The Premier League was formed in 1992 and quickly became the most popular football division in the world. With the television audience growing season after season, and bigger sponsorship deals being signed, more and more players were joining clubs from foreign shores and increasing the quality of the Premier League.
Many of these imports turned out to be cult heroes and legends alike for their clubs. Here’s nine of those names you may remember and have fond memories of:
Vinnie Jones (Wimbledon)
Vinnie Jones originally made a name for himself in the late 1980s with Wimbledon, his first full-time club, before moving onto bigger clubs in Leeds United, Sheffield United and Chelsea.
The English-born former Wales captain returned to Wimbledon in 1992 for the inaugural Premier League season. He was a key part of the ‘Crazy Gang’ and helping Wimbledon to finish in the top half on several occasions; he was popular with the fans for his aggression and tough-tackling game.
Jones wouldn’t last longer than five minutes in a Premier League game these days with some of these challenges:
Paolo Di Canio (West Ham United)
Having played for a number of top Italian sides – Lazio, Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan, Paolo Di Canio first moved to the island of Great Britain in 1996 to play for Celtic. Realising he was too good for that league he quickly moved to England the following season, joining Sheffield Wednesday.
He stayed in Yorkshire for little more than a year before his move to West Ham in January, 1999 shortly after returning from an 11-game ban after pushing over referee Paul Alcock.
Though Di Canio was only with West Ham for the final year of the 90s we had to include him in this article. From his elegance to ‘that’ volley against Wimbledon, the fiery Italian is a West Ham cult hero and Premier League legend.
Duncan Ferguson (Everton)
Everton are one of England’s most successful clubs and the 1980s was no different for the Merseyside club. However, things declined in the 1990s. They had won their ninth top flight title in 1987 but haven’t won it since.
During the 90s the only trophy they lifted was the 1995 FA Cup. One player that stands out in an Everton shirt from the 1990s was Duncan Ferguson. He optimised what the fans wanted from their players – hard work and aggression.
Arriving from Glasgow Rangers in 1994 and staying at Goodison Park for four-and-a-half seasons during his first spell, the former Scotland international striker scored a couple of goals but had a reputation for picking up cards and starting fights.
Igor Štimac (Derby County)
Most people remember Derby County’s time in the Premier League in the 1990s for Paulo Wanchope’s goal against Manchester United. He upset many betters and English Premier League predictions on his debut at Old Trafford as part of the Derby side that won 3-2.
However, if you ask their fans for a cult hero during that era most of them would say none other than Igor Štimac. The Croatian centre-back joined the Rams in 1995 and helped them gain promotion to the Premier League during his first season.
He was a tall, solid, no-nonsense defender who helped Derby stay in the Premier League and finish in the top half before he left for West Ham in 1999.
Georgi Kinkladze (Manchester City)
Georgi Kinkladze had been a star in his homeland of Georgia where he had attracted attention from a number of Italian sides and even trained with Real Madrid’s reserves. After an unsuccessful loan spell in Germany with Saarbrücken and a loan to Boca Juniors where he would fail to gain a work permit, it was Premier League strugglers Manchester
City who took a chance on the gifted midfielder.
He was able to glide past defenders with the ball, scoring one of the greatest goals in Premier League history where he jinked in and out of five Southampton defenders before dinking the ball over goalkeeper Dave Beasant.
However, with poor players and poor management, City were relegated not only from the Premier League, but to the third tier during Kinkladze’s three years with the club. During this time, he wowed supporters and even turned down interest from the likes of Barcelona and Liverpool.
Gianfranco Zola (Chelsea)
A few months after missing a penalty in a 0-0 draw with Germany at Euro 96 that ultimately saw Italy eliminated at the group stage, Gianfranco Zola joined Chelsea from Parma in a £4.5 million deal.
The Italian maestro wowed crowds at Stamford Bridge and across the Premier League with his technical ability and a few beautiful goals.
Zola left Chelsea in 2003 just before the money rolled in at Stamford Bridge, having vowed to see out his career with Cagliari.
Juninho (Middlesbrough)
The second Brazilian to ever step foot in the Premier League, Juninho left São Paulo for Bryan Robson’s Middlesbrough in 1995. The diminutive midfielder became an immediate hit at the Riverside Stadium with his great technical and playmaking ability.
Relegation from the Premier League in 1997 saw Juninho move to Atlético Madrid for the 1997-98 season with the intention of making the Brazil squad for the 98 World Cup. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the cut.
After two years in the Spanish capital he was loaned back to ‘Boro at the end of the millennium for a season. Later, after spending a couple of seasons back in his homeland he’d have a third spell at Middlesbrough back in the Premier League, long after his cult hero status was well established.
Stuart Pearce (Nottingham Forest)
In 1985, Stuart Pearce chose to join Nottingham Forest over Manchester United because the East Midlands club had been more successful in recent seasons. Whilst ‘Psycho’ would end his career with very few medals in comparison to Dennis Irwin and other Manchester
United players, he did at least achieve cult status at the City Ground.
Pearce played over 400 league games for Forest though did suffer relegation as both a player and play-manager before heading to Newcastle Untied during the latter stages of his career.
He was popular on the terraces with his strong challenges and never say die attitude.
David Hirst (Sheffield Wednesday)
In 1986, Sheffield Wednesday signed a striker with quick, strong, had a powerful shot, was good in the air – he had it all. David Hirst was destined for even greater things than the Yorkshire club.
After scoring plenty of goals for the Owls, Hirst would get his England call up in the early 90s. Then England manager Sir Bobby Robson was even quoted as saying – “It’s not a question of who will replace Lineker, but who will partner David Hirst.”
However, it was a sad story of what might have been. His club manager, Trevor Francis, rejected several bids from Manchester United in 1992 to the point that Sir Alex Ferguson signed Eric Cantona instead. Hirst’s career was then blighted by injury and he only ever made three appearances for the England national team.
With 25 seasons of Premier League football behind us, Betfair have put together this infographic:
