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The Premier League has witnessed some world-class talent from around the world since its inception in 1992. Apart from home-grown players like Alan Shearer and Frank Lampard, football’s most-watched league has also seen the likes of Thierry Henry and Sergio Aguero, two of the best foreign strikers English football has ever seen.
In recent years, there has been an influx of African talent in the Premier League, with players like Sadio Mane, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and more already making it big with at their respective clubs.
With Ajax and Morocco midfielder Hakim Ziyech joining Chelsea this summer, we take a look at the Premier League’s top five African imports in the modern era.
#5. Mohamed Salah
The Liverpool front-man, who is about to taste his first Premier League success at the end of the season, has broken records left, right and centre since his arrival from Roma in 2017.
Mohamed Salah, in only his first season at Anfield, went onto break former Red Luis Suarez’s record for most number of goals scored in a single Premier League campaign. And he has not looked back since.
The 27-year-old backed up his brilliant debut season with another 22 goals in the following campaign, making it two consecutive Golden Boot awards. After a slow start to this season, Salah has found his goalscoring touch once again, currently sitting only three goals behind top-scorer Jamie Vardy with 14.
The Egyptian’s pace, prowess and direct football has often left Premier League defences hanging. Salah scores all types of goals: tap-ins, out-of-the-box goals, penalties and even solo strikes. His partners-in-crime Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have equally contributed to his impeccable numbers and the attacking trio might be one the league's most productive in front of goal.
Liverpool fans will hope that Salah stays at the club for years to come, as will Premier League watchers who won’t witness a more lethal African goalscorer in the competition’s history. of
#4. Riyad Mahrez
The tall, lanky winger could have never imagined that he would become the face of Algerian football when he joined Leicester City in a mere £400,000 deal from French minnows Le Havre. Five years later, Riyad Mahrez has two Premier League titles to his name, one Africa Cup of Nations trophy, one PFA Player of the Year award, one African Player of the Year award and closing in on 100 goal contributions in the English top-flight.
The right-sided winger turned heads in England when he spearheaded the Foxes to their first-ever Premier League title. His on-field partnership with Jamie Vardy was one of the highlights of their season as they eclipsed the top-six to do an almost unthinkable feat.
Manchester City then snapped him up in the summer of 2018 for a then-club record transfer of £60m. It was obviously difficult for the Algerian to cope up with Pep Guardiola’s methods in his first season at the club, and the fact Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling were in red-hot form made it more tougher for Mahrez to break into the starting XI.
His second season, however, has been more impactful and influential. Many would even say that he has been City’s best player this season barring Kevin de Bruyne. He has 14 goals and assists in 21 appearances this term and is regularly creating havoc for opposition defences from the right-flank.
There is absolutely no doubt that Riyad Mahrez has cemented himself as one of the best African players the league has ever seen.
#3. Michael Essien
Former Chelsea man Michael Essien might be one of the most underrated players in Premier League history. The robust midfielder deserves to be considered as one of the greats at Stamford Bridge due to his service for the club.
Essien was not the flashiest player in the Chelsea side, yet their most useful one. He was signed in what was then a club-record fee of £24.4m from French outfit Lyon in the summer of 2005 following Jose Mourinho’s impeccable title win.
The Ghanian played a pivotal role in defensive midfield alongside Claude Makelele and Frank Lampard and helped Chelsea retain their Premier League crown, before lifting the trophy once again in 2010.
The former Real Madrid man was a versatile player who could slot in at right-back, centre-back or his preferred position in the middle of midfield, often found playing long passes, bombing forward and protecting the back four.
He was not one to score a lot of goals, but when he did, they would be talked about for a long period of time. Essien’s pile-driving equaliser against Arsenal was voted the Blues’ Goal of the Season in 2007 as he also bagged the club’s Player of the Season award at the end of that campaign.
Although Essien was a top-three candidate for the African Player of the Year award for five seasons in a row from 2005 to 2009, he never actually held the prize. Even then, his legacy will fondly be remembered by Premier League fans.
#2. Yaya Toure
Former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure can make a case of being the club’s greatest ever player after what was an incredible eight-year stay at the home of the current Premier League champions. The Ivorian could also be labelled as one the division’s best defensive midfielders of all time, such was his impact and influence on the English game.
Many would say that Yaya Toure kickstarted Manchester City’s resurgence as one of England’s elite teams after his match-winners in the FA Cup semi-finals and finals in 2010. His double at Newcastle United on the penultimate match-day often goes under-the-radar due to Sergio Aguero’s heroics on the final day.
The 36-year-old went onto lift three Premier League titles with three managers during his time at City, with the 2013/14 season surely being his personal best.
The box-to-box midfielder scored a remarkable 20 goals in the Premier League that season. Toure was unstoppable throughout the campaign and his stunning solo goal against Aston Villa in what was yet again the second-last game-week of the season summed up his unimaginable season.
He bolted in free-kicks, penalties, long-rangers and curlers and often made those trademark runs from midfield, showcasing his world-class talent week-in week-out.
In May 2018, the four-time African Player of the Year was given a tear-jerking farewell at the Etihad Stadium in front of the City faithful, as everyone reminisced what great things he had done for the club.
#1. Didier Drogba
Even Chelsea’s most ardent haters will agree that Didier Drogba is the Premier League’s greatest African import. The Ivorian striker, in his nine seasons with Chelsea, scored a mammoth 104 goals for the club in just the English top-flight.
He lifted four Premier League trophies in that time and also went onto score the equaliser in the dying minutes of the 2011/12 Champions League final before slotting in the winning penalty.
Drogba holds multiple achievements for his exploits in the Premier League, including the record for the most number of goals and assists in the division by an African player.
He is also Chelsea’s highest-scoring player from the continent and second-highest overall, only behind Frank Lampard. He is only one of six players to score hat-tricks in consecutive games and the list can go on and on.
Drogba was a prolific goalscorer because of his brilliant finishing, aerial expertise and incredible movement behind the opposition defences. He was a big-match player too, having netted a combined 39 goals versus the Premier League’s top-six in all competitions. Chelsea fans will also fondly remember his many cup final goals.
There is no doubt Drogba has had better strikers than him in the Premier League, but he is, without a shadow of a doubt, the English top-flight’s best African player Hever.
