Ahead of their showdown on Sunday, GOAL rank the 10 greatest African players to play for the Premier League title contenders
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images10Ali Benarbia
Manchester City pulled off a coup when they recruited Algeria’s Benarbia from Paris Saint-Germain in 2001, with the North African having won the Ligue 1 Player of the Year award two years previously.
He was influential as the Sky Blues won promotion to the Premier League under Kevin Keegan, but struggled to impose himself in the top flight.
He also represented AS Monaco, Bordeaux and Martigues, and was named Algerian footballer of the year in 2002.
AdvertisementGetty Images9Wilfried Bony
Bony was previously Africa’s most expensive player ever, costing Manchester City £28 million when he moved from Swansea City at the beginning of 2015.
However, he struggled for game time due to injuries and increased competition from Sergio Aguero and Iheanacho, and departed on a season-long loan to Stoke City on transfer deadline day as his Etihad Stadium career came to an end.
He subsequently moved back to Swansea City, and is currently with Eredivisie club NEC Nijmegen.
Getty8Emmanuel Adebayor
Adebayor has often been a polarising figure in world football.
It seems that, as soon as he starts to get the fans on his side, he does something that conjures up the ire of his supporters.
He has represented a host of high-profile clubs, including Spanish giants Real Madrid and Arsenal, among others, and departed the Gunners for Manchester City in 2009 for a fee believed to be about £25 million, making him, at one point, Africa's most expensive player.
He remained at the Etihad Stadium until 2011, when he joined Tottenham Hotspur.
Getty7Bruce Grobbelaar
The Zimbabwe stopper is remembered as one of Africa’s finest goalkeepers in history…and is certainly the most successful.
He was a key man in one of Liverpool’s greatest sides, winning six titles and three domestic cups during his time at Anfield.
He was influential as the Reds won the European Cup in 1984, putting AS Roma’s strikers off with his infamous bandy legs in the final shootout.