10) Ledley King

There is room for sentimentality even on hard-headed, stat-driven best of lists.

King may not have won a great deal during his long stint with Tottenham – a solitary League Cup winners medal glinting alone on a shelf – but were it not for chronic knee problems the boy from Bow might now be regarded as the best English centre-back since Bobby Moore.

That’s a bold claim admittedly, but less so when you consider that for most of his 268 club appearances King gave a masterclass in Rolls Royce defending. Furthermore, he made it all look so easy. Like breathing.

Many of those displays were not trained for in the conventional sense, with a special regime designed not to put any stress on a knee that was entirely missing cartilage.

9) Gary Neville

An argument can be put forward that Neville deserves to reside higher on this list. After all, the Bury-born right-back won eight Premier League titles and lifted the Champions League twice.

He was one of the first names down on Sir Alex Ferguson’s team-sheets for the majority of Manchester United’s glory days and more so, ‘G Nev’ made 85 appearances for his country.

A legitimate counterclaim however has it that Neville would not have thrived to any great extent elsewhere and perhaps being ‘Mr Man U’ was his biggest strength. For England meanwhile, a dearth of quality alternatives helped his cause.

That’s not to diminish the player of course, or his outstanding achievements. An overlapping full-back who was tenacious in the tackle, Neville was years ahead of the game.

8) Nemanja Vidic

A monster in the air and a superb reader of danger on the ground, the no-nonsense Serb was the rock on which Manchester United’s success was founded from the mid-2000s on.

Forming a seemingly impenetrable partnership with Rio Ferdinand that evoked silk and steel, Vidic’s impact and influence cannot be under-stated, demonstrated by the player twice winning the Premier League Player of the Season.

Only three other defenders have been voted in for such an honour since the award was conceived in 1995.

In his final season with the Reds, the former Spartak Moscow stopper corralled a side on the decline to yet another title, Vidic’s fifth. Regrettably, all the Premier League predictions suggest it will be sometime yet before United add to their impressive haul.

7) Sol Campbell

Campbell’s defection across North London in 2001 remains one of the most inflammatory transfers of all time, with Spurs fans even today unable to speak the name of a player they idolised for close to a decade.

His move to hated rivals Arsenal, on a free transfer, was reportedly made to increase his chances of winning silverware and in that respect it was certainly a successful switch, with two league titles secured along with a trio of FA Cup triumphs.

In 2005, the imposing and pacy centre-back – who can easily lay claim to being one of the best defenders of his generation – played a pivotal role in the Gunners navigating a whole league season unbeaten.

In one half of North London he will forever be deemed a ‘Judas’. In the other, he’s invincible.

6) Vincent Kompany

Arriving a mere week before Manchester City’s transformative takeover, the likeable Belgian became the project’s heart and soul, ever dignified off the pitch, formidably competitive on it.

A totem at the back, the Blues’ captain and general led his team to numerous honours, including four league crowns and it says much about his standing that he was installed into the PFA Team of the Year for three consecutive seasons.

Rightfully, a statue is now erected outside of the Etihad dedicated to one of the club’s greatest ever servants who did more than anyone in taking them from there to here, a remarkable journey even factoring in the money spent.

Before he came, City were pretenders with huge ambitions. Now next season’s Premier League title odds already have them down as strong favourites.

5) Virgil Van Dijk

A classy colossus whose stature is such that strikers appear to be reluctant to take him on one-to-one, Van Dijk has repeatedly been heralded as the best current centre-back in the world and it would take one heck of a contrarian to refute that.

Since moving to Anfield in 2018, the Dutch giant has propelled a remarkable upswing in Liverpool’s fortunes that have seen them win European honours and a Premier League title while his personal merits have been considerable, including a hoovering up of the various player of the year awards in 2019.

By turns Liverpool’s leader and cornerstone, what impresses most from his many attributes is an innate reading of play that at times is eerie. Van Dijk appears to know what an attacker is going to do before he does.

4) Ashley Cole

It’s probably just as well that ‘Cashley’ never won any popularity contests because room was sparce in his trophy cabinet, being a key part of title-winning campaigns with two clubs – Arsenal and Chelsea – as well as accruing a host of domestic silverware.

There was also Champions League success with the Blues for good measure. For England meanwhile, the attacking full-back won an astounding 107 caps.

Disliked he may be for making a derogatory comment about his Arsenal wages in his autobiography – a comment that feels pretty tame by today’s standards – but no-one can possibly question Cole’s ability.

He was a modern full-back charged with haring up and down the left flank who for three years or more was the best on the planet in that role.

3) Tony Adams

Adams’ long and illustrious career was a story in two parts.

There was the robust and combative defender of pre-Premier League fame who forever had one arm raised for offside. He was pretty good. A Sunday League player in many senses who was imbued with lots of talent.

Then came his renaissance under Arsene Wenger, a transformation that also coincided with complete abstinence after a sustained period on the sauce.

In the last few chapters of Adams’ Arsenal odyssey, as he magnificently governed a back-line that allowed Henry and co to grab all the headlines, this unique figure finally gained the widespread admiration he always warranted. He was a legend, no less.

2) Rio Ferdinand

Now a respected pundit, the six-time Premier League winner spends his days discussing who might be the next Premier League manager to leave his post or dissecting a team’s poor performance.

Back in his pomp however, Ferdinand did his talking on the pitch, an elegant, technically-blessed centre-back who was highly prized by England due to his continental attributes.

He would have bossed it in La Liga. He would have been treasured in South America.

Naturally comfortable in possession, the former West Ham and Leeds ace added a good deal of fortitude to his game on joining Manchester United, making him one of the best, all-round defensive talents this country has produced for many a year.

1) John Terry

Even several years post-retirement, ‘Mr Chelsea’ springs to mind when the role of team captain is discussed, and its importance – or otherwise – in the game.

A leader of numerous different Chelsea sides, under numerous different managers, across his two decades of employment at the Bridge, Terry demanded only the highest standards from team-mates because that was what he invested himself on a weekly basis.

In his first year as skipper in 2004/05, the Blues broke a record for the fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season, a feat that stands to his day.

Twelve years later, he signed off a trophy-laden career by once again collecting a league winners medal. Yet, for all the emphasis on his captaincy, Terry also happened to be a sublimely talented defender, composed and immense.

10) N’Golo Kante

Leicester’s signing of Kante, for £5.6m from Caen in 2015 must go down as one of the greatest transfers ever made in the Premier League era.

Without missing a beat, this largely unknown entity from France’s second tier endlessly hustled and bustled in the heart of the Foxes midfield, his astonishing stamina a pivotal factor in their fairy tale title triumph.

He then moved to Chelsea and wasted little time in propelling them to league success while scooping that season’s Premier League Player of the Year award into the bargain.

After energising the Blues to Champions League glory in 2021, Thomas Tuchel said: “If you play with N’Golo, you have half a man more. This is unique.” No truer words have been spoken.

9) Claude Makelele

Seventy per cent of the planet is covered by water. Across five trophy-laden years with Chelsea, Makelele covered the rest.

Once described as the Blues’ ‘battery’ by Claudi Ranieri the French Duracell bunny really came into his own under Jose Mourinho, deployed as a ‘holder’ but also given license to put out fires anywhere on the pitch.

Blessed with excellent distribution it meant the French star was as much a creative force as a destructive one.

Yet still, it’s for his defensive qualities that he is most fondly remembered and very few players, before or since, have better protected a back-line. For this reason an actual position was named after him with inferior fare these days handed the ‘Makelele role’.

8) David Silva

Many critics believed ‘Merlin’ would struggle when he joined Manchester City in 2010. He was too slight of build. Too continental.

Amidst the frenetic environs of English football his craftmanship would amount to a kite in a hurricane and it was widely felt that the Spanish artisan would have to change his game to survive.

In the event, the player instead bent English football to his will. Opponents couldn’t physically intimidate him because they couldn’t get near him as he floated into half-spaces, immaculately controlling a pass at any pace, and linking up play.

A decade on and every team now has a David Silva type. They’re just nowhere near as good.

7) Cesc Fabregas

A product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy, Fabregas moved to London at the age of 16 and set about establishing himself as a complete modern midfielder.

First at Arsenal, then later at Chelsea, the player who was equally adept ‘sitting’ as marauding forward, won two league titles and two FA Cups, his playmaking in particular marking him down as a genuine great of this century.

Fabregas proudly holds a place in the Guinness Book of Records for reaching a hundred assists in the Premier League faster than anyone else.

6) Roy Keane

Suited, booted, and clean shaven, Keane now spends his days making Premier League predictions in his role as a pundit for Sky. Back in the day he made history.

A ferociously driven competitor, the Irishman’s skirmishes with Patrick Vieira and a considerable number of others have gone down in legend but it would be remiss to focus only on his battling qualities.

Keane was a sublime box-to-box talent whose energy, passing range and leadership lay at the heart of Manchester United’s astounding success in the Nineties and early 2000s. Seven league title medals is testament to that.

5) Kevin De Bruyne

The Premier League winner odds were short for Manchester City this season before a ball had been kicked and a sizable reason for that lay in their possession of the Belgian maestro, a player who unquestionably stands head and shoulders above the rest right now for sheer all-round ability.

Indeed, when assessing his many gifts, it is striking how De Bruyne’s skill-sets are comparable to the giants who preceded him. His passing is the equal of Scholes, a widely acknowledged master of the trade.

The manner in which he takes games by the scruff of the neck and inspires team-mates brings to mind Gerrard. His high volume of assists and goal-scoring acumen will be keenly appreciated by Lampard.

So why is he only fifth you may ask? It’s because the others have fully realised their masterpieces. De Bruyne still has at least a couple of chapters to write.

4) Paul Scholes

The ‘Ginger Pirlo’ would be higher on this list if only he could time a tackle, a failing that barely tainted his majestic output overall but absolutely left cuts and bruises on opponent’s ankles.

With the ball at his feet however, has there been a more technically gifted English player in our lifetime? Scholes could land a cross-field pass onto a pinhead then race into the box to finish off the move with an artful finish.

He was everything to Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering Manchester United; the conductor to the symphonies created at Old Trafford throughout the Premier League’s golden age.

3) Patrick Vieira

At the start of 2021/22 the Crystal Palace gaffer was short-priced in the next Premier League manager to be sacked odds. By the season’s end he was proudly on the shortlist for Premier League Manager of the Year.

Anyone who witnessed the French World Cup winner completely boss top-flight centre-circles for nine years with Arsenal would have known it was folly to under-estimate this colossus of a man, a midfielder so impactful the Gunners are still desperately trying to replace him 17 years on from his departure.

A perfect concoction of silk, steel, long limbs and the right kind of arrogance, Vieira bestrode the pristine turf of Highbury with an entitlement born of possessing rare talent.

2) Steven Gerrard

For just shy of 17 years, Stevie G was the catalyst for all that was good and sometimes magnificent about Liverpool, an all-action Roy of the Rovers type whose driving runs and spectacular long-range efforts are treasured still on Merseyside.

A local boy with the club very much engraved into his heart and soul, Gerrard gave everything for the red shirt on 504 occasions, most memorably a Champions League final display in 2005 where his refusal to accept defeat led to a remarkable comeback over AC Milan.

A similarly defiant performance in a FA Cup final against West Ham – complete with a last-minute equaliser from distance – led to the game forever being known as the ‘Gerrard Final’ but in truth these examples are just two of a great many where the impassioned midfielder single-handedly hauled his team to higher heights.

1) Frank Lampard

In the autumn of 2012, Chelsea hammered Aston Villa 8-0, a result that is unsurprisingly one of the biggest home wins in Premier League history. Eight years earlier, the Blues romped to a league title, losing only once all season.

These two examples of ruthless Chelsea dominance, achieved at very different periods of the Premier League, have one thing in common, or more accurately one incredible footballer.

Frank Lampard was his club’s leading goal-scorer in that vintage title-winning year.

In fact, he was their leading scorer a lot, five times in total, despite residing in midfield and having lethal practitioners such as Didier Drogba and Diego Costa playing advanced of him. Lampard won the FWA Player of the Year merit that season.

Nearly a decade later the same player was instrumental in that rout over a hapless Villa, scoring one of his 177 top-flight career goals, a figure only better by five legends, all out-and-out strikers.

England never got the best out of Frank Lampard but Chelsea certainly did, year after year after year. And in return he made them great.

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Argentina To Win World Cup 2022 Odds

At the time of publication, Argentina are priced at 9/1 to win the 2022 World Cup. To put that into perspective, there are just four countries who are a shorter price:

• Brazil – 9/2

• France – 11/2

• England – 13/2

• Spain – 8/1

Lionel Scaloni is relatively inexperienced compared to some of his peers but he was the man who led Argentina to Copa America success in 2021.

Unbeaten in qualifying, Argentina had to settle for second place behind arch rivals Brazil but fans will take plenty of confidence from their positive results.

Argentina’s price shortened after the 2022 World Cup draw but there is little pressure, with expectations moderately low compared to the likes of Brazil, England and France.

Having booked their ticket to Qatar, Argentina will appear at a 13th successive World Cup and that in itself is an achievement – last failing to qualify for the tournament in 1970.

Argentina Route To 2022 World Cup Final

The draw for the WC 2022 in Qatar took place in April and Argentina fans will have been delighted with the outcome.

Having been placed in Pot 1, Argentina were guaranteed to avoid some of their main rivals but the draw turned out to be very favourable indeed.

Drawn in Group C alongside Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland, Argentina are clear favourites to finish top and qualify as group winners.

As a result of the draw, Argentina odds for World Cup 2022 shortened considerably and you can now bet on the South American giants at 9/1 with 888sport.

Argentina World Cup 2022 Group Fixtures:

Starting with back-to-back fixtures at Lusail before their final group stage match in Doha, here is Argentina’s WC 2022 schedule.

• 22nd November 2022: Argentina vs Saudi Arabia (10am time)

• 26th November 2022: Argentina vs Mexico (7pm UK time)

• 30th November 2022: Poland vs Argentina (7pm UK time)

Now, we’ll tackle some of the odds and permutations depending on where Argentina finish in Group C at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar…

If Argentina WIN Group C

Should Lionel Messi and co top Group C, Argentina’s route to the WC 2022 final would be:

• Last 16: vs runners up of Group D, so either France, Denmark, Tunisia or one of Peru, UAE and Australia, on 3rd December 2022.

• Quarter-finals: vs winner of Match 49, which is played between the Group A winners (Qatar, Senegal, Netherlands and Ecuador) and runners up of Group B (England, USA, Iran and Scotland/Wales/Ukraine).

• Semi-finals: vs winner of Match 58, which will include one of the Group E or Group G winners, or runners up from Group F or H. Possibilities here include Spain, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Brazil, Ghana, Cameroon, Portugal and Uruguay.

If Argentina QUALIFY from Group C

It gets a tad more complicated if Argentina fail to top Group C in Qatar, with La Albiceleste switching to the other side of the bracket.

• Last 16: vs winners of Group D on 4th December 2022.

• Quarter-finals: vs winner of Match 51, played between the Group B winners (England, USA, Iran or Scotland/Wales/Ukraine) and Group A runners up (Qatar, Senegal, Netherlands or Ecuador).

• Semi-finals: vs winner of Match 60, which will include the Group F or H winners, or runenrs up from Group E or G. Possibilities here include Spain, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Brazil, Ghana, Cameroon, Portugal and Uruguay.

Argentina 2022 World Cup Squad

The Argentina WC 2022 squad is expected to be announced in early October, around six weeks before the opening game of the tournament.

Lionel Scaloni will have a general idea of which players will be on the plane to Qatar and Argentina fans will be praying that no serious injuries hit the squad.

One of the early favourites in World Cup betting with 888sport, the 2021 Copa America winners have a strong pool of players to choose from.

Come back to find out the official Argentina World Cup 2022 squad later this year, with the final 23-man roster likely to be confirmed as we edge closer to Qatar.

Argentina Golden Boot Odds

Lionel Messi has been a leading figure for Argentina since making his international debut in 2005 but he has hinted that the 2022 World Cup might be his swansong.

Currently priced at 11/1 in World Cup predictions, Messi could end his international career with the coveted Golden Boot award in Qatar.

Messi has scored 81 goals in 160 appearances for Argentina, including six goals at the World Cup and La Albiceleste fans will be hoping he can add to that tally this winter.

While his goal scoring exploits have dropped off this season, Messi remains one of the best players on the planet and it would be foolish to back against him.

It is also worth considering a bet on Lautaro Martinez to finish as the tournament’s top goal scorer, with the Inter Milan forward thriving in Serie A this season.

With 21 goals in 34 appearances at club level, Martinez has been central to Inter’s success and he could be Argentina’s main man in attack at WC 2022.