Thread by @OliverKay

Starting on July 28 on @TheAthleticUK @TheAthletic, it's ... The Premier League 60, counting down the greatest players of the Premier League era.
The project is explained here, along with a few disclaimers before we start ... theathletic.com/1938977/

@TheAthleticUK @TheAthletic We start with @GeorgeCaulkin on Les Ferdinand theathletic.com/1947390/2020/0…
"Ferdinand had everything you'd want in a centre-forward. But what set him apart was the hang time, the way he took to the air and then stayed up there, as if the world had stopped turning, just for him" #PL60

@TheAthleticUK @TheAthletic Next, it’s @Zonal_Marking on Jamie Carragher theathletic.com/1949368/2020/0…
“He was unfortunate to be around at a time when English football was blessed with top-class centre-backs. Yet even then, there were periods when Carragher evidently played better than his rivals” #PL60 @Carra23

@TheAthleticUK @TheAthletic @Zonal_Marking @Carra23 Today it’s @jacklang on Carlos Tevez. A hugely talented, abrasive street footballer who was “a pleasure to play with and, on occasion, a nightmare to manage.” How many players had such a positive impact at three different PL clubs? theathletic.com/1956564/2020/0… #WHUFC #MUFC #MCFC #PL60

Next up, David De Gea. So many errors over the past 2 yrs, but he was by far the best keeper in the PL over the 7 yrs before that. Here's @mattpyzdrowski with a great technical analysis of De Gea's brilliant best .... and alarming recent slump theathletic.com/1957813/2020/0… #PL60 #MUFC

Jürgen Klinsmann is one of those where I thought ... “Really??”

But after reading this tribute from @honigstein, I’m far more accepting of the idea. His impact *in* the Premier League was fairly short-lived, but his impact *on* the league was huge #PL60

theathletic.com/1959697/2020/0…

Next up in the Premier League 60, it’s Gary Neville profiled by @DTathletic
theathletic.com/1935935/2020/0…
“Maybe those throw-ins against the gymnasium wall weren’t his idea of fun, but a player knowing what it took to make the absolute best of himself” @TheAthleticUK @GNev2 #MUFC #PL60

One thing we don't want with our #PL60 series is for people to get bogged down in fruitless debates about the rankings. Just enjoy the writing. And I defy anyone (whether or not he makes their top 60) not to enjoy this on Paolo Di Canio by @JamesHorncastle
theathletic.com/1965706/2020/0…

Next up, it's Teddy Sheringham by @AndyMitten.
"Asked for three words which summed him up, he said, 'Competitive. Content ... And I’m sure most Gooners can think of another word beginning with C ... '"
Such a good player, though, wherever he went
theathletic.com/1965275/2020/0… #PL60

Today in #PL60 it's Sol Campbell, profiled by @gunnerblog
"Being Sol Campbell hasn’t always been easy, but that shouldn’t alter our perception of one of English football’s finest defenders"
Couldn't agree more. Outstanding defender for clubs and country
theathletic.com/1962560/2020/0…

.@JackPittBrooke on @lukamodric10, who seemed far too frail to be a late-2000s Premier League midfielder.
But he thrived - "not out wide or as a No 10, but right in the middle of the pitch, as the scampering heart and brain of Harry Redknapp’s 4-4-2" theathletic.com/1953233/2020/0… #PL60

"To paraphrase a science-fiction film, he rarely looked like he was trying to score. He just scored. In fact, he often only scored."
Lovely piece by @Ankaman616 on the ruthless Ruud van Nistelrooy for our Premier League 60 series #PL60 #MUFC @RvN1776 theathletic.com/1949694/2020/0…

Lovely piece on Robin van Persie @Persie_Official by @SarahShepSport for our Premier League 60 series.
@rmeulensteen1: "Robin was a sprinter, he was a glider. The timing of his runs was inch-perfect and his left foot was just phenomenal" #AFC #MUFC #PL60
theathletic.com/1976774/

Catching up with @TheAthleticUK Premier League 60, it’s @Zonal_Marking on the wonderfully talented Robert Pires. “He was elegant without being athletic. He didn’t look quick in isolation — only when you realised how easily he breezed past opponents” #PL60 theathletic.com/1971132/2020/0…

And @mattpyzdrowski on Edwin van der Sar. “He sometimes slips under the radar. Whether it’s because of his personality or the way he made things look so easy for as long as he did, we shouldn’t forget just how special he was” @vdsar1970 #FFC #MUFC theathletic.com/1980798/2020/0…

@mattpyzdrowski @vdsar1970 .@domfifield on Claude Makelele for Premier League 60: "In a team of giants, up and down the spine, Makelele went about his duties unnoticed. And yet everything revolved around his metronomic contribution" #CFC #PL60 theathletic.com/1923878/

.@JamesTMaw: “For Southampton — relegation-scrapping, Ali Dia-signing Southampton, with their wonky stand — to have a household name of such match-winning genius made @mattletiss7 more than just the star of the team. He was the star of the city” #PL60 theathletic.com/1984657/2020/0…

Next up, it’s @JamesMilner — and the journey from spotty kid in a tattered tracksuit to Mr Dependable.
“He knew exactly what they were thinking. ‘Look at the state of him!’ ‘Is that tramp the kid who’s just scored two goals in the Premier League?!’” theathletic.com/1938924/2020/0… #PL60

.@TheAthleticUK Premier League 60 continues with @mwalker2771 on David Ginola, whose flamboyant skills at Newcastle & Tottenham (not so much Villa & Everton) reflected the changing face of English football in the mid/late 90s @teamginola #NUFC #THFC #PL60 theathletic.com/1986078/

"I’m not saying I was like Messi or Ronaldo, but I wasn’t afraid to try things that were out of the ordinary"
Next up, it's @Robbie9Fowler, whose prodigious talent saw him score 83 PL goals in his first four seasons before injuries took their toll #PL60 theathletic.com/1938926/

A month on, just belatedly resuming this countdown. Amazing that any player can go from non-league football at 25 to Premier Lge at 27. Now he has 103 PL goals. And counting.
It's ... Jamie Vardy by his ghostwriter @stujames75 #LCFC #PL60 theathletic.com/1988595/2020/0…

.@mwalker2771 on Gary Speed, a wonderful player for #LUFC #EFC #NUFC #BWFC #SUFC :flag-wales:. "Tragically, Gary Speed the ultimate pro, the team leader, the gregarious, generous & demanding team-mate, was also Gary Speed the most private individual" #PL60 theathletic.com/1991229/2020/0…

"Extraordinary skill requires extraordinary evidence, otherwise you might not be as good as the stats suggest. Herethe extraordinary evidence is there for all to see." @Worville crunches the numbers of Virgil van Dijk. (Best not to mention yesterday) #PL60 theathletic.com/1991423/2020/0…

@Worville "There's no doubt he belongs in this company. At 25 he is already a Premier League great. The only thing to be determined is how high up this list he will be at the end of his career." @SamLee on Raheem Sterling #LFC #MCFC #PL60 theathletic.com/1993594/2020/0…

"A footballing genius who’s larger than life, but small enough to touch. By the time he's finished with the Premier League, he is sure to become a modern-day legend." @Ankaman616 on Sadio Mane #SaintsFC #LFC #PL60 theathletic.com/1985989/2020/0…

"He had a sensational career, in the top one per cent of the top one per cent. And yet, imagine how good he *could* have been … ."
@NickMiller79 on how Michael Owen, oh so briefly but oh so spectacularly, took English and world football by storm theathletic.com/1993481/2020/0…

@NickMiller79 "It reads like a riddle: What takes up minimal space but leaves a vast, unfillable hole when it’s no longer there?
The answer? N’Golo Kante." @SarahShepSport on the midfield dynamo who transformed two teams into PL champions in consecutive seasons #PL60 theathletic.com/1996272/2020/0…

@NickMiller79 "Maybe we should just cut to the chase here: I struggle to like the man. I don’t like what comes with his brilliance."

Note that word brilliance, by the way. It's covered extensively. As it the other stuff. (File this one under "warts-and-all") #LFC #PL60 theathletic.com/1965799/2020/0…

@NickMiller79 "His story is about more than just natural ability. It's about a player totally dedicated to making himself the best he can be. Some players are born great, but Kane has achieved greatness through force of will." @JackPittBrooke on Harry Kane #THFC #PL60 theathletic.com/1993859/2020/0…

@NickMiller79 Loved this one by @gunnerblog on the making of Cesc Fabregas, who went on to win trophies with Barcelona, Chelsea and Spain, but was arguably at his most brilliant at Arsenal. An evil shot with a pizza too, allegedly 🍕 #PL60 theathletic.com/1999784/2020/0…

"For the rest of the game, he's in full rampage mode. He is liberated, elevated; the game’s best midfielder is now its best attacker, too. He's unplayable, a tired defender’s worst nightmare." @jacklang on Yaya, Yaya Yaya, Yaya Yaya, Yaya Yaya Toure #PL60 theathletic.com/1995706/2020/0…