Chile: Premier League Nations | OneFootball

The next destination of our alphabetical world tour is Chile. According to the Premier League website, 14 players have represented Chile in the Premier League, many of whom are huge names in Europe and particularly in Chile itself, including several of the most capped Chileans of all time.

First Player – Javier Margas (West Ham, 1998-2001)

One of many bizarre entries in Harry Redknapp’s Premier League story book, Javier Margas moved to England following an impressive showing at the 1998 World Cup before performing an incredible escape through a hotel window.

Reports suggested that his wife was extremely unhappy with life in London and that he was ultimately forced to rejoin her in Chile. Going AWOL from his contract with the Hammers, Margas fled a hotel as club officials attempted to track him down.

Margas was an accomplished player, appearing in all four of Chile’s games at the 98 World Cup and winning 63 caps in total. He was a man of extremes, often dying his hair the colours of the team he was playing for, but his extreme nature ultimately meant that the Premier League never got to see the best of its first ever Chilean player.

Records

Current/Most Recent Players

Though two players are currently on the books of Premier League clubs, they have only made a combined four appearances in 2019/20. Claudio Bravo is limited to a backup role behind Manchester City’s Ederson, while Alexis Sánchez is currently escaping from his Manchester United nightmare on loan at Inter Milan.

Trivia