Top 5 Ghanaian players in English Premier League history

Over the years, Ghanaian players have decorated the English Premier League with their talents.

More than 20 Black Stars have featured in the league, with the likes of Michael Essien and Tony Yeboah particularly standing out.

But who has been the greatest Ghanaian play in the EPL?

We countdown the top five.

Jeffery Schlupp

Jeffery Schlupp may not be the most famous Ghanaian footballer around, but with an English Premier League winners’ medal and over a hundred league appearances, he has been one of the country’s shining stars in the EPL.

Schlupp is one of only three Ghanaian players to ever win a Premier League title, a feat he achieved with Leicester during their improbable run in 2016.

The left-footer was an academy graduate at Leicester, whom he joined when he was 11.

He made 60 league appearances for the Foxes before departing for Crystal Palace, where he has become a core member of the team under Roy Hodgson. Schlupp boasts over 100 league matches for Palace.

Jordan Ayew

Jordan Ayew made a slow start to life in the Premier League, enduring relegation with Aston Villa and Swansea in his early years in England, but he has had better fortunes at Crystal Palace.

The forward joined Palace in 2018, initially on loan, but the deal was made permanent in June 2019. He has amassed well over 100 appearances in the Premier League and has established himself as one of the most consistent performers for Roy Hodgson’s men.

Ayew is Ghana’s all-time leading goalscorer in the Premier League.

So if you are looking to place a wager this weekend, you could consider backing Jordan to score for Palace! That wagering option is offered by many betting companies in Ghana.

Asamoah Gyan

Former Black Stars captain, Asamoah Ghana spent just one full season in the Premier League, but he made a big enough impact to force his way onto our list of best Ghanaian players in the competition.

Arriving at Sunderland for a club-record fee on the back of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where he captained Ghana to the quarter-finals (and unfortunately missed that crucial penalty against Uruguay), Gyan took to the EPL very comfortably.

His powerful, aggressive style was tailor-made for the Premier League, and he complimented that with a keen eye for goal.

Ghana’s record goal-scorer banged in 10 league goals for Sunderland in his debut campaign, but his EPL stint was brief, as he left for Al Ain of the UAE at the start of his second year in England.

Tony Yeboah

The iconic Tony Yeboah was one of the trailblazers for Ghanaian players in the Premier League, putting together a fantastic spell for Leeds United in the mid-90s.

Yeboah wasn’t quite the first Ghanaian to play in the league- that honour belongs to Nil Lamptey- but he was the first man from his country to score an EPL goal.

Yeboah went to Leeds with a big reputation, having already excelled in the Bundesliga where he was a top scorer on two occasions. He certainly did not disappoint.

He scored 24 goals in just 47 league matches for Leeds, some of which were absolute belters. Who can forget his tremendous strike against Wimbledon in 1995?

Michael Essien

Ghana’s midfield general, Michael Essien comes in at No. 1, and there can be very few arguments about that.

Signed by Jose Mourinho from Lyon in 2006, Essien went on to become a mainstay in the Chelsea midfield, powering the Blues to a couple of Premier League titles. He is the only Ghanaian player with multiple titles in the English top flight.

Essien lit up the Premier League with his dynamism and all-action displays, while he also chipped in with his fair share of spectacular goals.

The legendary Ghanaian made 168 EPL appearances for Chelsea between 2005 and 2014, scoring 17 league goals and providing 10 assists.

Special mentions to Sully Muntari and Andre Ayew, who had compelling arguments to barge into our top five.

England continues to be a favourite destination for Ghanaian players, with Arsenal’s Thomas Partey leading the current generation of Black Stars in the English Premier League.