IT'S THE bane of Michel Platini's life, but the English Premier League has long been the home of heroes for overseas stars. But who are the top 100 imports to UK football? We produced our list...
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20 Brian Laudrup
Nationality Danish
British clubs Rangers (1994-98), Chelsea (1998-99)
The lowdown
Rangers’ greatest ever overseas player, the £2.3m signing from AC Milan exhibited the kind of pace, close ball-control, pinpoint crossing and shooting that left
SPL defences weeping. Given a free role by Walter Smith in tandem with Paul Gascoigne, Laudrup was
a talismanic presence in one of the Gers’ greatest sides.
Finest hour
Despite winning the Footballer Writer’s Player of the Year twice in his four-year spell, scoring the bullet header against Dundee United that sealed Rangers’ historic, record-equalling nine-in-a-row run in 1996 marked the emotional peak of his fondly recalled spell.
They said
“The best investment I ever made on behalf of the club. Without question he is one of the most gifted players I’ve come across” – Walter Smith. GT
19 Robert Pires
Nationality French
British club Arsenal (2000-2006)
The lowdown
He spent his first season floundering like Bambi on ice. Then, suddenly, he found his feet and was central to Arsenal’s double winning campaign in 2002, forming
a terrific understanding with Thierry Henry and providing more assists than any other player in the Premier League, despite his campaign being curtailed by injury. His strangely duck-like running style belied quicksilver feet and a sublime touch, and his Premiership scoring record of 62 goals in 189 games was one most strikers would envy.
Finest hour
At the Premier League trophy presentation at Highbury in 2002, his team-mates bowed down to Pires in ‘we’re not worthy’ tribute – acknowledgement of his influence.
They said
“Before that injury [in 2002] he was the best left-sided midfielder in the world” – Arsene Wenger. DB
18 Ruud van Nistelrooy
Nationality Dutch
British club Manchester United (2001-2006)
The lowdown
“When I eventually go,” said Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2004, “I would like the fans to think ‘He was OK’.” Though curiously never unconditionally adored at Old Trafford, the Dutchman’s legacy was safe two years later when he departed for Real Madrid. His stay had been more than OK. Signed from PSV Eindhoven for
£19 million in the summer of 2001, the late-blooming Dutchman provided a constant supply of goals over the next five years, with 150 goals from 219 games. His
38 goals in the Champions League easily surpassed Denis Law’s all-time European club record.
Finest hour
A hat-trick against Fulham completed with a rare dribble from the halfway line en route to the 2003 title.
They said
“When he receives the ball inside the box, it’s almost
a forgone conclusion he will score” – Eusebio. SP
17 Bruce Grobbelaar
Nationality Zimbabwean
British clubs Liverpool (1980-94), Southampton (1994-96), Plymouth Argyle (1996-97), Oldham Athletic (1997-98), Bury (1998), Lincoln City (1998)
The lowdown
While critics sneer that anybody could have kept goal behind Liverpool’s notoriously miserly 1980s defence, it’s worth remembering that Bruce Grobbelaar was hardly ever dropped by three of Anfield’s shrewdest managers: Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish.
Finest hour
The 1984 European Cup Final penalty shootout against Roma. Many remember his bandy legs putting off Graziani; equally entertaining was the “pretending the net was spaghetti” routine that bamboozled Conti.
They said
“Before the penalties, Jamie Carragher came up to me and said ‘Jerzy, remember Bruce Grobbelaar? He did crazy things to put them off. You have to do the same’”
– Jerzy Dudek on the 2005 Champions League Final. NM
16 George Robledo
Nationality Chilean British clubs Barnsley (1945-49), Newcastle United (1949-53)
The lowdown
Jackie Milburn was the local hero but alongside him was the guile and the intelligence of George Robledo, an inside-forward brimming with all the exoticism
and creativity of, er, South Yorkshire.
Jorge Robledo (as he was christened)
was born in Chile, in the northern port
of Iquique, but when he was five his Chilean father and English mother emigrated to Brampton, near Rotherham. He showed early talent as a footballer and he played as an amateur for Huddersfield’s reserve team while earning his money down the pit. He joined Barnsley with his younger brother Ted (Eduardo) towards the end of the War, and played for them for four years before Newcastle came calling. The club were interested only in him, but he refused to move north unless Ted came too, so Newcastle reluctantly signed the pair of them.
After making his debut against Charlton
on February 5, 1949, Robledo netted
his first goal a month later against Sunderland, setting him firmly on
the way to cult status on Tyneside.
He suffered terribly from travel sickness and had to take the train even when the rest of the team went by bus, but as the goals flowed it hardly seemed to matter.
His form also attracted attention back in South America, and, despite not speaking a word of Spanish, Robledo was included in the Chile squad for the 1950 World Cup. He made his debut against England, and went on to win 31 caps, scoring eight goals.
His goals-per-game ratio was rather better for Newcastle, for whom he totalled 82 goals in 146 games. Just as crucial, though, were the number of passes he slid through to Milburn; theirs was arguably the greatest strike partnership in the club’s history. Robledo bade farewell to Tyneside in 1953
and returned to Chile to sign for the Santiago club Colo Colo. He finished his playing career with O’Higgins and retired with his wife to the coastal town of Vina del Mar, where he lived until dying from
a heart attack in 1989.
Finest hour
Having become the first South American to play in the FA Cup final when Newcastle beat Blackpool in 1951, he was a key player
as Newcastle retained the Cup the following year. He was top scorer in Division One
that season and, when he added his 39th in
all competitions with the winner against Arsenal in the final, it took him level
with Hughie Gallacher’s club record tally for a season.
They said
“I just hope we see you later this afternoon, George” – Milburn to Robledo as they parted outside
the hotel before the 1951 Cup Final. As the team took the bus to Wembley, Robledo took the train, and later set up the opener for his strike partner. JW
15 Paolo di Canio
Nationality Italian British clubs Celtic (1996-97); Sheffield Wednesday (1997-99);
West Ham United (1999-2003); Charlton Athletic (2003-04)
The lowdown
One of the biggest talents and mouths to alight upon these shores. A conundrum of
a player with an unerring knack for stirring up controversies, he also once earned universal plaudits for an act of rare sportsmanship. What was never in dispute was his ability to boss games when the mood took him and
a capacity for moments of breathtaking brilliance. He invariably prospered whenever handed centre stage.
The Italian burst into Britain at Celtic as one of “The Three Amigos” (a sobriquet coined by the presumably map-shy Hoops chairman Fergus McCann) with fellow Euro-mavericks Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete – a forward line huge on flair and hopelessly lacking in discipline.
He made his mark at all four British clubs that he played for, but he became a cult at West Ham, contributing 48 league goals from 114 starts. Shown the door by Sheffield Wednesday in January 1999 after flooring referee Paul Alcock in a match against Arsenal and thus earning himself an 11-match ban, he departed with a volley of abuse for his old employers. But he channelled his indignation into his new job, helping fire the Hammers up to fifth, their second-highest top-flight finish. His thunderous flying volley for West Ham against Wimbledon in 2000 was rightly proclaimed the BBC’s Goal of the Season.
A law unto himself, the Italian, a self-styled “fascist, but not a racist” who has a tattooed homage to Mussolini on his arm, frayed the nerves of just about every manager he played for, including the normally laid-back Harry Redknapp. Nor did he spare team-mates; he thought Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand were too raw to play for England. It was a public bust-up with Redknapp’s successor Glenn Roeder, who made the mistake of trying to bring him to heel, that prompted his post-haste departure for a final English fling at the Valley.
Finest hour
Defying his bad-boy image with a shockingly rare act of sportsmanship at Goodison Park in December 2000. Di Canio spurned the chance to score in the final minute in order to call for attention for injured home keeper Paul Gerrard. FIFA gave him their Fair Play Award, with supremo Sepp Blatter gushing “Your spontaneous action deserves our special recognition and respect.”
They said
“I have a terrific bunch of lads and
a wonderful team spirit and I will not stand by and watch someone wreck it. I don’t care who he is or how much talent he has. Paolo cannot get away with this time and again... Paolo is upsetting people left, right and centre and he should not be surprised if no one wants to talk to him” – a rare public rebuke from Harry Redknapp in 2000. DB
14 Eddie Firmani
Nationality Italian (born South African)
British clubs Charlton Athletic (1950-54, 1963-64, 1966-67), Southend United (1965-66)
The lowdown
Spotted as a Cape Town teen crashing home seven goals in a game by boss Jimmy Seed, the predatory Firmani became the best-known of a string of South African imports at The Valley, scoring more than a goal every other game during three spells with the Addicks. Set a British transfer record when he joined Sampdoria in 1963 for £35,000 and won three caps for Italy.
Finest hour
Firmani is the only man to have scored 100 goals in top-flight football in England and Italy. Top that, Rushie.
He said
“Italy was where I learned about tactics. English soccer was a different game. It was about being strong and powerful and playing at the very highest speed, getting long balls to the forwards.” SM
13 Jaap Stam
Nationality Dutch
British club Manchester United (1998-2001)
The lowdown
A £10.75m buy from PSV Eindhoven in summer 1998, Jaap Stam was possibly Manchester United’s greatest ever defender. His incredible strength, pace and awareness, plus his hulking 6ft 3in frame, made United almost invincible; he finished each of his three seasons in England with a Premier League winners medal, and in 1999 completed the Treble. A revelatory autobiography persuaded Ferguson to sell him to Lazio for £16.5m in August 2001, but the Dutchman played on with aplomb via AC Milan and Ajax. When he retired last year, Ferguson finally confessed: “It was a mistake.”
Finest hour
May 1999: three Treble-winning games in 10 days.
They said
“Without Jaap Stam Sir Alex would still be Alex” – Mike Ingham, BBC Five Live. SP
12 Ruud Gullit
Nationality Dutch
British clubs Chelsea (1995-1998)
The lowdown
Glenn Hoddle’s acquisition may have glamourised the Premier League – and ushered in a cosmopolitan era at Stamford Bridge – but his big idea for the Dutchman didn’t work. Hoddle had switched to sweeper during his final playing days of his own career, but Gullit doing the same threw his defence into disarray. The solution was obvious, but many wondered if the 32-year-old could cope with a frenetic English midfield. Cope with it? He revelled in it, running the show, scoring vital goals and narrowly losing out to Eric Cantona as Player of the Year.
Finest hour
A 70-yard burst to notch a glorious winner against Southampton.
They said
“His talent is God-given – and how he uses it!” – Saints boss Dave Merrington, shortly afterwards. RE
11 Dwight Yorke
Nationality Tobagan
British clubs Aston Villa (1989-98), Manchester United (1998-2002), Blackburn Rovers (2002-2004), Birmingham City (2004-2005), Sunderland (2006-)
The lowdown
Discovered by Graham Taylor in Tobago in 1989, Yorke enjoyed nine seasons at Villa Park before Alex Ferguson spent a club record £12.6m on him. Fergie’s chairman Martin Edwards and assistant Brian Kidd questioned him, but the intelligently skilful Yorke formed a brilliant partnership with Andy Cole and finished as the club’s top scorer with 29 goals as United won the Treble, and then another two league medals. He even impressed in a midfield role for Sunderland after his Sydney stint.
Finest hour
A double strike against Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in March 1999.
He said
“The manager doesn’t want me to live like a monk. If he tried, my football would go down the drain.” SP
Nationality Danish
British clubs Rangers (1994-98), Chelsea (1998-99)
The lowdown
Rangers’ greatest ever overseas player, the £2.3m signing from AC Milan exhibited the kind of pace, close ball-control, pinpoint crossing and shooting that left
SPL defences weeping. Given a free role by Walter Smith in tandem with Paul Gascoigne, Laudrup was
a talismanic presence in one of the Gers’ greatest sides.
Finest hour
Despite winning the Footballer Writer’s Player of the Year twice in his four-year spell, scoring the bullet header against Dundee United that sealed Rangers’ historic, record-equalling nine-in-a-row run in 1996 marked the emotional peak of his fondly recalled spell.
They said
“The best investment I ever made on behalf of the club. Without question he is one of the most gifted players I’ve come across” – Walter Smith. GT
19 Robert Pires
Nationality French
British club Arsenal (2000-2006)
The lowdown
He spent his first season floundering like Bambi on ice. Then, suddenly, he found his feet and was central to Arsenal’s double winning campaign in 2002, forming
a terrific understanding with Thierry Henry and providing more assists than any other player in the Premier League, despite his campaign being curtailed by injury. His strangely duck-like running style belied quicksilver feet and a sublime touch, and his Premiership scoring record of 62 goals in 189 games was one most strikers would envy.
Finest hour
At the Premier League trophy presentation at Highbury in 2002, his team-mates bowed down to Pires in ‘we’re not worthy’ tribute – acknowledgement of his influence.
They said
“Before that injury [in 2002] he was the best left-sided midfielder in the world” – Arsene Wenger. DB
18 Ruud van Nistelrooy
Nationality Dutch
British club Manchester United (2001-2006)
The lowdown
“When I eventually go,” said Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2004, “I would like the fans to think ‘He was OK’.” Though curiously never unconditionally adored at Old Trafford, the Dutchman’s legacy was safe two years later when he departed for Real Madrid. His stay had been more than OK. Signed from PSV Eindhoven for
£19 million in the summer of 2001, the late-blooming Dutchman provided a constant supply of goals over the next five years, with 150 goals from 219 games. His
38 goals in the Champions League easily surpassed Denis Law’s all-time European club record.
Finest hour
A hat-trick against Fulham completed with a rare dribble from the halfway line en route to the 2003 title.
They said
“When he receives the ball inside the box, it’s almost
a forgone conclusion he will score” – Eusebio. SP
17 Bruce Grobbelaar
Nationality Zimbabwean
British clubs Liverpool (1980-94), Southampton (1994-96), Plymouth Argyle (1996-97), Oldham Athletic (1997-98), Bury (1998), Lincoln City (1998)
The lowdown
While critics sneer that anybody could have kept goal behind Liverpool’s notoriously miserly 1980s defence, it’s worth remembering that Bruce Grobbelaar was hardly ever dropped by three of Anfield’s shrewdest managers: Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Kenny Dalglish.
Finest hour
The 1984 European Cup Final penalty shootout against Roma. Many remember his bandy legs putting off Graziani; equally entertaining was the “pretending the net was spaghetti” routine that bamboozled Conti.
They said
“Before the penalties, Jamie Carragher came up to me and said ‘Jerzy, remember Bruce Grobbelaar? He did crazy things to put them off. You have to do the same’”
– Jerzy Dudek on the 2005 Champions League Final. NM
16 George Robledo
Nationality Chilean British clubs Barnsley (1945-49), Newcastle United (1949-53)
The lowdown
Jackie Milburn was the local hero but alongside him was the guile and the intelligence of George Robledo, an inside-forward brimming with all the exoticism
and creativity of, er, South Yorkshire.
Jorge Robledo (as he was christened)
was born in Chile, in the northern port
of Iquique, but when he was five his Chilean father and English mother emigrated to Brampton, near Rotherham. He showed early talent as a footballer and he played as an amateur for Huddersfield’s reserve team while earning his money down the pit. He joined Barnsley with his younger brother Ted (Eduardo) towards the end of the War, and played for them for four years before Newcastle came calling. The club were interested only in him, but he refused to move north unless Ted came too, so Newcastle reluctantly signed the pair of them.
After making his debut against Charlton
on February 5, 1949, Robledo netted
his first goal a month later against Sunderland, setting him firmly on
the way to cult status on Tyneside.
He suffered terribly from travel sickness and had to take the train even when the rest of the team went by bus, but as the goals flowed it hardly seemed to matter.
His form also attracted attention back in South America, and, despite not speaking a word of Spanish, Robledo was included in the Chile squad for the 1950 World Cup. He made his debut against England, and went on to win 31 caps, scoring eight goals.
His goals-per-game ratio was rather better for Newcastle, for whom he totalled 82 goals in 146 games. Just as crucial, though, were the number of passes he slid through to Milburn; theirs was arguably the greatest strike partnership in the club’s history. Robledo bade farewell to Tyneside in 1953
and returned to Chile to sign for the Santiago club Colo Colo. He finished his playing career with O’Higgins and retired with his wife to the coastal town of Vina del Mar, where he lived until dying from
a heart attack in 1989.
Finest hour
Having become the first South American to play in the FA Cup final when Newcastle beat Blackpool in 1951, he was a key player
as Newcastle retained the Cup the following year. He was top scorer in Division One
that season and, when he added his 39th in
all competitions with the winner against Arsenal in the final, it took him level
with Hughie Gallacher’s club record tally for a season.
They said
“I just hope we see you later this afternoon, George” – Milburn to Robledo as they parted outside
the hotel before the 1951 Cup Final. As the team took the bus to Wembley, Robledo took the train, and later set up the opener for his strike partner. JW
15 Paolo di Canio
Nationality Italian British clubs Celtic (1996-97); Sheffield Wednesday (1997-99);
West Ham United (1999-2003); Charlton Athletic (2003-04)
The lowdown
One of the biggest talents and mouths to alight upon these shores. A conundrum of
a player with an unerring knack for stirring up controversies, he also once earned universal plaudits for an act of rare sportsmanship. What was never in dispute was his ability to boss games when the mood took him and
a capacity for moments of breathtaking brilliance. He invariably prospered whenever handed centre stage.
The Italian burst into Britain at Celtic as one of “The Three Amigos” (a sobriquet coined by the presumably map-shy Hoops chairman Fergus McCann) with fellow Euro-mavericks Pierre van Hooijdonk and Jorge Cadete – a forward line huge on flair and hopelessly lacking in discipline.
He made his mark at all four British clubs that he played for, but he became a cult at West Ham, contributing 48 league goals from 114 starts. Shown the door by Sheffield Wednesday in January 1999 after flooring referee Paul Alcock in a match against Arsenal and thus earning himself an 11-match ban, he departed with a volley of abuse for his old employers. But he channelled his indignation into his new job, helping fire the Hammers up to fifth, their second-highest top-flight finish. His thunderous flying volley for West Ham against Wimbledon in 2000 was rightly proclaimed the BBC’s Goal of the Season.
A law unto himself, the Italian, a self-styled “fascist, but not a racist” who has a tattooed homage to Mussolini on his arm, frayed the nerves of just about every manager he played for, including the normally laid-back Harry Redknapp. Nor did he spare team-mates; he thought Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand were too raw to play for England. It was a public bust-up with Redknapp’s successor Glenn Roeder, who made the mistake of trying to bring him to heel, that prompted his post-haste departure for a final English fling at the Valley.
Finest hour
Defying his bad-boy image with a shockingly rare act of sportsmanship at Goodison Park in December 2000. Di Canio spurned the chance to score in the final minute in order to call for attention for injured home keeper Paul Gerrard. FIFA gave him their Fair Play Award, with supremo Sepp Blatter gushing “Your spontaneous action deserves our special recognition and respect.”
They said
“I have a terrific bunch of lads and
a wonderful team spirit and I will not stand by and watch someone wreck it. I don’t care who he is or how much talent he has. Paolo cannot get away with this time and again... Paolo is upsetting people left, right and centre and he should not be surprised if no one wants to talk to him” – a rare public rebuke from Harry Redknapp in 2000. DB
14 Eddie Firmani
Nationality Italian (born South African)
British clubs Charlton Athletic (1950-54, 1963-64, 1966-67), Southend United (1965-66)
The lowdown
Spotted as a Cape Town teen crashing home seven goals in a game by boss Jimmy Seed, the predatory Firmani became the best-known of a string of South African imports at The Valley, scoring more than a goal every other game during three spells with the Addicks. Set a British transfer record when he joined Sampdoria in 1963 for £35,000 and won three caps for Italy.
Finest hour
Firmani is the only man to have scored 100 goals in top-flight football in England and Italy. Top that, Rushie.
He said
“Italy was where I learned about tactics. English soccer was a different game. It was about being strong and powerful and playing at the very highest speed, getting long balls to the forwards.” SM
13 Jaap Stam
Nationality Dutch
British club Manchester United (1998-2001)
The lowdown
A £10.75m buy from PSV Eindhoven in summer 1998, Jaap Stam was possibly Manchester United’s greatest ever defender. His incredible strength, pace and awareness, plus his hulking 6ft 3in frame, made United almost invincible; he finished each of his three seasons in England with a Premier League winners medal, and in 1999 completed the Treble. A revelatory autobiography persuaded Ferguson to sell him to Lazio for £16.5m in August 2001, but the Dutchman played on with aplomb via AC Milan and Ajax. When he retired last year, Ferguson finally confessed: “It was a mistake.”
Finest hour
May 1999: three Treble-winning games in 10 days.
They said
“Without Jaap Stam Sir Alex would still be Alex” – Mike Ingham, BBC Five Live. SP
12 Ruud Gullit
Nationality Dutch
British clubs Chelsea (1995-1998)
The lowdown
Glenn Hoddle’s acquisition may have glamourised the Premier League – and ushered in a cosmopolitan era at Stamford Bridge – but his big idea for the Dutchman didn’t work. Hoddle had switched to sweeper during his final playing days of his own career, but Gullit doing the same threw his defence into disarray. The solution was obvious, but many wondered if the 32-year-old could cope with a frenetic English midfield. Cope with it? He revelled in it, running the show, scoring vital goals and narrowly losing out to Eric Cantona as Player of the Year.
Finest hour
A 70-yard burst to notch a glorious winner against Southampton.
They said
“His talent is God-given – and how he uses it!” – Saints boss Dave Merrington, shortly afterwards. RE
11 Dwight Yorke
Nationality Tobagan
British clubs Aston Villa (1989-98), Manchester United (1998-2002), Blackburn Rovers (2002-2004), Birmingham City (2004-2005), Sunderland (2006-)
The lowdown
Discovered by Graham Taylor in Tobago in 1989, Yorke enjoyed nine seasons at Villa Park before Alex Ferguson spent a club record £12.6m on him. Fergie’s chairman Martin Edwards and assistant Brian Kidd questioned him, but the intelligently skilful Yorke formed a brilliant partnership with Andy Cole and finished as the club’s top scorer with 29 goals as United won the Treble, and then another two league medals. He even impressed in a midfield role for Sunderland after his Sydney stint.
Finest hour
A double strike against Inter Milan in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals in March 1999.
He said
“The manager doesn’t want me to live like a monk. If he tried, my football would go down the drain.” SP
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