The Premier League Hall of Fame commenced last year and is regarded the highest individual honour bestowed on any player in the League.
Two players are announced by the Panel, and then an online fan vote is conducted where six other players will be inducted alongside.
As part of the inaugural class of 2021, Alan Shearer & Thierry Henry were inducted. Fans were then allowed to vote six out of a 23-player shortlist to join the inductees:
Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, Steven Gerrard, and David Beckham were voted for by the fans.
Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira were last month announced as the first two inductees for the Year 2022.
Fans were then allowed to vote for six out of a 25-man shortlist:
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Sol Campbell, Andrew “Andy” Cole, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, Pete Cech, Patrice Evra, Teddy Sheringham, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure, Edwin Van der Sar, Gary Neville, Robin Van Piersie, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Ian Wright, John Terry, Matthew Le Tissier, Ashley Cole.
Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes and Ian Wright have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
CRITERIA
To be included, players must have made a minimum of 250 Premier League appearances unless they have achieved any of the following milestones:
Made a minimum of 200 Premier League appearances for one Club
Been selected to any of the Premier League Team of the Decade or 20-Year Anniversary teams
Won a Premier League Golden Boot or Golden Glove
Been voted as Premier League Player of the Season
Won three Premier League titles
Scored 100 Premier League goals or recorded 100 Premier League clean sheets (GK only).
This is the highest individual award to any player in the Premier League.
Congratulations to Ian Wright on being inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame!
Our legendary striker follows Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira in being honoured for his incredible performances in the top flight.
Some footballers are great goalscorers. Others are scorers of great goals. Wrighty was both.
Our legendary No.8 always found a way to find the net, whether it required a sumptuous 30-yard chip or a toe-poke from two yards. His repertoire of goals made him one of the finest – and most explosive – strikers to grace the English game. And, of course, he was a showman.
Wrighty joined us from Crystal Palace in September 1991 for a club-record £2.5 million, and instantly became a fans’ favourite, thanks to his unerring eye for goal and passion and pride for the club.
He was our top scorer six seasons in a row and, on September 13, 1997, eclipsed Cliff Bastin as our all-time record scorer – a feat only bettered by Henry.
Wrighty needed two goals against Bolton Wanderers on the day to set a new mark of 179. He netted a low drive after 20 minutes and, carried away in the moment, ripped off his shirt to reveal a T-shirt sporting the message ‘179 – Just Done It!’.
In fact, he had only equalled Bastin’s mark of 178 but, in typical Wrighty fashion, only had to wait five minutes before giving the T-shirt a more appropriate airing. A two-yard tap-in in front of an empty net was all it took to break the record.
Wrighty ended his final season at the club by winning the Premier League title, before joining West Ham United for a season. He netted a total of 113 Premier League goals in 213 appearances for the two clubs (104 in 191 for the Gunners).
On his induction into the Hall of Fame, Wrighty said: “It’s a real privilege to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame recognises and celebrates the exceptional skill and talent of individuals who have graced the Premier League since its inception in 1992.
Wrighty was selected by the public, through an online vote, and the Premier League Awards Panel, and will be formally honoured at an event in London on Thursday evening.
To be eligible for the Premier League Hall of Fame, players had to be retired by January 1, 2022, and only a player’s Premier League career was considered in their candidacy, not their performances in other competitions during the Premier League era.
All inducted players receive a medallion engraved with their name and the year of their induction, with a £10,000 donation made by the Premier League to a charity of their choice.
