Throughout the history of the Premier League, the league has been blessed by some of the best footballers from Africa who have graced its pitches. Usually packed with ability as well as power and speed, in this guide our football expert Kate Richardson will run through 7 of the best African players who have ever played in the Premier League.
The best African players in Premier League history
Lucas Radebe
Although Lucas Radebe isn’t the most decorated player on our list of best African Premier League players, it is important to recognise his role as he was one of the first players from the continent to feature heavily in the Premier League.
First bought into the league back in 1994 by Leeds, the South African would spend eleven seasons with the Yorkshire club and would go on to become the first player from Africa to ever captain a Premier League team.
A solid and strong defender, Radebe would go on to enjoy a fine career in England where he would rack up over 200 appearances for the club.
Showing those back at home in Africa that you could succeed in the Premier League, without his impact, many that follow in this list may not have been given their chance to shine in the Premier League spotlight.
Yaya Toure
“I am very proud to be African. I want to defend African people, and I want to show to the world that African players can be as good as the Europeans and South Americans.”
The above is one of Yaya Toure’s most famous quotes and it certainly turned out to be true. Throughout English football history there have been many brilliant box-to-box midfielders, but one of the best to have ever graced the Premier League was Yaya Toure.
One of the most talented players in the Premier League since its inception. Toure could glide up the pitch with style and grace, but could also defend his goal with power and force.
A player that could do it all, Toure was bought to the league by Manchester City in 2010 and it’s fair to say he would go onto become one of the best ever African players in the Premier League.
A winner of three Premier League titles under Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola, it was his goal that helped City win their first FA Cup in over 40 years.
Along with Michael Essien, the two are often the benchmark for all young African midfielders to aspire to and he will always be remembered for being one of the most impactful and talented players that the continent of Africa has ever produced.
As one Reddit user says: “While he isn’t the greatest City midfielder of all time, he definitely had the greatest individual season of a City midfielder in 13/14. He was genuinely unstoppable. I remember the days when AFCON would roll around and we were hopeless without him. Yaya was unbelievable.“
Nwankwo Kanu
Laying the groundwork for the likes of Didier Drogba to follow was Nwankwo Kanu.
One of the first African strikers to ever play in the Premier League, Kanu was first bought to England by Arsene Wenger and Arsenal. Although he would go onto play for several English clubs, it was his first spell in the Premier League that is often most fondly remembered.
Not blessed with searing pace, the Nigerian was a wizard with the ball at his feet. Able to hold the ball up, but also show a deft touch in front of goal, Kanu would be one of the first players from Africa to score 20 league goals in a season.
A winner of two league titles, the flamboyant Nigerian would also make well over 200 league appearances for the Gunners, Portsmouth and West Brom.
Alongside Tony Yeboah, Kanu helped pave the way, for other African goal scorers to follow. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure all have Kanu to thank for showing the world that African attacking talent was amongst the best in the world.
Riyad Mahrez
“I never listened to people who said I wasn’t going to make it.”
When it comes to special players from Africa, few boast as much talent and as much attitude as Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian will always have a special place in the English game due to the role he played in guiding Leicester City to their famous Premier League trophy back in 2016.
Able to effortlessly glide past players with either his left or right foot, his decision to leave the Foxes and join Pep Guardiola at Man City would initially raise eyebrows but it would turn out to be a match made in heaven.
With Pep quickly recognising his talents, Mahrez quickly became one of the most reliable players in the City starting eleven and helped City become the dominant force that we know today.
Reaching the Champions League final for the first time in his career back in 2021, that final would end in defeat. However, he and his City teammates would be back for more in 2023 when he would help the team make history as they became only the second ever English team to win the treble.
Having won it all whilst in England, Mahrez moved to Saudi Arabia at the start of the 2023/2024 season.
A truly special talent, players like him are rare. Bought into the Premier League as a player nobody had heard of, he left it as one of the best players to ever grace the Premier League stage.
Sadio Mane
Along with Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane would go onto form one of the deadliest attacking trios that the Premier League has ever seen.
Hailing from Senegal, the pacey, diminutive winger was first bought to the Premier League by Southampton when they purchased him from Austrian club, RB Salzburg.
Upon arriving on the south coast, it was clear that Mane was destined for a great career in England’s top flight. After lighting up St Mary’s, a string of the world’s biggest clubs were after his services, but it was Liverpool who won the race for his signature.
Proving an instant hit at Anfield, Mane would turn into a prolific goal scorer and would be a nightmare for opposing defenders all over Europe.
Spending six seasons with Liverpool, during his time on Merseyside, Mane would become one of the best players in the world. Voted the African footballer of the Year twice, he would also help Senegal to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations title.
Having won both the Champions League and Premier League titles when at Anfield, Mane moved to German giants Bayern Munich and is now part of the revolution going on in the Saudi Pro League. His years in the Premier League will always be fondly remembered and thanks to his 111 Premier League goals, Mane will always be a Premier League great.
Didier Drogba
Arguably the greatest African to have ever played in the Premier League is former Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba. Bought into the Premier League by Jose Mourinho in 2004, the Ivory Coast striker would go onto score 104 goals and would become the first African player to break the 100 goal barrier in Premier League history.
A powerhouse of a striker, he would help the Blues win the Premier League for the first time as he quickly became a much loved player at Stamford Bridge.
The greatest moment of his eight year career with the club came in the 2012 Champions League final. With Chelsea trailing against German giants Bayern Munich, Drogba powered home a header in the 88th minute to take the game to extra time and then penalties.
With Chelsea edging the shootout, it was left to the Ivorian to take the final penalty and he would make no mistake. One of Chelsea’s greatest players, Drogba still has a close affinity to the fans that still adore him. A explosive player that redefined what a Premier League striker was all about, Drogba will always be remembered as one of the Premier League’s best.
Mohamed Salah
When it comes to African footballers playing in the Premier League, many will point to Mohamed Salah being the best player that the continent has ever produced. Nobody from Africa has scored more league goals than the Egyptian, and you get the sense that the Liverpool hitman isn’t done yet.
Salah’s first foray into English football came back in 2014 when he signed for Chelsea. Although starting brightly, Salah would go onto make just 13 Premier League appearances and would find himself constantly loaned out. After moving to Italy and joining Roma, Jurgen Klopp bought Salah back to England when he signed for Liverpool.
Perfect for Klopp’s style of high pressing, high energy football, Salah quickly became a force of nature on the wing. Becoming a key part of the team, in 2020 his goals ensured that Liverpool would finally end their wait and get their hands on their first ever Premier League title.
Yet to add another league trophy to his collection of accolades, Salah is already one of the best African footballers of all time but his time at Liverpool looks likely to end next season. Hungry for more success, he will want to depart English shores having cemented his legacy even further by the time that this season is finished.
African players can help shape the Premier League for years to come
Although we have highlighted the talents of a special few individuals, this list of special African players could have been far bigger.
With the new Premier League season just around the corner, this year’s league looks set to be the most exciting in years. One of the most bet on sporting leagues in the world, millions are bet each week and many of the bets are made on teams featuring African talents. With many markets available and some great odds to take advantage of, if you want to know where to bet in South Africa there are many fantastic sites and apps that are available.
African players have always been valued within English football and for decades to come you can be assured that players from the continent will continue to lead the way and help take the Premier League to even greater heights.