UNMATCHING: Crystal Palace iconics as confusion rise to the EAGLES fans on who is the best Player to have ever played at Selhurst Park…. Who is Palace GOAT?
The article discusses the search for the greatest player in Crystal Palace’s history. Here’s a rephrased version:
Mail Sport and its readers are seeking to identify the top player from each Premier League club’s history, including Crystal Palace.
Despite never winning a major trophy, Crystal Palace has produced numerous standout players, many from south London. The club’s all-time top scorer, Peter Simpson, joined in 1929 and netted 165 goals over six years.
Johnny “Budgie” Byrne, a youth product, earned England caps while Palace was still in the Third Division. Goalkeeper John Jackson, known as “Stonewall,” played 222 consecutive games in the 1960s and was part of the team that first reached the top flight in 1968.
Jim Cannon holds the appearance record with 660 games from 1973 to 1988. The late 1970s saw the emergence of the “Team of the Eighties,” featuring talents like Vince Hilaire and Kenny Sansom.
The 1990s brought success with an FA Cup final appearance and a third-place finish in the top division. The Ian Wright-Mark Bright partnership gained national recognition before Wright’s move to Arsenal.
More recent stars include Andy Johnson, who scored prolifically in the early 2000s, and Wilfried Zaha, who became the face of Palace’s current 11-year Premier League stint before his 2023 departure to Galatasaray.
The article invites readers to vote for their choice of Crystal Palace’s greatest ever player.