March 28, 2024

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Who is the most popular African player in the Premier League?

With the new season well under way and the return of European competitions, as well as the fast-approaching start of the World Cup, there’s never been a better time to see our favourite footballing stars in competitive action. These players often transcend the realm of sport and become world-renowned celebrities – but who is the most popular off the pitch?

To find out, Seatpick scoured data surrounding the players in the 20 teams currently competing in the English Premier League, and these are the results:

The full data set can be found HERE.

The most popular African players in the Premier League

RankPlayerPL teamNational teamFollowers
1Mohamed SalahLiverpoolEgypt53,100,000
2Pierre-Emerick AubameyangChelseaGabon13,400,000
3Riyad MahrezManchester CityAlgeria9,300,000
4Hakim ZiyechChelseaMorocco6,400,000
5Mohamed ElnenyArsenalEgypt4,600,000
6Édouard MendyChelseaSenegal2,300,000
7Kalidou KoulibalyChelseaSenegal2,200,000
8Saïd BenrahmaWest Ham UnitedAlgeria2,000,000
=9Idrissa GueyeEvertonSenegal1,800,000
=9Naby KeïtaLiverpoolGuinea1,800,000

* An ‘=’ represents a joint ranking

Seatpick can reveal that the most popular African player currently in the Premier League is Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah. Though far behind Ronaldo’s follower count, the Egyptian King still boasts an astounding 53 million followers. Salah has been an instrumental maestro for the Reds since his club-record signing in 2017, helping to lead them to Premier and Champions League glory with his efforts. Considered one of the greatest African players of all time, it is no surprise to see him as one of the Premier League’s most popular.

In second place is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The former Gabon international has been the centre of a couple headline transfers in recent times: first from Arsenal to Barcelona, and then back to the Premier League this year to play for Chelsea. He finishes with 13.4 million followers.

In third place is Riyad Mahrez, with 9.3 million followers. The Algerian winger helped Leicester City win the Premier League a few years ago, and is now an important part of Pep Guardiola’s star-studded Manchester City team. 

Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech, who has recently returned to his international duties with Morocco, finishes in fourth with 6.4 million followers, and Arsenal’s Mohamed Elneny, the second Egyptian on the list, finishes in fifth, with 4.6 million.

The rest of the top 10 is dominated by Senegalese players: Chelsea’s Édouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly in sixth and seventh respectively, as well as Everton’s Idrissa Gueye in ninth. West Ham United’s Algerian star Saïd Benrahma finishes in eighth and Liverpool’s Guinea international Naby Keïta shares ninth spot with Gueye.

The most popular players in the Premier League

RankPlayerPL teamNational teamFollowers
1Cristiano RonaldoManchester UnitedPortugal489,000,000
2Mohamed SalahLiverpoolEgypt53,100,000
3Philippe CoutinhoAston VillaBrazil24,800,000
4Thiago SilvaChelseaBrazil20,000,000
5Erling HaalandManchester CityNorway19,900,000
6Raphaël VaraneManchester UnitedFrance19,800,000
7Kevin De BruyneManchester CityBelgium19,300,000
8Gabriel JesusArsenalBrazil18,900,000
9CasemiroManchester UnitedBrazil17,700,000
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