Skip to main content

The First four Foreign Goalkeepers in the Premier League

Image
By


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)

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top Goalkeepers who became understudy in the Elite Clubs

By
  A few top goalkeepers were unable to be the first choice while joining the elite sides and forced to be the understudy. The top goalkeepers with established roles in the previous clubs or in the national team would certainly expect the same status when they decided to switch sides to the top sides. Unfortunately, such is never easy. Signing for the elite team might be tempting to add silverware to their collection. Yet, lifting trophies without playing regularly would not be ideal. Barcelona’s new signing, Wojciech Szczesny, might be one recent example of such. The former Poland international joined the Catalan side following Marc Ter Stegen’s long-term injury. Fans would hope to see the former Arsenal and Juventus man in action between the sticks. Yet, his status might not change after Ter Stegen’s understudy, Inaki Pena’s top form in the first El Clasico this season. He was able to keep a clean sheet and make crucial saves to keep Real Madrid’s stars at bay. Szczcesny is likel
Post a Comment
Read more

Top players who failed in both Real Madrid and Barcelona

By
  Several top players had attempted to thrive in both Real Madrid and Barcelona in their careers but failed. Real Madrid and Barcelona are undoubtedly two of the most famous elite clubs in the world. Thus, a chance to play in either one or even both of them is too good to turn down. Such would not only improve their career but also their level of performance, winning mentality, and even exposure. Some players managed to shine in one of them, whereas a few were even able to thrive on both sides. The likes of Ronaldo Luiz Nazario, Luis Figo, and Michael Laudrup are the perfect example of the latter. Unfortunately, some others have not succeeded in neither team, despite having the rare opportunity to play for both La Liga powerhouses in a star-studded squad. Here are several top players who had failed stints in both Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou. Two of them were even considered legendary figures in their home soil and Eastern Europe. Alfonso Perez Alfonso Perez was one of the
Post a Comment
Read more

The Best Former Olympic Team Managers Promoted to Lead Senior Teams

By
  Only a few former Olympic team managers appointed to take charge of the senior team were considered the best one in history. The Paris Olympics 2024 are getting closer. The multi-event sport tournament starts its competition on July 26, but football starts slightly earlier on July 24 due to its stages in the competition. All 16 managers are still pondering who will be named in the final squad and which over-aged player can be called up and given permission by their clubs to compete in the Olympics, the global tournament that is not included in the FIFA calendar. So far, only the host France U23 and Argentina U23 have called up their players for the final squad. Les Blues have included Crystal Palace man Jean Philippe Mateta and former Arsenal man Alexander Lacazette as their only over-aged players enlisted in the team. France is led by Thierry Henry, while Albiceleste currently has Javier Mascherano at the helm of the team. Both are still at the early stages of their managerial
Post a Comment
Read more