Chile is a country that traditionally produces a broad mix of players. There are physical defenders, creative midfielders, and productive centre forwards among their ranks.
Only a handful of Chilean players have made their way into the Premier League, and here are the best of them.
How many Chilean players have won the PL?
Using results up to the end of the 2022/23 English domestic season, only one Chilean player has a Premier League winners medal. Claudio Bravo is a goalkeeper who was signed by Manchester City in 2016. Bravo won the EPL title with City in the 2017/18 season.
Best Chilean players in the EPL History
Alexis Sánchez
This list is in no particular order, but many would agree that Alexis Sanchez is the best Chilean player to appear in the Premier League. He didn’t win an EPL title, but the striker did claim two FA Cup trophies with Arsenal and a Community Shield.
Sanchez joined the Gunners from Barcelona in 2014, and became one of the club’s most productive forwards in the Premier League era. In 166 games for Arsenal, he scored an impressive 80 goals. Alexis Sanchez made a surprise move to Manchester United in 2018, but that scoring ratio dipped, and he moved on to Inter Milan a year later.
Clarence Acuna
An experienced midfielder, Clarence Acuna spent three years in the Premier League with Newcastle United. He joined the Magpies from Universidad in 2000, but couldn’t command a regular place in the first team.
Newcastle fans only saw occasional flashes of his best form, and Acuna expressed a desire to return to Chile in 2003. He played 46 league games in those three years, scoring six goals.
Gonzalo Jara
Gonzalo Jara earned over 100 caps for the Chilean national team, and that underlines his value to the country. He was one of the best centre backs that Chile had produced, and he played for three English clubs over his career.
Jara’s only outings in the Premier League came with West Bromwich Albion. The defender joined the Baggies from Colo-Colo in 2009 and stayed at the Hawthorns for four years. He had loan spells with Brighton and Nottingham Forest before joining Forest on a permanent contract in 2013.
Gary Medel
Defensive midfielder Gary Medel holds an incredible Chilean national record. He has the most appearances for the senior side with over 160 caps, and he remains a part of the squad in 2024.
Medel’s stay in the Premier League was brief. He was part of the Cardiff City side that played in the top flight, and he made 34 league appearances in the 2013/14 campaign. English football enjoyed a quick glimpse of one of Chile’s greatest players, as Gary Medel left for Inter Milan after that one term.
Ben Brereton Díaz
When striker Ben Brereton Diaz was enjoying a prolific season for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, he was linked with a number of Premier League sides including West Ham and Nottingham Forest. The chance didn’t come, and Diaz went to Villarreal, but he’s finally getting a run in the EPL with Sheffield United.
Born in England, Ben Brereton Diaz qualifies for his adopted country via his Chilean mother. Life in the Premier League has started positively, with two goals in his first two games for Sheffield United.
Claudio Bravo
As we saw earlier, Claudio Bravo is the first, and so far only Chilean player to win a Premier League title. The keeper joined Manchester City from Barcelona in 2016 and spent four years at the club. Bravo is an experienced and reliable stopper, but he was mostly used as a back up keeper while in England.
He played just 29 league games for Manchester City, but he did enough to earn that EPL winners medal in 2017/18.
Final Thoughts
There are some standout players on this list, along with some who didn’t play to their full potential in England. In each case, however, the names here are among the best that Chilean football has ever produced.
Top flight clubs across Europe will be scouting around the world for new talent, and it’s only a matter of time before the next batch of Chilean players join the Premier League.
