Alan Shearer, Ryan Giggs or Thierry Henry? Who will be honoured in the first Premier League Hall of Fame - in pictures

New launch will name the top two stars since league started in 1992

Alan Shearer is the all-time Premier League top scorer with 260 goals. Allsport

Michael Owen of Liverpool, Newcastle and Stoke, scord 150 Premier League goals. Allsport

Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman. Getty

Paul Scholes won 11 Premier League titles with Manchester United. AFP

Central midfieldider Patrick Vieira made 307 league appearances for Arsenal and won three Prem titles. AP

Yaya Toure (R) was a giant for Manchester City in his 230 Premier League games, scoring 62 goals. Getty

Steven Gerrard made 710 appearances for Liverpool, 504 of them in the Premier League, during a 17-year period at the club. Reuters

Matt Le Tissier played his entire career at Southampton, making 270 Premier League appearances and scoring 100 goals. Allsport

Centre back Tony Adams was an Arsenal legend and won two Premier League titles. AFP

Eric Cantona helped transform Leeds and Manchester United and won four Premier League crowns. AP

Arsenal's Thierry Henry won the Golden Boot four times when at the club. AFP

Frank Lampard made 609 Premier League appearances for West Ham, Chelsea and Manchester City. AP

John Terry led Chelsea to five Premier League titles. Reuters

Ryan Giggs played 632 games for Manchester United in the Premier League. Getty

Chelsea's Didier Drogba scored 104 league goals for the club. Reuters

The Premier League in England has announced it is launching a Hall of Fame, and the first players will be inducted in March.

Membership of the Premier League Hall of Fame will be the highest honour awarded to players by the league, and is intended to celebrate the exceptional skill and talent of the stars who have graced the competition since its inception in 1992.

The first two inductees to have their careers commemorated will be revealed on March 19, but their names have been kept secret.

A shortlist of nominees will also be announced at the same time, with fans invited to vote to help select the additional former players to join the Premier League Hall of Fame 2020.

"Since 1992, the Premier League has been home to world-class players who have defined generations and provided us with compelling football season after season," Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said.

"A place in the Premier League Hall of Fame is reserved for the very best. It will be an occasion for our fans around the world to look back over the years and help us celebrate some truly exceptional playing careers."

To be eligible, players must be retired, and only a player's Premier League career is considered in their candidacy. That rules out the likes of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo for a while.

With that criteria in mind, above is a gallery of the top contenders to be in the first two.

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