Ah, the age-old debate. Who is the best player in Premier League history? Well, the answer might just depend on the club you support. For example, Arsenal fans are bound to name Thierry Henry, Manchester United fans will name Cristiano Ronaldo and Newcastle fans will almost certainly name Alan Shearer.
So, I thought what better way to answer this question than to ask somebody who is impartial. And then I thought – don’t be ridiculous. There isn’t a single football fan in the world who is 100% impartial. I’d be much better off asking a robot.
But unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), I don’t have many robot friends. So I had to settle for the next best thing – AI.
Out of curiosity (and utter boredom), I asked the OpenAI platforms’ ChatGPT to name the best player in Premier League history. At first, it gave me a long list of players including Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona.
That wasn’t good enough for me. It reminds me of that one mate we have that sits on the fence out of fear of being ostracised for their wrong opinion. What we need is someone to come forward and name THE greatest player in Premier League history and the response pleased me as an Arsenal fan.
ChatGPT names Arsenal legend Thierry Henry as the EPL GOAT
"“When it comes to naming a single player who is often regarded as the best in Premier League history, the name frequently mentioned is Thierry Henry. The French forward’s impact on the league, his skill, goalscoring ability, and overall influence on the game have earned him widespread recognition as one of the greatest players to have graced the Premier League.” – ChatGPT"
As an Arsenal fan, I am bound to agree. Of course, Ronaldo was a better player overall, but I’m talking about their time in the Premier League only. Shearer had better statistics, but he played for much longer in England and stats don’t tell you anything about technical ability.
What do you think? Who is your Premier League GOAT?