Football fans have been asked to build the ultimate Premier League player, and the results have come in – with Cristiano Ronaldo and Sir David Beckham making the cut
What do you get when you ask footie fans to create the ultimate Premier League player? According to a survey of 2,000 football enthusiasts, the ideal player is a mix of the league’s top talents and some legendary figures from the past. The poll, conducted by OLBG, revealed that the perfect Premier League player would possess Mo Salah’s left foot, N’Golo Kanté’s work ethic, and Kevin De Bruyne’s game intelligence.
Interestingly, nearly one in six would bestow their ‘perfect player’ with the wit of former Stoke and Liverpool forward, now podcaster and pundit, Peter Crouch. They’d also want the leadership skills of fellow broadcaster Roy Keane, harking back to his heyday.
Jake Ashton from the brand said: “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.”
Cristiano Ronaldo was also the top pick by fans who want the perfect player to have his dribbling and trickery. The Portuguese legend, now playing for Al Nassr, also led the opinion poll for other characteristics such as ball control and heading ability.
It’s hardly a shocker that one in five football fans named Ronaldo as the best all-round Premier League player of all time, given the multitude of traits that makeup the ideal player.
When it came to passing prowess, Kevin De Bruyne’s name once again topped the list, with former Chelsea ace N’Golo Kanté also earning a second mention for his exceptional tackling skills.
Didier Drogba powered his way into the selection, with over one in 10 fans keen to incorporate his strength into their dream player. And recently knighted Sir David Beckham earned his spot thanks to his freekick taking ability, as voted by nearly a third of the fans surveyed.
The key ingredients for crafting the perfect footballer, according to fans, include finishing ability (56%), passing skills (49%) and ball control (47%).Football IQ and pace are equally important, with 43% of supporters ranking them on the same level.
When quizzed about what qualities they believe are lacking in today’s top Premier League stars compared to past legends, loyalty to a single club (44%) topped the list.
Humility, a down-to-earth attitude, and a consistent work ethic (both at 35%) rounded off the top three, as per data from OnePoll.com.
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.”