Since the turn of the decade, there have been just two winners of the Premier League: that's been Arne Slot-managed Liverpool in 2023/24 and Manchester City for the rest of the seasons. Pep Guardiola's men have been the hallmark of English champions since the calendar ticked into 2020, but there have been a host of other teams that have impressed.
Over the last five-to-six years, the English top flight has produced memories aplenty. Guardiola has continued doing what he does best – creating a trophy-winning machine – and Arsenal have become the division's nearlymen by finishing second three seasons on the trot.
Elsewhere, Manchester United, who are the record winners of the Premier League (13), have been wallowing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. No longer the behemoth they once were, the Red Devils have struggled to emulate their former glory under the Scot – but one of their players, statistically, has been included in the Premier League's best XI of the 2020s.
Goalkeeper and Defence
virgil van dijk liverpool
Stood between the sticks is Emiliano Martinez with a goalkeeper-high rating of 6.81. The Argentine, famed for that save in the 2022 World Cup final, has become a household name among footballing aficionados – but that's despite many claiming he's become overrated. The 33-year-old began the 2020s on Arsenal's books but his move to Aston Villa in the summer of 2020 shot him to fame.
In front of Martinez is a defensively-sound back four, starting with ex-Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold. No longer plying his trade on the red half of Merseyside, the Englishman moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2025, but that was after writing his name in the Premier League history books. No other defender has as many as his 64 assists in English top flight history.
On the other flank is Kieran Trippier, who has been replaced in the pecking order at Newcastle United – but, from 2022 when he signed for the Magpies from Atletico Madrid, the ex-Burnley defender's performances issued him a rating of 7.09.
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The beating heart of Liverpool's defence since his big-money move from Southampton, it would be odd to not see Virgil van Dijk not chosen. Well, he has been, and that's because of his 7.08 rating. Seldom gotten the better of by opposition strikers, the Dutchman – admired as one of the greatest players in Liverpool history – has been as imperious as they come since 2020. He's joined by James Tarwowski, who have played for Everton and Burnley in the allotted time period.
Goalkeeper and Defence
Position
GK
RB
CB
CB
LB
Midfield
Kevin De Bruyne in action for Manchester City
Mohamed Salah has been a goalscoring revelation for Liverpool since moving from AS Roma: he's plundered 280 goal contributions (190 goals and 90 assists) in the Premier League, spearheading his side to two titles in that timeframe. A four-time Golden Boot winner at Anfield, Salah has faced his fair share of dips in form, but there's no denying his goal-getting genius.
Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, a player who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the history of the Premier League, is the first of the league's two-man midfield partnership. The Spaniard pipped Vinicius Jr to world football's most prestigious individual gong in 2024 – but that award is exactly how he should have been awarded for his displays post-2020.
You could put together a compelling case to suggest that he's one of the most important players in the league right now, given how poorly Manchester City operate without the ex-Atletico Madrid man in the middle.
Manchester City defensive midfielder Rodri at the Etihad Stadium as he recovers from injury
When he was playing for Guardiola, the seasoned Kevin De Bruyne also placed his name into the hat as being one of the league's MVPs. Now spending the latter stages of his brilliant career in Italy with Napoli, it's not unfair to say the Premier League is missing someone of the Belgian playmaker's quality. He could create, score and dictate all at once.
Albeit out of position on the right, Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes completes a rather ridiculous midfield four. Even though United have struggled in the years that have followed Ferguson's reign, the Portuguese has remained a constant in the Old Trafford midfield – and that's irrespective of whether he's been deployed in the engine room pivot or behind the striker.
Midfield
Position
RM
CM
CM
LM
Forwards
Harry Kane claps England supporters
Now, we're onto the two-man strike partnership of London-born Harry Kane and Leeds-born Erling Haaland, who are regarded as two of the world's greatest strikers with enviable goal-to-game ratios. Both players, who are at varying stages of their careers, have mastered the art of goalscoring, but that is just the tip of the iceberg of what they are able to provide their respective teams.
The division hasn't been the same since Haaland's arrival in 2022. His first whip of the crack – the 2022/23 campaign – saw him break the record for the most goals in a single Premier League season (36) and he's rarely missed a beat since. In fact, it took him just 110 matches to reach the 100-goal milestone, the best return of any player in the league's history.
Kane, who is now scoring goals for fun in Germany for Bayern Munich, was Tottenham Hotspur's talisman-in-chief for much of the 2020s. His telepathic two-man act with Son Heung-min is something the north Londoners will cherish for the rest of time, as will his goal return. The England great scored plenty of goals, of course, but he is one of the best all-round strikers of his generation.
Forwards
Position
ST
ST
View the best Premier League XI of the 2020s, per WhoScored, below:
All ratings per WhoScored and statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 16/01/2026