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List of foreign Premier League players

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This is a list of foreign players in the Premier League, which commenced play in 1992. The following players must meet both of the following two criteria:

  1. Have played at least one Premier League game. Players who were signed by Premier League clubs, but only played in a lower league, cup, and/or European games, or did not play in any competitive games at all, are not included.
  2. Are considered foreign, i.e., outside the United Kingdom determined by the following:
A player is considered foreign if his allegiance is not to play for the national teams of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

More specifically,

  • If a player has been capped at an international level, the national team is used; if he has been capped by more than one country, the highest level (or the most recent) team is used. These include British players with dual citizenship.
  • If a player has not been capped at the international level, his country of birth is used, except for those who were born abroad from British parents or moved to the United Kingdom at a young age, and those who clearly indicated to have switched his nationality to another nation.

Clubs listed are those for which the player has played at least one Premier League game – and seasons are those in which the player has played at least one Premier League game. Note that seasons, not calendar years, are used. For example, "1992–95" indicates that the player has played in every season from 1992–93 to 1994–95, but not necessarily every calendar year from 1992 to 1995. Therefore, a player should always have a listing under at least two years – for instance, a player making his debut in 2011, during the 2011–12 season, will have '2011–12' after his name. This follows the general practice in expressing sporting seasons in the UK.

121 of the 211 foreign FIFA-affiliated nations have been represented in the Premier League. On 16 August 2025, Mozambique became the most recent country to be represented, when Reinildo Mandava started and played for Sunderland.

In bold: players who have played at least one Premier League game in the current season (2025–26), and are still at a club for which they have played. This does not include current players of a Premier League club who have not played a Premier League game in the current season.

For each country, the leading appearance-maker is indicated by the number of matches that he played in the Premier League.[1]

Details correct as of 16 August 2025.
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Africa (CAF)

Algeria Algeria

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Riyad Mahrez was voted PFA Player of the Year after helping Leicester win the title in 2016

Angola Angola

Benin Benin

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso

Burundi Burundi

Cameroon Cameroon

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Geremi won two consecutive Premier League titles with Chelsea

Cape Verde Cape Verde

Central African Republic Central African Republic

Congo Republic of the Congo

DR Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo

Egypt Egypt

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In 2017–18, Mohamed Salah won the PFA Players' Player of the Year and was the top scorer with a record breaking 32 goals

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea

Gabon Gabon

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League in 2018–19, scoring 22 goals for Arsenal

Gambia The Gambia

Ghana Ghana

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Michael Essien won the Premier League twice with Chelsea

Guinea Guinea

Guinea-Bissau Guinea-Bissau

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast

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Didier Drogba scored 104 Premier League goals and won four league titles with Chelsea

Kenya Kenya

Liberia Liberia

Mali Mali

Mauritania Mauritania

Morocco Morocco

Mozambique Mozambique

Nigeria Nigeria

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Mikel John Obi won two Premier League titles for Chelsea

Senegal Senegal

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Sadio Mané scored the quickest Premier League hat-trick, netting three goals in 176 seconds

Seychelles Seychelles

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone

South Africa South Africa

Tanzania Tanzania

Togo Togo

Tunisia Tunisia

Zambia Zambia

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe

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Asia (AFC)

Australia Australia

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Mark Schwarzer is the only player from outside the United Kingdom to play over 500 Premier League matches

Bangladesh Bangladesh

China PR China

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Sun Jihai is the first East Asian to score a Premier League goal when he scored for Manchester City in 2002

Indonesia Indonesia

Iran Iran

Iraq Iraq

Japan Japan

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Shinji Kagawa won a Premier League title with Manchester United in 2013
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Shinji Okazaki won the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016

Korea Republic South Korea

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Park Ji-sung won four Premier League titles with Manchester United in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011
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Son Heung-min became the first Asian to reach 100 Premier League goals in 2023 with Tottenham Hotspur

Oman Oman

Pakistan Pakistan

Philippines Philippines

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan

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Europe (UEFA)

Albania Albania

Armenia Armenia

Austria Austria

Belarus Belarus

Belgium Belgium

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Vincent Kompany captained Manchester City to win the Premier League title in 2012, earning him the accolade of Player of the Season
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Eden Hazard was voted the Player of the Season after helping Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2015
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Kevin De Bruyne has won five Premier League titles with Manchester City, and was named Player of the Season twice

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria Bulgaria

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Dimitar Berbatov won two Premier League titles with Manchester United, and was the league's top scorer in 2010–11

Croatia Croatia

Cyprus Cyprus

Czech Republic Czech Republic

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Petr Čech won four Premier League titles with Chelsea and holds the most Premier League clean sheets

Denmark Denmark

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Peter Schmeichel won five Premier League titles with Manchester United and is the only goalkeeper to be voted Player of the Season

Estonia Estonia

Faroe Islands Faroe Islands

Finland Finland

France France

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With 175 goals, all for Arsenal, Thierry Henry is the second highest-scoring foreign player in Premier League history
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Nicolas Anelka won the Premier League at Arsenal and Chelsea
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Eric Cantona captained Manchester United
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Patrice Evra won the Premier League five times with Manchester United

Georgia Georgia (country)

Germany Germany

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Jens Lehmann, goalkeeper for Arsenal during their undefeated season in 2003–04
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İlkay Gündoğan won five Premier League titles with Manchester City

Gibraltar Gibraltar

Greece Greece

Hungary Hungary

Iceland Iceland

Israel Israel

Italy Italy

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Mario Balotelli is the only Italian to win the Premier League, doing so with Manchester City in 2012

Kosovo Kosovo

Latvia Latvia

Lithuania Lithuania

Malta Malta

Montenegro Montenegro

Netherlands Netherlands

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Edwin van der Sar is the holder of the record for the longest Premier League clean sheet streak, while playing for Manchester United
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Robin van Persie was Premier League top scorer in two consecutive seasons for two different clubs – Arsenal and Manchester United
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Ruud van Nistelrooy was the top scorer and Player of the Season in 2002–03

North Macedonia North Macedonia

Norway Norway

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Ole Gunnar Solskjær won six Premier League titles for Manchester United, a record for a player from outside the British Isles
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Erling Haaland scored a Premier League record 36 goals for Manchester City in the 2022–23 season

Poland Poland

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Wojciech Szczęsny played over 100 Premier League matches for Arsenal, and kept the most clean sheets in the 2013–14 season

Portugal Portugal

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Cristiano Ronaldo won a hat-trick of Premier League titles with Manchester United, was twice voted Player of the Season and is the only player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year while playing in the Premier League
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Ricardo Carvalho won three Premier League titles with Chelsea

Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland

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Roy Keane won seven Premier League titles with Manchester United, including four as captain
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Robbie Keane played for six different Premier League clubs and scored a total of 126 goals
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Shay Given kept a total of 113 Premier League clean sheets

Romania Romania

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Dan Petrescu was selected as the right defender of the Premier League 10 Seasons Awards Overseas team

Russia Russia

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Andrey Arshavin became the first player in Premier League history to score four goals in an away game at Anfield

Serbia Serbia

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Nemanja Vidić won five Premier League titles for Manchester United and was voted Player of the Season twice

Slovakia Slovakia

Slovenia Slovenia

Spain Spain

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Fernando Torres was signed by Chelsea from Liverpool in 2011 for £50 million, then the most ever paid by a Premier League club
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Cesc Fàbregas recorded 111 Premier League assists, the second most ever by a non-British player, and won two league titles with Chelsea
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Pepe Reina of Liverpool had the most Premier League clean sheets in three consecutive seasons

Sweden Sweden

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Freddie Ljungberg won two Premier League titles with Arsenal and was named Player of the Season in 2002

Switzerland Switzerland

Turkey Turkey

Ukraine Ukraine

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North, Central America and Caribbean (CONCACAF)

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda

Barbados Barbados

Bermuda Bermuda

Canada Canada

Costa Rica Costa Rica

Cuba Cuba

Curaçao Curaçao

Dominican Republic Dominican Republic

Grenada Grenada

Guatemala Guatemala

Guyana Guyana

Honduras Honduras

Jamaica Jamaica

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Wes Morgan captained Leicester's title-winning team in 2016

Mexico Mexico

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Javier Hernández won the Premier League twice with Manchester United

Montserrat Montserrat

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis

Suriname Suriname

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago

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Dwight Yorke scored 123 Premier League goals, a record for a player from North America

United States United States

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Brad Friedel appeared in a record 310 consecutive Premier League matches during spells at Blackburn, Aston Villa, and Tottenham
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Oceania (OFC)

New Zealand New Zealand

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Chris Wood has made over 200 Premier League appearances and played for five different clubs
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South America (CONMEBOL)

Argentina Argentina

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Carlos Tevez won the Premier League at Manchester United and Manchester City
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Sergio Agüero won five Premier League titles with Manchester City, and is the highest scoring foreign player in Premier League history

Bolivia Bolivia

Brazil Brazil

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Edu was a member of the Arsenal "Invincibles" team which won the Premier League in 2004
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Anderson won four Premier League titles with Manchester United
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Roberto Firmino is the highest-scoring Brazilian in Premier League history, and won a title with Liverpool

Chile Chile

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Alexis Sánchez scored 60 Premier League goals for Arsenal

Colombia Colombia

Ecuador Ecuador

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Antonio Valencia won the Premier League twice with Manchester United

Paraguay Paraguay

Peru Peru

Uruguay Uruguay

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Luis Suárez was the top scorer in the 2013–14 Premier League, with a then record-equalling 31 goals

Venezuela Venezuela

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Notes

  1. ^
    Born in Algeria
  2. ^
    Born in Angola (then Portuguese Angola)
  3. ^
    Born in Argentina
  4. ^
    Born in Australia
  5. ^
    Born in Austria
  6. ^
    Born in Burundi
  7. ^
    Born in Belgium
  8. ^
    Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina (then part of Yugoslavia)
  9. ^
    Born in Brazil
  10. ^
  11. ^
    Born in Canada
  12. ^
    Born in Cameroon
  13. ^
    Born in Cape Verde
  14. ^
    Born in Chad
  15. ^
    Born in Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia)
  16. ^
  17. ^
    Born in Denmark
  18. ^
  19. ^
  20. ^
    Born in England
  21. ^
    Born in France
  22. ^
  23. ^
    Born in The Gambia
  24. ^
    Born in West Germany (now part of Germany)
  25. ^
  26. ^
    Born in Germany
  27. ^
    Born in Ghana
  28. ^
  29. ^
    Born in Greece
  30. ^
  31. ^
  32. ^
    Born in Haiti
  33. ^
    Born in Iraq
  34. ^
    Born in Italy
  35. ^
    Born in the Ivory Coast
  36. ^
    Born in Jamaica
  37. ^
    Born in Kosovo (then part of Yugoslavia)
  38. ^
    Born in Liberia
  39. ^
    Born in Morocco
  40. ^
  41. ^
  42. ^
  43. ^
    Born in the Netherlands
  44. ^
    Born in Nigeria
  45. ^
  46. ^
    Born in North Macedonia (then Macedonia, part of Yugoslavia)
  47. ^
    Born in Paraguay
  48. ^
    Born in Poland
  49. ^
    Born in Portugal
  50. ^
  51. ^
    Born in Russia (then part of the Soviet Union)
  52. ^
  53. ^
    Born in South Africa
  54. ^
    Born in Scotland
  55. ^
    Born in Senegal
  56. ^
    Born in Slovakia
  57. ^
    Born in Somalia
  58. ^
    Born in Spain
  59. ^
  60. ^
    Born in Serbia (then part of Yugoslavia)
  61. ^
    Born in Switzerland
  62. ^
    Born in Suriname
  63. ^
    Born in Suriname (then part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
  64. ^
    Born in Slovakia (then part of Czechoslovakia)
  65. ^
    Born in Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia)
  66. ^
    Born in Sweden
  67. ^
    Born in Syria
  68. ^
    Born in Uganda
  69. ^
    Born in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union)
  70. ^
    Born in the United States
  71. ^
    Born in Uzbekistan (then part of the Soviet Union)
  72. ^
  73. ^
  74. ^
  75. ^
  76. ^
  77. ^
  78. ^
  79. ^
  80. ^
  81. ^
  82. ^
  83. ^
  84. ^
  85. ^
  86. ^
  87. ^
  88. ^
  89. ^
  90. ^
  91. ^
  92. ^
  93. ^
  94. ^
  95. ^
  96. ^
  97. ^
  98. ^
  99. ^
  100. ^
  101. ^
  102. ^
  103. ^
  104. ^
  105. ^
  106. ^
  107. ^
  108. ^
  109. ^
  110. ^
  111. ^
  112. ^
  113. ^
  114. ^
  115. ^
  116. ^
  117. ^
  118. ^
  119. ^
  120. ^
  121. ^
  122. ^
  123. ^
  124. ^
  125. ^
  126. ^
  127. ^
  128. ^
    Capped for the Netherlands national under-15 football team
  129. ^
  130. ^
  131. ^
  132. ^
  133. ^
  134. ^
  135. ^
  136. ^
  137. ^
  138. ^
  139. ^
  140. ^
  141. ^
    Capped for the Samoa national under-20 football team (then Western Samoa)
  142. ^
  143. ^
  144. ^
  145. ^
  146. ^
  147. ^
  148. ^
  149. ^
  150. ^
  151. ^
  152. ^
  153. ^
  154. ^
  155. ^
  156. ^
  157. ^
  158. ^
  159. ^
  160. ^
    Kosovo Albanian. Born in Kosovo (then part of Yugoslavia)
  161. ^
    Yugoslavia while active
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References

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