African players have been making an impact in the Barclay Premiere League and are so important that David Moyes, Everton’s manager, has suggested closing down the league in respect of the African Cup of Nations. It is obvious that the impact of the missing African players is huge. Here are the 5 whose presence is probably felt the most (in no particular order).

1. Michael Essien | Ghana| Chelsea | Midfielder

Michael Essien has made an impact in the league with some spectacular goals that are worth several re-runs. The impact of his absence is already felt by Chelsea who are now down to one striker until their other players return from the African Cup of Nations. An extremely powerful striker with tremendous energy and stamina, he is well known for his passing range and helped give Brazil a run for its money in the World Cup in 2006. Essien has been compared to Patrick Vieira whose ability to get from box to box was unparalleled. Chelsea and Lyon bargained back and forth for him for what is considered one of the longest running transfers, until Lyon agreed to a £24.4 million trade. He was named Chelsea’s Player of the Year in 2007 by the Chelsea fans (the first time for an African) and added the League Cup and FA Cup winner’s medals to his collection.

2. Didier Drogba | Ivory Coast | Chelsea | Striker

A phenomenal striker with an outspoken personality and a penchant for getting into hot water for his opinions. He is also the player to count on for that phenomenal strike or memorable goals. He is a great player and nephew to another footballer, Michel Goba. His career is littered with achievement and he was voted French player of the year the first year with Marseille and soon attracted the attention of Chelsea who lured him away with £24 million. They have not been disappointed. He has helped them win several championships or make a very strong showing. In 2006 he became the first Chelsea player to reach over 30 goals in a season since Kerry Dixon did it in 1985-86; the breakdown is 20 in the Premier League, 5 in the UEFA Champions League, 3 in the FA Cup and 4 in the Carling Cup (League Cup). If his current showing in the Africa Cup of Nations is any indication, he is poised to do more in 2008. In 2007 Drogba was appointed the Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

3. Sulley Ali Muntari | Ghana |Portsmouth | Midfielder

Sulley Muntari is a firecracker of a player who plays both central and left midfielder. He has great stamina and is considered a great tactical player. The only thing that interferes with his play is his volatile temper, but he is getting better at controlling it so that he can get more play time. A firm fan favorite, he is considered one of the better players on the team and is the first one to be chosen for penalty kicks. He still has more to give and should be one to watch in 2008.

4. Samuel Eto’o | Cameroon |FC Barcelona | Striker

Samuel Eto’o is a prolific scorer and very versatile player. His style of play had Mallorca players travelling to different games to watch him. He was kind enough to donate 30,000 Euros’ worth of food to feed them all. He helped Barcelona win their second consecutive crown, beat Valencia striker, David Villa, to win the Pichichi (an award given to La Liga’s top scorer), and is the first one to win the third consecutive African Player of the Year Award. He was also selected to his second straight FIFPro World XI and is the second African footballer ever to be voted into the top three (he finished third in the running) for the FIFA World Player of the Year, making him only the second African footballer ever to be voted into the top three. Eto’o also made history in the 2008 African Cup of Nations by becoming the leading scorer after scoring a 16th goal in a penalty kick.

5. Kolo Toure – | Ivory Coast | Arsenal | Center Back

Kolo Toures is a great athlete with good strength who has established himself as one of the best cemter backs in the Premier League. A firm fan favorite, he was a key member of the team that had a perfect season with no losses. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world and has been dubbed the African Fabio Carnnavaro by the Italian press.

Somebody should set up a hall of fame for the Africans in the Barclay Premiere League. Well, maybe two halls…there are a lot of awards and other players and we have only highlighted the top 5.