The best Africans to grace the Premier League
The Premier League has been home to some of the finest footballers the world has ever seen, and Africa's contribution to that story is immeasurable. With sports betting Virgin Bet markets reflecting the growing global profile of the competition, the continent has supplied hundreds of players to English football's top division since 1992, and a select few have not just competed at the highest level but genuinely defined eras. Here are five of the greatest.
Mohamed Salah
There is no serious debate about who tops this list. Mohamed Salah is the greatest African player in Premier League history and, across the past eight seasons at Liverpool, has been one of the finest footballers on the planet.
His first campaign at Anfield in 2017-18 produced 32 goals in 36 league appearances, one of the most outstanding individual seasons the Premier League has ever witnessed, and he won the Golden Boot in that campaign and again in 2021-22.
His final tally of 193 goals places him among the division's all-time greats, and his contribution to Liverpool's first league title in 30 years in 2019-20 is inseparable from the club's modern era. He departed Anfield at the end of this season having rewritten the record books and redefined what was possible for an African player in English football.
Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba's Premier League legacy is built on goals, trophies, and moments of big-game brilliance that are still discussed decades later. The Ivorian striker scored 104 Premier League goals across two spells at Chelsea, all for the Blues, making him one of only 31 players in the division's history to reach that landmark.
He won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and three League Cups during his time at Stamford Bridge, and his combination of physical power, aerial dominance, and clinical finishing made him the defining target man of his generation in English football. His capacity to deliver in the most pressurised moments defined his career, and Chelsea's dominance of the Premier League in the mid-2000s was built significantly around his presence.
Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure's arrival at Manchester City in 2010 marked the beginning of a transformation that would turn the club into one of English football's dominant forces. The Ivorian midfielder was a physical and technical phenomenon, a player who combined the power of a defensive midfielder with the goalscoring instincts of an attacking one.
His masterpiece came in 2013-14, when he scored 20 Premier League goals and drove City to the title under Manuel Pellegrini, a return that remains almost without precedent for a central midfielder in the division's history. He won three Premier League titles at City and was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2014. Few midfielders in Premier League history have been as complete or as dominant at their peak.
Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane's Premier League career across seven seasons at Southampton and Liverpool represents one of the division's great individual contributions. The Senegalese winger was part of one of the most feared attacking units the league has seen, forming a devastating trio with Salah and Roberto Firmino that powered Liverpool to the Champions League and Premier League titles.
He scored 111 Premier League goals in total, won the Golden Boot jointly in 2018-19, and was named in the PFA Team of the Year three times. His directness, his pace, and his ability to score in the most important matches made him one of the most reliable performers English football has seen from the African continent.
Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez's Premier League career is the story of an unlikely genius. The Algerian winger announced himself to the world during Leicester City's extraordinary title-winning season of 2015-16, contributing 17 goals and 11 assists to earn the PFA Players' Player of the Year award and a place in football folklore.
He went on to win four more Premier League titles with Manchester City, adding a Champions League in 2023, and his ability to produce decisive moments in the biggest games confirmed his status as one of the division's finest wide players. Five Premier League titles in total make him one of the most decorated African players in the competition's history, a legacy that his debut season at Leicester, against all the odds, made possible.