Ever since Argentina won the World Cup on home soil in 1978, many of their best players have enjoyed careers in the English first division and Premier League. Some have won the title, along with a host of other domestic trophies, while many others have left their mark on the top flight.
Here is a round up of the best Argentinian players in the history of the English Premier League.
15+1 Best Argentinian Players in the EPL History
Sergio Agüero
There is no particular order to this list, although many English fans will agree that Sergio Aguero should be at the top. The striker joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 and he would become a record breaker at The Etihad in his ten years at the club.
Aguero would finish as the leading scorer in City’s history and he achieved this while battling a number of significant injuries. In total, he scored 260 goals for City in 390 games across all competitions. Sergio Aguero also claimed 14 major honours in England, including five Premier League titles.
Carlos Tevez
Striker Carlos Tevez could be a controversial figure at times, but there was no doubting his quality. In fact, he’s the only Argentinian to have won the Premier League title with two different clubs.
Tevez’s first experience of English football was with West Ham United, who had signed him from Corinthians in 2006. After one season with the Hammers, Manchester United took the striker on loan for two campaigns, before Manchester City signed him permanently in 2009. The 2009/10 campaign was the most productive as the Argentinian scored 29 goals in 42 games across all competitions.
He later fell out with the City management, but Carlos Tevez would leave English football with nine major trophies including a Champions League win and three Premier League titles.
Javier Mascherano
Javier Mascherano made the journey with Carlos Tevez from Corinthians to West Ham United. His stay at the London Stadium was a brief one, before he showed his world class across three full seasons with Liverpool.
Mascherano could play in many positions, but Liverpool got the best out of him as a holding midfielder. He dictated play and was a natural leader for the team, just ahead of the back line.
While at Anfield, he couldn’t quite push the team to major honours, but Javier Mascherano remains as one of the most talented Argentine players to have graced the Premier League.
Pablo Zabaleta
A stylish full back who enjoyed great success while at Manchester City, Pablo Zabaleta arrived at The Etihad from Espanyol in 2008. He immediately slotted into the City defence and was a calm influence at the back.
Zabaletta would form part of the team that slowly began to dominate English football. He played in 21 matches as City won their first Premier League title in 2011/12, and by then, he was established as a first choice starter. By the time he left for West Ham United in 2017, Pablo Zabaleta had lifted six major English titles including two EPL winner’s medals.
Nicolás Otamendi
Nicolas Otamendi was briefly a teammate of Pablo Zabaleta’s at Manchester City, playing for the club between 2015 and 2020. He arrived from Valencia and played as a centre back in a defensive unit that was becoming increasingly harder to break down.
Otamendi instantly became a first choice in a City squad that was packed with talented players. He won the EFL Cup in his debut season with the club, but bigger trophies were just around the corner. By the time Nicolas Otamendi left for Benfica in 2020, he had landed major English titles, including two Premier League wins.
Ángel Di María
English fans only saw glimpses of Angel Di Maria’s best form during a brief spell with Manchester United. The winger headed to Old Trafford from Real Madrid in 2014, with a big reputation and a British record transfer fee of just under £60 million.
From the start of his Old Trafford career, there were issues with the player who revealed that he didn’t want to leave Real. He would only remain with United for one season before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain, so he won’t be remembered so fondly by the club’s supporters. However, we saw flashes of his brilliance, so there are good reasons to place Angel Di Maria on the list of best Argentinian players in the EPL.
Gabriel Heinze
Argentina haven’t always been known for producing world class defenders. Historically, their success has been based on thrilling attacking play, but Gabriel Heinze was a notable exception.
The left back joined Manchester United from Paris-Saint Germain in 2004, and he was voted as the player of the season in his first full campaign with the club. From there, injuries halted Heinze’s progress while he also faced competition in his position from Patrice Evra.
The player was still in demand across Europe and would eventually leave for the mighty Real Madrid in 2007. In three years at Manchester United, Gabriel Heinze had proved his quality, winning the Premier League title in 2006/07.
Esteban Cambiasso
Former Real Madrid midfielder Estaban Cambiasso was nearing the end of his professional career when he joined Leicester City in 2014. He only had one season at the King Power Stadium, but the Argentine used that time to prove what a quality player he still was.
With Leicester among the favourites to go down in that 2014/15 season, Cambiasso provided some steel in the midfield to help his team avoid the drop. He helped to lay a platform for a team that pulled off a stunning league win in the following campaign, but it was a shame that Esteban Cambiasso had joined Olimpiacos and missed out on all the fun.
Hernán Crespo
Hernan Crespo was another player who could frustrate English supporters, but his flashes of brilliance see him included on this list. When the player arrived at Chelsea in 2003, he had a justified reputation as one of the most prolific strikers in world football.
Crespo had returned impressive scoring records with River Plate, Parma, Lazio, and Inter Milan, but he couldn’t match those ratios in England. For that reason, some would say that Hernan Crespo doesn’t deserve to be on the list, but he did contribute some brilliant goals, and he won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2005/06.
Julian Speroni
He may not be the biggest name on this list but, if we’re looking for an unsung hero, Julian Speroni fits the bill. A goalkeeper, he was signed by Crystal Palace from Dundee in 2004, and he would spend the next 15 years at Selhurst Park.
While he didn’t win any trophies with Crystal Palace, Speroni did set two significant club records. He made 405 appearances across all competitions, the most for a Palace goalkeeper, and his tally of 112 clean sheets is also a club record.
Manuel Lanzini
An attacking midfielder who represented Argentina briefly from 2017 to 2019, Manuel Lanzini signed for West Ham United from Al Jazira in 2016. The transfer was seen as something of a gamble at the time, but Hammers fans quickly wondered why the player hadn’t won more caps for his country.
Lanzini brought typical Argentinian flair to his new side, laying on chances for teammates and scoring some important goals of his own. He also gave good service to West Ham, playing in East London for eight seasons, before returning home to River Plate in 2023.
Manuel Lanzini made 226 appearances for West Ham United in all competitions, scoring 32 goals and winning the UEFA Conference League trophy in 2023.
Erik Lamela
Attacking midfielder, Erik Lamela joined Tottenham Hotspur as one of seven players bought with Gareth Bale’s transfer fee. He couldn’t quite live up to Bale’s legacy, but he became a fans’ favourite at White Hart Lane, with the ability to score some spectacular goals.
Lamela joined from Roma in 2013, and he stayed at Spurs until 2021, eventually leaving for Sevilla. He didn’t win any major honours in England, but his entertaining attacking play, together with two stunning ‘Rabona’ goals, left his mark on English football.
Julio Arca
Julio Arca played for two of the biggest clubs in the North East of England in Sunderland and Middlesbrough. After moving away from the professional leagues, he stayed in the area and now manages South Shields.
Arca signed for Sunderland in 2000, and he proved himself to be a versatile player, slotting into central midfield or on the left in a wing back formation. Despite becoming a dependable figure, he couldn’t stop his team from dropping out of the EPL and into the second tier in 2003.
Sunderland, and Julio Arca bounced back, winning promotion two seasons later. The Championship winner’s medal was his only major honour in England, and Arca would subsequently spend three campaigns in the Premier League with Middlesbrough.
Jonas Gutierrez
Midfielder Jonas Gutierrez was a popular character at Newcastle United, where he played between 2008 and 2015. A midfielder, he was signed from Mallorca, and he would make 22 appearances for the senior Argentinian side.
Despite his large frame, Gutierrez had speed across the pitch, while offering a solid presence. He made 187 league appearances for the Magpies, scoring 11 goals, and he was part of the Newcastle side that won promotion back to the EPL in 2010.
Fabricio Coloccini
Another Argentinian international to have impressed at Newcastle United, Fabricio Coloccino, was a tall and commanding centre half. He played at St James’s Park between 2008 and 2016 and was also a part of the squad that won the Championship title in 2010.
For much of his time at the club, Coloccini was a first choice starter, and would rarely miss games. He played a full part across eight seasons and was held in high regard by Newcastle fans.
Claudio Yacob
Claudio Yacob joined West Bromwich Albion in 2012 after making his name in Argentina with Racing Club. He played in central midfield and was instrumental in keeping the Baggies in the top flight for much of his six-year stay.
Yacob spent all of his six seasons in the Premier League before finishing his career with Championship side Nottingham Forest. Football followers outside of West Brom may not remember him, but Baggies fans will always be grateful for the contributions of Claudio Yacob.
Final Thoughts
A new crop of Argentinian players are starring in the Premier League, and several of them were part of the squad that won the 2022 World Cup. Because they are relatively new to the top flight of English football, we didn’t include them, but there will certainly be a case for Cristiano Romero, Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, and Emiliano Martinez to be added in the future.
For now, this is a worthy list of the Argentinianbest players to have featured in the Premier League since its inception in 1992.
