Most fans of either a Premier League club or the Premier League in general are very team focused. Meet a new soccer friend, and usually the first question out of his mouth is “Who do you support?” Listen to most podcasts, too, and all you’ll hear is this team name against that team name, and how team name X is doing in the table.

So, for today, I thought it’d be interesting to focus on the individuals who make teams possible… the footballers themselves.

Out of the current players in the Premier League, who’s your favorite and why? Post your answers in the comments section below.

Since I don’t support any Premier League clubs, it’s harder for me to narrow it down to one player (you may find you’ll have the same difficulty too). Of those players who I admire, and it’s a long list, some include Joe Hart, Darren Bent, Mikel Arteta, Ryan Giggs, Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere, Charlie Adam, Jonas Gutierrez, Rafael van der Vaart, David Luiz, Luis Suarez, Clint Dempsey, Lee Chung-Yong, Asamoah Gyan, Kenwyne Jones, Christopher Samba, Nikola Zigic, Jamie O’Hara, Carlton Cole, Peter Odemwingie and Jordi Gomez.

Now that I’ve named one player from each Premier League club that I admire, you can see how difficult it is to name just one. If I had to name just two, however, it would be between Adam Johnson (who unfortunately is out injured until late April) and Gareth Bale (who is also injured). The reasons why I like watching these players is simple. They remind me of classic wingers who take players on, which is so rare to see in modern English football. These are two players who create something out of nothing. A quick surge down the left or right wing, beating a player or two and all of a sudden they have the whole world in front of them with several options to choose from. Should they cut inside and go towards goal? Should they cross the ball in to the box for an approaching striker to bang the ball into the back of the net, or should they dart toward the byline to pull the ball back across to the edge of the box for a striker to shoot and score?

If I had to narrow it down to one, though, it would have to be Gareth Bale. This is a player I’ve watched for years from his time at Southampton, to his dark days at Tottenham where he was laughed at. During those times I remember watching him play for Wales and seeing him rip up opposition such as Russia as he ran down the wings and created havoc. So when he finally regained his form at Tottenham, I was more happy than most (even though I don’t support Spurs). He is currently my favorite Premier League footballer, which is saying a lot especially when you consider how much world-class competition there is with hundreds of other talented players in the league.

Don’t forget. Out of the current players in the Premier League, who’s your favorite and why? Post your answers in the comments section below.