Wayne Rooney of Manchester United and Patrick Vieira of Arsenal were welcomed into the Premier League Hall of Fame on Wednesday. The inductees became the 9th and 10th players to join the Hall of Fame list.
Rooney, who is presently the manager of Derby County in the Championship, is the second-highest goal scorer in Premier League history, with 208 goals for Manchester United and Everton.
Recently, the 36-year-old was linked to the Everton job, which was eventually taken up by his England teammate Frank Lampard. On being introduced in the Premier League Hall of Fame, Wayne Rooney said
“It’s a huge honour for me to be named in the Premier League Hall of Fame, alongside an incredible group of players who have already been inducted,”
The former Man United player further added saying
“Growing up, I watched the Premier League as far back as I can remember. My dream was always to become a professional footballer, score goals, and win trophies and I was lucky enough to win the Premier League five times.”
“I have so many brilliant memories from my years playing for Everton and Manchester United and I’m really proud of what we achieved.”
Meanwhile, Vieira, who is now the manager of Crystal Palace, played 307 times in the Premier League, winning it three times, notably as captain of the Arsenal “Invincibles,” the only squad to win the title without losing a game.
The 45-year-old said
“To be there with the best players in the Premier League, the best league in the world, is bigger than what I was ever thinking about. To have my name around those players makes me proud and makes me realise how good I was.”
Who are the other inductees in the Premier League Hall of Fame till now ?
The PL Hall of Fame honours the best players who have adorned the league since its inception in 1992.
So far there have been a total of 10 players who have registered their name in the honourable list.
- David Beckham
- Steven Gerrard
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Frank Lampard
- Roy Keane
- Eric Cantona
- Thierry Henry
- Alan Shearer.
- Wayne Rooney
- Patrick Vieira
On the occasion of introducing Ex-England & Ex-French international in the Hall of Fame, Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive said
“Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira are two of the finest players to have played in their respective positions and are worthy additions to the eight players who entered the Hall of Fame last year.”
Rooney and Vieira are the first two 2022 inductees, with a public vote set to begin on Wednesday to choose another six from a shortlist of 25 former players.
