10 Greatest Foreign Premier League Players Of All Time

10. Ruud Van Nistelrooy

When it comes to out-and-out strikers, there have not been many better over the last 20 years than Ruud van Nistelrooy. Signed by Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2001, for a then club record fee of £19m, the Dutchman was an immediate hit, and never looked back over the next five years. He scored twice on his Premier League debut against Fulham, and went on to register 23 goals in 32 league appearances in his first season. He got 25 and 20 in 2002/03 and 2003/04, and he was widely regarded as the most lethal finisher in Europe at the time. In 02/03 he scored 44 in 52 in all competitions; a phenomenal achievement. He was a player who could often go unnoticed for 85 minutes, but as soon as he had a sniff of a chance to score you simply knew he would take it. Although injuries took their toll towards the end of his time at Old Trafford, and his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson soured, he was still a wonderful servant to the club. If anything, he might even be a little underrated by some. He won one Premier League title- he played at a time when United just lost a little bit of their dominance and handed it over to Arsenal and Chelsea- one FA Cup and one League Cup. He scored an incredible 150 goals in just 219 matches.