One Premier League Medal Wonder: The All-Star XI That Could've Conquered the League

There's something almost poetic about constructing a starting XI from the Premier League's one-time champions. Here's a side so stacked with talent that its collective silverware matches what one man—Paul Scholes—accumulated by himself.

JENS LEHMANN (Goalkeeper)

Tim Flowers was the initial candidate, and David De Gea certainly deserved consideration. The Spanish keeper spent 12 years at Old Trafford, claiming his solitary crown as part of Ferguson's final flourish, yet his moments of brilliance never quite sustained the consistency United needed for another title push.

Lehmann, though, gets the nod. His only medal came as part of Arsenal's Invincible class, and there's something appealingly chaotic about the German's temperament—exactly the sort of unpredictability you want in a keeper when consequences are purely theoretical.

OWEN HARGREAVES (Right-back)

Midfield riches forced a compromise in defence. Hargreaves spent much of his United career in the treatment room, but during that remarkable 2007/08 campaign he managed 23 appearances, contributing to both the league title and Champions League glory. The following season proved less fruitful—he managed just 114 minutes, rendering him ineligible for another medal.

COLIN HENDRY (Centre-back)

The Blackburn centre-back wasn't actually the captain who lifted the trophy at Anfield in 1995—that honour belonged to Tim Sherwood. Yet Hendry proved leadership transcends the armband, forming a commanding defensive partnership after arriving from Dundee for £25,000 in 1987, part of Jack Walker's ambitious squad-building project.

LAURENT BLANC (Centre-back)

Initially, Arsenal's Steve Bould looked the part here, until it became apparent he'd won two First Division titles before the Premier League even existed. Blanc it is, then, with his sole top-flight medal arriving in 2002/03 before his two-year stint replacing the combative Jaap Stam with something altogether different in tone and approach.

GRAEME LE SAUX (Left-back)

Nearly 200 appearances across six seasons at Chelsea, yet Le Saux departed Stamford Bridge in 2003 just as the club's transformation was beginning. His medal, however, came earlier—from Blackburn's 1994/95 triumph, where he was virtually ever-present under Kenny Dalglish's management.

EMMANUEL PETIT (Central Midfield)

Arriving at Arsenal in 1997, Petit instantly forged one of the Premier League's most dominant midfield partnerships with Patrick Vieira, winning the Double in his debut season. Even when Manchester United claimed the Treble the following year, Petit and Vieira earned PFA Team of the Year recognition ahead of Roy Keane. His Barcelona move in 2000 somewhat soured his standing with the Gunners faithful, though he maintains Arsène Wenger showed him the door.

MICHAEL BALLACK (Central Midfield)

Ballack's Premier League title drought proved surprisingly lengthy. His wait ended only in 2009/10 under Carlo Ancelotti, and having finally claimed his medal, the German promptly returned home. Remarkably, he holds the record for fewest league defeats among players with over 100 appearances.

MARC OVERMARS (Left Wing)

The Dutch winger followed Petit's timeline almost identically—arriving in 1997, winning the Double, and departing for Barcelona in 2000. His tenure was brief but impactful, notably scoring a vital goal at Old Trafford in 1998 that would haunt Gary Neville's defensive memories.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE (Right Wing)

Van Persie's 2012/13 campaign was nothing short of magnificent. While he didn't single-handedly deliver Ferguson's 20th title, he was undoubtedly the decisive factor, plundering 26 goals to claim the Golden Boot. He occupies a wide berth here simply because excluding either of the two strikers was unthinkable.

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY (Striker)

Much like Van Persie, Nistelrooy represented one of Ferguson's shrewdest acquisitions, yet timing conspired against maximum medal accumulation. His sole championship arrived in 2002/03, sandwiched between three consecutive 20-goal campaigns. The one season he failed to reach that mark came courtesy of injury in 2004/05.

ALAN SHEARER (Striker)

Ian Wright has legitimate grievances about his omission, but Nistelrooy's superior goals-per-game ratio proved decisive. Shearer's singular medal came at Blackburn in 1994/95—a choice that proved rather consequential, as declining Ferguson's advances both then and again in 1996 likely cost him a bulging trophy cabinet. Still, the Tyneside King doesn't appear particularly troubled by the road not taken.