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Ever since the English first division was renamed the Premier League in 1990, we as fans have witnessed some glorious players coming through its ranks. From the likes of the Dennis Bergkamp to Sergio Aguero, the Premier League has been home for many of the game's greatest ever players.
Although contested in England, there are a few other leagues which match the diversity of the teams in the Premier League. Players from different religions, races, and countries play together and coordinate to make their team victorious - that is the beauty of football and the beauty of the English top division.
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From Europeans to South Americans, the best of the best have achieved success in the Premier League. Here, we take a look at the five greatest African players who made a name for themselves in the world's most famous first division.
Note - Only player form and performances in the Premier League are considered, and not their overall career. Therefore, the likes of Samuel Eto'o miss out on this list.
5. Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah is one of the two players on this list who are still active in the Premier League, and if he stays in England for the remainder of his career, he could well finish at the top of this list in the future. For now, though, Salah's relative lack of game time in this division (just over 3 seasons) and the absence of a league title makes him finish 5th.
After a slow start to his Premier League career with Chelsea, the Egyptian departed England and went to Roma to work on his game. A couple of years after being sold, the forward returned to England as he joined the new-look Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp - the rest is history.
In his first full season, the Egyptian broke the Premier League single-season goalscoring record as he netted 32 goals across the season. He was awarded the PFA Player of the Year Award too for the same season (2017-18). The following season, Salah won the Golden Boot yet again as he scored 22 times but saw the Reds lose out on the title by one point.
Due to Salah's prolific goalscoring prowess and his role in Liverpool's recent success, he deserves a spot on this list. A Premier League could also potentially be added to his list of accolades by the end of the season, considering Liverpool's 8-point lead at the top of the table.
Also check out: Premier League Premier League Table Champions League table
4. Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez is one of the only two Africans (alongside Mo Salah) to have won the PFA Players' Player of the Year Award this century in England. The Algerian international made his Premier League debut in 2014 with Leicester City, and a couple of years later, he was the catalyst behind their title win. Leicester's capture of the Premier League in 2015-16 is quite possibly the biggest shock in the footballing world in recent memory, and it would have been impossible without Mahrez.
At his best, the winger was unstoppable. During the 2015-16 season, Mahrez was involved in over 25 goals in 38 appearances. These included some all-important goals against the best teams in England, and the player was quite simply head and shoulders above anyone else in the country for that one year.
Despite never regaining his form from that magical year again, Mahrez has remained a pacy, tricky winger with an eye for goal. He moved to Manchester City in 2018 and won another Premier League title with the club, and he has shown his worth to Pep Guardiola's side till this day. Still only 28, it would be harsh to say that Mahrez's time at the top is over - if he can ever recapture his 2015-16 form, he could very well finish at a higher spot on this list.
3. Michael Essien
The greatest African footballers of all time are mostly comprised of attacking midfielders or forwards - Michael Essien is the odd one out in this list. One of the greatest African midfielders of all time, the Ghana international is so big back in the home country that they erected a statue of him. That alone shows the impact that the midfielder has had on the game.
Representing Chelsea football club during their most successful years, Essien was a part of the Blues when they dominated England. He was an integral clog of the Chelsea machine which won two Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, and one Champions League title. He is also a former Chelsea Player of the Year, as well as a former BBC African Player of the Year.
Essien made over 250 appearances in the Premier League, and his performances in the middle of the park are well remembered by fans of England's top division. A physically strong player who was adept at both offence and defence, Essien deserves a place in the top 3 of this list due to his accomplishments with one of the best Premier League teams ever.
Also read - Top 5 African players in the world right now
2. Yaya Toure
When you speak about some of the best individual seasons we have witnessed in the English top division, Yaya Toure's 2013-14 season has to be right up there with the very best. The midfielder scored 20 goals in 35 appearances as he led Manchester City to their second Premier League title in 3 years, and he is the only midfielder apart from Frank Lampard to score 20 goals in a Premier League season.
Although Toure played centre-back at times during his Barcelona days, the Ivorian professional was primarily deployed as a box-to-box midfielder during his peak. A physically dominant figure, Toure stood out from many other African midfielders due to his technicality. A four-time African Player of the Year winner (2011-2014), Toure was technically gifted and he could dictate the play of the game as he wished.
As comfortable at defending from the back as he was passing in the final third, Toure's eye for goal and his presence in the middle of the park changed Manchester City's fortunes. Many fans also consider him to be the greatest player in the history of the Cityzens, and that title is well deserved.
1. Didier Drogba
One of the greatest strikers of this generation, Didier Drogba beats Yaya Toure to the number one spot on this list. In July 2004, Drogba moved to Chelsea for a club-record £24 million fee, making him the most expensive Ivorian player in history. In his debut season, he helped the club win their first league title in 50 years, and a year later he won another Premier League title.
Although Frank Lampard or John Terry are widely considered to be the two greatest players in the history of Chelsea, Drogba's name is always right up there with the best of the best. He is to date the only African player to net over 100 goals in the Premier League, and he is one of the best big-game players in the history of English football.
Drogba was involved in over 200 goals for Chelsea in 341 appearances (scoring 157). A dominating striker who could finish from almost anywhere and bully the defenders around him, the Ivorian international is most famously remembered for *that* header against Bayern Munich in 2012, which led to the Blues winning their first and only Champions League title. A two-time African footballer of the year, Drogba won the Premier League and the FA Cup 4 times each. It will take a lot of time for any African to displace him as the number one from this list.
