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The English Premier League is the richest and most popular football competition in the world. Since it was formed in 1992, no other domestic league has been able to boast a comparable assortment of talent on display.
As a direct result, fans of the English game have seen the best players and prospects take to the pitch for their respective clubs. While the league has witnessed many memorable and legendary minutes, halves, games, and seasons on display, players only get one debut season.
On that note, let's compile a ranked list of the five best debut seasons in Premier League history.
5. Michu
Miguel Perez Cuesta, commonly known as Michu, enjoyed one of the most magical debut campaigns in Premier League history with Swansea in the 2012-13 campaign. Brought into the newly promoted side without much fuss, the Spaniard proved to be an inspired signing for the Swans that season.
Michu scored a fabulous 18 goals and set up three in 35 league games to help keep his side up. The Spaniard also helped the Welsh side secure a League Cup title that campaign.
Injuries would hamper his career after this mythical season, but he remains fondly remembered not only by Swansea fans but the league as a whole.
4. Ruud Van Nistlerooy
Manchester United needed something special to combat Arsenal in the early 2000s and Sir Alex Ferguson brought in the deadly Dutch forward. Ruud Van Nistelrooy was a different beast for the age he played in, scoring goals for fun and looking like an A-list star while at it.
As debut campaigns go, it is difficult to do much better than 23 goals and five assists in 32 games in your first stint in a new country and League. Nistelrooy could not deliver the League title The Red Devils craved that season, however, he claimed the Player of the Season award and rightfully claimed the fourth spot.
3. N'golo Kante
N'golo Kante is a player that needs no introduction to football fans across the planet. The World Cup winner is noted for his phenomenal running and persistent tackling, making him worth his weight in gold for any team he features for.
In the summer of 2015 however, Kante was an unknown French midfielder brought in to help Leicester City avoid relegation after their great escape the previous campaign. Reportedly signed for €9 million, the price quoted would prove to be a massive bargain.
Kante not only helped the Foxes stay up that season, but his solid performances in the middle of the park helped them win the league as 2000-01 favorites. Not a great goalscorer or assist machine, he bagged a solitary goal and four assists in that legendary season.
2. Ricardo Carvalho
Ricardo Carvalho takes the penultimate spot in this listing and rightly so. The Portuguese defender was one of the most highly sought-after players in the summer of 2004 and for good reason. The then-Porto defender was a defensive juggernaut.
Carvalho moved to Chelsea with Jose Mourinho at the helm and instantly transformed the Blues from a team striving to win the Premier League to head and shoulders the best team. A defense so stingy Ebenezer Scrooge would blush helped secure the title with a yet-to-be-surpassed defensive record. The Blues conceded just 15 goals in 38 games that term.
The Portuguese defender rightfully takes second place for his part in ending Chelsea's 55-year wait for a Premier League title. His solitary goal from 25 appearances was the least important contribution he made in his debut campaign.
1. Erling Haaland
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland came into the Premier League with a reputation as a gluttonous goalscorer. The Norwegian's exploits were known across Europe and while he was expected to get goals, no one expected him to obliterate the division in the manner he did.
Thirty-six goals and eight assists from 35 games are truly frightening numbers for a debut season. Haaland's assault on the league's defenses guaranteed another title for an already dominant City team and helped him to a truly awe-inspiring debut season.
The Manchester City star claimed the Club's Player of the Year award, Premier League Player of the Season award, Premier League Highest Goal Scorer award, and UEFA Best Player in Europe award. Haaland rightfully tops this list and will likely top any similar lists for years to come.
