Gary Neville Accuses Jamie Carragher of Bias in Midfielder Debate
Gary Neville has launched a pointed critique at his Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher, labelling his list of the greatest Premier League midfielders as "biased." In response, Neville has presented his own rankings, controversially placing Roy Keane at the top and demoting Steven Gerrard to fourth position.
Neville's Top Picks and Reasoning
The Manchester United legend asserted that he "wasn't as biased" as Carragher, who had named his former Liverpool teammate Gerrard as his number one choice. However, Neville similarly showed allegiance by selecting his ex-captain Keane as his premier pick, with Paul Scholes also securing a spot in the top three.
Neville explained his methodology, stating he aimed to "think more traditionally" about the central midfield role. This led him to exclude players like David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne—the latter ranked third by Carragher—because they operated more as attacking midfielders or number 10s rather than box-to-box players.
He emphatically declared that no one but Keane could be considered the Premier League's greatest midfielder, ranking him ahead of Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira. Reflecting on their intense rivalry in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Neville praised Keane's influence, saying on his podcast: "I don't think there's ever been a more influential football player in the Premier League. Full stop. In fact, I'm absolutely convinced there's not."
Detailed Rankings and Justifications
Neville elaborated further, highlighting Keane's driving standards and goal-scoring prowess, which he believed placed him a level above Vieira. He added: "I think if Jamie Carragher is selecting the No 1 central midfield player in Premier League history you can't choose anybody else but Roy Keane really and I don't think many would."
Following Keane, Neville named Vieira as his runner-up, acknowledging their historic battles. In third place, he placed Scholes, describing him as the "best player that I ever played with at Manchester United." However, he noted that Scholes's versatility, often playing off the striker, limited his time in a pure central midfield role, affecting his ranking.
Gerrard, Carragher's top choice, was relegated to fourth by Neville. He acknowledged Gerrard's monumental talent but cited his frequent positional changes as a factor in not ranking him higher. "He's a monumental player but played in different positions," Neville remarked.
Rounding out the top five was Rodri, whose achievements with Manchester City—including four league titles and a Champions League-winning goal—were deemed impossible to overlook. Neville admitted initial skepticism about Rodri but praised his evolution into a world-class player, suggesting that with more years in the league, he could challenge the top spots.
This exchange highlights the ongoing debates and loyalties in football punditry, with Neville's list sparking further discussion among fans and analysts alike.
