1977
  Billy Bremner Leeds United, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers 1959–1982
  Frank McLintock Leicester City, Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers 1959–1977
  Alex Young Everton, Stockport County 1960–1969
  Martin Peters West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, Sheffield United 1960–1981
  Tommy Smith Liverpool, Swansea City 1962–1979
  Norman Hunter Leeds United, Bristol City, Barnsley 1962–1983
  Pat Jennings Watford, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal 1962–1985
  Alan Ball Blackpool, Everton, Arsenal, Southampton, Bristol Rovers 1962–1984
  Colin Bell Bury, Manchester City 1963–1979
  George Best Manchester United, Stockport County, Fulham, AFC Bournemouth 1963–1983
  Peter Shilton Leicester City, Stoke City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Derby County, Plymouth Argyle, Bolton Wanderers, West Ham United, Leyton Orient 1965–1997
  Ray Clemence Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur 1965–1988
  Malcolm Macdonald Fulham, Luton Town, Newcastle United, Arsenal 1968–1979
  Kevin Keegan Scunthorpe United, Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle United 1968–1984
  Trevor Francis Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday 1970–1995
  Graeme Souness Middlesbrough, Liverpool 1972–1984
  Liam Brady Arsenal, West Ham United 1973–1990
  Glenn Hoddle Tottenham Hotspur, Swindon Town, Chelsea 1974–1996
  Bryan Robson West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Middlesbrough 1974–1997
  Alan Hansen Liverpool 1977–1990
  Kenny Dalglish Liverpool 1977–1990
  Gary Lineker Leicester City, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur 1978–1993
  Ian Rush Chester City, Liverpool, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield United, Wrexham 1978–1999
  Ossie Ardiles Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Swindon Town 1978–1990
  Neville Southall Bury, Everton, Port Vale, Southend United, Stoke City, Torquay United, Bradford City 1980–2000
  Paul McGrath Manchester United, Aston Villa, Derby County, Sheffield United 1981–1998
  John Barnes Watford, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Charlton Athletic 1981–1999
  Tony Adams Arsenal 1983–2002
  Paul Gascoigne Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Middlesbrough, Everton, Burnley, Boston United 1985–2004
  Alan Shearer Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United 1987–2006
  Ryan Giggs Manchester United 1990–2014
  Eric Cantona Leeds United, Manchester United 1991–1997
  Peter Schmeichel Manchester United, Aston Villa, Manchester City 1991–2003
  Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal 1995–2006

References

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  1. ^ a b "Football legends unveiled". BBC. 4 August 1998. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Football Legends: What you think". BBC. 4 August 1998. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  3. ^ "Football Legends list in full". BBC Sport. 5 August 1998. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  4. ^ "THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE 100 LEGENDS". football-league.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2016.