The Premier League has helped create superstars from across the globe by giving them the platform to showcase their skills. It is a competition that millions around the world follow religiously, including in Zambia, with fans often looking for score predictions to help make knowledgeable bets on the matches that are taking place.
However, fans in the country have also kept close eyes on the stars from their home nation that have gone on to play in the English top flight. To date, five players from Zambia have played in the Premier League, and you can learn more about their careers in England here.
Neil Gregory
Neil Gregory was the first Zambian-born player to play in the Premier League. He started his career with Ipswich Town at the youth level before signing his first professional deal in 1992.
Gregory would only play 36 league games during his six-year stay at Ipswich but would play for the club during their stint in the Premier League in the 1992-93 season.
However, the majority of his success came away from the club, as he was loaned out on five occasions to lower league clubs, including Torquay United, Peterborough United, and Chesterfield. He began to play regularly after joining Colchester United for a club-record fee in 1998. During two years with the club, he scored seven goals in 44 league games.
Collins Mbesuma
Collins Mbesuma would become the second Zambian player to play in the Premier League in the 2000s. After impressing during spells with Roan United and Kaizer Chiefs, which included 35 goals in the 20014-05 season for the latter, he was signed by Portsmouth.
A number of English clubs were interested in signing the striker, including Bolton. However, he opted to sign for Pompey and would later join up with his new teammates after complications gaining clearance.
Mbesuma’s stay on the South Coast wasn’t ideal, and he reportedly turned up to his first training session overweight. He wouldn’t make a start for the club and made just four first-team appearances during a two-year stay. Mbesuma was later sold by the club, and he later enjoyed spells with CS Maritimo, Bursaspor, and Orlando Pirates.
Emmanuel Mayuka
Emmanuel Mayuka was a very impressive striker during his early career, and that also included the forward finishing as the top scorer at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. That certainly attracted interest from some European clubs, and he signed for Premier League outfit Southampton in 2012. The fee to take the striker to St Mary’s was reportedly £3 million, and he made his debut for the Saints against Manchester United.
However, he only managed to score one goal in a three-year stay with Southampton. That goal came in a 5-1 League Cup success against Barnsley. Following the appointment of Ronaldo Koeman, it was deemed that the striker had no future at the club, and he was sold to Metz in 2015.
Enock Mwepu
The summer of 2021 was a busy period for Zambian players moving to the Premier League, as two stars moved to the English top flight. Brighton & Hove Albion signed Enock Mwepu from Red Bull Salzburg, and the Zambia captain went on to make 18 appearances for the club in his first season at the Amex. He immediately hit the ground running with Seagulls as he scored on his debut in a pre-season fixture.
Mwepu would be one of the standout players in the 2021-22 season for Brighton and later picked up the Goal of the Season award for his strike against Liverpool. He was an integral part of their team that helped achieve their highest ever top-flight finish, as they ended the campaign in ninth.
Patson Daka
One of the most exciting Zambian players also moved to the Premier League in 2021, as Leicester City agreed to pay a substantial fee to Red Bull Salzburg to bring the striker to the East Midlands. Daka would win his first piece of silverware in his first game for the Foxes, as Leicester managed to beat Manchester City in the Community Shield.
However, his best performances for the Foxes came in Europe during his first campaign. That included a stunning display against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League, as he scored all four goals in a 4-3 victory. There is a belief at the club that Daka is the long-term replacement for Jamie Vardy, and he is set to play an important role for the club in the 2022-23 season.