Ranking the 20 best African players in Premier League history | OneFootball

The Premier League has been home to some of the greatest African footballers of the past 30+ years. The likes of Didier Drogba, Mohamed Salah and Yaya Toure immediately spring to mind when you think of the players from Africa that have lit up English football since 1992.

These players, along with many others from the continent, have helped to turn the Premier League into one of the world's most valuable sporting brands, as well as arguably the best footballing division on the planet. But who are the greatest 20 African players of the Premier League era?

We've compiled a comprehensive list, taking into account various ranking factors including longevity, goals, individual awards and so on. Check out the full ranking criteria below:

20 Steven Pienaar

Clubs: Everton, Tottenham, Sunderland

While Steven Pienaar wasn't consistently brilliant throughout his time in the Premier League, the South Africa international has spells where he was sensational - particularly at Everton, where he produced his best football. The skillful winger snubbed Chelsea in order to join Tottenham in January 2011, but his move to White Hart Lane failed to pan out.

Limited to a handful of appearances at Spurs, Pienaar returned to Goodison Park on loan before completing a permanent move back to the Toffees. It's possible that he would have ended up higher on this list of African greats had he opted to move to Stamford Bridge instead of Tottenham, but we'll never know.

19 Lucas Radebe

Premier League clubs: Leeds United

Leeds United went on to spend almost two decades outside English football's top flight after suffering relegation in 2004, but the club's fortunes were not always so bleak. Lucas Radebe was the man to captain the club on their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2000 amid an 11-year stay in West Yorkshire.

Former Manchester United boss Ferguson was a big admirer of the South African centre-back, even after he rejected a move to Old Trafford. Radabe also represented South Africa on 70 occasions between 1992-2003, chipping in with two goals in the process. While he may not have a Premier League title to his name, there's no doubt that he was a top defender during his peak years.

18 Salomon Kalou

Premier League clubs: Chelsea

Salomon Kalou doesn't always get a lot of credit due to the fact he spent a lot of his time at Chelsea as a substitute. That said, the Ivorian forward did a remarkable job when it came to making an impact from the bench, making him a manager's dream. Many footballers struggle if they're not starting week in, week out, but Kalou was always happy to give us all when called upon.

Chelsea won the Premier League once in the six years Kalou spent at the club, along with four FA Cups and their first ever Champions League title in his final match for the west London side. Not a bad way to bow out, eh?

17 Tony Yeboah

Premier League clubs: Leeds United

When it comes to players that scored truly great goals on a regular basis, Tony Yeboah is right up there with the very best of them. Even younger fans of the Premier League will have seen highlights of some of the sensational strikes the Ghanaian produced during his two-and-a-half years in English football with Leeds United.

Who could forget his stunning volley against Liverpool that crashed in off the crossbar? Achieving almost one goal in every two matches, the striker was a firm fan favourite during his time at Elland Road.

16 Benni McCarthy

Premier League clubs: Blackburn Rovers, West Ham

Only a couple of years after winning the Champions League with Porto under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, Benni McCarthy joined Blackburn Rovers in 2006. Making the move to the 1995 Premier League winners didn't work out exactly as he'd hoped, though he did start in inspiring fashion.

Eighteen goals in his first season was enough to convince fans that even better results in front of goal would follow in the seasons to come. However, that didn't quite pan out. McCarthy left Rovers for West Ham in 2010, before moving back to his native South Africa to play out the final years of his career. Now 46, McCarthy is back in the Premier League, serving as a first-team coach under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.

15 Yakubu Ayegbeni

Clubs: Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton, Blackburn Rovers

'Feed the Yak and he will score'. He did just that on 95 occasions during his time in the Premier League. Only 35 players have scored more goals than Yakubu Ayegbeni in the league's history, which is pretty impressive when you consider he never played for one of England's elite clubs.

The Nigerian striker first caught the eye in the Champions League with Israeli side Maccabi Haifa before earning a move to Portsmouth in 2003. It didn't take long for the stocky centre-forward to prove that he was more than capable of scoring goals in the Premier League, and he ended up playing for several more English teams before moving to China in 2012.

14 John Obi Mikel

Premier League clubs: Chelsea

It's still one of football's wildest stories: John Obi Mikel joined Chelsea after looking nailed on to sign for Manchester United, with the Blues accused of 'kidnapping' the player during negotiations. However, the player himself later quashed those claims. The Nigerian midfielder went on to almost spend a decade with the London club and won the Premier League twice and the Champions League, alongside the aforementioned Kalou, plus the Europa League.

As a defensive midfielder, the requirements for the role were to break up opposition attacks and give the ball to the forward-thinking players around him. To make over 300 appearances during a period when Chelsea were well stocked with midfield talent highlights what a quality operator he was.

13 Lauren

Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Portsmouth

Taking the place of long-serving right-back Lee Dixon at Arsenal, Lauren went on to have a successful career in England. Part of the legendary 'Invincibles' side of 2003-04, the Cameroon international eventually forced his way into debates about the best players in his position in Premier League history.

Lauren was even part of the Portsmouth team that went all the way during the 2007-08 FA Cup campaign, defeating Manchester United in the quarter-finals before beating West Brom in the semis, and Cardiff City in the final. He ended his career in 2010 following a short stint with Cordoba in Spain.

12 Nwankwo Kanu

Premier League clubs: Arsenal, West Brom, Portsmouth

It was hard to work out how Nwankwo Kanu, at 6ft 6in tall, was able to move with such elegance and grace on the football pitch. Multiple Dutch titles and Champions League glory at Ajax was followed up by an underwhelming spell at Inter Milan before Arsene Wenger snapped him up in 1999.

The Nigerian striker added to his trophy collection with two league titles with Arsenal before he, like Lauren, lifted the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008. Often seen playing with a big smile on his face, Kanu is one of the Premier League's great cult heroes and, on his day, a joy to watch.

11 Wilfried Zaha

Premier League clubs: Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Cardiff City (loan)

Wilfried Zaha represented both England and Ivory Coast at international level, but was born in the African country. A failed move to Manchester United ultimately led to a return to Crystal Palace, where he developed into one of the Premier League's most exciting wingers. He gained legendary status with the Eagles before opting to join Turkish giants Galatasaray in 2023.

Premier League fans always expected something to happen when the electric winger had the ball at his feet. Despite his decision to leave Selhurst Park and English football, he'll forever occupy a special place in the hearts of every Palace supporter.

10 Emmanuel Adebayor

Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Man City, Tottenham, Crystal Palace

Emmanuel Adebayor went from a hero with the Arsenal fan base to an enemy of the club forever. Thirty goals in his debut campaign in England allowed the Togolese striker to cement his status as one of the Premier League's top strikers.

A dramatic move to Manchester City in 2009 led to him scoring against his former club and producing one of the most iconic (and infamous) celebrations of the Premier League era, running the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the travelling Arsenal fans, who were left raging. Just when everyone thought he could not tarnish his Gunners' legacy further, Adebayor then moved to fierce rivals Tottenham in 2012.

9 Kolo Toure

Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool

Holding an impressive record of taking part in two unbeaten seasons (once with Arsenal and once with Scottish heavyweights Celtic), Kolo Toure is often overlooked when it comes to the best defenders of his generation.

As well as shining at Arsenal, Toure was also pretty solid at the back for both Manchester CIty and Liverpool before he exited the league in 2016. The former Ivory Coast international ended his playing career one year later, following his spell with Celtic, before becoming a coach - working under Brendan Rodgers at Celtic and Leicester City. He also had a spell managing Wigan Athletic but failed to win any of his nine games in charge of the Latics.

8 Jay-Jay Okocha

Premier League clubs: Bolton Wanderers

So good they named him twice, Jay-Jay Okocha is unquestionably one of the most entertaining and flamboyant players of the Premier League era. Bolton Wanderers fans would give anything to go back to the early 2000s when they were managed by Sam Allardyce and had quality players like Okocha, Youri Djorkaeff and Fernando Hierro in their ranks.

Arguably their most talented player ever, Bolton supporters never tired of watching Okocha strut his stuff at the Reebok Stadium. It came as a surprise that the Nigerian star moved to the English side on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, but he certainly didn't disappoint during his time with the club.

7 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Chelsea

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the net on 69 occasions during spells with both Arsenal and Chelsea, with all but one of those goals coming for the London side that plays in red. Deployed as a central striker and also a left-winger while playing at the Emirates Stadium, the former Borussia Dortmund man showed his versatility, as well as his finishing ability, during his topsy-turvy time in England.

The former Gabon captain's time at Chelsea was a bitter disappointment - just one goal in 15 Premier League appearances was extremely poor for a striker of his ability - and it wasn't a huge shock when he ended up leaving Stamford Bridge for Marseille in 2023.

6 Michael Essien

Premier League clubs: Chelsea

A vital part of Chelsea in the mid-to-late 2000s and early 2010s, indefatigable midfielder Michael Essien amassed quite the silverware haul during his nine years in west London. By the time his Stamford Bridge career reached its conclusion, the former Ghana international had won the Premier League twice, in addition to four FA Cups, the League Cup and the Champions League.

Injuries slowed Essien's career down a little earlier than planned, but the impressive impact he made during his time at the highest level (particularly early on at Chelsea) was more than enough for him to remain towards the top of this list.

5 Riyad Mahrez

Premier League clubs: Leicester City, Manchester City

One of the Premier League's most skillful wingers during his time in English football, Riyad Mahrez was an important part of Manchester City's side that secured their historic treble during the 2022-23 campaign. A throwback to attacking wide men from previous generations, Mahrez was always willing to run at the opposing full-back in order to create chances for himself and his teammates.

Arguably the best player in Leicester City's extraordinary Premier League title triumph in 2016, alongside N'Golo Kante and Jamie Vardy, Mahrez left England for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli in 2023 with five Premier League winners' medals to his name.

4 Sadio Mane

Premier League clubs: Southampton, Liverpool

It shows just how many top-quality footballers from Africa have graced the Premier League over the years that Sadio Mane, one of the greatest Premier League players of the late 2010s and early 2020s, narrowly misses out on a place in the top three.

The Senegalese international began his journey in England's top-flight with Southampton, where he scored the fastest ever Premier League hat-trick in a blisteringly quick two minutes and 56 seconds in May 2015 - a record that still stands today. Linked with a move to Manchester United when Louis van Gaal was in charge at Old Trafford, Mane eventually joined the Red Devils' fierce rivals Liverpool, where he was instrumental in helping the Reds win their first league title in three decades. The forward, who currently plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr following a season with Bayern Munich, is the second-highest-scoring African player in Premier League history with 111 goals to his name.

3 Didier Drogba

Premier League clubs: Chelsea

When Chelsea signed Didier Drogba in 2004, few would have envisaged that the Ivorian would go on to become one of the most iconic forwards of the Premier League era, as well as arguably the Blues' greatest ever player. While he had spells of inconsistency - particularly when he first signed - African icon Drogba will always be one of the first names mentioned when it comes to the debate about Chelsea's best players since the Premier League's inception.

With 104 top-flight goals - all scored for the Blues - only 31 players in history have hit the back of the net more often in England's top division (since 1992) than Drogba.

2 Yaya Toure

Premier League clubs: Manchester City

While he enjoyed success at Barcelona, it never felt like Yaya Toure was truly appreciated at Camp Nou, so it wasn't a huge surprise when he ended up signing for Manchester City in 2010 - a time when other top players were also being lured to the Etihad Stadium. That said, it felt like a coup for City at the time and the former Ivory Coast international ended up taking the Premier League by storm, picking up Man of the Match awards for fun.

A colossal midfielder, Toure isn't just one of the most physically imposing players we've seen throughout Premier League history, he was also one of the most technically gifted players that we've had the privilege of watching.

1 Mohamed Salah

Premier League clubs: Chelsea, Liverpool

To say that Mohamed Salah has exceeded expectations since joining Liverpool would be a major understatement. He's been nothing short of phenomenal for the Reds following his arrival from AS Roma in 2017. Eyebrows were initially raised when Jurgen Klopp signed the Egyptian forward, due to how he'd previously struggled at Chelsea, but it didn't take long for the world-class forward to hit the ground running at Anfield.

Salah is the top scoring African player in Premier League history and notched his 150th goal in just 247 appearances. Only Alan Shearer, Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Thierry Henry reached that milestone quicker. One of the greatest players of the Premier League era? Without doubt.