Sergio Aguero, Paul Scholes, Vincent Kompany, Didier Drogba, Ian Wright and Peter Schmeichel have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
They join Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira as the latest players to become part of the Premier League’s Hall of Fame, taking the total up to 16.
The decision to select these players was based on a public online vote and the Premier League Awards Panel, with the Hall of Fame recognising the best players to have graced the league since its inception in 1992.
Former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes came through at Old Trafford as part of the famous Class of ’92, which included David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt.
He won the Premier League 11 times with United under Sir Alex Ferguson, before calling time on his career at the same time as his manager in 2013, scoring 107 goals in 499 Premier League appearances.
“It’s a special feeling to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame along with so many fantastic players who have already been voted in and with the players who are being named today,” said Scholes.
Sergio Aguero left Manchester City in 2021 as the highest scoring overseas player in Premier League history, with 184 goals in just 275 appearances over a 10-year period in which he won five league titles.
The 33-year-old former Argentina international, who retired from professional football due to a heart condition earlier this season, is also City’s all-time leading scorer on 260 goals in 390 appearances.
Didier Drogba won the Premier League four times over two spells at Chelsea, as he built a reputation for himself as a man for the big occasion.
The former Ivory Coast international, who won the Golden Boot in 2006/07 and 2009/10, amassed 104 goals in 254 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
“It is a real honour for me to have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame,” said Drogba. “My years with Chelsea were so special to me, and I’m incredibly proud of everything we won as a team.
Vincent Kompany spent 11 seasons at Manchester City and played a vital role in transforming the club into a title-winning force, lifting the Premier League four times during his spell at the Etihad.
The defender, who joined City in 2008, was named Premier League Player of the Season in 2011/12 as he captained the side to their first Premier League trophy in a closely fought title race with rivals Manchester United.
Ian Wright was a prolific goalscorer for Arsenal and helped the club win the Premier League for the first time in 1997/98. It was the same season in which he became the Gunners’ all-time leading scorer, a record now held by Thierry Henry.
Wright, who was the Gunners’ top scorer six seasons in a row, finished his Premier League career after spells with Arsenal and West Ham with 113 Premier League goals in 213 appearances
“It’s a real privilege to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Wright
Former Manchester United shot-stopper Peter Schmeichel becomes the first goalkeeper inducted into the Hall of Fame after winning the Premier League in five of his seven seasons at Old Trafford.
Schmeichel kept 128 clean sheets in 310 Premier League appearances and remains the only goalkeeper to have won the Premier League Player of the Year for the 1995/96 campaign.
BREAKING | Sergio Aguero, Paul Scholes, Vincent Kompany, Didier Drogba, Ian Wright and Peter Schmeichel have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame 👏 pic.twitter.com/X138uKSRnL
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 21, 2022
The Premier League Hall of Fame launched in 2021, with Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer the inaugural inductees. David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Eric Cantona, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, and Frank Lampard soon followed to complete the ‘Class of 2021’
