Most Premier League Appearances From Non-English Players

These foreign stars left their mark, and then some, on the Premier League.

Nomadic striker Nicolas Anelka (right) spent the most amount of time at Chelsea. / Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

While England has produced some of the Premier League’s finest talents since the league’s inception in 1992, there’s no denying that players from around the world have often provided that extra sprinkle of brilliance.

Some imports have enjoyed fleeting success in English football—Zlatan Ibrahimović, for example—but it’s the players with a lasting attachment to the Premier League that fans truly adore.

These are the cult figures who stuck around for years in the top flight: Not always the flashiest or most talented, but absolute stalwarts you could always rely on.

In fact, some of the Premier League’s highest appearance makers are not English—quite the contrary, with many racking up the appearances coming from abroad or from neighbouring Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

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Goalkeepers

Mark Schwarzer played over 500 Premier League games. / Getty/Paul Ellis

Mark Schwarzer enjoyed a long and distinguished career in England, featuring for a number of clubs, most notably as the undisputed number one at Middlesbrough and Fulham.

A former Bradford City man, Schwarzer proved something of a lucky charm in the Premier League. He played his part in Boro and the Cottagers reaching UEFA Cup/Europa League finals, and even ‘won’ the Premier League twice—with Chelsea and Leicester—despite not making a single league appearance in either title-winning campaign.

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Most Premier League appearances from non-English goalkeepers

• Mark Schwarzer (Australia)—514 appearances (4 clubs)
• Shay Given (Republic of Ireland)—451 appearances (5 clubs)
• Brad Friedel (United States of America)—450 appearances, 4 clubs
• Petr Čech (Czechia)—443 appearances, 2 clubs
• Jussi Jääskeläinen (Finland)—436 appearances, 2 clubs
• David de Gea (Spain)—415 appearances, 1 club
• Tim Howard (United States of America)—399 appearances, 2 clubs
• Lukasz Fabianski (Poland)—376 appearances, 3 clubs
• Thomas Sörensen (Denmark)—364 appearances, 3 club
• Hugo Lloris (France)—361 appearances, 1 club

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Defenders

Sylvain Distin was Everton's captain at one point. / IMAGO/Sportimage

Sylvain Distin was a Premier League stalwart for years, only retiring in 2016 at the age of 38.

A commanding presence at the back, Distin’s first venture in England was a season-long loan spell with Newcastle United—one which ultimately led to a permanent move to Manchester City. He went on to captain the future Premier League champions, prior to their big-money investment, before enjoying a two-year spell at Portsmouth—one that yielded FA Cup success.

Everton benefitted from Distin’s prime extending into his 30s and he made almost as many appearances for the Toffees as he did for City—174 in six seasons.

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Most Premier League appearances from non-English defenders

• Sylvain Distin (France)—469 appearances, 5 clubs
• Aaron Hughes (Northern Ireland)—455 appearances, 3 clubs
• John O’Shea (Republic of Ireland)—446 appearances, 2 clubs
• Richard Dunne (Republic of Ireland)—432 appearances, 4 clubs
• Jonny Evans (Northern Ireland)—386 appearances, 4 clubs
• Stephen Carr (Republic of Ireland)—377 appearances, 3 clubs
• Séamus Coleman (Republic of Ireland)—372 appearances, 1 club
• Kolo Touré (Ivory Coast)—353 appearances, 3 clubs
• César Azpilicueta (Spain)—349 appearances, 1 club
• Kenny Cunningham (Republic of Ireland)—335 appearances, 2 clubs
• Hermann Hreiðarsson (Iceland)—332 appearances, 5 clubs
• Denis Irwin (Republic of Ireland)—328 appearances, 2 clubs
• Gary Kelly (Republic of Ireland)—325 appearances, 1 club
• Gaël Clichy (France)—325 appearances, 2 clubs
• Antonio Valencia (Ecuador)—325 appearances, 2 clubs

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Midfielders

Ryan Giggs was a timeless performer well into his twilight. / Dean Mouhtaropoulos/GettyImages

Ryan Giggs’s record of 13 Premier League title wins with Manchester United will probably never be bettered, such is the turnover of personnel in the modern game and the increasing difficulty to continue playing at the highest level.

The Welshman was already an established United player when the Premier League kicked off in 1992–93, and he was a key figure for Sir Alex Ferguson as the Red Devils quickly became the best team in the country.

Later in Giggs’s career, he converted into a central midfielder—years of bombing down the left wing at pace eventually catching up with him—and produced some of the best football of his career. Winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award in the 2008–09 (aged 35) season is evidence of what his fellow professionals thought of him—astonishingly another two Premier League titles followed that accolade prior to his retirement in 2014.

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Most Premier League appearances from non-English midfielders

• Ryan Giggs (Wales)—632 appearances, 1 club)
• Gary Speed (Wales)—535 appearances, 4 clubs
• George Boateng (Netherlands)—382 appearances, 4 clubs
• Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland)—366 appearances, 2 clubs
• Rory Delap (Republic of Ireland)—359 appearances, 4 clubs
• Cesc Fàbregas (Spain)—350 appearances, 2 clubs
• Robbie Savage (Wales)—346 appearances, 4 clubs
• Darren Fletcher (Scotland)—341 appearances, 3 clubs
• Steed Malbranque (France)—336 appearances, 3 clubs
• Gary McAllister (Scotland)—325 appearances, 3 clubs
• Kevin Kilbane (Republic of Ireland)—324 appearances, 4 clubs
• James McArthur (Scotland)—323 appearances, 2 clubs
• Gylfi Sigurðsson (Iceland)—318 appearances, 3 clubs
• James Morrison (Scotland)—311 appearances, 2 clubs
• Christian Eriksen (Denmark)—310 appearances, 3 clubs

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Forwards

Damien Duff (left) was a star for Chelsea in the early noughties. / Getty/Paul Mcfegan

Forget Arjen Robben, Damien Duff was the real star winger in José Mourinho’s early Chelsea sides, yet he’s often underrated and not given the credit he deserves.

A pacy, consistent performer, Duff rose to prominence at Blackburn Rovers as a natural left winger—terrifying right backs with not only his running ability but also his superb delivery into the penalty area. Goals soon followed, garnering any interest from Chelsea after their Roman Abramovich-led takeover in 2003.

Duff was instrumental in Chelsea winning the Premier League two seasons in a row, though he was eventually phased out as the Blues’ policy of continual upgrading really kicked into gear. Newcastle United were the next stop in his 18-year top-flight career, before a spell at Fulham preceded a move Down Under.

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Most Premier League appearances from non-English forwards

*Currently active

• Damien Duff (Chelsea)—392 appearances, 4 clubs
• Dwight Yorke (Trinidad and Tobago)—375 appearances, 5 clubs
• Nicolas Anelka (France)—364 appearances, 6 clubs
• Robbie Keane (Republic of Ireland)—349 appearances, 6 clubs
• Shane Long (Republic of Ireland)—344 appearances, 4 clubs
• Son Heung-min (South Korea)—333 appearances, 1 club
• Willian (Brazil)—327 appearances, 3 clubs
• Dennis Bergkamp (Arsenal)—315 appearances, 1 club
• Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)—315 appearances, 2 clubs*
• Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)—307 appearances, 3 clubs*
• Jordan Ayew (Ghana)—305 appearances, 4 clubs
• Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast)—305 appearances, 3 clubs
• Shola Ameobi (Nigeria)—299 appearances, 2 clubs
• Mark Hughes (Wales)—297 appearances, 5 clubs
• Craig Bellamy (Wales)—294 appearances, 7 clubs

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