Picking an All-Time Premier League Foreign XI: Cantona, Bergkamp, Giggs and More

Ed WymanJun 7, 2018

Since the Premier League's creation in 1992, some of the best players from around the world have graced England with their presence as they have brought their talents to the Premier League.

This, therefore, is a starting XI made up of the best non-English players to play in the Premier League.

Just to make it clear, "non-English" does include Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish players. The team lines up in a 4-3-3 formation.

So, without further ado, here is my list of the all-time dream Premier League foreign XI.

GK Peter Schmeichel

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Arguably the greatest goalkeeper ever, Peter Schmeichel was an incredible force for Manchester United for eight very successful years. A remarkable 42 perecent of his league matches whilst in the Premier League ended with him securing a clean sheet. Not bad for a player who cost £500,000

He won an impressive five Premier League titles during his stay at Manchester United, as well as three FA Cups and a UEFA Super Cup.

He went on to play for Sporting CP, Aston Villa, during which time he became the first Premier League goalkeeper to score a goal, before finishing up at Manchester City for a season.

LB Patrice Evra

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Patrice Evra joined Manchester United in 2006 for £5.5 million, and has gone on to be an incredibly important part of one of the most successful teams in Premier League history. His pace and skill going forward make him a very dangerous proposition for opposition defences, but, despite his small stature, he maintains the ability to his primary job, defend.

Since arriving at Old Trafford, Evra has helped United win four Premier League crowns, a Champions League and two League Cups. The size of his contribution is indicated by his selection for the PFA team of the year three times, and his selection for the UEFA team of the year and the FIFA world XI in 2009.

He may have only graced the Premier League for five years, so far, but the 30-year-old has made a huge contribution to a very successful side.

CB Marcel Desailly

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Marcel Desailly may have only one trophy during his six year stay in the Premier League with Chelsea, but in many ways he was very successful. He was Chelsea captain for four years, helped John Terry grow into his role as a key central defender, and proved himself to be a defender of the highest calibre.

Desailly won two Champions League's in two successive seasons with two different clubs (Marseille and AC Milan), a first. He was a part of the hugely successful French side that won both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, the first team to hold both trophies at the same time.

Desailly was named in the 1992-2002 Premier League team of the decade, a mark of his quality and ability.

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CB Jap Staam

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Jaap Stam only spent three seasons in the Premier League, but he won three Premier League titles in that time, as well as an FA Cup and a Champions League title, being named best defender in the competition in both 1999 and 2000.

He commanded a fee of over £10 million when he signed for Manchester United in 1998, and when he left he was worth £16.5 million, despite having being seriously injured and being 29.

Stam featured in the PFA team of the year for three consecutive seasons while at Manchester United and was named in the overseas team of the decade.

RB Dan Petrescu

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Dan Petrescu spent eight seasons in England, from 1994-2002, playing for Sheffield Wednesday, Chelsea, Bradford and, finally, Southampton. He joined the vast majority of his success in England at Chelsea, for whom he played for five years. He played 151 times for the Blues, chipping in with a handy 17 goals.

Petrescu was great going forwards, combining speed with a good cross and a decent eye for goal, his brilliant lob from 20 yards against Chelsea being a personal favourite.

On top of finding success at Chelsea, Petrescu had a distinguised career with the Romanian national side, for whom he featured 95 times.

Since retiring, he has gone into management, finding a great deal of success, first with Unirea Urziceni, who he took from anonymity to Champions League football, and now with FC Kuban, with whom he won promotion to the Russian Premier league in his first season in charge.

LM Ryan Giggs

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Manchester United's Ryan Giggs has played in every Premier League season and made his debut for the club in 1990, 21 years ago. Despite now being 37, Giggs seems to be as good as he ever was.

He has amassed an incredible 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups and two Champions League titles. His personal awards include being a member of the PFA team of the year six times, a PFA player of the year award, a BBC Sports Personality of the Year and he featured in the 10 year Champions League Dream Team.

Unfortunately for English fans, the player with the most Premier League appearances, medals and one of the greatest ever left-midfielders, was born the wrong side of the Welsh border, depriving England of a truly brilliant player.

CM Patrick Vieira

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Vieira, a member of Arsene Wenger's Invincibles, spent nine years at Arsenal after Arsene Wenger demanded his signing before taking the job.

Famed for his tussles with the man who nearly took his place on this list, Roy Keane, there was, and is, more to Vieira's game than strength and intimidation. He was a remarkably skilled player and a great on-field leader who was essential to Arsenal's three Premier League crown's during his time with the club.

Vieira returned to the Premier League with Manchester City in 2010, and went on to win the FA Cup for the fifth time in 2011. Six consecutive PFA team of the year awards help to make Vieira one of the greatest foreigners to ever grace the Premier League.

RM Cristiano Ronaldo

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By leaving the Premier League, Ronaldo became the most expensive player in the history of football; he cost Real Madrid an incredible £80 million. It is easy enough to see why he came with such a hefty price tag when you look at his performances for Manchester United.

His mesmerising skills with the ball at his feet, as well as his free-kick taking ability have made him the only rival to Lionel Messi for the title of the best in the world.

He helped United to three Premier League crowns in a row, one of which came in his incredible 2007-8 season, a year which saw him score 42 times in 49 appearances and culminated in a Champions League win.

Ronaldo has now moved to Madrid, where he is better than ever. The winger scored 40 times in 34 league appearances last season, a glut of goals which was still not enough to secure Real the La Liga crown.

ST Dennis Bergkamp

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Many, including Alan Hansen, believe Dennis Bergkamp to be the greatest foreign player to ever play in the Premier League. It has been said that Bergkamp played the game as if he was sitting in the crowd. He could see the whole pitch, every pass, every angle and every potential run with perfect clarity.

Bergkamp was not a prolific goalscorer, often being more of a provider, but he still scored 87 league goals for Arsenal in 11 years, not a shabby record. When he did score, the goals were usually impressive. His goal against Newcastle features one of the most sensational pieces of skill you will ever see.

A member of Wenger's Invincibles, Bergkamp is a legend of the game, a truly brilliant player.

ST Eric Cantona

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He might be best remembered for performing a Kung-Fu kick on a Charlton fan, but Eric Cantona, "King Eric," was a footballing genius at Manchester United for five years.

Cantona was blessed with a skill that few others have possessed, and it enabled him to play with plenty of flair, as well as a great deal of arrogance. He was no stranger to controversy and must have one of the Premier League's worst disciplinary records ever.

His on-field record, however, speaks for itself. He secured four Premier League titles and two FA Cups during his time at Old Trafford, helping to turn United into the dominant English footballing force that it remains to this day.

Despite only playing in the Premier League for five years, and being banned for eight months during that period, Cantona picked up the award for Overseas player of the decade in 2002, an indication of just how very good he was.

ST Thierry Henry

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Thierry Henry is the most prolific foreign striker the Premier League has ever had. The French striker, who arrived at Arsenal in 1999 as a winger, was quickly converted to a central striker and went on to score 174 league goals in just 254 appearances as well as 77 assists.

Henry was the first player to score more than 20 Premier League goals in five consecutive seasons, courtesy of a magnificent calm in front of goal in one-on-one situations and sensational pace that allowed him to get behind defences with unnerving ease. On top of all that, he was a good free-kick taker as well.

The Frenchman left Arsenal in 2007 after eight seasons, moving to Barcelona for €24 million. He has since moved to the New York Red Bulls and has already netted seven times in 12 appearances this season.