For nearly two decades, Craig Forrest was the Canadian face of the Premier League yet never featured for any major teams. The goalkeeper was best known for his time with Ipswich when The Tractor Boys starred in the opening few seasons of the Premier League. Forrest was their number one for over a decade and his appearance in the opening weekend of the newly reformed English top flight made him just one of 11 overseas players to appear in the first round of matches of the league.<\/p>\n
He was a star for Ipswich and some show-stopping performances earned him accolades back at home including the 1994 Canadian International Player of the Year as well as Ipswich\u2019s Player of the Year in 1995. After Ipswich were relegated at the end of the 1995\/96 season, Forrest joined Chelsea on loan and then West Ham where he would play bit part roles for the London clubs. He stayed in London until the end of his career in 2002 proving that Canadians did have a place in the Premier League.<\/p>\n
Frank Yallop (Ipswich Town)<\/strong><\/p>\n Alongside compatriot Craig Forrest, Frank Yallop provided the Premier League with an early influx of talent from The Great White North. As an imposing and physical defender, Yallop was able to prevent some of the league\u2019s best strikers from getting through.<\/p>\n One of his biggest contributions came when he scored one of Ipswich\u2019s two goals in a shocking 2-1 win against Manchester United in the 1993\/94 season \u2013 a result that stole the headlines that season. After spending a season on loan with Blackpool in 1995, Yallop left relegated Ipswich and returned to North America to finish his career with NASL\u2019s Tampa Bay Mutiny after spending 13 seasons in Suffolk and English football, creating a legacy as one of the finest Canadian footballers to grace the Premier League.<\/p>\n Scott Arfield (Burnley)<\/strong><\/p>\n Although Scott Arfield is a Scotsman through and through, the lively midfielder chose to represent Canada due to his father being born there. Arfield featured for only three seasons with Burnley as they often fought hard to avoid relegation. Arfield\u2019s determined nature and ability to score from distance made him a popular figure at Turf Moor and always a regular presence in the midfield.<\/p>\n After nearly 180 games with Burnley and five seasons with the club, Arfield opted for a move to Scotland with Rangers<\/a> where he helped the Glasgow side rise to the top and win the Scottish Premiership for the first time in 2021.<\/p>\n Junior Hoilett (Blackburn Rovers, QPR, Cardiff)<\/strong><\/p>\n With pace and plenty of tricks up his sleeve, it looked like Junior Hoilett had everything he\u2019d need to become a megastar. Even if he didn\u2019t reach his potential, Hoilett has been a reliable attacker for relegation-threatened club. His best form came in his opening season where he burst onto the scene at Ewood Park scoring 7 goals in 32 games. After Rovers got relegated, he would gain a reputation of a player bouncing between clubs that were relegated or promoted particularly with QPR and then with Cardiff.<\/p>\n His only solo award in the top flight came with Cardiff as a vicious strike from distance in The Bluebirds win against Wolves in November 2018 earned him that month\u2019s Goal of the Month award. Since then, Hoilett has become a perennial figure in the second tier of English football becoming a back-up attacker to help teams push for promotion into the English top flight.<\/p>\n Tomasz Radzinski (Everton, Fulham)<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite being born in Poland; Tomasz Radzinski chose to represent Canada after spending four seasons there during the early days of his career. After moving back to Europe to play for teams in Poland and Belgium, the tricky striker found himself in England after signing for Everton in 2001. His finishing ability and dribbling made him a handful for defences to deal and scored 25 goals in 91 appearances for The Toffees.<\/p>\n He then moved to Fulham in 2004 and helped The Cottagers continue to battle bravely against relegation and scored some memorable goals including a big victory against Arsenal in 2006. With 35 goals in the Premier League, Radzinski remains the all-time top scorer of all Canadian footballers in the Premier League and a fan favourite at all the clubs he represented.<\/p>\n You could earn up to \u00a310 (or currency equivalent) in bonus funds by joining Colossus with our New Player Bonus. Click here to join the action.<\/a><\/p>\n
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