Sergio Aguero, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes and Ian Wright were announced on Thursday as the next six Premier League Hall of Fame inductees.
[ 2021: Premier League Hall of Fame announces inaugural inductees ]
They will join Wayne Rooney and Patrick Vieira, who were announced last month, to form the 2022 Premier League Hall of Fame class to be honored at an event in London this evening.
The Premier League Hall of Fame inducted its inaugural class in 2021, with Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry announced as headliners, joined by Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
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For more on each player’s Hall of Fame career, their Premier League exploits — via the Premier League:
Sergio Aguero
Aguero is the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier League history, having scored 184 goals in just 275 appearances for Manchester City. He joined the Citizens before the 2011-12 season and finished that campaign by scoring one of the most iconic Premier League goals of all time, his dramatic late winner on the final day against Queens Park Rangers sealing Manchester City’s first Premier League trophy.
Didier Drogba
Drogba was a four-time Premier League champion with Chelsea, earning a reputation as the archetypal big-game player. The center forward was capable of scoring every type of goal and twice won the Premier League Golden Boot, in 2006-07 and 2009-10, amassing a total of 104 goals in 254 League appearances during two spells with the Blues.
Vincent Kompany
Kompany joined Manchester City in 2008 and played a key role in the transformation at the club over the coming years. He won the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2011-12 as he captained the Citizens to the first of four Premier League titles with him in their defense.
Peter Schmeichel
Schmeichel is the first goalkeeper to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, having won five Premier League titles during his seven seasons with Manchester United. The Dane was an imposing figure between the posts as United dominated English football in the 90s, keeping 128 clean sheets in 310 Premier League appearances. He remains the only ‘keeper to have won the Premier League Player of the Season award, having done so in 1995-96.
Paul Scholes
After progressing into the Man United first team as part of the club’s famed Class of ’92, Scholes became an 11-time Premier League champion. Widely regarded as one of the most technically adept creative midfielders of his generation, he scored 107 goals in his 499 Premier League appearances.
Ian Wright
Wright instantly became a fans’ favorite after signing for Arsenal from Crystal Palace in 1991, thanks to his unerring eye for goal and heart-on-sleeve attitude. He was the club’s top scorer six seasons in a row and, in 1997-98, broke Cliff Bastin’s record to become their leading scorer of all time, a feat only bettered by Thierry Henry. Wright ended that season by winning the Premier League before joining West Ham United. He netted a total of 113 Premier League goals in 213 appearances.
