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A look at Britain's top footballing talent from the final decade of the 20th century

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As British football underwent great change in the 90s with the arrival of the Premier League in England, one thing remained the same: there was a host of fine players from the Home Nations. From iconic moustachioed goalkeepers to some of the most prolific goalscorers of the era, we’ve selected the cream of the crop (in our humble opinion). Read on for an ample helping of 90s footy nostalgia! In his prime, Neville Southall was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, and the Welsh legend kept going strong between the sticks well into the 90s. The 92-cap Welshman had chalked up a club-record 751 appearances for Everton by the time he left Goodison Park in 1997, adding the 1994/95 FA Cup to the haul of silverware he won on Merseyside in the 80s. A key man for Scotland at Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup, all-action centre-back Colin Hendry won titles north and south of the border during the 90s. Having tasted Premier League glory with Blackburn in 1994/95, making his first of two PFA Teams of the Year that season, Hendry did a domestic treble at Rangers in 1998/99. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Rangers’ all-time leading goalscorer by some distance, Ally Mc Coist helped the Glasgow giants to an incredible eight Scottish titles in a row between 1990 and 1998, banging in 34 league goals in each of the 1991/92 and 1992/93 campaigns. An instinctive striker, the future A Question of Sport captain and cheeriest pundit on telly notched Scotland’s winner against Switzerland at Euro 96. After joining Arsenal in 1990, David Seaman established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the English top flight, starring as the Gunners won the title in 1991 and 1998. England’s number one by Euro 96, Seaman was nominated for the 1998 Ballon d’Or and kept the most Premier League clean sheets during the 1993/94 and 1998/99 seasons. Plucked from non-League in his early 20s, Ian Wright had only been playing professional football for five years when the 90s began – but he soon marked himself out as one of the most fearsome frontmen around. Wright’s £2. 5m move from Crystal Palace to Arsenal in 1991 made him the Gunners’ record signing, but his return of 185 goals in 288 games made it look like a bargain, and he departed on a high in 1998 as a double winner. Andy Cole’s shock £7m switch from Newcastle to Manchester United in 1995 broke the British transfer record, and United were amply rewarded for their outlay on the man who had banged in 34 Premier League goals for the Magpies in 1993/94. ‘Cole the Goal’ had netted almost 100 times for the Red Devils before the decade was out, forming a prolific strike partnership with Dwight Yorke in the treble-winning season of 1998/99. The very first Premier League Golden Boot winner, Teddy Sheringham found the net for Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Manchester United and England during the 90s. A technically adept centre-forward who also excelled at the creative side of the game, Sheringham’s most famous goal came in the last year of the decade, United’s equaliser against Bayern Munich as they dramatically fought back to win the Champions League final and complete the treble. One of the foremost members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92, Paul Scholes had established himself as a key component of Alex Ferguson’s midfield by the end of the 90s. Having already collected two Premier League winner’s medals with United, Scholes starred prominently in the 1998/99 treble-winning season, emphasising his goal threat by hitting double figures for the third time in four campaigns. An outstanding old-school centre-half, Tony Adams captained Arsenal by example throughout the 90s, winning the title in the old First Division and the Premier League – the latter as part of a double in 1998. Imposing and fearless, Adams was included in three PFA Teams of the Year during the 90s and wore the armband for England at Euro 96. Michael Owen didn’t make his senior debut until the end of the 1996/97 season, but his impact was so immediate and prodigious that he simply has to go down among the finest players of the 90s. Liverpool’s main centre-forward at the age of 17, Owen shared the Golden Boot in his first full Premier League campaign, scooping PFA Young Player of the Year before going to the 1998 World Cup and scoring that iconic solo goal against Argentina. An exceptionally hard-working midfield enforcer, Paul Ince was crucial to Manchester United’s early Premier League title wins, making three straight PFA Teams of the Year between 1993 and 1995. Similarly important for England, Ince became the Three Lions’ first black captain when he wore the armband in a 1993 friendly against the USA, and featured at Euro 96 and the 1998 World Cup. A fine goalscoring midfielder, 1989/90 PFA Player of the Year David Platt was one of England’s main men in their run to the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup. Platt’s performances at that tournament helped secure him a move from Aston Villa to host nation Italy, where he won the UEFA Cup with Juventus and the Coppa Italia with Sampdoria – before returning to England and starring In Arsenal’s 1997/98 double success. The most gifted English footballer of his generation and an immensely entertaining player to watch (with and without a ball at his feet), Paul Gascoigne brought joy to millions with his displays at Italia ’90 and Euro 96, helping his country to the last four of both tournaments. Moments of magic seemed to come naturally to Gazza, whose highlights included a thumping free-kick for Tottenham against Arsenal in the 1991 FA Cup semi-finals and that volley in England’s Euros victory over Scotland. Underscoring his world-class potential with his much-replayed goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon on the opening day of the 1996/97 season, David Beckham rose through Manchester United’s youth ranks to become one of their most indispensable stars. Voted 1996/97 PFA Young Player of the Year, Becks – who earned his first of 115 England caps in 1996 – brought devilishly pinpoint crossing and set-piece delivery to Alex Ferguson’s United, winning three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League between 1996 and 1999. Already well-established at Manchester United when the Premier League got going in 1992, Ryan Giggs had developed into one of the best wingers on the planet by the end of the decade. A back-to-back PFA Young Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993, the Welsh wizard got his hands on 10 pieces of major silverware with United over the course of the 90s. Simply the ultimate Premier League goalscorer, Alan Shearer was well on his way to a competition-record 260 goals by the time the 90s were out. Recipient of three consecutive Golden Boots between 1995 and 1997, Shearer began the decade at Southampton, before winning the 1994/95 title with Blackburn then, in 1996, joining boyhood club Newcastle for £15m – the highest transfer fee ever at the time – having finished as top scorer en route to the Euro 96 semis. Tom Hancock started freelancing for Four Four Two in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open. .. 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