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Chelsea and Manchester United face off once more this weekend and while none of the current players would get into an all-time XI, the fixture does allow us to have a fond look back at the past.
We’ve taken the best Chelsea and Manchester United players since the year 2000 and crammed them into a combined XI.
Here’s how we think it would look.
Schmeichel left United in 1999 but even if he had stayed into the 2000s, Cech would have taken this spot.
He holds the record for most clean sheets in Premier League history and was the rock behind four Premier League titles.
Neville is up there with Kyle Walker as the Premier League’s best ever right back, even if Roy Keane likes to suggest he got carried.
He may not have had the pace of Walker but what he lacked in speed he made up in positional awareness and a willingness to never stop running.
Chelsea’s best shouts would have been Cesar Azpilicueta or Branislav Ivanovic, but Neville takes it.
The centre back options are an easy choice with two Englishmen occupying them.
On the right, we’ve gone for Ferdinand over his defensive partner Nemanja Vidic.
The Serbian was famed for his tough tackles and even won two Premier League Player of the Year awards but Ferdinand was a much better all-round footballer and one of the early examples of a passing centre back.
You may not like him off the pitch, but Terry is undeniably one of the best defenders the Premier League has ever seen.
He won the league on five occasions with his last coming at the age of 36 and he captained Chelsea for 13 years, a period in which they won everything on offer.
It’s rare that one player is so universally accepted as the best to play his position in the Premier League, but Cole is held in that high regard.
Three Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Europa League, one League Cup and seven FA Cups speak for themselves.
As for United, Patrice Evra was great but not quite as great as Cole.
The absence of Steven Gerrard means we can happily put both Scholes and Lampard in without getting any grief.
Lampard gets in for his ridiculous ability to be in the right place at the right time. We all know what a Lampard-type goal is – arriving late in the box to finish from a cross.
He’s the top-scoring midfielder in Premier League history and the seventh highest overall.
N’Golo Kante was a very close call but Keane just takes it for his leadership qualities as well.
The Irishman often gets unfairly remembered as a bruiser who would clatter into his opponents but he was excellent on the ball as well when he was chasing it.
He captained United during their greatest period and of course it ended in acrimony but what a typically Keane ending.
“In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen — the most complete — is Scholes”. Those were the words of Xabi Hernandez and who are we to disagree with one of the greatest midfielders of all time?
Scholes could do everything a midfielder needed to and won 11 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
Chances are you don’t need reminding why Ronaldo makes this list but just in case you forgot.
His first stint saw him play 292 games, score 118 goals and give 61 assists. He won the Ballon d’Or and was just ridiculously good.
You could pick Ryan Giggs for his longevity but Hazard could do things with the ball that very few others could.
He’s one of the most technically gifted players the Premier League has ever seen and was a central figure in Chelsea’s title wins.
He won Player of the Year in 2015 after 24 goal contributions in 38 matches but reducing Hazard to just stats is a disservice. You simply need to watch him to see how brilliant he was.
If it was a cup final, you may have chosen Didier Drogba but Wayne Rooney was a better all-round player.
Even from a teenager, Rooney had the typically English style to him. Physically imposing, not afraid of a tackle but what made him special was his ability with the ball as well.
He scored some ridiculous goals, with his volley against Newcastle being a particular highlight, and became the top scorer in English and Manchester United history.
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