Thank you Africa, you have given much to England’s Premier League!
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The 2015 Africa Cup of Nations begins later this month and it should feature quite a few English-based stars.
Over the years, Africa has provided the Premier League with some excellent players.
Here are the 20 Africans we reckon deserve special praise:
20. Salomon Kalou – Ivory Coast
Kalou was never the most fashionable player, but, despite usually playing out wide, he managed to score 36 Premier League goals for Chelsea, including five in their title-winning season of 2009/10.
19. Emmanuel Adebayor – Togo
Adebayor has fallen out of favour at Tottenham Hotspur this season for non-footballing reasons. He’s been a cause of much frustration to fans for most of his career, but his talent is unquestioned. After all, not many bad players represent both Arsenal and Manchester City.
18. Bruce Grobbelaar – Zimbabwe
The legendary Liverpool goalkeeper was past his best by the time the Premier League began, but he still managed to produce a couple of magic moments.
17. Frederic Kanoute – Mali
The lanky forward, who played for West Ham United and Spurs, is one of the classiest strikers ever to play in England. His ability to control the ball on his chest and hold it their was truly unique.
16. John Obi Mikel – Nigeria
Manchester United were very annoyed when Obi Mikel joined Chelsea. The Old Trafford club had been hoping to sign him themselves. He is only a squad player at Stamford Bridge these days, but he would be a first-team regular with the Red Devils for sure.
15. Demba Ba – Senegal
Deadly Demba only had three and a half seasons in England, but that did not stop him scoring 43 Premier League goals for West Ham, Newcastle and Chelsea.
14. Jay-Jay Okocha – Nigeria
Many people’s jaws dropped when Sam Allardyce brought Okocha to Bolton Wanderers. During four seasons at the Reebok Stadium, the playmaker made more jaws drop with his incredible skills.
13. Samuel Eto’o – Cameroon
Eto’o is one of the best strikers of his generation. He arrived in England past his best, but it has still been a privilege to see him play for Chelsea and Everton.
12. Kolo Toure – Ivory Coast
He often gets mocked by fans, but he really shouldn’t. Toure has captained Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool during an excellent Premier League career.
11. Joseph Yobo – Nigeria
Everton and Norwich City were the Premier League clubs that had the pleasure of having this rock in their defence, but, in his prime, Yobo had the ability for any team in England.
10. Tony Yeboah – Ghana
He scored, arguably, the best Premier League goal of all time with a long-range strike for Leeds United against Liverpool in 1995.
9. Stephen Pienaar – South Africa
Pienaar has delighted Everton and Tottenham Hotspur fans with his silky skills during eight seasons in England.
8. Alex Song – Cameroon
Song and Cesc Fabregas both left Arsenal to join Barcelona earlier this decade. Many Gunners fans argue that they missed Song more than they did the Spaniard – high praise indeed. Song is now back in the Premier League with West Ham United, who have improved hugely since he arrived. Coincidence? Of course not.
7. Lucas Radebe – South Africa
Radebe captained Leeds United between 1996 and 2001, leading them to third place in the 1999-00 season,
6. Nwankwo Kanu – Nigeria
The man with the biggest boots in football had the skill to match. He scored 30 Premier League for Arsenal, before continuing his career with West Brom and Portsmouth.
5. Yakubu – Nigeria
Yakubu scored 95 top-flight goals – for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn. He is 26th on the list of all-time Premier League leading goalscorers.
4. Lauren – Cameroon
A key cog in Arsenal’s Invincibles team in 2003-04.
3. Michael Essien – Ghana
The former Chelsea star was a complete midfielder. A tough tackler, with the energy to get from box to box and the technique to pass and shoot with expert precision.
2. Yaya Toure – Ivory Coast
Toure is not as hard-working as Essien, but the Manchester City midfielder is twice as talented.
1. Didier Drogba – Ivory Coast
Unplayable on his day, Drogba, who is currently enjoying his second spell at Stamford Bridge is a real Chelsea legend. He has scored 104 Premier League goals to date.
