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The Premier League has been home to some of the greatest African players of all-time. The likes of Drogba, Salah, and the Toure brothers have made a name for themselves and turned into worldwide superstars while playing in this league.
Senegal has been one of the most represented African nations in the history of the Premier League. New Chelsea shot-stopper Edouard Mendy became the 38th Senegalese player to have represented a team in the league.
Let's take a look at the ten best Senegal players to grace the Premier League.
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Ten Greatest Senegalese players to play in the Premier League
#10 Papa Bouba Diop
Diop is one of the best midfielders in the history of Senegal football. The 6'5 defensive midfielder joined Fulham after an impressive spell with RC Lens. Diop was a mainstay in the Fulham midfield during his time at the club. He spent three seasons at Craven Cottage before moving to Portsmouth in 2007.
A dream debut season saw Diop winning the FA Cup with the Pompey. But, the following seasons saw the Senegal international struggling with injuries. Diop left Pompey in 2010 following their relegation.
The "man-mountain," as Chris Kamara famously described Diop, made 129 appearances and scored eight goals in eight seasons in the league.
#9 Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye
Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye made his Premier League debut in 2005 with Bolton Wanderers, on loan from RC Lens. The big defender was so impressive that Bolton signed him permanently just five months into his loan deal. He was one of the star performers for the Trotters as they finished in the top half in his first two seasons at the club.
Faye moved to Newcastle United in 2007, rejoining former boss Sam Allardyce at St James' Park. The Senegalese defender never had the same impact and was sold to Stoke City just a season after signing him. The big Senegalese defender is arguably remembered for his time at Stoke. He won Stoke's fans and players player of the season awards in his debut season. After two impressive seasons, Faye left the club after struggling with injuries.
The defender moved to Hull City and went on to spend two seasons in the Championship before returning to the Premier League in 2013. After making just three appearances in his Premier League return, Faye ran down his contract in 2014.
Abdoulaye Faye made 166 appearances in his Premier League career and is fifth in the list of Senegal's all-time Premier League appearance makers.
#8 Mame Biram Diouf
It was a dream start in the Premier League for Mame Biram Diouf. The Senegal international started his Premier League career with Manchester United after signing for the Red Devils in 2009. Diouf, though, failed to break into the star-studded Manchester United lineup. A loan move to Blackburn failed to get him going, and the Red Devils sold him to Hanover in 2012.
The striker enjoyed a renaissance at Hannover and subsequently caught the eye of Stoke City. Diouf returned to the Premier League in 2014 and helped Stoke reach their highest ever points tally (54) n the Premier League in his debut season.
The striker ended his six-season stay at Stoke, including two in the Championship, at the end of last season to join Hatayspor. Diouf has so far made 154 Premier League appearances and scored 27 goals.
#7 Henri Camara
Camara is arguably one of the greatest ever players in the history of Senegal football. The forward had an impressive debut season, scoring seven goals in the league. But, his valiant efforts proved worthless as Wolves suffered relegation in the 2003/04 season. His eye-catching performances while on loan to Southampton led Wigan to sign the forward from Wolves permanently the next season.
At Wigan, Camara was a fan-favorite. He was outstanding in his first three seasons, but following the resignation of Paul Jewell, the forward struggled to break into the first-team. Loan spells at West Ham United and Stoke City followed the next couple of seasons, but Camara failed to rediscover his goalscoring touch.
Camara finally left Wigan in 2009 after the Latics rejected a contract extension for the Senegal forward. The forward went onto join championship side Sheffield United, followed by stints in Greece before retiring in 2018. Camara ended his Premier League career as the fourth-highest scoring Senegal international with 31 from 126 league matches.
#6 Papiss Demba Cisse
Cisse's time in the Premier League was short and exciting. The striker played for just one Premier League team, Newcastle United, throughout his career. Papiss Demba Cisse arrived in the Premier League during the 2011-12 January transfer window after impressive performances with Freiburg.
The striker had a breathtaking start to his career at St James Park, scoring thirteen goals from his first fourteen matches as Newcastle United finished fifth in the Premier League. The following season saw Cisse picking from where he left off last season as he, alongside countryman Demba Ba, helped the Toons avoid relegation. Injuries and suspensions, though, marred the final three seasons at St James' Park for Cisse.
The striker spent five seasons at St James' Park. During this period, Cisse made 117 league appearances and scored 37 goals for the Magpies. He left the club in 2016 to join the Chinese Super League side Shandon Leung.
#5 Cheikhou Kouyate
Kouyate is one of the only two players in this list who are still playing in the Premier League. He moved to West Ham in 2014 after six successful seasons with RSC Anderlecht. Kouyate spent four seasons with the Hammers and was one of the most consistent performers for the Hammers during that period. One of the most selected players for Hammers in those four years, the midfielder made more than 30 appearances in each of them.
The midfielder was surprisingly sold to Crystal Palace in 2018 in what was one of the most puzzling moves of the window. Despite having three more years left in his contract, Kouyate's move to Crystal Palace cost just under ten million pounds. West Ham's loss was Crystal Palace's gain. The Senegal international has continued where he left off in West Ham. Kouyate has been one of the first names in the teamsheet for Palace. He is also one of the most consistent performers for them.
Cheikhou Kouyate is currently one short of becoming the third Senegal international with 200 appearances in the Premier League. He is also the third-highest Senegal player with the most assists in Premier League.
#4 Mohamed Diame
One of just two Senegal players with over 200 Premier League appearances, Mohamed Diame or Mo Diame joined Wigan in 2009. The midfielder spent three seasons with the Latics and was one of their most consistent players during the period.
Diame moved to West Ham in 2012 and made 75 appearances in all competitions in his first two seasons. The 2014/15 season saw Diame join Hull City in the Championship. The Senegal midfielder rarely featured in his first season at Hull due to injuries as the Tigers suffered relegation. But the next season saw Diame help get Hull City back into the Premier League.
Despite getting promoted, Diame decided to stay in the Championship, moving to relegated side Newcastle United. Diame won promotion in his first season and was part of the Magpies lineup for two seasons. The midfielder left the club last year after running down his contract and joined the Qatari side Al-Ahli.
#3 Idrissa Gueye
With the current Everton side playing one of the best football in their recent seasons, one tends to wonder how better they could have been if they also had Idrissa Gana Gueye now. Gueye was arguably one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League during his time in England.
Idrissa Gueye arrived in England to join Aston Villa in 2015 after five successful years with Lille. The Senegal midfielder was one of the bright spots in what was a forgetful season for Villa as they suffered their first-ever relegation in the Premier League era.
The midfielder did not go unnoticed as Everton signed from Villa following their relegation. Gueye was arguably one of the best players for the Toffees during his three-year tenure at Merseyside. The Senegal international left Everton to join Paris Saint Germain in 2019 after making 99 Premier League appearances.
#2 Demba Ba
The second highest Senegalese goalscorer in Premier League history, Ba is one of those strikers who seldom get the recognition they deserve. Not many remember, but Demba Ba first joined West Ham before moving to Newcastle United. The striker was part of the 2010-11 West Ham squad that suffered relegation at the end of the season. Ba, who arrived in January of that season, scored an incredible seven goals in the first twelve league appearances. But, he couldn't help the Hammers from relegation as they finished rock bottom of the table.
The Senegal international moved to Newcastle following the Hammers relegation, just six months after joining them. Ba's impact was instant. The striker scored 16 goals in his debut season as Newcastle finished fifth in the Premier League. The next season saw the striker picking up from where he left off, scoring thirteen goals in the first 20 league matches.
The winter transfer window of the 2012/13 season saw one of the most surprising transfers of the season. Mike Ashley surprisingly sanctioned a move to sell Ba to Chelsea, a move that never went well with the supporters. Ba was never the same after leaving Newcastle. He struggled to find the net regularly at Chelsea.
After scoring 36 goals in his first 66 league matches, the striker managed just 7 in his next 33. Apart from scoring that famous goal against Liverpool, Ba never really adjusted to life at Chelsea and left the club in 2014.
#1 Sadio Mane
Mane is one of the best players in the Premier League right now, and has been for quite some time. The Senegal international, though, is much more than that. His sheer presence provides confidence to his teammates and fear into the opposition.
Sadio Mane arrived in England to join Southampton in 2014. The Senegal international quickly established himself as one of the best players in a squad that brimmed with potential. During the two years at the club, Mane helped the Saints in the top half of the table.
It was at Southampton that Mane announced himself to the Premier League, but it was in Liverpool where he established himself as one of the best. The forward was one of the first players to join Liverpool in the Jurgen Klopp era. He was instrumental in securing Champions League football for the Reds in his first season.
The rest of the story, as you know, is history. Europa League runners-up medal, Champions League, and the Premier Leauge followed the next three consecutive seasons.
Mane is the best Senegal the Premier League has known to date. He is also one of the best-ever African players to play in the Premier League. In six seasons, the forward has scored 87 Premier League goals. In fact, he is the fifth-highest goalscorer from Africa in the history of the league.
