The best Premier League players this decade
Every passionate football fan will have spent time arguing and debating which players were the best during specific eras in the sport.
Those conversations often shape the betting markets, with bookmakers eager to capitalise on fan interest in awards such as the Golden Boot or Player of the Year.
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Coming back to Premier League, the discussion on the best players during this decade highlight the subjective nature of the topic. Read on as we take a closer look.
De Bruyne dominates the early 2020s
Liverpool fans will argue differently, but one player stands head and shoulders above the rest for his impact on the Premier League during the early 2020s.
Kevin de Bruyne helped Manchester City win four consecutive titles (2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24) before missing out on a fifth last season.
His ability to score and create goals made him an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s tactical system. Without De Bruyne, City would not have won four in a row.
Mohamed Salah posted some impressive personal statistics for Liverpool, but his exploits did not deliver the same level of success as De Bruyne.
Man City midfielder Rodri is also worthy of inclusion in ‘best player’ debates, particularly given that he won the Ballon d’Or award in 2024.
His rock-solid performances in the middle of the park sometimes go unnoticed, but City are undoubtedly a better team when he plays.
Haaland picks up the mantle
After scoring goals for fun in Austria and Germany, Erling Braut Haaland continued in the same prolific vein following his move to Man City in 2022.
The Norwegian star has given City the focal point their attack needed, and he has become the scourge of defenders across the Premier League.
He has already scored 107 goals in 126 league appearances. If he continues scoring at the same rate, beating Alan Shearer’s record tally of 260 goals is entirely feasible.
Haaland is one of several current Premier League players who are having a seismic impact on the fortunes of their respective clubs.
Bruno Fernandes is a standout performer for Manchester United, while Bukayo Saka has earned talismanic status for his exploits with Arsenal.
Aston Villa star John McGinn is also worth mentioning. He is a vastly underrated player whose consistent efforts make everyone else in the team look better.
Wharton could be the future poster boy
Geoffrey Chaucer’s famous ‘time and tide wait for no man’ quotation can unquestionably be applied to ‘best player’ debates in the Premier League.
Cole Palmer could be a strong contender to be the standout performer during the second half of the 2020s, although he may need to leave Chelsea to live up to that billing.
Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Benjamin Sesko (Manchester United) and Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool) are other players who could earn star billing over the next few years.
However, Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton may be the player who ultimately becomes the Premier League’s poster boy before the end of the decade.
Once described as a ‘genius’ by manager Tony Mowbray at Blackburn Rovers, Wharton’s ability to pick put passes which other players don’t see sets him apart from his peers.
In a league where physicality is still often rated more highly than ability on the ball, Wharton is a throwback to time when players simply played football for the love of the game.
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