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The Premier League is the most commercially viable and marketable league in the world which makes it the foremost destination for talented footballers around the world.
When it comes to talented players, Spain has produced more than its fair share and the Iberian nation is undoubtedly one of the bonafide A-listers in international football.
In the not too distant past, Spanish players rarely travelled abroad and mostly played their football in their domestic league and this is solidified by the fact that each of Spain's World Cup squads from 1990 to 2002 was composed entirely of players plying their trade in the Spanish LaLiga.
Towards the start of the new millennium, this started to change, with players like Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro among the earliest Spanish imports into the Premier League who paved the way for compatriots like Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa, Fernando Torres, and Cesc Fabregas to join the league in the middle of the noughties.
The successes of the aforementioned players, as well as the dominance of the Spanish national team in this period, turned the Premier League's attention to Spain, resulting in a massive influx of Spanish players into England in the last decade.
There are currently 27 Spanish players in the Premier League who have achieved varying degrees of success and here, we shall be having a rundown of the top five Spanish players in the Premier League right now.
Honourable mentions: Marcos Alonso (Chelsea), Pedro (Chelsea), Rodri (Manchester City)
#5 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)
The departure of Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid paved the way for Chelsea to trigger the release clause of Kepa and make him the most expensive goalkeeper in history when they paid Athletic Bilbao the sum of £71 million for his services.
He had a solid first season in North London, with his theatrics in the final of the League Cup when he refused to come off for Willy Caballero garnering negative press.
The 25-year-old played a key role in Chelsea's Europa League triumph, appearing in 13 of the Londoners' 14 fixtures in the second-tier competition and also staked his claim to be his country's number one.
In total, the Ondarroa native has made 48 Premier League appearances across his two seasons with Chelsea, with 102 saves made and 17 clean sheets kept.
Also check out:EPL table EPL fixtures Champions League Schedule
#4 Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
When it comes to consistency and dedication, there are only a handful that can match Cesar Azpilicueta, with the 30-year-old being the quintessential pro footballer.
After breaking out with Osasuna, Azpilicuetta was signed by Olympique Marseille in 2010 and after two seasons in the south of France, Chelsea snapped him up in the summer of 2012.
Since then, the Pamplona native has proved himself to be worth every penny and more of the £7 million spent on him and has made a total of 246 Premier League appearances for the 2017 champions.
A sign of his dedication lies in the fact that since the start of the 2015/2016 Premier League season, Azpilicuetta has missed just three matches from a possible 164, while he has been substituted on just one occasion in that time.
He is highly valued by his teammates and was named the Club's Players' Player of the Year in 2014, while he is currently team captain at Chelsea where he acts as a guide and leader to what is a young bunch of talented players.
#3 Juan Mata (Manchester United)
Juan Mata is one of Spain's best imports into the league and he has distinguished himself over the last eight years with his performances in England's top-flight.
He was signed by Chelsea from Valencia in the summer of 2011 and he immediately proved his worth, playing a key role in the club's Champions League win and was named the Player of the Year by his teammates in each of his first two seasons with the club.
Jose Mourinho's arrival at the club meant that Mata was living on borrowed time and less than six months into the Portuguese's tenure, he was sold off to rivals Manchester United.
Across his spells with Chelsea and Manchester United, the 31-year-old has made 250 Premier League appearances, scoring 50 goals and creating 51 assists and although he is yet to get his hands on the trophy, there can be no denying the impact he has had on the league.
#2 David De Gea (Manchester United)
The last year or so has been a tumultuous one for David De Gea, with uncharacteristic gaffes and cheap goals conceded placing the spotlight on him and seeing him seemingly lose his status as Spain's number one.
However, it was not always so and the Madrid native was once the undisputed best goalkeeper in the world.
In those gloomy days under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal at Manchester United, De Gea was the one shining light, single-handedly winning points for the club with breathtaking performances and unbelievable saves.
His performances during this period saw him named the club's Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons which was rather strange, considering that goalkeepers rarely receive such adulation.
It could either be because the outfield players were not up to par as Jose Mourinho posited or that De Gea was simply out-of-this-world. A mixture of both would suffice, with the latter bearing more weight.
After a rocky start to his Old Trafford career which saw many questioning Sir Alex Ferguson's judgement, the former Atletico Madrid man won over his naysayers with his domineering displays between the sticks and was subsequently named in the PFA Team of the Year in five seasons, including four consecutively between 2015 and 2018.
In total, the 2013 champion has made 287 Premier League appearances, with 102 clean sheets kept and a staggering 805 saves made.
#1 David Silva (Manchester City)
David Silva has a real claim to being unarguably the best Spanish midfielder in Premier League history and to a large extent the best midfielder of any nationality to ever grace England's top-flight.
Ever since his arrival at Manchester City in 2010, the former Spanish international has been nothing short of exquisite and has played a key role in each of the four Premier League triumphs by the Cityzens.
Silva was signed from Valencia in the immediate aftermath of his World Cup win and he went on to become a cornerstone in what has been the most successful period in the club's history.
The Arguineguín native has posted truly unbelievable numbers in the league. Of his 293 Premier League appearances, Silva has won 213 and lost just 47, while has scored 57 goals, assisted 87 times and created 112 big chances.
With the 33-year-old announcing that the ongoing season would be his last with Manchester City, the Premier League would undoubtedly not be the same without 'Merlin the Magician' gracing its pitches.
