The First four Foreign Goalkeepers in the Premier League

Remembering the first four foreign goalkeepers in the Premier League, which was previously dominated by players from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The Premier League 2024/25 is set to begin this weekend. The league, which is regarded as the best and most competitive in the world, has attracted top elite goalkeepers from all over the world. In fact, in recent years, the best FIFA custodian has come from the Premier League. Manchester City’s Ederson, Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez, Liverpool’s Alisson Brecker, the former Chelsea shot stopper, Eduard Mendy were the ones awarded such accolades since 2019. Only Manuel Neuer disrupted their dominance when he helped Bayern win the treble in2020.

This season, 15 of 20 teams rely on foreign names between the sticks as their first choice. Only Newcastle United, Everton, Southampton, Leicester City, and Crystal Palace rely on 'local' figures from the British Isles. Quite the opposite occurred during the Premier League's early years. In fact, in its inaugural season in 1992/93, only four foreign goalies were available in the first team. Here are the so-called trailblazers of English top flight.

 Jan Stejskal (Czechia)

The former Czechoslovakian international was part of the QPR squad from 1990 to 1994. He was the number one goalie for his country in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, in which he helped them reach the quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champion, (West) Germany 1-0. He earned 31 caps on the international stage. 

The former goalie who is also a qualified mechanic signed for QPR at the age of 28. During his stint at Loftus Road, he was instrumental in helping QPR finish fifth in the EPL's inaugural season and ninth in the 1993/94 campaign, which was his last one in England. Stejskal then moved back to his home soil and joined Slavia Prague and then Viktoria Zizkov before retiring. 

Career in EPL and national team	Matches	Clean sheets	Notable Games
QPR	134	31	vs Leeds Utd 3-2 (debut in Oct 1990) vs Leeds Utd 0-4 (final game in England in April 1994)
Czechoslovakia	29 + 2 (in Czechia)	10	vs Iceland 2-1 (debut May 1986) vs Germany 0-1 (quarterfinal in 1990 World Cup, making at least three clinical saves) vs Lithuania 5-3 (last game in Feb 1994)

Hans Segers (Netherlands)

The former Dutch goalkeeper had moved to England long before the EPL's inaugural season. Segers joined Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in 1984 and was initially the first choice before losing his place in the 1985–86 season. He had to move on loan several times to lower-division teams, including Stoke City and Sheffield United, before saving his career in 1988 by signing for Wimbledon. He stayed with the London side for eight seasons and helped them finish sixth in 1993/94. The former PSV Eindhoven shot stopper once stumbled in a match fixing and betting regulations case in the late 1990s alongside Liverpool’s legend, Bruce Grobbelaar. He played for Wolverhampton and Spurs as a reserve goalie before he retired.

Career in EPL and national team	Matches	Clean sheets	Notable Games
Nottingham Forest, Wimbledon, Wolverhampton, Tottenham	355	114	vs Coventry 3-1 (debut in Nov 1984) vs Brentford 3-2 (League Cup - his final game in England in Sep 1998)
Netherlands	-	-

 Craig Forrest (Canada)

The former Canada international had been playing in England from the beginning of his playing career. In fact, Forrest only played in England with Ipswich Town and West Ham United from 1985 to 2002, with two loan spells at Colchester United (1987) and Chelsea (1997). In the EPL's inaugural season, he had already been the first choice between the sticks. Meanwhile, his career with the Canadian national team was notable too, with 56 caps. Despite having no chance to play in the FIFA World Cup, he was an integral part of the team when Canada won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000.

Career in EPL and national team	Matches	Clean sheets	Notable Games
Ipswich, Chelsea, West Ham	142	37	vs Aston Villa 1-1 (debut in Aug 1992) vs Coventry 1-1 (final game in England in Feb 2001)
Canada	56	19	vs Chile 1-0 (debut in May 1988) vs Colombia 2-0 (CONCACAF Gold Cup final 2000) vs Cameroon 0-2 (last game in June 2001)

Peter Schmeichel (Denmark)

He was probably one of the most well-known goalkeepers in Premier League history. Schmeichel joined Manchester United in 1991 and thrived from 1992/93 to 1999, when he enjoyed the treble winners. That was the time when Manchester United tickets were in huge demand. The former Danish international also played for Manchester City and Aston Villa before his retirement.

On the international stage, the ‘Great Dane’ also played a key role in Denmark’s unlikely success in winning EURO 1992, reaching the quarterfinals of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and qualifying for EURO 1996. The former Sporting Lisbon and Brondby man earned 129 caps and even scored one goal in a friendly match against Belgium prior to EURO 2000.

Career in EPL and national team	Matches	Clean sheets	Notable Games
Manchester United, Aston Villa Manchester City	455	199	vs Athinaikos 0-0 (debut in Sep 1991) vs Southampton 0-1 (his final game in England in May 2003)
Denmark	121 (1 goal)	51	vs Hungary 2-2 (debut in May 1988) vs Germany 2-0 (EURO 1992 final ) vs Slovenia 3-0 (last game in April 2001)