Former England striker Wayne Rooney and former French winger Patrick Vieira will be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
The Englishman is the third-most-assisted player in the competition (103) and the second-highest scorer, with 208 goals in 491 games, behind Alan Shearer, who was the first Englishman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Rooney made his Everton debut at the age of 16 and his first goal, scored in the last minute of the game, secured the victory for the toffees 2-1 over Arsenal de Vieira. The former striker arrived at Manchester United at the age of 18 and there he was a five-time Premier League champion and once a European Champions League champion.
Retired since last year, he is the top scorer in the club’s history (253 goals) and the England national team (53 goals). Today, he is the coach of Derby County, in the second division of the English Championship, and is trying to negotiate his stay at the club, which is experiencing serious financial problems and has even been punished by withdrawing points.
Patrick Vieira, on the other hand, has his history in the Premier League linked to the passage of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, becoming an absolute reference among defensive midfielders.
The Frenchman played 307 games and won three titles with the Gunners, one of them historic and unbeaten, in a campaign with 26 wins and 12 draws in the 2003-2004 season. After five years in Italy, he returned to the English in 2011 to defend Manchester City, the club for which he retired. He is currently the coach of Crystal Palace, which is in the FA Cup semi-finals.
“To be here, with the best players in the Premier League, the best league in the world, surpasses anything I had imagined. Having my name next to these players makes me proud and makes me realize what a good player I was”, commented the former midfielder.
In addition to Rooney and Vieira, six other players will be chosen by online voting from among 25 names to be inducted into the Hall of Fame before the end of the year.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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