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5 best DR Congo players in Premier League history

DR Congo is a sleeping giant in African football but it hasn’t stopped the African nation from producing great footballers. With strong heritage links to Belgium and France, many promising talents have used these cultural links to develop into European football. It’s why several of their top stars have eventually migrated to England and feature in the Premier League. In the past 3 decades, 18 DR Congo international have featured in the English top flight to differing levels of success. So wo are the 5 best DR Congo players to feature in the Premier League?

 

5 best DR Congo players in Premier League history

 

Lomano LuaLua (Newcastle, Portsmouth)

The LuaLua name has been in the Premier League for over 20 years but the most successful of the group was Lomano LuaLua. Lomano arrived on the scene with Newcastle in 2000 after impressing for third-tier Colchester but struggled for game time. However, his speed made him a predatory striker who could shine from the bench. Despite a few glimpses of promise, LuaLua didn’t hit the headlines until he moved to Portsmouth in 2004.

After a loan spell in the 2003/04 season when he scored 4 goals in 15 games, he moved to Fratton Park permanently and became part of a lively front line. His best season came in the 2005/06 where he scored 7 goals in 25 games. Whilst his goals weren’t always plentiful, his trademark cartwheels and flips still got the crowd rocking each and every game. After three seasons with Pompey, he left for Greek giants Olympiakos in 2007 along with his lively celebrations. The Premier League lost a character as well as one of the best DR Congo players its seen.

 

Benik Afobe (Bournemouth)

Despite being born in England, Benik Afobe chose to represent the DR Congo – where his family originally came from. After failing to make the grade at Arsenal, Afobe got a second chance with Wolves where he scored 23 goals in two seasons in the EFL Championship.

This fashioned a move to Bournemouth where Afobe grew into the starting lineup during the 2015/16 season. It was the next season where Afobe shone using his pace and power to score 7 goals in 31 games to help The Cherries avoid relegation. These efforts also saw Afobe named Bournemouth Player of the Year in 2017. After Afobe fell out of favour at Dean Court in 2018, he left the Premier League to join Stoke in the Championship where he has remained a valuable asset to his teams.

 

Youssouf Mulumbu (West Brom, Norwich)

Hardly a headliner, Youssouf Mulumbu did his duties with the minimum of fuss but maximum effectiveness. His powerful frame made him the perfect anchoring midfielder and his passing variety helped move attacks forward with surprising speed. Mulumbu spent most of his time in England with West Brom joining in 2009 just before The Baggies got relegated.

After returning one season later, Mulumbu underlined himself as a key fixture of the squad scoring 7 goals in 34 games. After that, Mulumbu hardly missed a game for the next five seasons. A move to Norwich in 2015 seemed to be a side-step and he found game time lacking at Carrow Road with Norwich relegated at the end of the season. He stayed on for one more season in Norfolk before moving north of the border to join Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership.

 

Arthur Masuaku (West Ham)

Born in France, Masuaku enjoyed a strong youth career with the like of Lens and Valenciennes before the pacey wing-back enjoyed success in Greece with Olympiakos. This caught the attention of West Ham who signed the newly-capped DR Congo international in 2016. Despite having mainly deputized for Aaron Cresswell in his natural position, Masuaku’s pace and delivery has made him a reliable option for The Hammers to use – making over 100 appearances in 5 seasons.

Unbelievably, Masuaku went 7 seasons without a goal before scoring a cross-shot in December 2021 to give West Ham a 3-2 win against Chelsea – a significant milestone for Masuaku to hit. It is an understated milestone that perfectly underlines Masuaku’s career arc.

 

Yannick Bolasie (Crystal Palace, Everton)

For most of the 2010s, Yannick Bolasie was a perennial threat to any defence in the Premier League and unquestionably one of the best DR Congo players to have appeared in the English top glight. The Frenchman turned DR Congo international is best known for lightning quick pace and plenty of flashy tricks that unlocks defences instantaneously. Having flirted in the lower leagues for several seasons, Bolasie got his breakthrough with Crystal Palace in 2012.

After helping The Eagles regain promotion in 2013, Bolasie became a livewire on the wing with a breakthrough season in 2014/15 scoring 4 goals in 34 games. He continued to improve scoring 5 times in 26 games the season after. A move to Everton in 2016 promised a bigger platform to shine on but injuries and fitness issues hindered his chances at Goodison Park. After several loan spells across Europe in the subsequent seasons, Bolasie left Everton for good in 2021 joining Turkish Super Lig side Caykur Rizespor. A quiet end for one of DR Congo’s brightest talents.

 


 

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