It’s human nature for us to take things for granted. When they’re taken away from us, we moan and complain. But while we have them, we often don’t appreciate these things as much as we should.

The same goes for footballers and football managers. Years from now, we’ll look back and talk incessantly about “the good ‘ol days” when so and so was in the Premier League. So rather than wait for that day to come, I’ve put together my own list of ten personalities within the Premier League which I cherish right now. You may disagree with many of them, so post your own list in the comments section at the foot of this post.

My criteria whether these personalities are legends or not is whether the Premier League would be a lesser league if any of the stars below suddenly retired.

Here are my top 10 Premier League legends to cherish:

  1. Alex Ferguson (Manchester United). Love him or hate him, Ferguson will be mentioned in football history books for several generations ahead of us as one of the most successful managers in English football history. There may never be another manager who will be in charge of a top flight English club for as long as Ferguson.
  2. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United). Giggsy is everything good about the Premier League. He’s modest, skillful and a role model for current and future generations of Manchester United players.
  3. Arsene Wenger (Arsenal). Wenger changed the face of Premier League football by revolutionizing the boring Arsenal club and turning them into one of the most attractive sides on the globe apart from Barcelona. He also opened the eyes of Premier League followers to some of the most exciting foreign players who have graced English soil.
  4. Frank Lampard (Chelsea). Frank Lampard represents everything that is good about English football such as playing for the West Ham United youth academy, which is synonymous with the 1966 England squad, as well as representing his country at the highest level and playing a style of football which is aesthetic to the eye. Lampard still has the opportunity to win much more with Chelsea and England, but to me he’s already a Premier League legend we should cherish.
  5. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool). Stevie G is Liverpool through and through, and has been a central figure in the club’s success particularly in Europe where the Reds have achieved so much. Despite reoccurring injury problems, Gerrard still has many years ahead of him where he can become even more of a legend than he is now.
  6. Didier Drogba (Chelsea). There’s something about what Drogba has brought to the Premier League that was never there before — an incredibly strong, physical striker who is so skillful and graceful with his touch. To me, he’s iconic of a new generation of Premier League strikers. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s won eight or more medals with Chelsea.
  7. Fernando Torres (Liverpool). No player has made such an immediate impact on the Premier League in such a short amount of time. And the wonderful thing is that we’ve had a chance to see him grow as a player and become more well-rounded as well being more physical. It’ll be several years before we see a player as naturally gifted as Torres.
  8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United). Here’s a player that we’ve been able to see grow in the Premier League from his days with Everton where he had so much raw talent but a penchant to run around like a bulldog and risk getting sent off for the silliest of reasons. Since then, we’ve seen him grow as a Manchester United player into one of the best strikers in England and our best hope up front for the 2010 World Cup.
  9. Michael Owen (Manchester United). This is a player that has proven over and over again that he can compete at the highest level even though he has recently been plagued by chronic injuries. He’ll be remembered for his pacey runs and prowess in front of goal which has often reminded me of the great Gary Lineker.
  10. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal). The Spaniard has put such a stamp on the Arsenal team that he thoroughly deserves to be considered a legend even though he’s only 22. How long he’ll remain at Arsenal is up in the air, but he’s been such a huge part of this team and such a wonderfully gifted midfielder that he will always be remembered in Arsenal history books.

Honorable mentions:

  • Harry Redknapp (Tottenham Hotspur).
  • John Terry (Chelsea).
  • Paul Scholes (Manchester United).
  • Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur).
  • Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea).