Ex-Premier League stars and managers, who soared high during their careers would someday be inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame in recognition of their outstanding and heroic careers.
Three players, Rio Ferdinand, Petr Cech, and Tony Adams have joined the growing list of ex-Premier League players that have been inducted into the 2023 Premier League Hall of Fame. Futballnews takes a look at their career profiles.
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand, 44, started his Premier League career playing for West Ham United in 1995. Playing as a center-back, he made 127 appearances for the club, scoring 2 goals.
At West Ham, he was sent on a brief loan spell to Bournemouth, where he made 10 appearances for the club before returning to West Ham.
Ferdinand spent five years at the London club before he joined Leeds United in 2000. He spent two seasons with Leeds, making 52 appearances with 2 goals.
Ferdinand reached the zenith of his football career when he joined Manchester United from Leeds United in 2002.
Ferdinand joined Manchester United as the most expensive defender in the world after Leeds bagged £23.9m from the deal, including add-ons increasing it to £33.3m.
He was Sir Alex Ferguson’s top transfer target after his impressive performance with the Three Lions in 2002 World Cup.
Ferdinand signed a five year deal at Old Trafford and went on to win the Premier League title in his first season with the club.
He made 312 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring 7 goals. The former England star wrapped up his career at Queens Park Rangers in 2015 after he joined the club from Manchester United in 2014.
Rio Ferdinand won six Premier League titles with Manchester United. He won 4 EFL Cup, 4 Community Shields, 1 Champions League, and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.
He also won several individual awards including the Premier League Player of the Month, Premier League Team of the Season, and other awards.
Petr Cech
Petr Cech began his career with Chmel Bisany in his home country, Czech Republic in 1999.
His career began to flourish when he joined French Ligue 1 side Rennes in 2002. He made 70 appearances for Rennes before he moved to the Premier League in 2004.
Cech’s first stint with a Premier League club was with Chelsea. He joined the London club in 2004 for £7m, signing a first five-year contract.
In his first season with Chelsea, Petr Cech won the Premier League Golden Glove award for keeping a record 24 clean sheets in the Premier League.
He won the Premier League title with the Blues and made 333 appearances for the club in his 11 years spell. He won three Golden Gloves at Chelsea before his departure.
In 2015, he joined Arsenal and played for three years for the Gunners, making 110 appearances before calling time on his career. Cech won the Golden Glove again at Arsenal in his debut season for the club.
He won the FA Cup with the Gunners in the 2016/17 season.
The most glorious days in Petr Cech’s career came when he was playing for Chelsea. He won 4 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 EFL Cups, 2 Community Shields, one Champions League, and one Europa League.
At Arsenal, he won one FA Cup, 2 Community Shields.
Cech broke many records in the Premier League. He holds the record for most Premier League Golden Gloves Award, most Premier League clean sheets, first Premier League goalkeeper to reach 200 clean sheets, and several other awards.
Tony Adams
Tony Adams, 56, has also been inducted into the 2023 Premier League Hall of Fame. Tony started his football career at Arsenal in 1980 where he played throughout his club career.
Playing as a center-back, he made his first senior club appearance in 1983 and played for 19 years for the Gunners before retiring in 2002.
He made 504 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 32 goals. Tony Adams won 4 Premier League titles with Arsenal, 3 FA Cups, 3 EFL Cup, 2 Community Shields, and a European Cup Winners Cup.
He won Arsenal Player of the Year four times, including PFA Young Player of the Year, and Team of the Year Award.
Premier League Hall Of Fame
The Premier League Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 2020 to recognize big-name players and managers who had stand out performances during their careers.
Players and managers who are inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame must have won the Premier League, make 200 appearances or more in the league or record some individual awards.
