Premier League all-time XI: Whether Roy Keane or Steven Gerrard, vote for your fave centre-mid of the last 25 years
To celebrate the 25th season of the Prem era, SunSport is asking you to vote for the best team ever; next, central midfield
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FOR many, the formation of the Premier League will feel like just a few years ago, for the younger generations, it's all they've ever known.
Whichever bracket you fall under, the Prem is celebrating its 25th birthday in the 2016-17 season.
From Blackburn Rovers as champions to, well, Leicester City as champions with the 'Big Four' era of domination in the middle, it's been action-packed from 1992 to present day.
To celebrate the milestone, SunSport is combining an all-time, Premier League best XI - asking you to cast the final vote.
Every day, we will be bringing you a new position and asking you to pick your favourite in a series of polls.
At the end of it all, we'll bring you the results; the definitive SunSport Premier League XI from 1992 to 2016.
Today, we'll bring you our list of central midfielders... Let's check out the contenders, there are 18 this time and we will only be picking the top two, so choose wisely.
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NICKY BUTT
Club(s): Manchester United, Newcastle, Birmingham
Appearances: 411
Premier League titles: 6
PART of the famous 'Class of 92' alongside the likes of the Neville brothers and David Beckham, Butt went on to have great success at Man United.
Butt won an outrageous six Premier League titles at Old Trafford, in just 12 seasons, before spending five years at Newcastle - with one on loan at Birmingham - as he racked up an impressive 411 appearances.
GARY SPEED
Club(s): Leeds, Everton, Newcastle, Bolton
Appearances: 535
Premier League titles: 0
THE late, great Speed made an incredible 535 Premier League appearances during his 16 years in the top flight.
The Welsh midfielder turned out for Leeds, Everton, Newcastle and Bolton to cement himself as one of the league's best ever.
PATRICK VIEIRA
Club(s): Arsenal, Manchester City
Appearances: 307
Premier League titles: 3
307 GAMES, three Premier League titles and one Player of the Season award to boot... Not too shabby for Mr Vieira.
The French midfielder won the league in 1998, 2002 and 2004 - as part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' - during nine seasons at the Gunners, before two campaigns at Man City five years later.
EMMANUEL PETIT
Club(s): Arsenal, Chelsea
Appearances: 140
Premier League titles: 1
BETWEEN 1997 and 2000, Vieira's compatriot Petit lined-up alongside him at Arsenal, winning the Premier League in 1998 in the process.
Following his spell at the Gunners, the Frenchman moved to Chelsea where he spent another three seasons, notching 140 games in the process.
ROY KEANE
Club(s): Nottingham Forest, Manchester United
Appearances: 366
Premier League titles: 7
AFTER one season and 40 games at Nottingham Forest, the rest, as they say, is history for Roy Keane.
Joining Man United, the hard-man Irish midfielder spent 13 years at Old Trafford, winning a spectacular SEVEN Premier League crowns, racking up a total of 326 league games for Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils.
GARETH BARRY
Club(s): Aston Villa, Manchester City, Everton
Appearances: 602
Premier League titles: 1
IT'S almost hard to believe Barry is still going strong in the English top flight having kicked off his career in 1997, as a left-back with Aston Villa.
602 Prem games later, with stints at Manchester City and Everton, the one-time league champion is showing no signs of letting up.
PAUL SCHOLES
Club(s): Manchester United
Appearances: 499
Premier League titles: 11
SIMPLY staggering stuff from Scholes, winning an incredible 11 Premier League crowns during his career.
Scholesy featured for Man United from 1992 all the way to 2013, racking up 499 appearances, 107 goals, 41 assists as well as those league titles. Stupendous.
STEVEN GERRARD
Club(s): Liverpool
Appearances: 504
Premier League titles: 0
FROM 1998 to 2015, Stevie G gave his all for Liverpool... Perhaps even to his detriment.
Gerrard repeatedly turned down the advances of clubs such as Chelsea as he strived for a Premier League title with boyhood club Liverpool, but after 17 years, 504 appearances, 120 goals and 92 assists, it was sadly to no avail.
FRANK LAMPARD
Club(s): West Ham, Chelsea, Manchester City
Appearances: 609
Premier League titles: 3
WHILE Lampard is remembered for being a Chelsea legend, let's not forget he started his career at West Ham, where he spent eight seasons.
13 years at the Blues, including three Premier League crowns and one Player of the Season gong saw him spent one season at Manchester City, as he eclipsed the 600 appearance landmark, to add to his 177 goals and 95 assists.
XABI ALONSO
Club(s): Liverpool
Appearances: 143
Premier League titles: 0
DESPITE only plying his trade in the Premier League for five seasons, Alonso clearly demonstrated he was one of the most talented midfielders to ever grace the English turf.
A great eye for a pass, some long-range stunners and arguably Liverpool's biggest ever regret would be letting him go... His 143 appearances were only limited by Real Madrid pinching him in his prime.
JAVIER MASCHERANO
Club(s): West Ham, Liverpool
Appearances: 99
Premier League titles: 0
HIS time in the top flight was brief, before Barcelona came knocking, but West Ham snatching Mascherano was the shock of 2006.
After quickly moving to Liverpool, the Argentine ace proved himself to be one of the most tenacious defensive midfielders the top flight has ever seen.
MICHAEL ESSIEN
Club(s): Chelsea
Appearances: 168
Premier League titles: 2
GHANAIAN midfielder Michael Essien was part of a formidable trio alongside Lampard and Claude Makelele for years, extending his time at the club to nine seasons.
Essien bagged two Premier League titles during his 168 appearances for the west Londoners.
CLAUDE MAKELELE
Club(s): Chelsea
Appearances: 144
Premier League titles: 2
SPEAK of the devil, the Frenchman was such a solid midfield anchor, the footballing world even named his position after him: The Makelele Role.
Makelele spent five seasons at the Blues notching 144 appearances, getting his hands on two Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006 in the process.
JAMES MILNER
Club(s): Leeds, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool
Appearances: 423
Premier League titles: 2
WHILE many enjoy poking fun of 'Boring James Milner', you can never take away the fact the midfielder is a massive part of Premier League history.
Since starting off at Leeds in 2001, Milner has played for Newcastle and Aston Villa, won the league with Man City, before carrying on at Liverpool, as he's reached 423 games... And counting.
YAYA TOURE
Club(s): Manchester City
Appearances: 195
Premier League titles: 2
SINCE moving from Barcelona in 2010, Toure has notched 195 appearances and two Premier League titles.
He may not be at his peak in the 2016-17 season, but you can't deny he was simply unstoppable in the 2013-14 seasons, netting 20 times in 35 Prem games.
CESC FABREGAS
Club(s): Arsenal, Chelsea
Appearances: 287
Premier League titles: 1
AFTER eight full seasons at Arsenal, Fabregas earned his dream move to Barcelona in 2011 - before switching the Nou Camp for Stamford Bridge in 2014.
There he got his hands on his first and only Premier League title. He's now turned out 287 times in the top flight, with 96 assists and 43 goals.
MICHAEL CARRICK
Club(s): West Ham, Tottenham, Manchester United
Appearances: 456
Premier League titles: 5
IT'S sometimes hard to believe Carrick has been going about his business in the Premier League since 1999, when he made his debut for West Ham.
Now into his 17th season, after spells with the Hammers, Tottenham and Man United, Carrick has 456 appearances and five Premier League titles under his belt.
MESUT OZIL
Club(s): Arsenal
Appearances: 89
Premier League titles: 0
A COMPARATIVE newbie compared to some of the legends of the Premier League on this list, it's hard to leave Ozil off the list.
Now into his fourth season in the English top flight, Ozil has developed a reputation for being the 'Assist King' at the Emirates.
...HONOURABLE MENTION
OF course, only 18 can make the cut and some big names had to miss out.
Dietmar Hamann and Luka Modric are two who narrowly missed out on the cut...
Vote for your favourite central midfielder in Premier League history, below.