The Premier League has announced their Hall of Fame has nearly doubled with several new additions, including Paul Scholes and Didier Drogba – but none from Liverpool.
Patrick Vieira and Wayne Rooney were revealed as the ninth and 10th inductees in March, are are now joined by a further six.
Former Manchester United midfielder Scholes and ex-Chelsea striker Drogba are the headline new faces.
Paul Scholes leads six nominees into the Premier League Hall of Fame announced on Thursday
Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is also among the headline names added to the list
Also inducted are Scholes’ erstwhile team-mate, the Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, Manchester City pair Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany, plus iconic former Arsenal striker Ian Wright.
Scholes said: ‘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. I feel lucky and privileged.’
Drogba added: ‘It is a real honour for me to have been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. My years with Chelsea were so special to me, and I’m incredibly proud of everything we won as a team. I’m in the Hall of Fame with some of those great players I played alongside and against, which makes me very proud.’
Wright tweeted: ‘Hall of Raasclart Fame you know,’ followed by: ‘You have to remember that for the majority of my football journey, I never thought I’d become a professional footballer. So to do that, enjoy the times I had with fans and teammates and now to receive this accolade, is a true honour. I feel really humbled and grateful.’
Schmeichel said: ‘I’m very honoured. When I was a kid in Denmark I used to fall asleep to this dream of playing for Manchester United. The team I was part of was so good that winning the Premier League once was special, but we felt we had to retain it to prove ourselves and it was a dream come true for me to win five titles.’
Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany (centre) and Sergio Aguero (front, second left) are added
Ex-Arsenal star Ian Wright (left) and ex-Manchester United icon Peter Schmeichel (right) are in
The half-dozen new nominees were chosen via a public online vote and selections from the Premier League Awards Panel.
The recipients of the prestigious award – considered the highest individual honour given to players – will all be officially honoured at an event in London on Thursday evening.
All players in question receive a medallion engraved with their name and the year of their induction, with a £10,000 donation made by the Premier League to a charity of their choice.
Wright said in a statement: ‘It’s a real privilege… now to receive this accolade, is a true honour. I feel really humbled. This recognition is a special reminder to appreciate the journey, the hard work and getting over the doubts I had.’
Wayne Rooney (left) and Patrick Vieira (right) were announced as 2022 nominees in March
Eight inductees were named as part of the inaugural group when the gong was launched in 2021.
Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Dennis Bergkamp and David Beckham made up the octet.
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: ‘The latest additions to our Hall of Fame were all world-class players who entertained fans around the world and helped to define different eras of the Premier League.
‘I congratulate them on receiving the honour and thank those who voted for their favourite players. We now have 16 incredible inductees in the Premier League Hall of Fame and I look forward to seeing who will follow them in years to come.’
