Skill comes in all shapes and sizes. From the audacious flicks and tricks of Ronaldinho or the deft touches of Zinedine Zidane, who doesn’t love to watch it? It’s addictive watching a footballer, often in their pomp, finding the difficult aspects so simple.

England’s top flight, the Premier League, is not exactly remembered for its litany of skilful players. Going route one, finding target men and tackling tough is what epitomises the beautiful game in England – from its formation in 1992 to the modern day.

That does not mean that it hasn’t been home to some skill-ladened talent over the years. From the wizardry of Eden Hazard to the profound art of Adel Taarabt’s ability – here are the 10 most skilful players to grace the Premier League turf (ranked in order) taking the following ranking factors into consideration.

Ranking Factors

• Fan reception – How did fans feel about the player, and how do they still feel about him now?
• Lasting impact on the game/reputation – How well remembered they are among Premier League fans.
• Overall quality – Often, the most skilful players are some of the best in the world.
• Longevity – Honours can not really define skill, but lengthy careers indicate a level that rarely drops.
• Statistical data/eye-witness accounts – Memorable performances/moments of trickery.

Jay-Jay Okocha

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers’ very own Jay-Jay Okocha: the midfielder who was so good they named him twice. As alluded to, English football has never been about such flicks and tricks – but that’s what the former Paris Saint-Germain magician carried in abundance with him to Bolton, the club where he garnered his reputation for being such a silky customer.

Instantly becoming a fan favourite as his tally of goals steered them clear of relegation, the Nigerian was a one-of-a-kind footballer and was perhaps unfortunate to not get a big move to one of the division’s big dogs on the back of his 145-game stint in England.

Thierry Henry

Arsenal

Thierry Henry must be remembered for his tally of goals, aided by his charismatic finishing – but the deft touches, lightning-sharp speed and dynamism were what stood him out from the rest of the crowd. Under Arsene Wenger, the former Barcelona ace went from strength to strength, becoming capable of bypassing defenders with ease.

Gifted enough to play on the wing or through the middle, the Frenchman is commonly considered to be one of the – if not the – best players in Premier League history. You don’t have a statue erected outside a Premier League stadium for being merely average – and Henry was the opposite of that: he was a phenomenon.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United

Albeit not in his second stint when he returned to Old Trafford as a seasoned centre forward – but Cristiano Ronaldo’s first foray at Manchester United between 2003 and 2009 was the stuff of legend. A fresh-faced trickster with a point to prove after Sir Alex Ferguson snatched him from Sporting CP.

His first Ballon d’Or-winning season (in 2008/2009) is memorable for every Premier League fan. In addition to his never-ending weaponry of tricks – most notably, his trademark stepover – the Portuguese was a natural-born finisher too. It was with great sadness that stubborn Scot let him leave in favour of Real Madrid – but that’s life.

Adel Taarabt

Tottenham, Fulham, QPR

Now we’re talking. A bonafide ‘streets won’t forget’ player is Adel Taarabt, one that will forever be enshrined in the memories of football fans worldwide, thanks to his ever-flourishing bag of tricks. Despite being considered one of the most frustrating players in the division’s history, there’s no doubting his talent.

The best/worst (depending on whether he was playing for or against your team) thing about the dainty Moroccan was that his audacity typically paid off, whether that was a slip through the legs or a pirouette on the byline. Allowed to be a free spirit on the pitch by QPR boss Neil Warnock, he was let down by his professionalism or lack thereof.

Eden Hazard

Chelsea

Encapsulating everything joyous about the beautiful game, Eden Hazard’s most fruitful stint of his career came in the Premier League for Chelsea – a club he plundered 110 goals and 85 assists for in 352 outings – but it was the intangible aspect of his game that was so awe-inspiring.

Widely revered as one of the most technically gifted footballers of all time, there was very little that the Belgian couldn’t do from a technical standpoint: taking on defenders, wrestling off opposition with his low centre of gravity or pinging one in the top corner with a timed, curling effort. La Louviere-born, they don’t just make them like Hazard anymore.

Matt Le Tissier

Southampton

Monikered “Le God” on the south coast thanks to the abundance of goals Matt Le Tissier notched for Southampton over the years, the centre forward was criminally underrated thanks to being born in a generation packed to the brim with talent – but don’t let his lack of experience on the international stage cloud your judgement.

Guernsey-born, the very fact that he only managed to rack up eight appearances for England is nothing short of a travesty. Spent the entirety of his career at the Saints and managed to notch some of the best goals the top flight has ever witnessed – from driven finishes at the near post to adroit chips.

Dimitar Berbatov

Manchester Utd, Tottenham, Fulham

A genius of the highest order, Dimitar Berbatov had one of the best touches in the history of the beautiful game. Whether it was a daisy-cutting pass from a defender or a ball falling from the sky, you could bet on the Bulgarian bringing it under complete control and then doing what he did best: being the difference-maker.

Bulgaria’s most glamourous export since Hristo Stoichkov when he joined Tottenham Hotspur in the mid 90s, the enigmatic striker was as unique as he was talented. Cool, calm and collected – Berbatov’s glory days came for Manchester United, a club he won two Premier League titles for.

Dennis Bergkamp

Arsenal

If you ever needed a moment to appreciate the magic of Arsenal hero Dennis Bergkamp – go online and watch his goal against Newcastle United. Wherever he plied his trade, the non-flying Dutchman’s career was laced with near touches throughout, but nothing embodied his twinkle-toe nature like his goal against Newcastle back in 2002.

Alongside the aforementioned Henry in the second striker role in north London, the wisdom-filled master from Amsterdam took his career to unrivalled heights throughout his 422-outing stint at the club. His natural potency aside, the former Inter Milan and Ajax ace was a myriad of fun to watch dance on the pitch.

Joe Cole

Chelsea, Liverpool, West Ham United

As comfortable placing 40-yard passes on a six pence as he was leaving defenders in the wake of his talent, London-born Joe Cole was earmarked as English football’s next big thing while on the come up at West Ham United – but the most memorable days of his pomp came on the other side of the capital at Chelsea.

Cole, a 56-cap England international, won three Premier League crowns in west London and was the undisputed master of trickery – and therefore was a regular feature on the popular Soccer AM segment: Showboat. A true, defying legend of the top flight – a glittering winger whose highlight reels will forever be watched on loop.

Gianfranco Zola

Chelsea

The dainty Italian tipped up at Cobham as a veteran of the game, rather than a prosperous youngster, but still managed to earn himself a spot in the club’s mythology, racking up 80 goals and a further 41 assists in 312 games across all competitions – 59 and 24, respectively, that came in the league.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest foreign imports to grace all tiers of English football, Gianfranco Zola had all the tools to unlock a defence with blistering pace and blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment of magic. The flamboyance of his play and unpredictability in the final third is what made him such a living legend.

11-15

Alongside his post-goal acrobatics, Luis Nani’s illustrious Manchester United stint was synonymous for producing more stepovers than passes per game – but that’s not a dig.

One of the best English footballers of all time, of course, Paul Gascogine was as hardened as he was dainty – the perfect combination which propelled his career, one dampened by his poor behaviour, into the stratosphere.

Hatem Ben Arfa’s twinkle toes see him fall into the top 15 – while Juninho’s effortless panache from free-kicks makes him a worthy option on the list. The petite Brazilian was, as expected, an instant hit on Teesside.

More recently, it was Dimitri Payet’s ability from dead ball situations that lit up the English top tier. Still playing for Vasco da Gama – he is best remembered for scoring one of the best free-kicks in football history.