Your club's greatest ever player REVEALED: The rock behind Brighton's rise, Chelsea's King of Stamford Bridge... and the Everton icon who not even Erling Haaland could catch as Mail Sport readers have their say

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Tens of thousands of Mail readers have voted over the summer to choose the greatest-ever player at every current Premier League club.

Thank you to everyone who participated either through our online poll or by email.

With the 2024-25 top-flight season beginning on Friday August 16, we are revealing all the winners this week.

Here are your selections for Brighton, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Everton. 

The race for Brighton's best ever player was one of the closest-fought of all the clubs

Chelsea's best ever was revealed after a two-horse race featuring one modern day superstar

Crystal Palace may never have won a major honour but they have produced plenty of talent

Brighton 

1. Lewis Dunk 17 per cent 

2. Mark Lawrenson 16.4 per cent 

3. Steve Foster 15.4 per cent

WINNER: LEWIS DUNK (2010- ) Games 459, Goals 31

In one of the closest-fought battles, current skipper Lewis Dunk narrowly got the verdict over two other legendary centre halves from the 1970s and 80s, Mark Lawrenson and Steve Foster.

Dunk has been the rock behind Brighton’s incredible recent journey from exile in the lower leagues to established Premier League regulars.

A no-nonsense, physically imposing defender, he also had the quality on the ball as The Seagulls transformed themselves into a progressive footballing side under Graham Potter and Robert De Zerbi. At 32, he’s actually a year older than new Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler who will rely on him even more than previous managers.

Lewis Dunk has been the rock behind Brighton's incredible recent journey to the Premier League

The centre half was part of the England side that went to the European Championship this summer

Dunk has played a staggering 459 games for the Seagulls, scoring 31 times in the process

Though Brighton have been acclaimed for their shrewd worldwide recruitment, nobody has been more important to their success than hometown boy Dunk, whose debut against MK Dons in 2010 came when The Seagulls were in League One and home was the Withdean athletics stadium.

Since then, he’s won promotions, skippered Albion in the top flight and FA Cup semi-finals, played for England and was part of their Euros squad last summer.

‘He is a secret of Brighton. A very big personality on the pitch,’ said De Zerbi. 

Mail Sport reader Fightpushclef wrote from Dubai: ‘Lewis Dunk is a legend. If he had played for a more “fashionable” team he would have had 40 odd caps for England.’

There was also a deserved vote for goalkeeper Mark Beeney – from his wife Nichola. She emailed to say: ‘If it wasn’t for him going to Leeds Utd in 1993 when the taxman was threatening to shut the club down, they would not be around!’

Steve 'Fozzy' Foster (right) shakes the hand of Man United captain Bryan Robson back in 1983

Brighton legend Mark Lawrenson pictured during his Seagulls days with girlfriend Vanessa

Chelsea  

1. Peter Osgood 19.8 per cent

2. Frank Lampard 19.1 per cent 

3. John Terry 12.9 per cent

WINNER: PETER OSGOOD (1964-74 & 78-79) Games 384, Goals 150

In a two-horse race, Chelsea’s modern-day superstar Frank Lampard was pipped by a golden great from the glamour team of the 1960s and 70s who came to epitomise the Swinging London of that time.

Striker Peter Osgood was known as The King of Stamford Bridge and had celebrities queuing up to meet him when they came to games.

He scored 150 goals for Chelsea in two spells and is honoured to this day with a statue outside the stadium. Following his death in 2006, his ashes were scattered on the pitch.

Peter Osgood (centre left) was crucial to FA Cup and European Cup-Winners’ Cup triumphs in consecutive seasons

Legendary defender Ron Harris (centre) celebrates winning the FA Cup with team-mates Osgood, John Hollins, Ian Hutchinson, Peter Houseman and David Webb (pictured left to right)

Tall and elegant, the highlight of Ossie’s time were FA Cup and European Cup-Winners’ Cup triumphs in consecutive seasons.

He scored 31 goals in 1969/70 including a famous diving header in the cup final replay against Leeds. The following season, he was instrumental in Chelsea’s first European success, scoring in the both the final and subsequent replay against Real Madrid.

By then he was feted all along the stylishly renowned King’s Road though insiders had known about his talent all along. After watching Osgood make his debut at 17, team-mate Terry Venables quipped: 'Where have you been all this time?'

There were plenty of votes for Chelsea’s modern Premier League heroes too. Behind club record goalscorer Frank Lampard, captain John Terry narrowly pipped Italian marvel Gianfranco Zola for third.

Nobody has scored more goals for Chelsea than legendary midfielder Frank Lampard

John Terry is the most successful captain in the history of the club, and he narrowly pipped Gianfranco Zola for third palce

Crystal Palace  

1. Wilfried Zaha 30.2 per cent

2. Ian Wright 26.9 per cent 

3. Kenny Sansom 14.3 per cent

WINNER: WILFRIED ZAHA (2009-13 & 14-23) Games 458, Goals 90 

Though Crystal Palace have never won a major trophy, they have produced plenty of fantastic individual players for Selhurst Park to get excited about. Two of their own south London gems battled it out for supremacy in our poll – with Wilfried Zaha edging out Ian Wright for top spot.

Zaha, who moved to the area as a young child from Ivory Coast, was tipped for greatness from the moment he joined the Palace academy, coaches recognising his remarkable speed, strength, balance and quick feet.

His exploits in helping Palace win promotion to the Premier League was noted by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who made the winger his final signing at Old Trafford before retirement.

Wilfried Zaha battled fellow south London gem Ian Wright for top spot based on your votes

The forward became the poster boy for the club as the Eagles retained their Premier League status

Unfortunately for Zaha, Fergie’s successor David Moyes didn’t play him and after a disappointing year, he returned to The Eagles where he was once again adored by the fans.

“Wilf” became the poster boy as Palace retained their Premier League status for more than a decade. He captained the team on many occasions and was part of the 2016 side that were minutes away from winning the FA Cup at Wembley, ironically against United.

‘An iconic figure,’ is how manager Roy Hodgson described Zaha after he signed for Galatasaray in 2023. Our reader Jon_F89 from Bromley agrees: ‘The best ever player to do it FOR Palace is no doubt Zaha. Not even a question.’

And there may be good news for Palace fans before the end of the window. At the time of publication, they are among the clubs interested in bringing Zaha back to the Premier League from Turkey. 

Wright was a strong second with his goals in the 1990 FA Cup final and “Team of the Eighties” stalwart Kenny Sansom, third.

Wright was narrowly beaten for top spot, while third place was Kenny Sansom, a stalwart of the Team of the Eighties

Everton 

1. Dixie Dean 39.0 per cent 

2. Neville Southall 27.8 per cent

3. Alan Ball 8.8 per cent

WINNER: WILLIAM “DIXIE” DEAN (1925-38) Games 433, Goals 383

Everton fans like to sing “It’s a Grand Old Team to play for” so it’s fitting that poll winner Dixie Dean dates back to the 1920 and 30s for his incredible goalscoring exploits.

Between them, Dean and Neville Southall accounted for more than half of all votes cast, and the striker’s numbers were among the highest individual percentage figure at any club.

Dean’s statistics remain mind-boggling to this day. His record of 60 league goals in 39 games in a single season, 1927-28, is unlikely to be beaten even with Erling Haaland around.

Dixie Dean (left) scored 60 goals in 39 games in the 1927-28 season - a record that will likely never be beaten

Dean has a statue that still stands outside Goodison Park in tribute to their greatest player 

Neville Southall (centre) and Dean accounted for more than half of all the votes by readers

He was just 21 at the time and went on to continue to register at nearly a-goal-a-game for another decade, finishing with two league championships, an FA Cup. His final goals tally for Everton is still more than 200 ahead of second-best, Graeme Sharp.

Dean played with a swagger and possessed a bullet header. He died at Goodison Park in 1980 attending a Merseyside derby against Liverpool with their legendary former manager Bill Shankly saying he “belonged in the company of the supremely great.”

Blue1878 from Liverpool messaged us: ‘it’s got to be Dixie. I can’t see the record ever being broken.”

Other great Everton eras were also represented in our readers’ selections. Southall, Howard Kendall’s great goalkeeper during the 1980s glory years, got enough votes to have won many other clubs’ polls, and Alan Ball – hub of the 1970 championship team – was third.

Return to Mail Sport tomorrow for Fulham's, Ipswich's, Leicester's and Liverpool's greatest ever player.