African players in the Premier League



Peter Ndlovu was the first African to appear in the Barclays Premier League

Now 246 African players have played in the Premier League since it began in 1992, scoring 1,776 goals in 14,210 appearances.

Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has scored the most goals (104), Kolo Toure has made the most appearances (349) while Nigeria (35) has contributed the most players.

As the Premier League live fan park comes to Cape Town this weekend learn all you need to know about African players in the English top flight.

Number of African players per club
Arsenal - 15 players, 1,034 appearances, 123 goals

Aston Villa - 12 players, 242 appearances, 17 goals

Barnsley - 1 player, 25 appearances, 2 goals

Birmingham - 8 players, 169 appearances, 0 goals

Blackburn - 9 players, 534 appearances, 87 goals

Blackpool: 1 player, 20 appearances, 0 goals

Bolton: 12 players, 476 appearances, 49 goals

Bournemouth: 2 players, 11 appearances, 1 goal

Burnley: 1 player, 28 appearances, 1 goal

Cardiff: 2 players, 18 appearances, 1 goal

Charlton: 9 players, 384 appearances, 35 goals

Chelsea: 13 players, 1,136 appearances, 191 goals

Coventry: 4 players, 287 appearances, 48 goals

Crystal Palace: 9 players, 245 appearances, 18 goals

Derby: 3 players, 34 appearances, 0 goals

Everton: 13 players, 806 appearances, 95 goals

Fulham: 17 players, 438 appearances, 26 goals

Hull: 14 players, 327 appearances, 28 goals

Ipswich: 2 players, 28 appearances, 6 goals

Leeds: 4 players, 287 appearances, 29 goals

Leicester: 5 players, 173 appearances, 34 goals

Liverpool: 11 players, 418 appearances, 16 goals

Man City: 14 players, 499 appearances, 102 goals

Man Utd: 4 players, 102 appearances, 6 goals

Middlesbrough: 5 players, 241 appearances, 54 goals

Newcastle: 20 players, 1,035 appearances, 146 goals

Norwich: 8 players, 205 appearances, 25 goals

Portsmouth: 24 players, 800 appearances, 117 goals

QPR: 7 players, 209 appearances, 9 goals

Reading: 6 players, 132 appearances, 10 goals

Sheffield United: 2 players, 6 appearances, 0 goals

Sheffield Weds: 1 player, 2 appearances

Southampton: 9 players, 354 appearances, 36 goals

Stoke: 11 players, 364 appearances, 41 goals

Sunderland: 16 players, 316 appearances, 34 goals

Swansea: 3 players, 111 appearances, 34 goals

Tottenham: 16 players, 663 appearances, 74 goals

Watford: 8 players, 151 appearances, 21 goals

West Brom: 12 players, 562 games, 76 goals

West Ham: 22 players, 678 appearances, 78 goals

Wigan: 10 players, 388 appearances, 58 goals

Wimbledon: 1 player, 123 appearances, 37 goals

Wolves: 8 players, 148 appearances, 11 goals

Top 10 clubs with the most African players
Who they were, and where they came from.

Portsmouth: 24 players. Hassan Yebda, Nadir Belhadj (both Algeria), Lauren, Rodolphe M'Bela Douala, Valery Mezague, Franck Songo'o (all Cameroon), Lomanu LuaLua (DR Congo), Kevin-Prince Boateng, Sulley Muntar, Quincy (all Ghana), Aruna Dindane (Ivory Coast), Djimi Traore (Mali), Kanu, John Utaka, Yakubu (all Nigeria), Amdy Faye, Aliou Cisse, Salif Diao, Papa Bouba Diop, Diomansy Kamara, Armand Traore (all Senegal), Aaron Mokoena (South Africa), Collins Mbesuema (Zambia), Benjani (Zimbabwe)

West Ham: 22 players. Marc Vivien Foe, Alex Song, Rigobert Song (all Cameroon), Herita Ilunga (DR Congo), Mido (Egypt), John Pantsil (Ghana), Titi Camara, Kaba Diawara (both Guinea), Guy Demel (Ivory Coast), Frederick Kanoute, Modibo Maiga (both Mali), Marouane Chamakh, Manuel de Costa (both Morocco), Emmanuel Emenike, Victor Moses, Victor Obinna (all Nigeria), Demba Ba, Henri Camara, Mo Diame, Cheikhou Kouyate, Diafra Sakho (all Senegal), Benni McCarthy (South Africa)

Newcastle: 20 players. Mehdi Abeid (Algeria), Gael Bigirimana (Burundi), Sebastien Bassong, Geremi (both Cameroon), Lomana LuaLua, Kazenga LuaLua, Chancel Mbemba (all DR Congo), Seydou Doumbia, Cheick Tiote (both Ivory Coast), Celestine Babayaro, Obafemi Martins, Shola Ameobi (all Nigeria), Amdy Faye, Demba Ba, Habib Beye, Papiss Cisse, Lamine Diatta, Abdoulaye Faye, Henri Saivet (all Senegal), Matty Pattison (South Africa)

Fulham: 17 players. Hameur Bouazza, Rafik Halliche (both Algeria), Eyong Enoh, Pierre Wome (both Cameroon), Malik Buari, Derek Boateng, Emmanuel Frimpong, Elvis Hammond, John Pantsil (all Ghana), (Guinea-Bissau), Mahamadou Diarra (Mali), Abdeslam Ouaddou, Adel Taarabt (both Morocco), Dickson Etuhu (Nigeria), Papa Bouba Diop, Diomansy Kamara (both Senegal), Kagisho Dikgacoi (South Africa)

Tottenham: 16 players. Nabi Bentaleb, Moussa Saib (both Algeria), Benoit Assou-Ekoto, Thimotee Atouba, Sebastien Bassong, Clinton N'Jie (all Cameroon), Hossam Ghaly, Mido (both Egypt), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Ghana), Didier Zokora (Ivory Coast), Freddie Kanoute (Mali), Nourredine Naybet, Adel Taarabt (both Morocco), Mbulelo Mabizela, Steven Pienaar (both South Africa), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)

Arsenal: 15 players. Lauren, Alex Song (both Cameroon), Mohamed Elneny (Egypt), Emmanuel Frimpong, Quincy (both Ghana), Kaba Diawara (Guinea), Emmanuel Eboue, Gervinho, Kolo Toure (all Ivory Coast), Christopher Wreh (Liberia), Marouane Chamakh (Morocco), Kanu, Alex Iwobi (both Nigeria), Armand Traore (Senegal), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)

Hull: 14 players. Kamel Ghilas (Algeria), Manucho (Angola), Ahmed Elmohamady, Gedo, Amr Zaki (all Egypt), Daniel Cousin (Gabon), Kamil Zayatte (Guinea), Yannick Sagbo (Ivory Coast), Sone Aluko, Seyi Olofinjana (both Nigeria), Mo Diame, Abdoulaye Faye, Dame N'Doye, Ibrahima Sonko (all Senegal)

Man City: 14 players. Djamel Belmadi, Ail Benarbia (both Algeria), Marc Vivien Foe, Lucien Mettomo (both Cameroon), Wilfried Bony, Abdul Razak, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure (all Ivory Coast), George Weah (Liberia), Kelvin Etuhu, Kelechi Iheanacho (both Nigeria), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo), Hatem Trabelsi (Tunisia), Benjani (Zimbabwe)

Chelsea; 13 players. Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Samuel Eto'o, Geremi (both Cameroon), Mo Salah (Egypt), Baba Rahman, Michael Essien (both Ghana), Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou (both Ivory Coast), George Weah (Liberia), Celestine Babayaro, John Mikel Obi (both Nigeria), Demba Ba (Senegal)

Sunderland: 16 players. Stephane Sessegnon, (Benin), Patrick Mboma (Cameroon), Cabral (Cape Verde), Ahmed Elmohamady (Egypt), Asamoah Gyan, John Mensah, Sulley Muntari (all Ghana), Lamine Kone (Ivory Coast), Talal El Karkouri (Morocco), Dickson Etuhu (Nigeria), El Hadji Diouf, Kader Mangane, Alfred N'Diaye, Dame N'Doye (all Senegal), Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia), Benjani (Zimbabwe)

Worth their weight in goals
There have been 23,620 goals (excluding own goals) in the Premier League, 1,776 by African players.

21% of the total players who have played in the Premier League have been from Africa - they have scored 13% of the goals.

African players per season
PL Season African Players
Season 1992/1993 3
Season 1993/1994 4
Season 1994/1995 10
Season 1995/1996 8
Season 1996/1997 5
Season 1997/1998 8
Season 1998/1999 12
Season 1999/2000 13
Season 2000/2001 23
Season 2001/2002 20
Season 2002/2003 33
Season 2003/2004 32
Season 2004/2005 42
Season 2005/2006 43
Season 2006/2007 56
Season 2007/2008 59
Season 2008/2009 57
Season 2009/2010 56
Season 2010/2011 56
Season 2011/2012 43
Season 2012/2013 42
Season 2013/2014 47
Season 2014/2015 45
Season 2015/2016 57