Numerous African footballers have graced the highly-competitive English Premier League, producing inspiring performances to guide their clubs to success.
While legends like Nwankwo Kanu, Didier Drogba, and Yaya Toure once dominated the stage, a new generation of African stars led by Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah have continued to shine.
Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi added another milestone to his career on Saturday, as his appearance in Fulham’s clash with Newcastle United moved him into the top five for the most Premier League appearances by an African player.
Read this: Top 5 Nigerians with the most EPL appearances
In this article, SportPremi reveals the five African footballers who played the most times in the history of the English Premier League;
5. Alex Iwobi (300 appearances):
Call him the History maker – Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi continues to set new milestones after reaching 300 EPL appearance against Newcastle United on Saturday.
He became the first Nigerian to reach 300 EPL appearances and simultaneously moved into the top five for most appearances by an African footballer.
At 29, the Fulham star still has plenty of time to move further up the all-time standings.
4. Wilfried Zaha (305 appearances):
Ivory Coast winger Wilfried Zaha has the joint-third most appearances by an African footballer in EPL history with 305.
After beginning his English career at Crystal Palace, the 32-year-old moved to Manchester United, where he struggled to break into the first team before returning for a second stint at the Eagles.
He went on to make over 450 appearances in all competitions for the club across both spells, including 305 in the league.
3. Jordan Ayew (305 appearances):
Ghanaian striker Jordan Ayew also takes a spot on this list, having made 305 appearances in the English Premier League.
The experienced forward had spells for the likes of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, before moving to Leicester City last season.
He was a key member of the Foxes squad in the 2024-25 campaign, but could not prevent them from relegation into the second division.
2. Mohamed Salah (309 appearances):
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has made 309 EPL appearances and could notch up a 310th if he features for the Reds against Brentford this weekend.
The Egyptian stands high as the greatest African footballer in EPL history and has shattered multiple records since announcing himself to the league.
Salah also owns multiple records in the EPL. He has the most goals by an African player in a single season (32), most goals by an African player in EPL history (188), most assists by an African player in EPL history (89), amongst many other remarkable achievements in the league.
1. Kolo Toure (353 appearances):
Former Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure has made the most appearances by an African player in the English Premier League history with 353.
The two-time league winner began his EPL career with Arsenal, where he made over 200 appearances for them in the league.
He went on to join Manchester City later on in his career, where he played alongside his brother Yaya.
The center-back ended his Premier League career at Liverpool, where he spent three years before his departure in 2016.
