Newly crowned Barclays Premier League champions Manchester United provide the core of the Barclays Premier League team of the decade as chosen by current top flight managers, with no fewer than six current or former players selected as the best in their positions over the last ten years.
To mark the completion of a decade as the title sponsors of the Premier League, Barclays, which also sponsors the League Managers’ Association, asked Barclays Premier League managers to pick their strongest eleven over the last ten years.
Newly retired Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is a firm favourite in goal with 53 per cent of respondents choosing him over Chelsea’s Petr Cech (33 per cent).
Ashley Cole is the first of three Chelsea players selected gaining 73 per cent of the vote as left back, ahead of Manchester United’s Patrice Evra (27 per cent). Manchester United’s Gary Neville secured the right back position with 60 per cent of the vote.
Chelsea captain John Terry received 40 per cent of votes at centre back with 2010/11 Barclays Player of the Season Nemanja Vidic joining him (27 per cent) in a formidable pairing in central defence. Rio Ferdinand received 20 per cent.
Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs was the choice on the left side of midfield with 87 per cent of the votes, with former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo (67 per cent) beating another Red Devils’ legend, David Beckham (27 per cent), to the right flank position. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard (33 per cent) is the only non-United player in midfield, topping an outstanding shortlist of candidates to partner Paul Scholes (23 per cent) in the middle of the pitch.
Up front, Chelsea’s Didier Drogba (23 per cent) and former Newcastle United star Alan Shearer (23 per cent) were the joint favourites of the managers, beating off competition from Thierry Henry (17 per cent), Wayne Rooney (20 per cent) and Dennis Bergkamp (10 per cent).
The Barclays Premier League managers’ team in full:
Goal keeper – Edwin van der Sar (Fulham & Manchester United)
Left Back – Ashley Cole (Arsenal & Chelsea)
Right Back – Gary Neville (Manchester United)
Centre Back - Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
Centre Back – John Terry (Chelsea)
Left Midfield – Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
Right Midfield – Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Central Midfield – Paul Scholes (Manchester United)
Central Midfield - Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Centre Forward – Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
Centre Forward – Alan Shearer (Newcastle United)
Substitutes:
Petr Cech (Chelsea)
Patrice Evra (Manchester United)
Rio Ferdinand (Leeds United and Manchester United)
David Beckham (Manchester United)
Wayne Rooney (Everton and Manchester United)
Barclays Premier League managers chose Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2007/08 Manchester United side as the outstanding team of the decade, ahead of Arsenal’s 2003/04 ‘Invincibles’ and Jose Mourinho’s 2005/06 title winners.
The 2007/08 season, which saw United pip Chelsea to be Barclays Premier League Champions by two points and Roy Hodgson’s Fulham perform a miraculous escape from relegation, was rated as the most exciting campaign of the decade overall.
