The English Premier League is widely regarded as the best soccer league in the world. It has the best league teams, generates the most money, and attracts the world’s biggest stars to its teams. African players have a long and illustrious history with the Premier League, with some of the top African talent gracing the Premier League pitches over the year. Who would you pick as the five best Africans to play in the English top-flight if you had to rank them?
Mo Salah - Egypt and Liverpool
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly, or Mo Salah as he is more commonly known, is enjoying his second spell in the Premier League. Chelsea signed Salah from the Swiss team Basel for £11 million, but he only made 13 appearances and scored twice before being loaned out and ultimately sold to Italian outfit AS Roma in 2016.
Salah shone for Roma, prompting Liverpool to pay £36.9 million for the Egyptian’s services, which could be the best bit of business in Premier League history. Since signing for Liverpool in 2017, Salah has scored 105 goals in 156 Premier League games and is always the clear favorite for the Golden Boot award with punters sports betting legal in Canada. The man is a goal machine who is reportedly about to sign a £500,000 per week deal to keep him at Liverpool for the rest of his career.
Yaya Toure - Ivory Coast and Manchester City
Gnegneri Yaya Toure played for European giants AS Monaco and FC Barcelona before joining Manchester City for £24 million in July 2010. Toure went on to become a cult figure with the Manchester City faithful after helping them secure their first top-flight title in 44 years.
The attacking midfielder had the perfect balance of power and flair and was the scorer of spectacular goals. Toure scored 59 league goals in 230 appearances before a brief spell with Greece’s Olympiacos and Qingdao Huanghai of China. The man who represented Ivory Coast 101 times and the winner of the African Footballer of the Year four times is now an assistant coach in Russia.
Didier Drogba - Ivory Coast and Chelsea
Didier Yves Drogba Tebily of the Ivory Coast is best known for his time as Chelsea’s main striker. Chelsea paid Marseille £24 million for Droga in July 2004, and he went on to become a club legend in every sense of the word. Drogba was the focal pinot of Chelsea’s attack for eight seasons, scoring 157 goals in 341 games in all competitions, with 100 of those goals stemming from Premier League games.
He is ever grateful for the riches and lifestyle that soccer provided him and his family, so much so that he has donated millions of pounds to African charities and causes. Drogba even donated the entire £3 million signing bonus from a Pepsi sponsorship to construct a hospital in his hometown of Abidjan.
Sadio Mane - Senegal and Liverpool
Senegal’s Sadio Mane started his career at French team Metz when he was 19-years-old before moving to Red Bull Salzburg. Southampton brought the undoubtedly talented Mane to the Premier League in September 2014, but it is at Liverpool where he has made a name for himself.
Liverpool paid £34 million for Mane, and he has more than repaid that colossal sum. Mane has 105 goals in 233 appearances for Liverpool, including 173 games and 80 goals in the Premier League. New African magazine cited Mane as one of the top 100 most influential Africans in 2020.
Michael Essien - Ghana and Chelsea
Ghana’s Michael Kojo Essien is considered one of the best midfielders in the world. He played youth soccer for Liberty Professionals in Ghana before heading to France in 2000, where he stayed for five years. Chelsea spent £24.4 million on Essien in August 2005, and he remained with the London team until 2014. Essien played 168 league games for Chelsea, scoring 17 goals. He was known for his unrivaled stamina and tough-tackling nature, a style of play he carried over to the Ghanian national team, who he represented 59 times over 12 years.
