Top Ten: Premier League African stars

With the eyes of the world on South Africa’s preparations for the World Cup and with player’s from Africa making their way to England in ever greater numbers it seemed like an apt moment for sport.co.uk to recall some of the most memorable Premier League imports from the continent. So who would make the top ten? So many to choose from and there will be plenty of arguments over the list. Not on the list are the likes of George Weah, Emmanuel Adebayor and Lucas Radebe. And players who were born in Africa but played for another nation, i.e. Youri Djorkaeff, do not count. One player in the list was ‘so good they named him twice’, but I’ll let you in to a secret….it’s not Eric Djemba Djemba.

10) Papa Bouba Diop

Perhaps not the most popular of choices, and certainly a more steady presence than spectacular, the 6ft 4” midfielder has been commanding in the centre of the park for first Fulham and now Portsmouth. His strength and good tackling make him ideal as a foil for a more creative player. He scored some wonder goals whilst at Fulham, more often than not 30 yard screamers. Now at 32 years old, Diop’s days are maybe numbered but he will go down as one of the hardest and strongest players of his generation.

9) Steven Pienaar

Not too many South Africans have played in the Premiership and caught the eye, but Pienaar is one who is getting rave reviews at Everton. ‘What about Mark Fish!?’ I hear you cry. But he is being saved for the Top Ten Aquatic players of all time. Pienaar moved to Everton from Dortmund in what seems a bargain price of £2m in 2008. He can play on both wings and has been invaluable to the team in the absence of Mikel Arteta. His goal against Arsenal this year was truly world class and has made bigger teams sit up and take note of the South African. Still only 27, Pienaar is just coming into his prime and he could well be moving up this list in years to come.

8) Christopher Samba

A player that wouldn’t immediately spring to mind when thinking of the best African player to play in the Premier League but Samba has been integral in the heart of the Blackburn defence. Bought by Mark Hughes for the princely sum of £400,000 from Hertha Berlin he has formed a solid partnership with Ryan Nelsen. Samba may be the strongest player currently in the Premiership and could outmuscle most strikers. He is a big danger from corners and the Congolese player could easily fit in at a bigger club. Check out his thunderous free kick against Villa this season.

7) Sulley Muntari

One of Harry Redknapp’s finest bits of business whilst at Portsmouth. He signed the Ghanaian from Udinese in a deal which was worth around £7m, beating off interest from Roma, Juventus and Milan. Whilst not a prolific goal scorer he was the heartbeat of the midfield with his pace and strength. The notable moment of his Portsmouth career was two wonderful long range goals against Aston Villa. Check it out on YouTube, the definition of the word ‘cannon’. Snapped up by Jose Mourinho, he is now playing at Inter.

6) Kanu

No one knows if the big man is 27 or 43 years old, but lets be honest, who cares!? The leggy Nigerian was bought by Arsene Wenger in 1999 for £4.15m and instantly became a fan favourite. He had the ability to pull a trick out of nowhere and came up with some incredible goals. Most notably his flick over Luke Young’s head in an Arsenal victory against neighbours Spurs. Another jaw dropping match for Kanu was the hat-trick scored against Chelsea where he scored from nearly on the goal line on the edge of the penalty area. He also played for West Brom and is still plying his trade on the south coast for Portsmouth.

5) Yakubu

‘The Yak’ has been one of the Premiership finest strikers and is the highest scoring African in the league’s history. Another Redknapp signing, the Nigerian has been consistently a top performer and was actually recommended by Sir Alex Ferguson who saw him play in the Champions League for Maccabi Haifa. In his first season in England he scored nearly a goal ever other game before moving onto Middlesborough where he once again found the net with regularity. His calmness and finishing has put him onto this list and you couldn’t wish for anyone else to score from the penalty spot.

4) Jay Jay Okocha

So good they named him twice. The Nigerian was not only a fan favourite at Bolton but a fan favourite around the country. His moments of skill, passing and creativity were nothing short of brilliant and sometimes left you aghast. In his early years he was actually a team mate of another player on this list, Tony Yeboah, whilst at Frankfurt. Sam Allardyce managed to snap Okocha up on a free transfer in 2002, after PSG paid a staggering £17m for him in 1998! Bolton fans voted his goal against West Ham in 2008 as the best ever Premier League goal. His free kicks were sensational including a screamer against Aston Villa in the cup.

3) Tony Yeboah

Just the mention of this man’s name brings back memories of those two goals. As a youngster I remember sitting up and asking who the hell this player was scoring these wonder goals. His pace and eye for the spectacular could arguably have made the Premiership a more exciting league to be in. The volley against Liverpool and the mazy run and shot against Wimbledon will go down as all time Premiership great goals. In his first season at Leeds (1995-96) he was voted the first non-British player of the year at the club.

2) Didier Drogba

Chelsea cannot be labelled as a one man team, but they do suffer when the Ivorian is absent. Putting his childish sulks and comedy dives aside, Drogba is unplayable at his best. His package of pace, power and an eye for goal is a nightmare for defenders (as Arsenal have found to their cost). He can play up front on his own and tear apart teams with the way he pulls defenders out of position to bring others into play. He ranks 8th in the all time Chelsea scorers, but is sure to go up the rankings in the years to come.

1)  Michael Essien

Not only one of Africa’s best players to grace the Premier League, but one of the best players ever – full stop! Signed from Lyon for an incredible £30m he has more than lived up to that price tag. He has everything you could want in a midfielder; strength, energy and the ability to chip in with the odd goal. If you do manage to win the ball off him he will hunt you down and not let off until he has it back. Essien has been nominated for the World Player of the Year three times and has won African Player of the Year once. His secret for success? 14 hours of sleep a day! I’m off for a snooze……