The English Premier League has been the home to thousands of players since its inception in 1992 and, with increasing frequency to many from all around the world
From being primarily a British competition, this has now evolved into a truly global stage with every continent having been represented. I for one do like it – we’ve become a magnet for the best players on the planet.
Most recently Reinildo Mandava’s appearance marks the 127th nationality to be represented, after he featured for Sunderland at the weekend as the Black Cats beat West Ham.
Before Mandava turned out, Uzbekistan became the 126th nation to be represented – last season in fact, when new Manchester City signing Abdukodir Khusanov made his debut in defence following his January switch.
Indeed, last term also welcomed representatives from both Iraq (Ali Al-Hamadi) and Bangladesh (Hamza Choudhury).
Many Significant Milestones In The Premier League
I remember the 1990s also being quite significant for new representation. Derby County in 1997 gave debuts to goalkeeper Mart Poom (Estonia) and iconic striker Paulo Wanchope (Costa RIca).
The late 1990s and early 2000s saw Chelsea under Claudio Ranieri – especially at the start of the Roman Abramovich era sign a clutch of players from numerous countries.
That particular transfer window when the Russian took over, a number of players of different nationalities joined – including Romanian striker Adrian Mutu, while latterly under Jose Mourinho many more joined.
These included Ukrainian forward Andrei Shevchenko, Michael Essien from Ghana, plus a clutch of Portuguese players including Ricardo Carvalho and Paulo Ferreira.
Indeed, Mourinho signed (whether deliberately or otherwise) many different nationalities which helped to add to the excitement of the Premier League.
Didier Drogba was probably the most notable player from Ivory Coast to play in the English top-flight, however, Kolo and Yaya Toure also had a significant impact.
African players have had a major influence on English football. Mohamed Salah (also signed by Mourinho) is arguably one of the best, though others would conjecture otherwise – especially Blues fans who would likely say Drogba. Being impartial in this instance, I would find it hard to argue with this.
What Could We See Over The Next Few Years?
There are still a number of nations yet to be represented in the Premier League. With Saudi Arabia’s influence on the game growing and the amount they’re investing in players and coaching, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a player from the country appear over the next few years.
India is also intriguing – especially with the size of its population, though the sport is probably really yet to take off in the country, though, watch this space.