Cristiano Ronaldo, during his Manchester United days, topped the poll
Ronaldo, who joined Real Madrid in 2009 for a then world record fee of £80m, topped a poll in which 1,000 people were asked to name the greatest player in top flight history.
The Portuguese superstar, who attained legendary status during his six-year spell at United, pipped Arsenal icon Thierry Henry and United great Ryan Giggs, who finished second and third respectively.
The FIFA Ballon d'Or picked up nearly 25 per cent of the votes that were casted.
Henry claimed 18 per cent of the votes, five more than Giggs.
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Of the rest, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard finished above Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp and Chelsea's Gianfranco Zola in sixth spot.
Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira rounded off the top 10 of the survey.
However, there was one surprise omission as Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy failed to make the list.