Most decorated players in the Premier League: Thiago Alcantara leads the way with the Chelsea star not far behind but Man City players dominate the top ten

The Premier League has built its reputation on bringing the world’s greatest and most successful footballers to England.

Over the years we’ve seen legends of the game like Cristiano Ronaldo play in the top flight, and even though he’s gone, there are still plenty of hugely decorated players left.

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Stars from Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool have won virtually everything at club and international level.

So who are the ten most decorated players still in the Premier League? talkSPORT.com takes a look.

NB: All club and national team honors, including the Community Shield, are considered, but individual awards are not.

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10. Kyle Walker (Manchester City) – 16

The England international did not win any major honors until joining Manchester City in the summer of 2017 from Tottenham.

Since then, he has won five Premier League trophies in the space of six seasons, as well as several other domestic honours.

Walker has developed into a truly world-class full-back in all areas of his game.

His recovery rate ensures that no winger will ever face an easy game and his crowning achievement came when he helped City win the treble, including that long-awaited Champions League trophy.

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9. Phil Foden (Manchester City) – 17

Foden graduated from City’s academy and could stay with the Manchester giants his entire career and win things regularly.

The England international is only 23 but has already won five Premier League winners’ medals.

Of course, in his early days, Foden didn’t play very often, but he is a player that Pep Guardiola has been patient with and is now receiving the rewards.

He can play on either wing or just behind the striker and is arguably England’s most talented player.

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8 = Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) – 21

The midfielder is another City player on this list, but no other member of Guardiola’s squad is as underrated.

The diminutive Portuguese international is one of his manager’s favorite players and someone his teammates love to play with, but he probably doesn’t get as much respect as he should from the general public.

His time in Manchester was filled with success and in the Champions League semi-finals he produced one of his best performances as City stunned Real Madrid to progress to the final.

Before moving to England, Bernardo played a huge role in a Monaco team that included Kylian Mbappe and Fabinho as they stunned everyone to win Ligue 1.

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8 = Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City) – 21

Kovacic is a recent addition to this City squad, but he has already won a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup medal.

He will no doubt be hoping to win his first Premier League title as well.

The Croatia international has a large collection of silverware, including four Champions League trophies.

Three of them came at Real Madrid, and the last at Chelsea, where he played ten games as the Blues became European champions.

Kovacic never managed to break through in Real’s midfield, but in England he thrived.

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6 = Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) – 22

The Belgian maestro is the longest-serving City player on this list, having joined the club in 2015 under Manuel Pellegrini.

And for that reason, he only has one more City trophy than Walker, Foden or Bernardo.

But he enjoyed success in Germany with Wolfsburg and in Belgium with his first club, Genk.

However, it is under Guardiola that we have seen the best of De Bruyne, who has 168 assists for City and a further 102 goals.

Without injuries, the 32-year-old might have won even more, but he will be quite happy with his huge trophy haul which could easily grow this year and beyond.

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6 = Ederson (Manchester City) – 22

Ederson is the final City name on this list, and there aren’t many players more important than the goalkeeper.

His arrival at the Etihad in 2017 laid the foundations of the dynasty Guardiola built in Manchester.

The 30-year-old is probably the best goalie in the world at playing from the back, and he is often used as an extra outfielder, spreading passes all over the field.

In most matches he is rarely bothered due to City’s superiority over many other teams.

But in the 2022/23 Champions League final, he made some huge saves to secure his team the European Championship title.

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4. Raphaël Varane (Manchester United) – 22

As Varane nears the end of his contract with Manchester United, it would be fair to say that the Red Devils have not seen the best of the Frenchman.

The centre-back has spent a lot of time injured or out of shape, but it would be hard to forget just how good he was.

For the better part of a decade, he and Sergio Ramos formed the ideal central defensive partnership at Real Madrid.

The former Lens player was one of Didier Deschamps’ go-to players, and he played an important role in France’s 2018 World Cup victory while helping Les Bleus reach the final in 2022.

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3. Casemiro (Man United) – 23

The signing of the Brazilian enforcer was criticized by many non-Man United fans due to the fee (potentially £70 million) and his wages, estimated to be in excess of £300,000 per week.

But in his first year he helped the Red Devils win the League Cup and proved why he was so successful, even if he has fallen off since.

There aren’t many players more determined than Casemiro, and that attitude has helped him win numerous trophies.

At Real, he was the perfect foil for Toni Kroos and Luka Modric, and that midfield trio won five Champions League trophies before Casemiro left.

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2. Thiago Silva (Chelsea) – 33

Thiago Silva has been one of the best defenders of modern times and has an incredible trophy collection at the age of 39.

He may have lost his rhythm, but the Brazilian remains one of Chelsea’s best players, but he will leave the club when his contract expires.

After starting out in Brazil, he joined AC Milan then became one of the first star recruits for Paris Saint-Germain.

In France, he won numerous national honors but never lifted the Champions League trophy.

But that all changed in 2021 when the centre-back helped the Blues become European champions and, in doing so, realize a lifelong dream.

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1. Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool) – 35

Thiago has played for three of the biggest clubs in the world during his career and as a result, he is the most decorated active Premier League player.

The Spain international began his career at Barcelona during his peak years under Guardiola.

From there, he won numerous honors before joining Bayern Munich and helping them dominate German football and win the Champions League in the 2019/20 campaign.

His last move to Liverpool didn’t really work out due to fitness issues, but he showed what he was capable of during the 2021/22 season as the Reds won the League Cup and FA Cup while narrowly missing out on the Premier League and Champions. League.