10 Best Spanish Players In Premier League History
5. Xabi Alonso
Although he is better remembered for picking up plenty of silverware at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, it was in the Premier League with Liverpool where Xabi Alonso announced himself to the world.
The central midfielder was a special talent, fondly remembered for being part of the Reds side that won the FA Cup in 2006 and the Champions League the year before, where Alonso scored the equaliser as Liverpool came from 3-0 down to win on penalties against AC Milan.
But it wasn’t just the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’ that made Alonso great. He was an incredibly gifted player and one of the best deep-lying playmakers of this century. Tenacious and aggressive yet creative and technical, Alonso was the perfect defensive midfielder and arguably the best English football has ever witnessed.
Liverpool and the Premier League sorely missed the quality and class that Alonso brought to the football pitch when he left Merseyside, with Steven Gerrard going on to say that he was the best midfielder he had ever played with.
Following eight trophy laden years in Spain and Germany, he hung up his boots in 2017 and last year became manager of Real Sociedad B.