10 of the Worst Players to Have Ever Won the Premier League Title
Steven Gerrard is arguably the best player to have never won the Premier League title and it will hurt him even more to know that the following lot all have a winners' medal (as a result of 10 top flight appearances during a title winning campaign) locked tightly in their trophy cabinet at home.
Honourable mentions go to Jordi Cryuff, Christopher Wreh, Paul Warhurst and Stephen Hughes who all just missed out...
10. Oleh Luzhny
The former Ukrainian international was bought to replace veteran defender Lee Dixon in 1999, but his awful displays early on meant that Lauren was brought in only a year after Luzhny's arrival.
The former assistant manager of Dynamo Kyiv played a whopping 18 times in Arsenal's 2001/02 title winning campaign. Incredibly, Luzhny managed 110 appearances in total for the Gunners during his four years at the club, despite being constantly branded as a liability.
9. Luke Chadwick
Currently without a club, the former winger started off his career with Manchester United and picked up a Premier League medal with the club in the 2000/01 season, when he made 16 appearances.
That year was the hopeless midfielder's career highlight as he moved lower and lower down the English football flights in the remainder of his playing days. The 34-year-old former England under 21 international did manage two goals during that title winning season.
8. Stuart Taylor
The only goalie in this list (the other contenders were Richard Wright, Roy Carroll and Raymond van der Gouw, who won two!!!), Taylor is a professional goalkeeper, who has only made 75 career appearances during a 15 year period, at eleven different clubs.
This horrendous stat is beaten by the fact he won a Premier League medal while at Arsenal, making just enough appearances in 2001/02 season. This was achieved when Richard Wright and Taylor were both on nine appearances prior to the final game of the season, so, with the title already won, Arsene Wenger played Wright and replaced him with Taylor with 5 minutes remaining, earning both men the coveted medal.
7. Yuri Zhirkov
Yuri Zhirkov won the league with Chelsea in 2010, as the Blues finished at the top of the Premier League under Carlo Ancelotti. In his first season with the club, Zhirkov played 17 times as Chelsea won the title.
The 32-year-old only managed 12 appearances the following season and was sold to Russian side Anzhi for £5m less than the £18m Chelsea paid CSKA Moscow for his services in 2009.
6. Jeremie Aliadiere
The French striker made 10 league appearances, seven of which were from the substitutes bench, in the 2003/04 'Invincible' season, to earn himself a winner's medal with Arsenal and naturally, the injury prone forward failed to score a Premier League goal that year.
In fact, Aliadiere managed just one solitary league goal in his six years at Highbury, but did find the goals easier to come by at spells with Middlesbrough and French club Lorient.
5. Ronnie Wallwork
It's so hard to not to put Ronnie Wallwork higher up this list as the former Manchester United academy graduate was a simply shocking football player. Wallwork played enough times in the 2000/01 season to earn a medal as the Red Devils claimed the league title.
In his seven years at Old Trafford, Wallwork only made seven league appearances though and went on to unsuccessful spells at Bradford City, Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday. Outside the pitch the former midfielder spent time in prison after pleading guilty to receiving stolen goods.
4. Stefan Savic
Savic spent only one season with Manchester City, but came away from the English game with a Premier league medal in his suitcase, after amassing 11 appearances for the Citizens during their maiden Premier League title in the 2011/12 season.
The Montenegro defender was a lummox at the back for City whenever he covered for Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany and the 24-year-old, currently in Spain with Atletico Madrid, made countless errors throughout the season, as City won the title in dramatic fashion.
3. Alexey Smertin
The former Russian international midfielder won the league with Chelsea in the 2004/05 season. Smertin was brought to Chelsea by Claudio Ranieiri, but by the time he had returned from his loan at Portsmouth, he found himself surplus to requirements under Jose Mourinho.
Yet, somehow Smertin still made enough performances to receive a winners' medal in 2005, despite being unpopular with the manager. The following year he was quickly shipped out again, this time on loan to Charlton Athletic.
2. Mike Newell
Newell is best known for his brilliant hat-trick for Rovers in the Champions League, the year following their title win. However, as part of the championship winning team of the 1994/95 season, he was an irrelevant figure.
Two starts and nine substitute appearances luckily earned Newell a medal that year, but the striker failed to find the net and is considered one of the worst players to have ever won the Premier League.
1. Pascal Cygan
The worst player to have ever picked up a Premier League medal has got to be Pascal Cygan, what is more incredible though is that the French centre back is another who was part of the Gunners' phenomenal 'Invincible' season.
Cygan made 18 appearances in the famous 2003/04 season, despite being identified as a hopeless defender. Arsenal fans still shudder today when thinking of the bald centre back playing in defence.