What Makes A Barclaysman? A Team by Team Guide

Football is a game for the people, and the people want nostalgia.

During September, the people came together to reminisce about the the 'Barclaysmen'.

But what is a Barclaysman? Who are the Barclaysmen? What is going on?

What makes a Barclaysman?

If you're not on social media - or better yet, aren't terminally online - then this term will most definitely need explaining to you.

'Barclaysman' is a nod to the Premier League's last sponsor, Barclays bank. It was most recently popularised recently by the Cultras Football Podcast, paying tribute to an era built on baggier shirts and acrobatic celebrations at the end of screamers.

It is not enough to be good at football to be knighted a Barclaysman, oh goodness no. This isn't about how high your rating on EAFC or Football Manager is. You have to be iconic in someway, be it technical or physical, and appeal to a wider footballing audience who love this niche endeavour.

Four our list, we want to honour Barclaysmen who are committed to their current club. For example, Adama Traore will one day go down as a Barclaysman, but not as a Fulham player.

The Barclaysmen - relegated clubs honourable mentions

Before we indulge in the clubs of today, let's take a moment to remember the Barclaysmen of clubs who have since been relegated from the Premier League. And in proper 'dudes can sit around naming random sports players for hours' style.

Morten Gamst Pedersen. Kevin Nolan. Benjani. Jason Euell. Yakubu. Mark Viduka. Rory Delap. Kieran Richardson. Gary Taylor-Fletcher. Ricardo Fuller. Seb Larsson. Maik Taylor. Graham Dorrans. Bolo Zenden. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Oh yeah.

The Barclaysmen - current Premier League clubs

1. Arsenal

Prime Barclaysmen: Marouane Chamakh, Aleksander Hleb, Tomas Rosicky
Alexa, play: Midnight City by M83
Current Barclaysman: Riccardo Calafiori
Reason for nomination: Very handsome, very powerful aura, very easy to make a compilation without showing his football ability

2. Aston Villa

Prime Barclaysmen: Juan Pablo Angel, Olof Mellberg, John Carew
Alexa, play: Golden Touch by Razorlight
Current Barclaysman: Jhon Duran
Reason for nomination: Madman bagsman who did the West Ham 'Irons' sign on livestream

3. Bournemouth

Prime Barclaysmen: Ryan Fraser, Steve Cook, Charlie Daniels
Alexa, play: It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) by The 1975
Current Barclaysman: Philip Billing
Reason for nomination: Massive midfielder who's like a baby Marouane Fellaini

4. Brentford

Prime Barclaysmen: Bryan Mbeumo, Pontus Jansson, Rico Henry
Alexa, play: Favourite by Fontaines DC
Current Barclaysman: Yoane Wissa
Reason for nomination: Present-day Mbeumo has outgrown his Barclaysman status

5. Brighton & Hove Albion

Prime Barclaysmen: Pascal Gross, Jose Izquierdo, Shane Duffy
Alexa, play: Lost In Yesterday by Tame Impala
Current Barclaysman: Danny Welbeck
Reason for nomination: Still comes up with an incredible goal or goes on a fine run of form every now and then

6. Chelsea

Prime Barclaysmen: Solomon Kalou, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Ramires
Alexa, play: Precious Time by The Maccabees
Current Barclaysman: Nicolas Jackson
Reason for nomination: (*after missing a sitter but still scoring a hat-trick*) 'What is he like, that Nicolas Jackson?'

7. Crystal Palace

Prime Barclaysmen: Andy Johnson, Dwight Gayle (Crystanbul only), Yannick Bolasie
Alexa, play: Graffiti by Maximo Park
Current Barclaysman: Jean-Philippe Mateta
Reason for nomination: Insane purple patch, class chant, shirt tucked in

8. Everton

Prime Barclaysmen: Steven Pienaar, Lee Carsley, Tim Cahill
Alexa, play: Well, listen to the video
Current Barclaysman: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Reason for nomination: Dwight McNeil has too many shades of Burnley about him

9. Fulham

Prime Barclaysmen: Luis Boa Morte, Papa Bouba Diop, Steed Malbranque
Alexa, play: Taper Jean Girl by Kings of Leon
Current Barclaysman: Tom Cairney
Reason for nomination: The others on our shortlist have associations with Wolves

10. Ipswich Town

Prime Barclaysmen: Marcus Bent, Matt Holland
Alexa, play: Hate To Save I Told You So by The Hives
Current Barclaysman: Sammie Szmodics
Reason for nomination: Could score 15 goals this season, could score two, who knows

11. Leicester City

Prime Barclaysmen: Muzzy Izzet, Esteban Cambiasso, Leonardo Ulloa
Alexa, play: Fell In Love With A Girl by The White Stripes
Current Barclaysman: Ricardo Pereira
Reason for nomination: Jamie Vardy is a Barclays legend, not a Barclaysman

12. Liverpool

Prime Barclaysmen: Martin Skrtel, Milan Baros, Luis Garcia
Alexa, play: Freaking Out The Neighbourhood by Mac DeMarco
Current Barclaysman: Darwin Nunez
Reason for nomination: This is Darwizzy we're talking about here

13. Manchester City

Prime Barclaysmen: Georgios Samaras, Elano, Martin Petrov
Alexa, play: Same Jeans by The View
Current Barclaysman: Jeremy Doku
Reason for nomination: Most Man City players are simply too good, but Doku treads the line between wonderfully impressive and fantastically frustrating

14. Manchester United

Prime Barclaysmen: Federico Macheda, Louis Saha, Rafael & Fabio
Alexa, play: Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Current Barclaysman: Jonny Evans
Reason for nomination: Well, he was on the pitch when Macheda scored that goal for starters

15. Newcastle United

Prime Barclaysmen: Laurent Robert, Kieron Dyer, Craig Bellamy
Alexa, play: Time For Heroes by The Libertines
Current Barclaysman: Miguel Almiron
Reason for nomination: His 2022/23 season remains an unexplained mystery

16. Nottingham Forest

Prime Barclaysman: Pierre van Hooijdonk
Alexa, play: Stay Young by Oasis
Current Barclaysman: Chris Wood
Reason for nomination: New Zealand's finest export just won't stop scoring

17. Southampton

Prime Barclaysmen: Shane Long, Antti Niemi, Steven Davis
Alexa, play: Crazy World by Aslan
Current Barclaysman: Ben Brereton Diaz
Reason for nomination: The heritage that has followed his career and the impending nonsense on the horizon at St Mary's

18. Tottenham Hotspur

Prime Barclaysmen: Roman Pavlyuchenko, Tom Huddlestone, Paul Stalteri
Alexa, play: Sticks 'n' Stones by Jamie T
Current Barclaysman: Richarlison
Reason for nomination: The pickings were fairly slim but Richarlison, despite his Everton blood, ticks enough boxes as a Spurs player too

19. West Ham United

Prime Barclaysmen: Marlon Harewood, Nigel Reo-Coker, Dean Ashton
Alexa, play: Living For The Weekend by Hard-Fi
Current Barclaysman: Michail Antonio
Reason for nomination: At this rate West Ham will be playing him into his fifties

20. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Prime Barclaysmen: George Elokobi, Kevin Doyle, Marcus Hahnemann
Alexa, play: The Bay by Metronomy
Current Barclaysman: Matt Doherty
Reason for nomination: FPL legend

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