Wally with a Brolly

Having been to a football match in Ghana a few years back, I can honestly tell you it felt like a different universe. Joining the throngs of avid football fans at the beautiful Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi for a CAN qualifier, I had been advised to come early. Setting out with two Ghanaian friends and a fellow English volunteer, we arrived two hours before kick-off. There was no empty stand like you see at Wembley when none of the execs have arrived or are too busy talking business, or when casual football fans are too busy downing their 7th pre-game pint. The stadium was packed. We're talking about 40,000 fans inside the stadium two hours prior to kick-off. And all of them singing, dancing, and just having a good time. It was glorious.


Pandemonium broke out when the teams entered the pitch. For your info, it was a game against one of the Congos (I think DRC), and Ghana eventually won 3-1. The match included a superb goal by Agyemang Badu and howlers from Richard Kingson (I'm tempted to put 'customary' in front of 'howler' when talking about Kingson) and a striker named Prince Tagoe who, according to my Ghanaian friend, was 'world-class' yet plays for Ettifaq on loan from Bursaspor and managed to miss an open goal. I kid you not.

There is a fervour and passion which only African football possesses. If you thought the sound of vuvuzelas was annoying during the 2010 World Cup, you learn to appreciate them live. Of course some of the football you see is actually laughable (I went to see a Ghanaian Premier League match. Wow) but it's an incredible atmosphere and experience.

The view inside the stand. Notice the superb dress sense. Wonderful.

Looking back on this time, and whilst watching South Africa vs Cape Verde at the 2013 CAN on Europsort (I know, I've got too much time), I thought of all the great African players who had graced Premier League pitches. It's funny because there haven't actually been too many African players in England. They have tended to start in France, probably because of the historical link between a large part of Africa and metropolitan France. And yet the few who have come have always brought a smile to our faces.

And that is perhaps the beauty of African football and its exports: you just can't stay indifferent. I could have done a list of laughable African products who ended up on our shores. Let me just give you three quick names: Ade Akinbyi, Aruna 'Zinedine' Dindane and Benjani Mwaruwari. It is in the latter's honour that I give you the Top 10 African Premier League footballers.

1. DIDIER DROGBA

The greatest ever. Even that is easy to admit. And that's even though Drogba was a maddening diver to start with, and he played for Chelsea. If that's not enough for me to dislike him, then I don't know what is. And yet Didier was incredible.

Combining unprecedented physical strength with pace and a superb touch, Drogba torched defenders for more than eight years, often bullying such fearless players as Vidic and Carragher. And that was just in the Premier League. Drogba gave constant nightmares to defenders across Europe, even Barcelona's Puyol, who had nothing to envy the Ivorian in terms of brute strength.

Drogba: simply the best.

Didier Drogba didn't just leave a massive imprint on his club. He left a legacy. If that's not a sign of greatness, I don't know what is.

2. LUCAS RADEBE

The precursor and bravest of them all. Radebe joined Leeds in 1994, at a time when South Africa had finally achieved the end of the apartheid. Lucas, like so many black footballers in his home country, had suffered from the racist policies in place. He had, however, managed to represent his country and to carve out a promising career as a central defender for the wonderfully named Kaiser Chiefs. Well, let's just say he'd settled in defence after trying out as a central midfielder and goalkeeper.

So Radebe joined Leeds in 1994, as an afterthought in a deal for another South African player. He never left the club and became a legend. As a solid leader from the back, he had the honour of  becoming Leeds's captain and famously rejected approaches from Man Utd and a host of other clubs. Radebe was class both on and off the pitch; he won the FIFA Fair Play Award in 2000. And he stayed at Leeds even though the club was collapsing.

When he retired, 37,000 came to his testimonial. That's nearly a sold-out Elland Road. A wonderful player and all around good guy. You know the man is special when Nelson Mandela calls him his hero.

Radebe: arrived as a nobody, left as a legend.

3. NWANKWO KANU

Aaaaah Nwankwo. There was always going to be a (man)love affair between you and I. Maybe it was because you had survived a serious heart scare at Inter Milan in your youth. Maybe it was because you had come through the ranks at Ajax. Or maybe it was because you had some of the silkiest feet in the world.

Kanu was never prolific. He could do everything, so he wasn't too focused on scoring. But boy could he score goals. Never from outside the box, mind you . Nwankwo also never ran. He knew he wasn't quick enough anyway, and deep down, I think he just couldn't really be bothered with it all. But his brain was fast, and he always knew where to be.

So how did he do in England? Well he did just fine, thank you very much. He was an integral part of an incredible Arsenal side, even though he used to come off the bench quite a lot. That didn't stop him scoring nearly 50 goals in the Premier League for the Gunners. He also had some phenomenal performances, such as when he tore Chelsea apart and led the way to a furious fight-back from 2-0 down at Stamford Bridge. And when he left, he was voted Arsenal 13th greatest ever Gunner. Not too bad.

Of course his time at West Brom wasn't as glorious. He did THAT miss which we all remember vividly. But then Nwankwo found his calling at Portsmouth. Along with several players close to the end of their careers, and under Harry Redknapp's stewardship, Kanu wrote History when he scored the winning goal in the 2008 FA Cup final.

It did end rather badly at Portsmouth when Kanu left without agreeing a pay cut and threatening to sue the club in 2012. But that was his right, and he wasn't the only one in that situation (Tal Ben Haim anyone?).  And I can guess he'll still be remembered fondly by Arsenal and Portsmouth fans.

Kanu: dodgy head wear aside, an huge success.

4. JAY-JAY OKOCHA

So good they named him twice. Jay-Jay set the world alight at the 98 World Cup with Nigeria. His trickery, his flamboyance and his unashamed lack of desire in tracking back made us all fall in platonic manlove with him then. But the he lost his way at PSG where he spent four forgetful years in what should have been the prime of his career. And then, out of the blue, he joined Bolton Wanderers in 2002.

"You wanted flair?" asked Big Sam? Well we got flair all right. Jay-Jay was just incredible, with outrageous goals and step overs galore. These were glorious times to be a Bolton fan (which I wasn't) and it was always impressive to watch Jay-Jay play. Let's forget his time at Hull and simply remember the good times.

I should say something witty about this photo but I just can't.

5. MICHAEL ESSIEN

Essien was just a beast. At his peak, he was a member of one of Europe's most terrifying midfields. Michael was capable of anything; he could play as a defensive-minded holding midfielder, a marauding right-back, a competent centre-back or a jack of all trades central midfielder. And he was close to world class in all these roles. The man also never scored easy goals, we were always due a cracking strike every year. Honestly, there's not much more to say than that. the man was just incredible  and was Chelsea's heartbeat during the Mourinho years and before his damaging injuries. A complete player.




6. YAYA TOURE

Wow, and I thought Michael Essien was an absolute beast. Yaya Touré has only been in England two and a half years, but he's had a major impact. He was the first marquee signing of the Mancini era, joining from Barcelona where he had won the Champions League and countless other titles. A holding midfielder in Spain, the massive Ivorian decided he'd try his hand at the 'trequartista' role in England. But we'd never seen a number 10 like him. He just bulldozed his way through, and had a tendency to turn up in the biggest games.

Yaya played a major role in Man City's capture of the FA Cup in Mancini's first season, scoring the winning goals in the semi-final and final. But he was even more influential in last season's title challenge.
With 6 goals from a more withdrawn position, Touré often took control of games, such as when he scored two late goals to beat Newcastle towards the tail end of the season, in a vital game for the title. Just a massive powerhouse and probably Man City's most important player with Vincent Kompany. A truly class act who brought a winning mentality to a club which had none.

The typical Touré photo: leaving someone trailing in his wake.

7. MUSTAPHA HADJI

How dare you forget about Mustapha Hadji? The Moroccan was an important and popular figure at an overachieving Coventry in the early 2000's. After scoring a wonder goal at the World Cup 98, Mustapha left sunny Deportivo La Coruna to join the Sky Blues. Whilst there, he only proceeded in scoring spectacular goals whilst being the main creative force for an attacking and enthusiastic side. And he wore a glorious ponytail. What's not to like about that? A very underrated, flamboyant player.



8. TONY YEBOAH

Tony Yeboah's time in England was brief but he had a massive impact. He was only there for just over two season (actually not that brief). What he did manage to do during that time was score bucket-loads of goal. Do I need to mention his special one? You bet I do. I'm even going to add the video. Just for kicks.

33 goals in 62 appearances for Leeds should have made him a cult hero. It did, but boring George Graham, aka 90's Alex McLeish, turned up and didn't see eye to eye with Tony. I'm guessing it had something to do with work rate and defensive work.

Tony was like Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink: he shot on sight, didn't care for helping his team out in any other situations than an attacking one, and was just obsessed with goal.

What a hero. What a man. Tony Yeboah.



9. KOLO TOURE

Don't laugh. I know he's become a figure of ridicule, what with testing positive for weight loss pills, or posing as a car salesman and having an affair (yes it's the Mirror, but it's worth a 'read': http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/kolo-toure-had-affair-with-student-by-pretending-1455570).

But Kolo Touré was still one half of one of Premier League History's best team's defence (did you follow?). After all, with Sol Campbell, and sometimes Pascal Cygan (laughs all round), Kolo was an undisputed started for the Invincibles, even though he had been converted from a wing-back or holding midfielder to centre back. That's quite an achievement.

Sure he's fallen by the wayside a little bit since then, and can't really be taken too seriously. But you can't deny his time at Arsenal was impressive by any standards.

Kolo: a bit of a joke now, but was incredible at Arsenal.

10. LAUREN

An unsung hero, Lauren gave Arsenal six years of his careers, and was an ever-present in the subsequent Arsenal side. He was Arsène's first-choice right back throughout the Invincibles's 2003-2004 season and was only ever left out due to injuries.

Quick, strong, clever, Lauren was a bit of an atypical wing back in that he rarely bombed forward or delivered a telling cross. He was the perfect right back for Arsenal, and provided a sturdy and feisty presence down the right hand side.

His consistency and underrated role in Arsenal's success surely outweigh his move to Portsmouth where he was blighted with injuries and didn't play as big a role as he would have liked. A hard-working player who deserved his success.

Lauren: we tend to forget he was an important player for Arsenal. Underrated.