Manchester City new boy Abdukodir Khusanov is set to become the first player from Uzbekistan to appear in the Premier League.
The defender’s debut will take the number of nations represented in the competition, since its rebranding in 1992, to 126 and Uzbekistan will be the 19th with just a single player.
Here, the PA news agency looks at Khusanov’s fellow trailblazers.
Dylan Kerr, Malta
The full-back featured five times for Leeds in the inaugural Premier League season in 1992-93 and no Maltese player has appeared since.
Zesh Rehman, Pakistan
Several entries on this list are players who later switched international allegiance, in some cases several years after leaving the Premier League – though Birmingham-born England Under-20 defender Rehman made his top-flight debut for Fulham in 2004 and represented Pakistan the following year.
Ali Al-Habsi, Oman
After a handful of appearances for Bolton, goalkeeper Al-Habsi is most fondly remembered at Wigan where he excelled for several seasons.
Gunnar Nielsen, Faroe Islands
One of international football’s minnows gained unexpected Premier League representation when goalkeeper Neilsen played the closing stages of Manchester City’s goalless draw with Arsenal in 2010, following an injury to Shay Given.
Victor Wanyama, Kenya
📁 Great #PL goals └ 📁 2018 └ 📁 Anfield └ 📁 Victor Wanyama#GoalOfTheDay ⚪️ @SpursOfficial pic.twitter.com/HwBcj62p3I
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 19, 2021
The most memorable moment of Wanyama’s six years with Southampton and Tottenham was a thunderous 25-yard goal in Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Liverpool in 2018.
Danny Higginbotham, Gibraltar
Higginbotham was with National League Chester by the time UEFA recognised Gibraltar as an independent member in 2019. The former Manchester United, Derby and Stoke defender, eligible through his maternal grandmother, won three caps.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Armenia
The Armenia playmaker spent two seasons with Manchester United, winning the League Cup and Europa League in 2017, before joining Arsenal as part of a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez.
Frederic Nimani, Central African Republic
The forward made two appearances for Burnley on loan from Monaco in 2010. The France Under-21 international switched allegiance and made his CAR debut in 2018.
Neil Etheridge, Philippines
The Enfield-born goalkeeper has played for his mother’s homeland since 2008. He was ever-present for Cardiff in 2018-19 but was unable to prevent their relegation.
Jordi Amat, Indonesia
Barcelona-born and representing Spain up to under-21 level, the defender spent four Premier League seasons with Swansea from 2013 to 2017 and made his Indonesia debut in 2022.
Ryan Donk, Suriname
The defender appeared for West Brom in the 2008-09 season, a decade before switching allegiance from the Netherlands.
Onel Hernandez, Cuba
The Norwich forward featured regularly in their 2019-20 Premier League campaign, scoring against Manchester United, and earned his first Cuba call-up a year later.
Mbwana Samatta, Tanzania
Tanzania became the 100th nation with a Premier League goalscorer, of 106 to date, when Samatta pounced on a deflection against Bournemouth to head his only league goal for Aston Villa.
Junior Firpo, Dominican Republic
The Leeds full-back established himself over two seasons in Marcelo Bielsa’s top-flight side and remains a key part of their Championship promotion bid.
Mahmoud Dahoud, Syria
After coming through Germany’s youth teams and making two appearances in senior friendlies, ex-Brighton midfielder Dahoud last year switched allegiance to the country of his birth.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Guatemala
A team-mate of Etheridge in Cardiff’s 2018-19 team – scoring against Arsenal, Brighton and twice against Manchester United – the now-Derby winger made his Guatemala debut in 2023.
Ali Al-Hamadi, Iraq
The Ipswich forward, who grew up in Liverpool from the age of one after his family relocated to escape the war in Iraq, has 14 caps for his homeland.
Hamza Choudhury, Bangladesh
The Loughborough-born midfielder opted in December to represent his mother’s home country, revealing fans there had sent him “messages every day” asking him to make the switch.
