A few players have been the sole representative of their country in the Premier League elite clubs.
The Premier League has been rated as the best league in the world. It is not easy to move to the clubs in the English top flight, especially those from non-football nations. Let alone join the top sides.
However, a few footballers did manage to join EPL top teams, despite not being from the football nations. Some of them become the only players from their country to compete in the Premier League at the top level, or similar to their country’s ambassador. In the 2023–24 season, Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai is the most current example. He has been the only Hungarian to ever play regularly for EPL elites. There were some other Hungarians who were once part of the club, such as Adam Bogdan, but he never got a nod from the first team. Meanwhile, other Hungarians only played for non-elite sides, such as Gabor Kiraly, who signed for Crystal Palace in the early 2000s, Fulham, or Milos Kerkez, who was part of Bournemouth last season.
Szoboszlai had a fine debut in the Premier League campaign. Overall, he appeared in 45 games in all competitions, scoring seven goals and providing four assists. The former RB Leipzig man needs to improve his form next season to help boost the Reds’ position and chance in the title race. Otherwise, Liverpool tickets would not be in huge demand like before. Here are the other players who have been the sole representative of their country on the top teams.
Pierre Aubameyang (Gabon)
The current Marseille man is the only Gabonese player at the top level. He has been playing for several big clubs, such as Borussia Dortmund, and Barcelona, and two EPL giants, Arsenal and Chelsea. He stayed longer in the former despite only winning one silverware, the FA Cup 2020. His days at Arsenal had to end due to being banished from the first team by Mikel Arteta for a disciplinary issue. At Chelsea, he only played for a few months before the changes in management and the takeover. Auba only netted three goals and provided one assist in 21 games with the Blues. Such a record was in contrast to his contribution in North London, with 92 goals and 21 assists in 163 appearances in all competitions. The former Saint-Etienne man was awarded the Premier League Golden Boot in 2018/19, scoring 22 goals and sharing it with Liverpool duo Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
Auba’s only international tournament with Gabon was at the London Olympics in 2012. His country was seeded with South Korea, Switzerland, and Mexico. He scored one to help them hold Switzerland in a 1-1 draw at the opener but could not bring them to the next round.
Victor Wanyama (Kenya)
Wanyama is probably the only Kenyan footballer who has played in the Premier League. He was part of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad from 2016 to 2020. Previously, he was the mainstay in Southampton for three years. Wanyama had a remarkable first season with Spurs in 2016–17, but injuries frequently kept him sidelined for months in the following seasons. Overall, he only made 97 appearances for the Spurs, contributing seven goals and one assist. The former Celtic man was then sold to MLS side Montreal CF. During his spells in England, he did not win a single silverware. He did help Spurs reach the Champions League final in 2019 by featuring in six games. Yet, he was sidelined in the final. On the international level, Wanyama has never led his country to qualify in any tournament.
Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo)
The former striker enjoyed his peak years by playing for several big teams, including Monaco, Real Madrid, and three Premier League elites, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur. He also joined Crystal Palace in 2016 before moving to the lower league in Turkey. Adebayor is the only Togolese player to date who could have such experience at the top level. Unfortunately, he did not deliver any silverware during his stay in England. His greatest contribution was when he played for Arsenal, where he registered 62 goals and 19 assists in 142 games. The second-best contribution was with their North London rivals, Spurs, as he scored 42 goals and provided 17 assists in 113 games. His least impressive record in England was during his stay at Selhurst Park, as he only played 15 times, scoring one goal and making one assist.
Adebayor was also part of the squad when Togo qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Yet he did not score a single goal and failed to help his country advance to the round of 16 as they suffered three defeats against France, Switzerland, and South Korea.
Dwight Yorke (Trinidad & Tobago)
He was the former Manchester United frontman when they won the treble in 1999. He also signed for the other four Premier League clubs: Aston Villa, Blackburn, Birmingham City, and Sunderland. Besides winning the treble, Yorke also won two other league titles and the Intercontinental Cup. He was even named the top scorer in the 1998/99 season with 18 goals, shared with Leeds United’s Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Liverpool star Michael Owen. The former Trinidad and Tobago international also snatched a trophy for Aston Villa, the EFL League Cup, in 1996.
Yorke managed to bring his country to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Unfortunately, he was unable to help them pick up more than one point after forcing a goalless draw against Sweden. They were beaten in the following two games against England and Paraguay.
Eidur Gudjohnsen (Iceland)
He was a versatile forward during his time at Chelsea and Barcelona. Gudjohnsen remains the only Icelandic player who has played for elite sides and gained success. He also played for AS Monaco, Tottenham, and PSV Eindhoven. The former Club Brugge man also signed for three other EPL sides: Bolton, Stoke City, and Fulham. His most notable accolades in England were surely when he helped Chelsea win back-to-back league titles under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006 before plying his trade to the Catalan giants, where he also enjoyed trebles under Pep Guardiola.
Gudjohnsen was lucky enough to be part of the Iceland final squad in EURO 2016, his only appearance in a major tournament. He managed to help his country reach the quarterfinals, beating England in the process.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Armenia)
The current Inter Milan man is the only Armenian to have joined top clubs in Europe. He has been with Dortmund, AS Roma, and two EPL giants, Manchester United and Arsenal. The 35-year-old versatile midfielder has only won the EFL League Cup and Europa League in 2017 during his stint in England. Unfortunately, he has yet to lead his country to any major international tournament.
Alexander Hleb (Belarus)
Hleb remains the only Belarusian player who has been at the top level. He joined Arsenal in 2005/06 from VfB Stuttgart and was the mainstay of Arsene Wenger’s team for three years before moving to Barcelona in 2008. The winger featured in 130 matches for Arsenal, scoring 10 and making 20 assists. He also signed for another EPL side, Birmingham, in 2010, when he helped them win their last silverware to date, the EFL Cup, in 2011, beating his former side, The Gunners, in the final. Hleb, sadly, never played in any international tournaments in his career.
