The impact of the Irish and Welsh on the English football is well known since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, with the notable record of most appearances being held by Manchester United and Wales international Ryan Giggs. As per regulations of the Premier League, a player is considered to be ‘foreign’ if he doesn’t belong to United Kingdom (which includes England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). Over the last two decades, we have seen many such foreign internationals successfully ply their trade in the UK and it goes without saying that this has been a major contributing factor to the quality and popularity of the Premier League. Thiery Henry and Eric Cantona (France), Ruud van Nistelrooy and Dennis Bergkamp (Holland), Gianfranco Zola(Italy) are few of the players who made an impact of such magnitude that fans all over the world still remember them as Premier League greats.
Before 2008, there was a lone Belgian footballer who survived in England’s top tier for more than two seasons. Philippe Albert, a central defender who played for Newcastle United F.C. from 1994 to 1999, is this longest serving Belgian international. Quite recently, we have witnessed the emergence of the Belgians and they have certainly formed part of the core of many teams in the League. Currently, the EPL has 12 Belgian players out of which 10 are full internationals.
| NAME | TEAM | YEAR |
| Christian Benteke | Aston Villa | 2012 |
| Dedryck Boyata | Manchester City | 2009 |
| Ritchie De Laet | Norwich City | 2008 |
| Moussa Dembélé | Tottenham | 2010 |
| Marouane Fellaini | Everton | 2008 |
| Eden Hazard | Chelsea | 2012 |
| Vincent Kompany | Manchester City | 2008 |
| Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea | 2011 |
| Simon Mignolet | Sunderland | 2010 |
| Kevin Mirallas | Everton | 2012 |
| Thomas Vermaelen | Arsenal | 2009 |
| Jan Vertonghen | Tottenham | 2012 |
How important are these players to their teams? Their contribution in making the league the most watched and entertaining has surely been recognized, with some of them giving stand out performances for their team. Starting with Christian Benteke, the young hitman has been in great form since his arrival from Genk. His 11 goals in his debut season has kept the club’s record signing Darren Bent on the bench in most games, with his performance recently at Anfield winning many hearts at Villa Park. Sheer strength and excellent technique has made it a nightmare for many EPL defenders, this young mad has a long way to go.