Three best Ghanaian players to feature in the English Premier League

The Premier League in England is widely regarded as one of the leading leagues anywhere in the world and ever since it’s inauguration in 1992, there have been Ghana players featuring for the English clubs.

Here is a look back over the years to identify who are the five leading Ghanaians to have played in the competition.

Michael Essien (Chelsea).

Michael Essien won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League with Chelsea making him legend with the South West London club.

When he signed for the, in August 2005 from Lyon for £24.4 million, Essien was not a household name with a lot of football fans in England, however, the talented midfielder soon became a huge hit.

The 2007 Ghana Player of the Year made 256 appearances for the Blues before moving to AC Milan in January 2014.

Essien was a huge part of a very successful Chelsea team under Jose Mourinho which helped the club become the leading team in England for many years. The former Chelsea man picked up 58 caps for his national team, featuring at the 2006 World Cup.

Given he also played for Real Madrid in Spain, you could argue no Ghanaian has reached the heights Essien has in his career.

Tony Yeboah (Leeds)

Tony Yeboah pathed the way for many Ghanaian and African players to follow in the Premier League after his three-year spell with Leeds between 1995 and 1997.

The striker wasted no time lighting up the league when he was the Yorkshire club’s Player of the Year in just his second season at Elland Road.

He is still to this day remember for his goal against Wimbledon 1995 which won the Goal of the Season award and an iconic moment in the Premier League’s history.

Yeboah also shone for Ghana on the international stage, scoring 29 goals in 59 appearances.

Tony Yeboah celebrates scoring for Leeds United in their 4-2 won over Wimbledon. Tony Yeboah celebrates scoring for Leeds United in their 4-2 won over Wimbledon. Leeds, who are 11/10 in the football betting to win the Championship and return back into the Premier League at the end of the season, place their former player in very high regard, with many fans considering him as one of their best-ever players to feature for their club.

Asamoah Gyan (Sunderland)

Although he only featured in the Premier League for two years for Sunderland, Asamoah Gyan proved what a fantastic goalscorer he is as he helped the Black Cats finish 10th in the Premier League table in his first campaign in England.

The former Ghana captain is the national teams leading scorer with 51 goals and has played at three World Cups for the Black Stars and recently came out of retirement to play for his country again.

Sunderland fans were desperate for Gyan to remain at the club in 2012, however, he opted to move to Al Ain in the UAE at the time.

The 33-year-old currently applies his trade in the Indian Super League for NorthEast United and a return to the Premier League in the future cannot be ruled out.

With more Ghanaian and African players now featuring in the Premier League, they have the above players to thank as in many ways they proved that if you were good enough, you could make it into the leading European division.