Football: League unveils superstars of the century

THE FOOTBALL League has unveiled the names of its "100 League Legends" on a commemorative list designed as part of the celebrations for the forthcoming centenary season.

Six current Premiership players are on the list picked by football journalists - Tony Adams, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Ryan Giggs, Peter Schmeichel and Dennis Bergkamp - while Eric Cantona also features.

The idea, however, was to choose players from all eras of the game's development to emphasise the League's history.

While David Beckham and Michael Owen may be considered too young to warrant a place, many a debate will no doubt be sparked by the omission of internationals such as Jack Charlton, Trevor Brooking, David Seaman, Ian Wright and Peter Beardsley.

The list features 34 players whose careers began before the Second World War, starting with West Bromwich Albion's Billy Bassett, who played in the 1880s, through Dixie Dean, Tommy Lawton and Sir Stanley Matthews.

There are a further 37 players who started after the war but had all retired by 1980, from Nat Lofthouse, through to Billy Wright and on to Sir Bobby Charlton, Geoff Hurst and Denis Law.

The remaining 29 players have all played during the 1980s or 1990s, from Martin Peters and George Best, through Malcolm Macdonald, Peter Shilton and Kevin Keegan to Glenn Hoddle, Kenny Dalglish and Gary Lineker.

Those of the "100 Legends" who can attend will be honoured with a specially commissioned award at a Football League centenary dinner later this coming season - the 100th in the history of the organisation.

The Football League's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "The committee had an immensely difficult task to choose just 100 `League Legends' but I think that the list they have confirmed is almost impossible to better."

Sir Stanley, who played from 1932 to 1965, said: "I think this is a wonderful initiative and it's great to see so many of my footballing friends and colleagues on the League Legends list."

Sir Tom Finney added: "It's a great honour to be nominated as a Football League legend among so many outstanding players."

Other centenary season initiatives include the establishment of a list of "local heroes" at each of the 72 Football League clubs, as well as the production of commemorative publications. .FROM BASSETT TO BERGKAMP: THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE'S HALL OF FAME

Billy Bassett - West Bromwich Albion (1888-1900)

Archie Hunter - Aston Villa (1888-1891)

John Goodall - Preston, Derby, New Brighton, Glossop (1888-1904)

Steve Bloomer - Derby, Middlesbrough (1892-1915)

Billy Meredith (pictured below) - Northwich Victoria, Manchester City, Manchester United (1893-1925)

Bob Crompton - Blackburn (1896-1921)

Billy Foulke - Sheffield United, Chelsea, Bradford (1894-1908)

Alf Common - Sunderland, Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Arsenal, Preston (1900-1915)

Sam Hardy - Chesterfield, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest (1902- 1926)

Bill McCracken - Newcastle (1904-1924)

Viv Woodward - Tottenham, Chelsea (1908-1915)

Clem Stephenson - Aston Villa, Huddersfield (1910-1930)

Charles Buchan - Sunderland, Arsenal (1910-1929)

Elisha Scott - Liverpool (1912-1934)

Dixie Dean - Tranmere, Everton, Notts County (1923-1939)

George Camsell - Durham, Middlesbrough (1924-1939)

Hughie Gallagher - Newcastle, Chelsea, Derby, Notts County, Grimsby, Gateshead (1925-1939)

Harry Hibbs - Birmingham, Bristol City (1925-1939)

Alex James - Preston, Arsenal (1925-1938)

Eddie Hapgood - Arsenal (1927-1939)

Cliff Bastin - Exeter, Arsenal (1927-1948)

Wilf Copping - Leeds, Arsenal (1930-1939)

David Jack - Plymouth, Bolton, Arsenal (1930-1935)

Stanley Matthews - Stoke, Blackpool (1931-1966)

Ted Drake - Southampton, Arsenal (1931-1939)

Joe Mercer - Everton, Arsenal (1932-1954)

Raich Carter - Sunderland, Derby, Hull (1932-1953)

Peter Doherty - Blackpool, Manchester City, Derby, Huddersfield, Doncaster (1933-1954)

Frank Swift - Manchester City (1933-1951)

Tommy Lawton - Burnley, Everton, Chelsea, Notts County, Brentford, Arsenal (1935-1957)

Wilf Mannion - Middlesbrough, Hull (1936-1956)

George Hardwick - Middlesbrough, Oldham (1937-1956)

Johnny Carey - Manchester United (1937-1954)

Stan Mortensen - Blackpool, Hull, Southport (1938-1958)

Neil Franklin - Stoke, Hull, Crewe, Stockport (1946-1958)

Trevor Ford - Swansea, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff, Newport (1946- 1961)

Nat Lofthouse - Bolton (1946-1961)

Tom Finney - Preston (1946-1960)

Alf Ramsey - Southampton, Tottenham (1946-1955)

Len Shackleton - Bradford Park Avenue, Newcastle, Sunderland (1946-1958)

Jimmy Dickinson - Portsmouth (1946-1965)

Arthur Rowley - West Bromwich Albion, Fulham, Leicester, Shrewsbury (1946- 1965)

Billy Liddell - Liverpool (1946-1961)

Billy Wright - Wolverhampton Wanderers (1946-1959)

Jackie Milburn - Newcastle (1946-1957)

John Charles - Leeds, Cardiff (1948-1966)

Ivor Allchurch - Swansea, Newport, Cardiff (1948-1968)

Danny Blanchflower - Barnsley, Aston Villa, Tottenham (1948-1964)

Bert Trautmann - Manchester City (1949-1964)

Jimmy McIlroy - Burnley, Stoke, Oldham (1950-1968)

Tommy Taylor - Barnsley, Manchester United (1950-1958)

Cliff Jones - Swansea, Tottenham, Fulham (1952-1970)

Johnny Haynes - Fulham (1952-1970)

Duncan Edwards - Manchester United (1953-1958)

Jimmy Armfield - Blackpool (1954-1971)

Terry Paine - Southampton, Hereford (1956-1977)

Bobby Charlton - Manchester United, Preston (1956-1975)

Jimmy Greaves - Chelsea, Tottenham, West Ham (1957-1971)

Denis Law - Huddersfield, Manchester City, Manchester United (1956-1974)

Gordon Banks - Chesterfield, Leicester, Stoke (1958-1973)

Dave Mackay - Tottenham, Derby, Swindon (1958-1972)

Bobby Moore - West Ham, Fulham (1958-1977)

Alan Mullery - Fulham, Tottenham (1958-1976)

Geoff Hurst - West Ham, Stoke, West Bromwich Albion (1959-1976)

Nobby Stiles - Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Preston (1959-1974)

Johnny Giles - Manchester United, Leeds, West Bromwich Albion (1959-1977)

Billy Bremner - Leeds, Hull, Doncaster (1959-1982)

Frank McLintock - Leicester, Arsenal, QPR (1959-1977)

Alec Young - Everton, Stockport (1960-1969)

Martin Peters - West Ham, Tottenham, Norwich, Sheffield United (1960- 1981)

Tommy Smith - Liverpool, Swansea (1962-1979)

Norman Hunter - Leeds, Bristol City, Barnsley (1962-1983)

Pat Jennings - Watford, Tottenham, Arsenal (1962-1985)

Alan Ball - Blackpool, Everton, Arsenal, Southampton, Bristol Rovers (1962-1984)

Colin Bell - Bury, Manchester City (1963-1979)

George Best - Manchester United, Stockport, Fulham, Bournemouth (1963- 1983)

Peter Shilton - Leicester, Stockport, Nottingham Forest, Southampton, Derby, Plymouth, Bolton, Leyton Orient (1965-1997)

Ray Clemence - Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Tottenham (1965-1988)

Malcolm Macdonald - Fulham, Luton, Newcastle, Arsenal (1968-1977)

Kevin Keegan - Scunthorpe, Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle (1968-1984)

Trevor Francis - Birmingham, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday (1970-1995)

Graeme Souness - Middlesbrough, Liverpool (1972-1984)

Liam Brady - Arsenal, West Ham (1973-1990)

Glenn Hoddle - Tottenham, Swindon, Chelsea (1974-1996)

Bryan Robson - West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Middlesbrough (1974-1997)

Alan Hansen - Liverpool (1977-1990)

Kenny Dalglish - Liverpool (1977-1990)

Gary Lineker - Leicester, Everton, Tottenham (1978-1993)

Ian Rush - Chester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle (1978-1998)

Ossie Ardiles - Tottenham, Blackburn, QPR, Swindon (1978-1990)

Neville Southall - Bury, Port Vale, Everton, Stoke (1980-1998)

Paul McGrath - Manchester United, Aston Villa, Derby (1981-1998)

John Barnes - Watford, Liverpool, Newcastle (1981-1998)

Tony Adams - Arsenal (1983-1998)

Paul Gascoigne - Newcastle, Tottenham, Middlesbrough (1984-1998)

Alan Shearer - Southampton, Blackburn, Newcastle (1987-1998)

Ryan Giggs - Manchester United (1990-1998)

Eric Cantona - Leeds, Manchester United (1991-1997)

Peter Schmeichel - Manchester United (1991-1998)

Dennis Bergkamp (pictured right) - Arsenal (1995-1998)