Best Premier League XI Ever

Centre Mid: Roy Keane

Whether it’s Lampard or Gerrard getting picked in one central position, it was impossible to look past Roy Keane for the other. With Terry, Kompany and one of the forwards all being some of the Premier League’s most formidable captains, this XI isn’t short of leaders.

Still, Keane’s steel in the middle of the park couldn’t be overlooked. He wasn’t the most entertaining player to watch nor the best centre midfielder in possession - not even in the top ten or arguably twenty in those categories.

As a ball winner who dominated the game and symbolised the classic Premier League style, Keane demanded to be included. English football has caught up with its continental rivals recently, but Keane is a throwback to the British bulldog spirit... even though he’s Irish, not British.

Keane’s teammate Paul Scholes and longtime rival Patrick Vieira are unlucky to miss out here, along with Man City trio Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Yaya Toure. N’Golo Kante and Claude Makelele are in the Keane mould, but they can’t depose him.

Xabi Alonso, along with Scholes, was possibly the most technically gifted Premier League player ever, but no one sums up the league’s trademark grit like Roy Keane.