The Premier League, as the best footballing division on the planet, is also one of the most diverse. And while you may not think it immediately, there have been several players of Indian heritage to have played at the highest level in English football over the years, and we’re going to tell you all about them.
Michael Chopra
Michael Chopra was the first ever player of Indian descent to make it in the Premier League after coming through the ranks at Newcastle United. When Chopra made the breakthrough at Newcastle, many were tipping him to be the next Alan Shearer, but things didn’t go quite to plan for him or Newcastle. If you were placing football bets at any of the respected online sports betting sites on Newcastle then and now, the odds of them winning would be a lot different, that’s for sure. Chopra played for Newcastle and their local rivals Sunderland in the Premier League, scoring nine top-flight goals in total.
Luciano Narsingh
Attacking midfielder Luciano Narsingh is a player who made his name in Dutch football and the Eredivisie. And, believe it or not, he was rated as one of the brightest prospects in world football at one stage. However, like so many others, his development was hampered by serious injury, which probably prevented him from hitting the heights many expected him to hit. But this didn’t stop him from playing in the Premier League, with a move from PSV to Swansea happening in 2017. In total, across two seasons in the top flight, Narsingh made thirty-one appearances, scoring one goal and creating three for teammates. He departed Swansea in 2019, returning to the Netherlands to play for Feyenoord.
Danny Batth
Danny Batth may not have strictly played in the Premier League, but he’s played for Premier League clubs, and he’s also a player who has been very eager to speak about being of Indian descent. Batth seems like he’s been playing football forever, with the centre-back coming through at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Premier League team he was a part of, who he later went on to captain. Batth was at Molineux as a professional footballer for a decade, between 2009 and 2019, before a switch to Stoke and then moving on to Sunderland. He’s currently battling to help Sunderland make it back to the top flight this season, which could see him finally be a Premier League player who gets the chance to make his top-flight bow.
The trio of players mentioned above have done a great job in representing players of Indian descent, not just in English football and the Premier League, but around the world too. Chopra also had a successful spell playing in India, where he starred for the Kerala Blasters, making nineteen appearances. It was quite fitting for Chopra, the first player of Indian descent to play in England’s Premier League, to have that time playing out in India in the Indian Super League.