The former Aston Villa striker who ended up in jail for tax evasion, the Norwegian midfielder with a wand of a left foot – and the star with THAT iconic throw-in… Mail Sport’s 10 favourite #Barclaysmen compilations after viral trend

It’s the trend that has dominated football Twitter over the past few weeks and got fans from all over reminiscing on iconic moments from Premier League history.

Inspired by the Cultras Football Podcast, the rise of the #Barclaysmen has seen supporters celebrating several former top flight footballers, alongside moments of heritage from the Premier League.

In short, it is a nostalgic look at English football and one that has spread, with fans sharing short highlight clips from a player’s career, usually accompanied by a famous indie tune from the 2000s.

Those stars who have been celebrated are not necessarily the usual icons associated with the Premier League, but the ‘streets won’t forget’ footballers who became cult heroes over their years of service – and even clubs have started to get involved.

Following the rise of the #Barclaysmen, Mail Sport has ranked our top 10 #Barclaysmen compilations on social media.

#Barclaysmen is a new trend that has spread across football Twitter over recent weeks

It is a nostalgic trend that aims to celebrate cult figures from Premier League history 

Clubs have got involved and compilations are accompanied by an indie tune from the 2000s

John Carew 

Carew was a Norwegian striker who became a cult figure as he represented Aston Villa, Stoke City and West Ham between 2007 and 2012.

The 45-year-old was a crucial member of Martin O’Neill’s Villa side as they battled for Champions League qualification and the compilation enabled fans to reminisce on his powerful finishing and entertaining celebrations.

Carew retired in 2013 and has since attempted to launch an acting career, although he was jailed for 14 months for tax evasion in 2022.

John Carew gained cult hero status during his stints at Aston Villa, Stoke City and West Ham

Stiliyan Petrov

Another former Aston Villa player to get on our list, Petrov was a classy Bulgarian midfielder who became a fan favourite at Villa Park after making more than 200 appearances for the club.

Petrov, who was generally a defensively minded midfielder, became club captain and had a penchant for scoring a screamer.

The 45-year-old was heartbreakingly forced to retire from football in 2013 after he was diagnosed with acute leukaemia, but he remains extremely popular at Villa, where he was inducted in their Hall of Fame.

Former Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov was another player dubbed as a #Barclaysmen

Jay-Jay Okocha

One of the most talented players to ever play in the Premier League and voted as the greatest to have played for Bolton at their stadium, Jay-Jay Okocha became a cult hero in the early 2000s.

The Nigerian dazzled for Sam Allardyce’s side as they qualified for the UEFA Cup and his popularity saw shirts be printed with the inscription – ‘Jay-Jay – so good they named him twice’.

Okocha was a much-loved figure in the Premier League and even won the Player of the Month award in November 2003, with the attacking midfielder a typical #Barclaysmen.  

Jay-Jay Okocha became a cult hero in the early 2000s with his superb performances for Bolton

Rory Delap

Delap found his career at a crossroads at the age of 30 when he joined Stoke in 2006, but it proved to be a transformative move as the midfielder-cum-right back developed into a Premier League icon.

It was at Stoke that Delap’s inate talent for a long throw-in was discovered, with the Irishman’s skills helping to transform Tony Pulis’ team and his own career.

So effective did Delap’s throw-ins become during the early years of Stoke’s time in the Premier League, that he assisted seven of their first 13 top flight goals and his success even led to teams kicking the ball out for a corner instead of conceding a throw-in.

Rory Delap’s iconic long throw-in at Stoke was celebrated in his #Barclaysmen compilation

Steven Pienaar 

Pienaar became another recognisable Premier League figure over two spells at Everton, along with stints at Tottenham and Sunderland.

The South African was a crucial part of Everton teams under both David Moyes and Roberto Martinez and the silky winger remains popular among the Goodison Park faithful.

Pienaar was not known to score many, but when he did it was usually a cracker, with several of these strikes on full display in his compilation.

Former Tottenham, Everton and Sunderland star Steven Pienaar’s silky nature was celebrated 

Sebastian Larsson

It’s said you can’t have a ‘wand of a right foot’, but if you can, Larsson definitely had one.

Over 14 years in the English game with Arsenal, Birmingham, Sunderland and Hull City, the Swede was known for scoring several long-range screamers, while also being a reliable presence in midfield.

The sight of Larsson stood over a free kick was normally a worrying one for opposition, with the Swede joint-fourth on the list of free kick goals in Premier League history with 11, adding to his cult status.

Sebastian Larsson is joint-fourth on the list of free kick goals in Premier League history with 11

Youri Djorkaeff

Like his former Bolton team-mate Jay-Jay Okocha, Djorkaeff was not the sort of player you expected to see turning up at the Reebok Stadium.

But, as with Okocha, the Frenchman was brilliant despite being in the twilight of his career, scoring 20 goals across two-and-a-half seasons with the club.

Like many on this list, Djorkaeff – who won the World Cup with France in 1998 – had a penchant for scoring a worldie and his cult status was only added to by the fact he wore the No 6 shirt even though he was a forward.

World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff shone at Bolton despite being towards the end of his career

Morten Gamst Pedersen 

A #Barclaysmen who certainly had a wand of a left foot, Pedersen is up there with Blackburn’s most iconic figures in the 2000s after nine glittering years of service.

The Norwegian scored several stunning efforts over the years, with a brace during a 2-1 victory against Man United at Old Trafford a particularly happy memory for Rovers fans.

Pedersen’s occasional ‘s***housery’, which is on display during his compilation, further endeared him to Blackburn supporters, ensuring he will always remain a popular figure at Ewood Park. 

Morten Gamst Pedersen (right) is one of Blackburn’s best players from the 21st century

Elano

Back when things weren’t as rosy at Manchester City, the introduction of a classy Brazilian playmaker, who had an eye for a screamer, felt transformative for fans.

Elano shone in the 2007-08 campaign under Sven-Goran Eriksson and was in particularly electric form at the start of his time with City.

He unfortunately faded in his second season and swiftly moved to Galatasaray, but Elano remains much-loved among City fans for his impact during an otherwise insignificant and difficult time for the club. 

Elano was a fan favourite at Man City after the Brazilian started his time at the club superbly

Geovanni

There’s nothing quite like reminiscing about Geovanni’s form for Hull City during the first half of the 2008-09 Premier League season.

After one year at Man City, the Brazilian midfielder moved to the newly promoted club and scored five goals – most of which were stunning efforts – in his first few months as Hull raced out of the blocks.

One particular strike at Arsenal lives long in the memory and although his form dipped, Geovanni is still well remembered on Humberside, evidenced by Hull’s official account compiling the #Barclaysmen clips of the Brazilian.  

Geovanni’s #Barclaysmen compilation reminded fans of many of his stunning goals at Hull