Top 6 African Players in the History of English Premier League

English Premier League has had more than 300 footballers of African origin in its overall history. In fact, some of the greatest players to have played in the league come from the 54 African countries.

Whether we talk about the football wizardry of Riyad Mahrez and Jay Jay Okocha or the clinical finishes of Didier Drogba and Mohammed Salah, there’s abundant football talent in the African continent. Below we will take you through some extraordinarily talented footballers from Africa who excelled in the English Premier League.


Didier Drogba


Backed by all the major football predictions portals, in both the individual as well as the team performance markets, Didier Drogba is widely recognised as the best football player to come from Africa. He set the English Premier League on fire after coming on board at Chelsea in the year 2004. Having won 2 Golden Boots, 4 Premier League titles and a total of 104 EPL goes under its belt, the Ivorian has definitely secured his place as a legend in the English Premier League.

Riyad Mahrez


Not many players have played as significant a role in their sides’ victories in the English Premier League as Riyad Mahrez when he helped Leicester City accomplish the unthinkable in the EPL’s 2015/16 season. Mahrez scored a total of 17 goals during that campaign, transforming himself from a mere squad player to a superstar who is recognised in all parts of the world today.

Jay Jay Okocha




Highly versatile and attacking mid-fielder, Jay Jay Okocha always loved to be in the middle of action on the football pitch. Commonly found playing a central role, right behind the striker, Okocha came to be recognized as one of the biggest entertainers in the EPL during his tenure with Bolton for 4 EPL seasons.

Michael Essien

Counted amongst the best defensive midfielders to have played the Premier League, the star player from Ghana bagged a couple of Premier League titles with Chelsea, as well as one Champions League title and 3 FA cups. Many called out Chelsea for committing a big mistake when they allowed Essien to leave for Milan on a free transfer in the year 2014. He was last seen playing for Persib Bandung, a well-known Indonesian football club.

Yaya Toure


Not a lot of midfielders in the football world could possibly match the talent and skills of Yaya Toure when he was in his prime. While many feel that his career should have panned out a lot differently if his work permit hadn’t been rejected after signing up with Arsenal, Toure did eventually play for a top-flight English club Manchester city, and made 230 appearances for the club, helping them win 3 Premier league titles, later.

Mohamed Salah

Even though Salah hasn’t won a Premier League title as yet, he along with his teammates at Liverpool are gearing up for the club’s first ever EPL championship, under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp. The Egyptian footballer is undeniably amongst the greatest footballers to come from Africa, and has scored 47 goals in only 70 appearances for Liverpool in the EPL.