Nigerians
have always had a strong history in English football. They've played a big role
in the top flight of the game for a number of years. Since the EPL was created
in 1992, there have been a few big names that have taken the league by storm.
In this article, we're going to look at which Nigerian players have had the
biggest impact and played the best. Whether you're looking at who to bet on for
top scorer on today's betting
sites---it's good to know how well Nigerians have done in the past.
Remember,
thanks to a shared history and a strong background of Nigerian immigration into
the UK, there are lots of current and former EPL stars that have mixed British
and Nigerian heritage. Actually, a lot of the current English National Team has
Nigerian heritage. In this article, we're only going to look at Nigerian EPL
players that have represented the Nigerian National Team over the years, rather
than the wide diaspora of players that have some Nigerian background.
Celestine Babayaro
Celestine
Babayaro is a slightly older name on the list, and one some of you younger
readers might have forgotten. He was one of the early pioneers of the attacking
fullback role, and could also double up in midfield. A true utility player, he
played for Chelsea between 1997 and 2005, before moving to Newcastle for the
next few years for a total of over a decade in English football.
While
goalscoring wasn't his forte, he still one a fair amount in his career,
including the Cup Winners' Cup and the FA Cup with Chelsea.
Nwankwo Kanu
Kanu
is probably one of the most famous players on the list, and perhaps one of the
most famous Nigerian footballers of all-time. He joined Arsenal fromInter in
'99 and enjoyed great success under Arsene Wenger at what was arguably the
clubs greatest era. He also had further successful stints in England at WBA and
Portsmouth, helping them to their famous FA Cup win. Other trophies include 3
Dutch Titles and the Champions League with Ajax, the UEFA Cup with Inter, along
with two league titles and two FA Cups with Arsenal. He was also part of
Nigeria's Gold Medal Team, like Babayaro.
Obafemi Martins
While
Martins didn't quite reach the heights of Kanu, he still had a good career in
England, capped with his League Cup-winning goal for Birmingham City.
John Obi Mikel
Despite
some controversy around his transfer, Mikel went on to have a successful career
in England with Chelsea, playing 249 times and winning two league titles and
three FA Cups in the process.
Jay-Jay Okocha
Another
of the famous Gold Medal Team, Okocha brought some West-African flair to the
EPL when he signed for Bolton in 2002. It was quite a coup for the team who
weren't a big name at the time. Okocha helped them finish fourth in the EPL, a
record high.
Yakubu
Yakubu
had a great career in England and scored a ton of goals. He's one of Nigeria's
best-ever goalscoring exports, racking up 115 goals during his time in England.
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