Some of football’s greatest leaders have lifted the Premier League title since the competition kicked off in 1992.
From stalwart central defenders to tigerish midfield talismans, they have worn the armband with aplomb – and often made the difference between success and failure.
Here the PA news agency picks out some of the domestic game’s most dependable heroes.
Gary Neville
There may have been more talented players in the Manchester United dressing room, but you would be hard pushed to find anyone more hardworking, driven and passionate than Neville.
The right-back, part of the fabled ‘Class of 92’, spent his entire 19-year career at Old Trafford, making 602 appearances in all competitions and winning titles aplenty.
Neville made his debut as a 17-year-old off the bench in a UEFA Cup match against Torpedo Moscow in September 1992 and eventually established himself as first-choice right-back during the 1994-95 campaign.
Forming a solid relationship with David Beckham that was as strong down the right flank as it was off the field, United blossomed as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men won trophy after trophy through the 1990s and into the 2000s.
A key component of the treble-winning team of 1999, he was handed the captain’s armband when Roy Keane departed midway through the 2005-06 season.
The Carling Cup in 2006 was the first trophy he lifted as skipper, but not the last as United won the 2006-07 and 2008-09 league titles in between an injury-ravaged double-winning 2007-08 season.
Neville, fifth in the all-time appearance list at Old Trafford, abruptly announced his retirement in February 2011 and continues to make his passion for the club felt through TV work.
United honours list
Premier League: 8 – 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2008–09
Champions League: 1 – 1998–99
FA Cup: 3 – 1995–96, 1998–99, 2003–04
League Cup: 2 – 2005–06, 2009–10
Intercontinental Cup: 1 – 1999
Club World Cup: 1 – 2008
