Best Premier League XI Ever

Goalkeeper: Edwin Van Der Sar

There were a lot of candidates for goalkeeper in this lineup. Joe Hart, Petr Cech, Shay Given, David Seaman and David De Gea all threw their hat (or gloves) in the ring, but realistically it came down to Peter Schmeichel or Edwin Van Der Sar.

The Dutch stopper just got the nod over the Great Dane, for one important reason.

The majority of players here played for the league’s biggest clubs for most or all of their career; it’s what the big players tend to do. However, Van Der Sar did a fantastic job at Fulham for four seasons, before joining Man Utd. The signing was criticised at the time, as Van Der Sar was labelled a has been; he proved those doubters wrong very quickly, notching six fantastic seasons which saw him win the league four times.

In fairness, Schmeichel played for Villa and pre-money Man City, but this was in the twilight of his career, after his legacy was secure. He didn't really do anything at those lesser teams which would put him in contention for this list, while Van Der Sar's stint at Fulham would have put him in the running. Similarly, Shay Given was a contender despite a lack of big team experience.

Both would be comfortably at home in this team, but unfortunately there’s only one goalkeeper allowed.