British Expatriate Network

I saw this on the BBC website - anyone agree/disagree? I used to think he was a very very good player - but watching hi mafter all these years its clear that he was one of the bets players to have played in England.

My vote for best foreign player to have played in EPL (don't you just hate that, and contributed most,is Zola

Good player but I think he was somewhat overrated.

Loved Cantona. His attitude and skills were first rate.

Eric Cantona was class, Idoubt any foreign player has had the impact on the Prem like he has.
So who was the worst foreign import to the game? I have a few nominations.
Thomas Brolin was one, as is when Man City signed George Weah a few years back for 5 months and then couldn't hit a barn door from 5 yards out.
That Boogers guy for West Ham made a bit of a bonehead of himself didn't he?

just a tohught.

Torben Piechnik for Liverpool was a real spanner.

Remember that William Prunier fella who played for Man United for a few games and was then ripped apart by Spurs on New Years day a while ago?

I think the foreign player with the biggest impact for the EPL was Klinnsman. Not because of how he played for Spurs, but because he was the first big name foreigner to sign for an English team, I can still remember the MOTD commentators in complete awe of him. It opened the door to the dozens of other top name signings from Europe, and has made the Premiership the top league it is today.

Now you can argue whether all the foreign players are a good thing or not, but either way Spurs and Jurgen started the trend.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by Beng on 2003-04-16 1751 ]</font>

Surely it would have to have been another Spurs exile that really did this... Ossie Ardiles in the 78 world cup moves to Spurs with all his South American flair and skill? Klinnsman did a good job, but Ossie (and to a lesser extent Ricky Villa) paved the way.

If goalkeepers are allowed a vote then how about Bruce Grobelaar?

He was quite the novelty, amusing to watch, not afraid of clipping his own players round the ear when they messed up, did that great spaghetti legs routine to put Johnny European off his penalty in the final and liked the odd flutter....on games he was playing in.

I once told him to stop being an arse though after yet another of his stupid, runs up the wing with the ball where he loses it to a real outfielder.

Still a character though.

Grobelaar was cool, but which decade are we talking about?

Good point, but it seems there was a large gap between Ardilles/Villa and Klinsmann. Who were the other significant imports in the eighties? Jan Molby?
After Klinsmann came over the floodgates just opened and we got players like Zola, Gullit, Juninho etc. Then Euro 96 happened and they came in droves.

Jan Molby absolutely. Now theres a Human Shield that could stop anything - except of course food. I'd also chuck in George Best.

Recently we've seen Ruud Gullit, Peter Schmeichel, Gianluca Vialli, Gianfranco Zola, Dan Petrescu, Jurgen Klinsmann, and of course Roy Keane who after all is a foreign player.

Worst players me and my friends talk about these all the time - Ned Zelic (QPR) Marco Boogers (WHam - at least he was entertaining), Zeljko Kalac (Leicester), Alex Sebella, Illie Dumitrescu (Spures - and did nothing), Silvio aric (Newc), Thomas Brolin (hurrah!), the great Ali Dia brought on as a sub for Southampton then taken off ten minutes later, Massimo Taibi (Man Utd), Sean Dundee and Eric Meijer (Liverpool), Gilles De Bilde (Sheff W), Daniel Amokachi (Everton), Cobi Jones,

I like the argument that there are too many half-hearted foreign players in England - what about the half hearted home born ones? If it wasnt football but say a regular business that accusation would seem a tad xenophobic.