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The Premier League Best Ever "Streets Won't Forget" Players

02 Nov, 2025
The Premier League Best Ever "Streets Won't Forget" Players

Traditionally, football in Britain was a weekly event: from Monday to Friday, fans would look forward to Saturday afternoon, when at 3pm they would visit their local ground and watch their team play. The match would be followed by celebrations or commiserations, a glance at other results, and some chat about the game, but attention would soon return to everyday life.

Nowadays, technological advancements, huge cash injections into the professional game, and the rise of social media mean we're constantly bombarded by online content, videos, podcasts, and social media memes about football.

A number of viral trends and different ways of framing the game have emerged as a result, one being the phenomenon of 'Streets Won't Forget Players'. In this article, we'll be answering the question: 'What is a streets won't forget player?' and providing you with several examples of famous pros who fall into this category.

'Streets Won't Forget' Meaning: What is a Streets Won't Forget Player?

Last year, ex-Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha caused a stir online when he wrote on Instagram that "just because you haven't been fortunate to play for top clubs doesn't mean you're not a top player," adding "don't put me in "streets will never forget baller… real ballers know ballers."

To date, it's the most noteworthy example of a professional player using this term, which has become increasingly common within football media in recent years.

It's tricky to pin down a definitive 'streets won't forget' meaning, but generally speaking, these players are defined by their flair and creativity.

The term 'Streets Won't Forget' is used to describe technically brilliant, ambitious players who are capable of pulling off incredible, jaw-dropping moments of individual skill on the pitch; but crucially, these players never performed consistently for a sustained period at the top level.

Typically, these are not super elite players with a huge amount of trophies or title challenges to their name. Instead, streets won't forget ballers are underdogs, often playing for clubs outside the top six and representing some of the less illustrious footballing nations of the world.

They're not obvious names in conversations about the Premier League's best-ever players, but in terms of pure quality and excitement, they're special.

According to Sports Illustrated, these are "the flair players, the showstoppers, the cult heroes. The ones who made magic, mayhem, and memories, and who the streets most certainly won't forget."

Crucially, these ballers tended to be at their peak during the so-called Barclays era of the Premier League, the pre-VAR period when 30-yard screamers were more regular, and more footballers had the freedom and independence to try something spectacular that might not always pay off.

The term 'streets won't forget' captures how serious pundits and commentators might not give these players a huge amount of credit, but budding young footballers in cages and parks across the country will never forget the moments of magic they produced in their prime, and they'll often be attempting to replicate those moments themselves.

The Best Premier League Streets Won't Forget Players

Dozens of skillful, flair-driven players have shone in the Premier League over the years, but below, we've picked out 10 of the most iconic streets won't forget players of this particular football era.

#10. Roque Santa Cruz

It's been many years since Blackburn Rovers graced the English top-flight, but back in the 2000s, they were a mainstay in the Premier League, thanks to the steady guidance of managers like Sam Allardyce and Mark Hughes.

Several talented players starred for Blackburn during this period, but Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz — an old-school Number 9 with razor-sharp finishing skills who could lead the line confidently — was easily one of the best.

#9. Hugo Rodallega

Roberto Martinez's Wigan Athletic teams may have regularly got dragged into relegation scraps, but during the late 2000s and early 2010s, they were consistently some of the most entertaining teams in the Premier League.

The likes of Antonio Valencia and Emile Heskey enjoyed long, fruitful top-flight careers with plenty of trophy wins, but Rodallega was a less glamorous face within this period.

That doesn't mean he didn't make an impact: the former Columbia international was never prolific, but he scored some outrageous goals during his time at Wigan, frequently busting the opposition goalkeeper's net with lethal volleys and laced strikes.

#8. Kevin Prince-Boateng

A talismanic international star who helped guide Ghana to the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, Kevin Prince-Boateng remains a well-respected player in world football.

At club level, he spent most of his career hopping around different European leagues, but in England he's remembered fondly for his contribution to Portsmouth's FA Cup-winning 2009/10 season.

Pompey may have been relegated in dramatic fashion that year, but his skillful play and excellent long-range shooting (not to mention his decisive penalty in the cup semi-final) played a crucial role in giving Portsmouth fans a treasured major trophy.

#7. Papiss Cisse

Dazzling up top for Newcastle alongside fellow Senegal star Demba Ba, Cisse's time in the Premier League was short-lived but emphatic.

He's best remembered for the absolute beauty he scored against Chelsea in December 2012, a ridiculously audacious bending outside-the-box effort from the widest of angles. It's a shot almost no player would've attempted, and that's what makes the ex-Newcastle forward a certified streets won't forget player.

#6. Michu

A variety of exciting attacking players stepped out for Swansea City during their seven-year stint in the Premier League, from Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony to EPL stalwart Andre Ayew.

However, there's no doubt that the most iconic streets won't forget player to shine for the Swans during this time was Spanish forward Michu.

The definition of a one-season wonder, he moved to south Wales from Rayo Vallecano in 2012 and went on to bag 18 goals in an electric first Premier League campaign, from diving headers against Newcastle to slotted finishes at Arsenal and clever strikes at Chelsea.

After that one incredible year, he completely faded from view. 

#5. Matthew Taylor

Pure screamers: that's what former Portsmouth star Matthew Taylor is best known for.

The Englishman was a mainstay in Pompey's midfield throughout the 2000s, racking up 178 Premier League appearances for the club, and during this time he netted a number of jaw-dropping strikes including a particularly memorable 40-yard belter against Sunderland in 2005, and a similarly gut-busting hit against Everton.

When the viral trend for Premier League #Barclaysmen emerged in 2024, he was one of the first names mentioned.

#4. Morten Gamst Pedersen

Some of the strikes that Norwegian international Morten Gamst Pedersen pulled out of his locker for Blackburn — at the height of the Premier League's Barclays era — were utterly ridiculous.

It wasn't just long-range hits, but perfectly timed volleys in the box and intelligent curling efforts that bent their way around the fingertips of the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.

Supplementing these efforts with little pieces of trickery and footwork, he built a serious reputation as one of Blackburn's best players of the 21st century.

#3. Jay-Jay Okocha

Arguably the original Premier League streets don't forget player, Jay-Jay Okocha burst onto the scene in the early 2000s after Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce signed him from PSG on a free transfer.

He was soon a fan favourite, loved for his silky skills, dribbling ability, inherent sense of flair and willingness to try things that virtually no other players would.

He soon began being referred to as the player who was "so good they named him twice" and over the years, he created some magic moments for fans of both Bolton and the wider Premier League.

There are many individual tricks we could point to when discussing Okocha, but the former Nigeria international is perhaps best remembered for the incredible rainbow flick he pulled off against Arsenal in 2003.

#2. Hatem Ben Arfa

Before being taken over controversially by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund in 2021, Newcastle had spent years going through a pretty miserable time of it in the Premier League.

However, there was a brief spell of success in the early 2010s, when Alan Pardew masterminded some extremely memorable and exciting top-flight performances thanks in part to a bunch of talented players from French-speaking nations.

One player who stood out during this period but was unable to make a long-term mark on the Premier League was Hatem Ben Arfa, an attacking midfielder with incredible dribbling skills, flair and creative vision.

He glided past players like a ghost, rode lunging challenges, and scored some outrageous goals for the Toon: the epitome of a streets won't forget player.

#1. Adel Taarabt

Ex-Morocco international Adel Taarabt was only in the Premier League briefly, but the impact he had during this time was phenomenal. The QPR forward had extraordinary technical ability, footwork, and dribbling skills, and gave Queens Park Rangers fans some special moments during his time at the club.

Manager Neil Warnock reportedly chastised Taarabt for entering his own half of the pitch, and fined other players for passing to him in deep areas — that's how much the team relied on his swashbuckling attacking skill and vision.

"You sometimes get gut feelings as a manager," Warnock recalled recently. "I just liked him straight away… He had that little bit of arrogance."

Taarabt's cockiness, his faith in his own ability, his reluctance to track back, and his track record of producing a spark when it mattered most mean he remains arguably the best example of a streets won't forget player the Premier League has ever seen.

Want to find out more about the English top flight? Check out our guide to the biggest Premier League rivalries around.

 

Fred Garratt-Stanley

Author: Fred Garratt-Stanley

Lead Content Writer

Fred Garratt-Stanley is an experienced football writer and journalist, specialising in industry insights, tactical analysis, and the culture of the game. He has contributed to publications such as NME, GQ, The Quietus, and Resident Advisor. As Lead Content Writer at Jobs In Football, he focuses on providing reliable, research-driven articles to help people navigate careers in the football industry.

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