Footballers from Portugal have graced the top flight of the English game for decades. In the Premier League era, most clubs have fielded a player from this country at some stage, but very few of those men have actually won the title.
Here is a list of current Portuguese players to hold an EPL winner’s medal.
Portuguese Players to clinch the Premier League Title
Bernardo Silva
Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva is a multiple Premier League winner. City signed the midfielder from Monaco in 2017, and he proved to be a strong asset straight away, scoring important goals and providing many assists.
Silva was part of the Manchester City squad that won the EPL title in his very first season in 2017/18. Since then, he’s added four more titles with the most recent, at the time of writing, coming at the end of the 2022/23 campaign. Bernardo Silva remains a crucial player for City and there is a strong chance that he will add to that list of medals before he moves on.
Nani
Portuguese international winger Nani made his name with Sporting Lisbon before joining Manchester United in 2007. He spent the next eight years at Old Trafford and was part of the team that dominated the Premier League during part of that period.
Nani was another midfielder to score vital goals while linking with the forwards to lay on chances. He wasn’t a first choice starter during his later years, but stayed with United long enough to pick up four Premier League winner’s medals between 2008 and 2013.
João Cancelo
Another of Manchester City’s Portuguese contingent, Joao Cancelo signed for the club from Juventus in 2019. A defender, Cancelo would spend the next four seasons as a City regular.
He was the most expensive full back of all time when he left Juventus, but struggled in his first campaign. He recovered to become a first choice regular by 2020, and has so far been a part of three Premier League title-winning teams. Joao Cancelo is still on the Manchester City staff, but has recently been sent out on loan to Bayern Munich and Barcelona, so he may not feature in the EPL again.
Ricardo Carvalho
Centre half Ricardo Carvalho joined Chelsea in 2004 after breaking through with Porto. He was known to Chelsea, and former Porto boss Jose Mourinho, and became a reliable player for the Blues over six years.
Mourinho brought instant success to the West London side, and Carvalho was involved as Chelsea won their first Premier League title in 2004/05. Two more EPL winner’s medals were secured as the club lifted the trophy again in 2006 and 2010. Following that third success, Ricardo Carvalho left to join Real Madrid, but he’ll be remembered as one of the most important players during a successful period for Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo was a hero during his first spell at Manchester United, and it’s no surprise to see him make the list. The only reason he’s so far down is the fact that he won just three Premier League titles at Old Trafford in three consecutive campaigns between 2006/07 and 2008/09.
Ronaldo played a full part in those successful seasons: 2007/08 was his most productive campaign as he played in 34 League games, scoring 31 goals. His second spell with United ended in disappointment and controversy, but Cristiano Ronaldo will always be remembered as a Manchester United legend.
Rúben Dias
Portuguese international centre back Ruben Dias is still contracted to Manchester City at the time of writing, so he may yet add to his current tally of three Premier League titles. He moved to City from Benfica in 2020, and immediately became a first choice defender at the heart of the back line.
Dias won the Premier League title in each of his first three seasons at City from 2020/21 to 2022/23. With his club continuing to challenge for honours at the top of the EPL table, there’s surely time for more medals for this impressive centre half.
Paulo Ferreira
Paulo Ferreira is another player to have made the trip across from Porto to Chelsea with Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese revolution saw the Blues win the title in Mourinho’s first season and Ferreira played a full part in that campaign.
The full back played in 29 EPL games in that successful season, and he stayed at Stamford Bridge for the remainder of his professional career. That allowed Paulo Ferreira to claim a host of major trophies, including a Champions League win, and two more Premier League winner’s medals in 2006 and 2010.
Luís Boa Morte
Others may have won more honours in England, but Luis Boa Morte will always be remembered as the first Portuguese player to win a Premier League title. He’s another player to have started his career with Sporting Lisbon, while it was Arsenal who gave him his big break in England.
Boa Morte signed for the Gunners in 1997 and was part of the squad that won the double in his very first season. While he often started from the sub’s bench, the player appeared in 15 League games, which was enough to secure an EPL winner’s medal. Luis Boa Morte also appeared for Southampton, Fulham and West Ham United in the top flight.
Deco
Former Barcelona and Benfica midfielder Deco enjoyed a brief spell in the Premier League between 2008 and 2010. Stamford Bridge was his destination, and the switch to England proved productive as he won the Premier League with Chelsea in the 2009/10 season.
Deco couldn’t quite produce his best performances for his English club, and he was rarely a first team regular. However, he appeared in enough Chelsea sides to claim four major trophies, including that 2010 Premier League win.
Tiago
Tiago was another Portuguese import during Jose Mourinho’s reign at Chelsea, although this player joined from Benfica at the start of the 2004/05 season. Like his compatriots, he made an instant impact, winning the Premier League title at the end of that first campaign.
Tiago’s stay in the English top flight was to be a brief one. He was deemed to be surplus to requirements at Chelsea and was sold to Lyon after just one season in the Premier League. Many fans outside of his club will have forgotten his contribution, but Tiago will always have a place as one of the few Portuguese players with a Premier League winner’s medal.
Final Thoughts
This list includes some of the top names in modern-day Portuguese football, and many of them were part of the national squad that won the 2016 European Championships. Some made an indelible mark on the English game, winning multiple trophies over many seasons in the top flight.
Others were here just briefly, with some making minor contributions to their clubs’ Premier League titles.
We’ve compiled the list in order of the most EPL trophies won from highest to lowest, so there is time for those who are still playing to rise up the tables. The other, obvious question is who will join them to become the next in an illustrious band of Portuguese players who have won the English Premier League title.
