Frank Lampard and Dennis Bergkamp are the latest players to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Three-time league winner Lampard, 42, who played for Chelsea, West Ham and Manchester City, scored 177 goals in 609 games – a record for a midfielder.
Arsenal forward Bergkamp, 52, also won three league titles, scoring 87 goals in 315 appearances.
They join Alan Shearer, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona and Roy Keane as inductees.
Lampard is also Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer, and had 102 registered assists.
“As a young lad I remember just wanting to make it in to the West Ham team, and looking up to players like Roy Keane, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, so to be mentioned in the same bracket as them is a real honour,” said Lampard, who retired in 2017.
Lampard began his career at West Ham before leaving for Chelsea in 2001, winning back-to-back Premier League titles in 2004-05 and 2005-06, and again in 2009-10. He was also named Premier League Player of the Season for 2004-05.
Lampard joined Manchester City for one season in 2014-15 before closing out his career playing for New York City.
He joined Derby County as manager in 2018 before returning to Chelsea in 2019 as head coach, replacing Maurizio Sarri. He guided his old club to fourth in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final in his first season, before he was sacked in January 2021.
Bergkamp joined Arsenal from Inter Milan in 1995, and led the way in raising the bar for competition in the Premier League, attracting more overseas players.
“I’m extremely proud if people say that I was one of the first foreign players who added something to the English game,” said Bergkamp.
“The Premier League most definitely made me a better player. From the moment I arrived in England I’ve embraced the English mentality and passion for football, it suited me and my style of play.
“Playing every game against good and tough opponents meant I improved all the time. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
The Dutchman’s record of a direct involvement in 181 goals (87 goals and 94 assists) for Arsenal is second only to the 249 of Henry.
Bergkamp, Lampard, Cantona and Keane are among the six inductees to the Hall of Fame being announced this week. They have been selected from a 23-man shortlist based on the most combined votes from the public and a Premier League panel.
Full 23-man shortlist:
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
