Top African players in Premier League history

If you are into online football betting, you’re probably wondering why the presence of African footballers is so massive in professional championships all over Europe. The African continent is traditionally rich in talented, strong football players who, for generations, have been delighting fans around the world with their beautiful play. These talents bring success not only to their national teams but also to top European ones. And if the French Ligue 1 is the first land of reception of all African players, the most popular and attractive is the EPL. The Premier League betting fans won’t let us lie. The Premier League commitment surprises novices, who expect the referee to whistle. This permanent physical combat is a joy for the players insofar as it is with respect for the opponent. Every sports journalist and sports betting fan repeats every time it is the best league in the world.

Integrating players of African origin into the English Premier League was not easy. Indeed, starting in 1888, it took the championship 103 years to recognize its first dark-skinned soccer player. It was Peter Ndlovu, a former Zimbabwean national team player. The club recruited him, and he discovered Premier League football in 1992. 

Since then, English football has seen many African stars rise. From Chelsea to Liverpool via Manchester City and United, Blackburn or Sunderland, African players have shown exceptional ingenuity in the Premier League; the best of them are in the following lines.   

Best African Premier League players of all time

Mohamed Salah

Crowned the 2019-2020 season with Liverpool, the Egyptian Mohamed Salah, already a winner in 2015 with Chelsea, became the third African player to win the title of champion of England with two different clubs. Also, the Merseyside striker scored a hat trick, surpassing the legendary Didier Drogba in terms of goals in England! Now the Egyptian has 107 accurate strikes under his belt. 

Didier Drogba

With 104 goals, Didier Drogba topped the ranking of the best African players in the Premier League last year, but that record has been broken. Elevated to the rank of legend, the Ivorian has made his mark in the league. Twice top scorer in 2007 (20 goals) and 2012 (29 goals), Drogba also won the title four times with Chelsea in 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2015.

Michael Essien

In his time, he became the most expensive acquisition of Chelsea. And he fully paid off, replacing the legendary Claude Makélélé. Essien spent nine outstanding years at Chelsea and made the Pensioners a true grandee of European soccer. The fans will probably remember him for a long time to come. And at home, in Ghana, they even erected a monument to him, though it looks no better than the monument to Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Sadio Mane

Here we get to the main Senegalese player of the last decade. Ten years ago, Sadio was raising dust in the French second division, and today he’s shining in the EPL! Many call Sadio one of the first quality “soccer products” of the Austrian concern. In the local Bundesliga, he immediately “took the bull by the horns”, making 16 goals in his debut season. In his second year in Salzburg, he distinguished himself three times less, but this did not affect the interest of Southampton, which shelled out a considerable sum of 23 million euros for the talented winger. Playing for the Saints, the Senegalese scored the quickest hat-trick in the history of the EPL. Then, he was promoted by Liverpool and has become one of the symbols of the club’s ascent to the world pedestal!

Samuel Eto’o

Four-time African Player of the Year and one of the best players from the Dark Continent – the former Chelsea forward Samuel Eto’o – not only earned his club a victory over Manchester United but also became the 25th African player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League. The Cameroonian also became the fourth player in tournament history to score three goals against Manchester United!

Yaya Toure

So now, it is the younger Toure’s turn. And there should be no doubt about his dominance over his brother! In his first season at Manchester City, he scored eight goals and made the same number of assists. He may not have performed well with Guardiola in recent years, but he was the one who carried City to become the strongest team in England. The City is very lucky to have one of the strongest midfielders in EPL history!

Riyad Mahrez

His friends and family warned that the EPL was not a good fit for him. But against all odds, the Algerian became the leader of the Leicester, which shocked the world in 2015-16. After the “golden” season, there was some hangover, then Riyad returned to his high level, becoming one of the best in the championship in 2017/18. Then Algerian went for promotion to Manchester City to win two more league titles.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Well, here is another, so to speak, contemporary star and a good choice for online betting on individual football stats. 

Literally, from the very first matches, the “reactive” Gabonese began to pay off the 63.75 million euros Arsenal paid for him. In his second year, Aubameyang won the scoring title with 22 goals. Although the 2019-20 season was unlucky for the club in the EPL, Aubameyang almost single-handedly decided the outcome of the FA Cup semi-finals and finals, netting a double each against Chelsea and Manchester City. And a couple of months later, he had his hand in the triumph in the Super Cup. 

Emmanuel Adebayor

He made a name for himself at Arsenal, scoring 30 goals in 2007-08. However, he will also be remembered for his antics – he slammed the door loudly and moved to Manchester City. Playing on City’s side, he celebrated a goal against the Gunners. What’s more, afterward, he joined his arch-enemies at Tottenham… Anyway, he remains one of the brightest representatives of the Dark Continent in the history of the championship, scoring 97 goals. 

Nwankwo Kanu

After his problems at Inter, Kanu literally prospered at Arsenal. He played 197 games in Highbury and led the team to two titles. His brightest performance was his 15-minute hat-trick against Chelsea, which helped them win the greatest match while losing 2-0. After Arsenal, he was quite successful within West Bromwich and Portsmouth, where he brought Henry Redknapp the FA Cup victory. He is also an African with the most trophies.