The 10 best Spanish players in Premier League history ranked ft Silva and Torres | OneFootball

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Former Manchester City star, David Silva, has been forced into retirement due to injury - but where does he rank among the greatest Spanish players in Premier League history?

The 37-year-old most recently played for Spanish side, Real Sociedad, in La Liga.

He has had to call time on his long and successful career in the game due to an ACL injury he picked up despite his hope to continue playing.

He is widely regarded as one of the best players in Manchester City's recent history since the takeover of the club started their upward trajectory.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 04: David Silva of Manchester City celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Leicester City at the Etihad Stadium on March 4, 2015 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Silva lifted four Premier League titles during his decade with the club, while playing a vital role throughout his time in England.

There is no doubt that Silva is up there with the very best players from Spain to have ever graced a Premier League pitch.

So, we take a look at the 10 best Spanish players to ever play in the competition.

10 Pepe Reina

The longest and most fruitful spell of the goalkeeper's career was spent at Liverpool from 2005 to 2014.

His compatriot, Rafael Benitez, signed him from Villarreal on the back of the club winning the Champions League.

Jerzy Dudek - the hero of that European final - was quickly forced to take a seat on the bench as Reina took over as the number one.

There was never any danger that he would lose that place in the team for almost his whole time at Anfield with some sensational displays.

Not only was Reina a brilliant shot-stopper, but he was also very good with his feet as he set up counter-attacks for his side on a number of occasions.

Liverpool fell marginally short of winning the league in 2008/09 in what was his best personal season, possibly in his whole career.

The departure of Benitez from the club saw a downturn in form for the keeper, as he struggled to ever regain the form he once displayed.

Brendan Rodgers' appointment in 2012 was the beginning of the end to a brilliant Premier League career for Reina as he was replaced by Simon Mignolet a year later.

9 Cesar Azpilicueta

One player who moved on from the English game this summer is the former Chelsea captain.

Azpilicueta made more than 500 appearances for the Blues, playing in all positions across the back line.

He even scored 17 goals during his time at Stamford Bridge, but he called time on his days in London during the summer when he decided to make the move to Atletico Madrid.

The 33-year-old moved to Chelsea from Marseille in 2012, and went on to win two league titles, one Champions League and two Europa Leagues.

A calm and composed figure on the pitch and a leader off it, he goes down as a legend in the blue half of London.

8 Juan Mata

Mata endured a strange time during his time in England.

Moving over from Valencia to Chelsea, he took the league by storm immediately.

The bulk of his success came in a blue shirt despite the majority of his years being played in the red of Man United.

He lifted the Champions League at the end of his first year at Chelsea, and the Europa League the following season.

Being named the club's Player of the Season in both 2012 and 2013 shows just how much quality he possessed with stars such as Eden Hazard and Didier Drogba being at the club.

Again, the move to United saw an initial impact before things slowed down a lot in his last few years.

Having lost any pace he previously held, the playmaker found himself out of favour even though he was still one of the most talented squad members.

7 Santi Cazorla

Injuries and being part of an inconsistent Arsenal team are all that hold Cazorla back from finishing higher in this list.

In terms of talent, the little midfielder was a sensation with incredible technical ability.

He was so talented that you could not convincingly say which was his weaker foot, and that can't be said for some football players.

When in the team and firing, Cazorla lifted the Gunners to some magical victories almost single-handedly.

Despite his smaller frame and lack of pace, he was able to dominate games from the middle of the pitch and even chip in with some goals and assists.

A total of eight surgeries on an ankle injury slowed down his career significantly, with fears that he may never walk properly again.

He did fight through this and got himself back on the pitch, but was never quite the same again understandably.

This happened in the 2016/17 season and Cazorla has remarkably played on until as recently as the close of the 2022/23 season.

6 Diego Costa

Not the 2023 version that struggled to make any impact at all on the league.

The post-2014 version of Costa was an animal, and perhaps the hardest striker in the league to deal with at that time.

Linking up with a fellow Spaniard still to come on this list, Costa was a key part in a title winning campaign during his first year at the club.

In his three years at Stamford Bridge, the forward found the back of the net on 52 occasions in only 89 appearances.

Averaging more than a goal every two games puts him up there with the best strikers in the league's history.

Two league trophies later, and Costa moved back to Spain after a falling out with Antonio Conte, which could have always been expected with the two fiery personalities.

5 David de Gea

Manchester United have recently parted ways with the man who has occupied the space between the sticks for the past 12 years to head in a new direction.

Recent criticism of De Gea's inability to instill confidence in his defence when the ball is at his feet has meant his career at Old Trafford has been cut short.

He was the last remaining member of the United squad to have won the league title back in 2013, in Sir Alex Ferguson's final campaign in management.

Despite some shaky seasons along the way, the Spaniard was always a world class shot-stopper for the Red Devils and even won the Golden Glove award in his final season at the club.

Keeping 17 clean sheets is impressive as this meant the goalkeeper denied his opponents from scoring in almost half the games he played in the league.

4 Xabi Alonso

LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 20: Xabi Alonso of Liverpool in action during the Barclays Premiership match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield on September 20, 2006 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

The first player on the list that performed brilliantly in the Premier League, but actually had his best years elsewhere.

Known well for scoring during the 2005 Champions League win for Liverpool and finding the back of the net from his own half on two different occasions, Alonso was supremely talented.

He is still viewed by many Liverpool fans as the second most talented midfielder the club have had in the past two decades despite the recent success of the team.

Now showing his intelligence for the game as manager of Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso won multiple league titles and Champions League trophies during spells at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

It is unlikely to be a coincidence that his departure saw an immediate and dramatic drop-off from Liverpool.

3 Fernando Torres

The first couple of seasons Torres had at Anfield were truly special, and propelled him into being viewed as an iconic figure in the league's history.

He scored 33 goals in all competitions in the 2007/08 season after moving from Atletico Madrid.

The main reason behind Liverpool's failure to secure their first Premier League trophy in the following campaign was due to the injury issues Torres suffered.

Had he been available on a more regular basis, there is a good chance the Reds would have lifted the title at the end of the season.

Tall, fast and strong, he was an absolute handful on his day for any defender.

His spell at Chelsea - after making a £50 million move in 2011 - was not as notable despite winning the Champions League in 2012.

The goal he scored at the Camp Nou will always be remembered - if not only for the noises emanating from Gary Neville on commentary.

Two stints in the league with two fierce London rivals saw Fabregas mark his place in history.

A young, energetic midfielder at Arsenal then became a more cultured and reserved ball-player at Chelsea.

Contributing plenty of goals and assists for both sides, he is remembered fondly by both sets of fans.

He has provided the second most assists in the league's history with 111, only behind Ryan Giggs.

Fabregas managed to fit a few years at Barcelona in between the two English clubs, and still holds this impressive record.

He formed a strong relationship with Costa as both players moved to Stamford Bridge to win the league in their debut campaigns.

1 David Silva

As already mentioned, Silva was central to the majority of silverware the Citizens have claimed over the past 12 years.

Starting off as a majestic winger and becoming a controlling midfielder, Silva reinvented himself on several occasions.

The Spaniard was a genuinely world class talent throughout his time with CIty as opponents were often powerless to deny his dazzling brilliance.

Any Premier League fan would at least have Silva in the top two of a list such as this.