Every Stoke City fan has a different list, which is exactly why rankings like this start arguments before you’ve even reached number ten.
Some will tell you Rory Delap should be top because nobody’s ever weaponised a throw in quite like he did. Others will go for Gordon Banks because, well, he’s Gordon Banks. Then you’ve got the older generation who won’t hear a bad word said about Denis Smith or Jimmy Greenhoff.
They’re all fair shouts. This is mine.
The Players
10. Mark Stein
Mark Stein wasn’t at Stoke for years, but he didn’t need to be.
His goals during the 1992-93 season dragged the club back into the second tier, and if you ask supporters from that era, plenty will tell you he was the player they looked for every Saturday. He had that knack of popping up when games were crying out for somebody to make the difference.
Football has a habit of forgetting players who didn’t stick around for decades. Stein deserves better than that.
9. Peter Crouch
It’s still bizarre that Peter Crouch became a Stoke City legend.
You’d think a bloke who’s six foot seven would spend every game waiting for crosses, but Crouch was a far better footballer than people gave him credit for. His touch was tidy, his movement was clever and, every now and then, he’d pull something ridiculous out of nowhere.
That overhead kick against Manchester City still looks daft today. He scored over 60 goals for the Potters, helped them through some of their best Premier League years, and somehow made looking awkward into an absolute art form.
8. Jack Butland
There was a spell where Jack Butland seemed to save absolutely everything.
Week after week, he’d keep Stoke in matches they had no right staying in, pulling off reflex saves that made you wonder how the ball hadn’t crossed the line. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be the best player on the pitch, even when Stoke lost.
The ankle injury he suffered on England duty in 2016 changed everything. You can’t help but wonder where his career would’ve ended up if his body had been just a bit kinder to him.
7. Denis Smith
Football was different when Denis Smith played.
You didn’t get wrapped in cotton wool because you’d picked up a knock. If anything, you’d probably be told to just get on with it. Smith did exactly that for well over 500 appearances.
Broken noses, stitches, battered knees… it didn’t seem to matter. He’d always find a way back onto the pitch. Every club likes to think they’ve had a hard man. Stoke actually did.
6. Alan Hudson
Ask older Stoke supporters about Alan Hudson and you’ll notice something. They don’t start talking about numbers. They start smiling.
Hudson made football look easy. He’d drift through games, pick passes that nobody else had even seen, and play with a confidence that’s becoming rarer in the modern game. Injuries stopped Stoke from seeing the very best of him, which is probably why he still gets talked about with a hint of frustration.
Sometimes talent leaves you wanting more. Hudson certainly did.
5. Ryan Shawcross
Ryan Shawcross wasn’t interested in looking elegant. He was interested in making sure the ball didn’t end up in Stoke’s net.
For over a decade, he was the heartbeat of the defence, captaining the side through the club’s most successful Premier League spell. He won headers, threw himself into blocks, and played every match like it actually mattered.
Fancy? Not really. Reliable? Every single week.
If you were building a Stoke side from scratch, he’d be one of the first names on the teamsheet.
4. Jimmy Greenhoff
Goals don’t always come with fireworks. Sometimes they just come with brilliant positioning and good decision making.
That’s exactly what Jimmy Greenhoff offered. He scored consistently throughout the 1970s and played a huge role in Stoke’s League Cup winning side. Defenders knew exactly what he wanted to do, and they still struggled to stop him.
Strikers like Greenhoff don’t always get the headlines decades later because they quietly got on with their job. He just happened to be very, very good at it.
3. Rory Delap
Let’s get one thing straight: Rory Delap wasn’t only good because of his throw ins.
They’ve become so famous that people forget he was a solid midfielder long before he started launching footballs into crowded penalty areas.
Still… those throws were ridiculous.
Calling them “long throws” almost undersells them. Half the Premier League spent years defending corners from the bloody touchline. Every time Stoke won a throw near the box, away fans looked more nervous than if it had been a penalty.
Everyone knew it was coming. Hardly anyone stopped it.
2. Gordon Banks
There aren’t many clubs that can say one of the greatest goalkeepers in football history played for them. Stoke can.
Banks arrived after winning the World Cup with England and somehow managed to add another chapter to an already unbelievable career by helping Stoke lift the League Cup in 1972, the club’s first major trophy.
His career ending after a car accident remains one of football’s saddest stories, purely because there was still so much left in the tank. Ability wise, he’s arguably the best player on this list. Legacy at Stoke is the only reason he isn’t number one.
1. Stanley Matthews
This was never really a debate.
Sir Stanley Matthews is Stoke City’s greatest player. He’s also one of the greatest players football has ever produced.
Making your debut in 1932 is impressive enough. Still playing First Division football at the age of 50 almost sounds made up. Add in the very first Ballon d’Or, countless England appearances, and a reputation as one of the finest dribblers the game has ever seen, and you’ve got a footballer who belongs in every all time conversation.
The nice thing about Matthews is that his legacy isn’t built on one match or one trophy. It’s built on decades of excellence. Every club dreams of producing one player who’s remembered forever. Stoke managed it.
The Verdict
Some rankings are impossible to get right because every generation remembers football differently.
A supporter who watched Stanley Matthews will probably laugh at anyone putting Rory Delap above him. Someone who grew up during Stoke’s Premier League years might think Shawcross deserves to be higher. That’s football. The arguments are half the fun.
One thing isn’t really up for debate, though. Stoke City have always known exactly what they are.
They’ve never tried to copy anyone else, and the players on this list reflect that. Honest defenders, clever forwards, world class goalkeepers, and one of the most unique weapons English football has ever seen in Rory Delap’s right arm.
You might not agree with the order. Honestly, I’d be disappointed if you did.
To read more of my sport reviews and articles you can read them here.
