Premier League Hall Of Fame Welcomes 9th & 10th Members In Wayne Rooney & Patrick Vieira
The Premier League Hall of Fame welcomed its ninth and 10th inductees on Wednesday.
Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira were added to a list that already included Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham.
Manchester United legend Rooney and Arsenal's former title-winning captain Vieira were voted in by fans from a shortlist of nominees.
Rooney is second on the EPL's all-time list of leading scorers with 208 goals - 52 fewer than Shearer.
Ex-England captain Rooney is also one of only four players to record more than 100 Premier League assists. He has 103, while the other members of the 100+ club are Ryan Giggs (162), Cesc Fabregas (111) and Lampard (102).
Rooney is a five-time Premier League winner, having helped United to title glory in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2013.
But he burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old at Everton where he scored his first Premier League goal in a 2-1 win over Arsenal in 2002.
Arsenal were the reigning champions back then and they were skippered by Vieira, who had arrived as a relative unknown six years earlier in 1996.
Wayne Rooney (left) and Patrick Vieira have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame
IMAGO/Paul Marriott
But by the time Vieira left the Gunners in 2005 every English football fan knew his name.
Vieira is regarded as one of the finest midfield enforcers ever to play in England, where he made 307 Premier League appearances, providing 31 goals and 34 assists.
He led Arsenal to the title in 1998, 2002 and 2004, when his side did not lose a single league game all season.
After leaving Arsenal in 2005, Vieira played in Italy with Juventus and Inter Milan before returning to England to end his career at Manchester City.
Premier League Hall of Fame
| Name | Teams | PL debut in | Final PL game in | PL games | PL goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alan Shearer | Blackburn and Newcastle | 1992 | 2006 | 441 | 260 |
Thierry Henry | Arsenal | 1999 | 2012 | 258 | 175 |
Eric Cantona | Leeds and Man United | 1992 | 1997 | 156 | 70 |
Roy Keane | Nottingham Forest and Man United | 1992 | 2005 | 366 | 39 |
Frank Lampard | West Ham, Chelsea and Man City | 1995 | 2015 | 609 | 177 |
Dennis Bergkamp | Arsenal | 1995 | 2006 | 315 | 87 |
Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 1998 | 2015 | 504 | 120 |
David Beckham | Man United | 1995 | 2003 | 265 | 62 |
Wayne Rooney | Everton and Man United | 2002 | 2018 | 491 | 208 |
Patrick Vieira | Arsenal and Man City | 1996 | 2011 | 307 | 31 |