The World Cup was a haze of goals, gaffes and glorious entertainment – but for fantasy football fans the Premier League is the pinnacle.
England fans have been on emotional rollercoaster this summer, so a return to the bread and butter will be a welcome comfort.
As the Premier League season draws ever closer, so does Dream Team – the UK’s biggest fantasy football game – is back and better than ever to make your experience of it all even more compelling.
SIGN UP NOW – It’s time to pick your fantasy football team for the new season
We’ve thrown plenty of fantasy football tips in your direction recently, however you have stumbled over something a bit different this time.
To make sure you’ve had your appetites suitably whetted ahead of the new Dream Team game, we decided to take a look back at some of our fantasy football favourites over the years.
Not only have we remembered the original GOAT players on fantasy football, the ones everyone would flock to pick on Dream Team, we’ve even compared them to player’s in this year’s game.
These players were all stalwarts of fantasy football for many years and still hold a special place in the hearts of die-hard Dream Team managers.
Leighton Baines/Marcos Alonso
The pair are almost identical
Baines was the original fantasy football left-back maestro.
The Everton man was an ever-present in nearly every Dream Team back in the day, with his scoring and assisting antics making him an instant fan’s favourite.
Baines was also the designated penalties, free-kick and corner taker for the Toffees, making him a Dream Team manager’s ideal pick.
The once marauding full back, now 33-years-old, has seen his crown taken by Chelsea’s Alonso in recent seasons.
The Spaniard has become the new must have pick after he was biggest points scoring defender last season, having racked up a mammoth 204 points.
Alonso might have replaced Baines, however the latter will always have a special place in our fantasy football heart!
John Terry/Nicolas Otamendi
Seeing double
John Terry used to be everyone’s first pick in Dream Team.
The Chelsea legend was an absolute colossus during his time at Stamford Bridge and was instrumental in the Blues’ impressive defensive record for many years.
Alongside his expert defending formed around a ‘never say die’ attitude, the long-term Chelsea skipper was also an absolute monster in the air.
The 37-year-old scored a whopping 65 goals over 700 appearances for the Blues. Fantasy football points-machine.
Terry has since had his crown as the GOAT fantasy football defender challenged by a younger pretender – Man City’s Otamendi.
After an initial shaky start to life in England, the Argentine centre-back has adapted to the demands of the Premier League and was one of the most improved players last season.
Otamendi registered 5 goals for Pep Guardiola’s side last season and is the closest defender to Terry in terms of his aerial ability whilst also playing for a top six club.
Clint Dempsey/Riyad Mahrez
The same, but different
Dempsey was a must have for all Dream Team managers back in the day.
The American was one of the best players in the Premier League outside of the top six and his usually low price on fantasy football made him an incredibly popular choice.
Dempsey was also listed as a midfielder in fantasy football, making the fact that he was a consistent goalscorer even more appealing.
After starring at Fulham, Dempsey earned a lucrative move to Spurs, where unfortunately it didn’t work out for him, as he struggled to make the grade at a top club.
In a strange set of parallels however, Mahrez’s Premier League career to date can be compared to Dempsey’s.
Just as the Fulham man used to be, the Algerian has been by far the best player outside of the top six in fantasy football for the past few seasons.
Mahrez has since been snapped up by Man City in a club-record deal worth £60million, where he will hope to have a better time of things than Dempsey did with Spurs.
Gary Cahill/ Virgil van Dijk
They both got their moves eventually
Cahill was always one of the first names picked for defences in fantasy football teams of the past.
The centre-back’s threat from set-pieces, which counteracted the fact that he would often concede goals as part of average sides, made him a must have for Dream Team managers.
He was very much a player always destined for bigger things having starred at both Aston Villa and Bolton.
Cahill finally got his well-deserved transfer to a bigger club when he joined Chelsea in 2012, where despite dipping in form recently, his impact at Stamford Bridge cannot be understated.
Comparisons can be drawn between the Chelsea captain and Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
The towering centre-back, once of Southampton, enjoyed several successful seasons for the Saints, with his low price-tag ensuring that he was always a popular choice for Dream Team managers.
Van Dijk eventually got the move his heart was set on and joined Liverpool in January for a world-record fee for a defender.
If the move to a bigger club can work out as well for van Dijk as it did for Cahill, who now boasts a Champions League winners medal, then the Dutchman would have made the right decision.
Grant Holt/Glen Murray
Yer Da still thinks they should have both been on the plane
Despite the jokes that surrounded his brief spell in the Premier League, Grant Holt actually boasts a very respectful scoring record in the top flight.
The former Norwich talisman netted 15 times during his debut season in the Premier League and followed that up with eight more in his second campaign.
During the two seasons that Holt spent with Norwich in the top flight he became a favourite of Dream Team managers.
The striker’s price-tag made him a gamble which was well worth taking in fantasy football.
Without cursing Murray to become a one and a half season wonder, comparisons can be made between the pair.
The Brighton man is a striker in a similar mould to Holt, with their strength and aerial prowess their main attributes.
Murray had a similarly successful debut season in the top flight, netting 12 times and helping Brighton to secure their Premier League status.
The pair were even both part of a campaign to see their form be rewarded with an England call up.
Holt and Murray will go down as two of the Premier League’s most lovable lumps and fantasy football favourites.
Every single season the Premier League gets more intriguing – and playing Dream Team really is the perfect way to enhance your experience of it.
You’ll be assigned a total budget of £50m for each side you pick and you’ll be able pick a maximum of 10 free teams.
The Game Weeks run from Friday to Thursday, effectively meaning the new Game Week starts after the last Europa League games are completed.
Emery and Arsenal will tackle the Europa League this seasonGetty
You get three transfers a month on the first Friday of every month so using them wisely is essential.
Every player on the game will be assigned a price at the start of the season which will then vary and fluctuate on a weekly basis dependent on their performances.
For example, last season we valued Mo Salah at £4m at the start of the season but the Egyptian King rocketed to over £11m by the end after his stunning goalscoring form.
Make sure to check out our website or app to see how our simplistic points system works.
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