Henry, Shearer become first inductees into EPL Hall of Fame

The English Premier League (EPL) has named Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer as the first players inducted into the league’s newly created Hall of Fame.

The pair, who have a combined 435 goals and seven Golden Boot awards, were inducted by the EPL governing body on Monday.

“Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer and four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner Thierry Henry have today been announced as the first two players to be named in the official Premier League Hall of Fame,” it wrote on its website.

Two centre-forwards, both gifted with natural skill and talent who have written their names in Premier League history

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We’re delighted to announce Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry as the first two inductees of the #PLHallOfFame pic.twitter.com/MAKgi3SYzV

— Premier League (@premierleague) April 26, 2021

Shearer received his induction as the league’s all-time top scorer, netting 260 goals, while Henry’s induction comes on the back of a club-record 175 league goals in 258 matches and four Golden Boot awards at Arsenal.

Shearer started at Southampton before moving to Blackburn Rovers where he won the league in 1995. The coach-turned-pundit then moved for a then-world record £15 million to Newcastle United, his hometown club, where he spent 10 years and scored 148 goals in 303 Premier League matches before retirement.

He is also a three-time Golden Boot winner, the first player to reach 100 EPL goals, and the only player to achieve this feat for two different EPL clubs.

In the same vein, Henry, who joined Arsenal in 1999, scored more than 20 EPL goals in five consecutive seasons between 2001/02 and 2005/06 and won two league titles. He was a leading star in the Arsenal “Invincibles” team that went unbeaten during the 2003/04 title-winning campaign.

According to the Premier League, the Hall of Fame “is the highest individual honour awarded to players by the League” and “recognises and celebrates the exceptional skill and talent of individuals who have graced the Premier League since its inception in 1992.”