Football Icons, Alan Shearer And Thierry Henry Announced As First Inductees Into Premier League Hall Of Fame (Photos)
Former England striker, Alan Shearer, and ex-France forward, Thierry Henry, have on Monday become the first players to be inducted into Premier League Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame is the highest individual honour awarded to players by the League and celebrates the talent and achievements of standout professionals who have featured in the division since its creation in 1992.
Former Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United striker, Shearer still holds the record as the Premier League’s highest scorer with 260 goals in 441 appearances across 14 seasons.
The former England international won the Premier League title in 1994/95 season with Blackburn and went on to score 148 times in the top flight during 10 years at his boyhood club, Newcastle from 1996 to 2006.
The former England forward is a three-time Golden Boot winner and remains the only player to have reached 100 Premier League goals for two different clubs.
Speaking about his new achievement, Shearer said;
When you look at some of the unbelievable players to have graced the Premier League – week in, week out, year in, year out – I feel very honoured to join the Hall of Fame. I have to thank all of my team-mates, as well as the managers and coaches that I’ve worked with.
All I ever wanted to be was a professional footballer. It was my dream to do that, my dream to win trophies and my dream to score at St James’ Park, to wear the number nine black-and-white shirt and it was fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Meanwhile, Former France international Henry scored a club-record 175 Premier League goals in 258 matches for Arsenal, following his move from Juventus in 1999.
He won the league title twice and was a key member of the “Invincibles” team who went unbeaten during the 2003/04 campaign. He also provided a joint-record 20 assists in 2002/03.
The Frenchman won the Golden Boot award a record four times and scored over 20 Premier League goals in five campaigns in a row between 2001 and 2006.
Henry also surpassed Ian Wright’s total of 185 goals in all competitions to become Arsenal’s all-time record scorer (with 228) during his time in north London.
Also speaking about his achievement, Henry said;
To be inducted alongside Alan Shearer as the two first inductees into the Premier League Hall of Fame is more than special. When I was young, I was just trying to make sure I could get a pair of boots and now we’re talking about the Hall of Fame. During my career I wanted to play hard and make sure I was fighting for the cause, because that’s all the fans want to see.
If you asked me at the start of my career about entering the Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t have believed you. It’s an amazing honour.
A shortlist of 23 additional nominees will be announced later on Monday, with fans invited to vote to help select the remaining six inductees to the 2021 Premier League Hall of Fame.
Players must have been retired as of August 1, 2020 to be eligible for induction, the league said.
