Which nations have provided just one Premier League player? Manchester City signing Abdukodir Khusanov is set to join an exclusive club become the first of his countrymen to play in England’s top division.
Pep Guardiola confirmed on Friday that Khusanov will be included in the Manchester City squad to face Chelsea this weekend.
The 20-year-old is a January recruit from Lens and arrives as one of the most exciting defensive prospects in European football.
We wish you all the best Abdukodir Khusanov โค๏ธ๐บ๐ฟ pic.twitter.com/JXsGvZwaNP
โ Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 20, 2025
Khusanov has won plaudits for his performances in Ligue 1 and persuaded the Premier League champions to spend ยฃ33.8m on his services this month. He is set to become a history-maker if he takes to the field this weekend, as the first footballer from Uzbekistan to play in the Premier League.
Currently, 118 of the 211 foreign FIFA-affiliated nations have been represented in the Premier League.
The most recent of those was Bangladesh, after Leicester City midfielder when Hamza Choudhury had his chance in international allegiance approved by FIFA, having represented England at youth level. Ipswich forward Ali Al-Hamadi also became the first Iraqi footballer to play in the league this season.
In total, there are 18 nations that have been represented in the Premier League by just one player.
The most high-profile of those is former Manchester United and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. A 12-time Armenian Footballer of the Year, he won a League Cup and Europa League double during his time at Manchester United, before signing for Arsenal in a swap-deal involving Alexis Sanchez. He scored 13 goals and provided 14 assists in 79 career Premier League appearances.
Ex-Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama is another notable name on this list. The Kenyan had successful spells at Spurs and Southampton after moving to English football from Celtic.
Every nation who has provided just one Premier League player
- Armenia – Henrikh Mkhitaryan
- Bangladesh – Hamza Choudry
- Central African Republic – Frรฉdรฉric Nimani
- Cuba – Onel Hernandez
- Dominican Republic – Junior Firpo
- Faroe Islands – Gunnar Nielsen
- Gibraltar – Danny Higginbotham
- Guatemala – Nathaniel Mendez-Laing
- Indonesia – Jordi Amat
- Iraq – Ali Al-Hamadi
- Kenya – Victor Wanyama
- Malta – Dylan Kerr
- Oman – Ali Al-Habsi
- Pakistan – Zeshan Rehman
- Philippines – Neil Etheridge
- Suriname – Ryan Donk
- Syria – Mahmoud Dahoud
- Tanzania – Mbwana Samatta
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