The good footballer has Salah’s left foot, Ronaldo’s ending and Crouch’s humour
The research into the perfect Premier League player was commissioned to put all these ingredients and characteristics together in one star
The perfect Premier League player would have Mo Salah’s left foot, N’Golo Kante’s work rate and Kevin De Bruyne’s game IQ.
A poll of 2,000 footie fans found the dream player would also have the right foot, pace and finishing ability of Cristiano Ronaldo.
While almost one in six would give them the sense of humour of former Stoke and Liverpool striker, now podcaster and pundit, Peter Crouch.
And the leadership qualities of fellow broadcaster Roy Keane, from his Premier League prime.
The research was commissioned by OLBG which has also been working with designers to put all these ingredients and characteristics together in one player.
Jake Ashton, of the brand, said: “This would be some player. Putting together these legends of the Premier League into one skin is such an interesting debate, as the options are endless.
“The fans have spoken, but there were so many other combinations and great candidates on the table – some of the nominations could have gone either way.”
From the research, former Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo was also the top pick by fans who want the perfect player to have his dribbling and trickery. Not stopping there, the Portuguese legend now playing for Al Nassr, also led the opinion poll for other characteristics, with supporters choosing his ball control and heading ability.
When it came to passing, Kevin De Bruyne’s name was again top of the list, with former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante also picked for a second time – thanks to his superior tackling. Didier Drogba muscled his way into the mix, as more than one in 10 fans would want to see his strength injected into the concept player.
And recently knighted Sir David Beckham was given the nod to be included for his freekick taking ability, by almost a third of the fans polled.
With so many characteristics included in the perfect player, it’s no surprise one in five footie fanatics put Ronaldo at the top of the list of best all-round Prem players of all time. His quality was amplified by a third of those polled, who picked the 2000s – the period he played for Manchester United – as the decade with the best players on show.
The ingredients fans feel most important when making the perfect player include finishing ability, passing ability and ball control. With 43% of supporters putting football IQ and pace on par with one another.
When asked what qualities are missing in today’s top Premier League players compared to legends of the past, loyalty to one club came top of the list.
Humility and a grounded attitude, along with consistent work ethic, made up the top three, according to the OnePoll data.
As a third of fans feel passion for the badge isn’t as prevalent in players today, compared to their counterparts from previous eras.
Jake added: “Seeing Cristiano Ronaldo at the forefront of fans’ minds when it comes to characteristics which make the perfect player shows just how good he has been. Especially as he played in the same era as greats like Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes and Henry – all of whom, in their own rights, have been touted as some of the greatest ballers to play in the league.
“There are some amazing new and emerging talents coming through and being signed from overseas each year. It would be really interesting to see how much of the Portuguese legend people would still put into the perfect player in 10 years’ time, once those young talents have made their own mark.”
TOP 10 ATTRIBUTES FOOTBALL FANS WOULD GIVE THE PERFECT PLAYER
1. Finishing ability
2. Passing ability
3. Ball control
4. Pace
5. Football IQ
6. Work rate
7. Strength
8. Leadership qualities
9. Tackling ability
10. Dribbling ability
