Rio Ferdinand has tested his mettle against some of the Premier League’s greatest strikers, and the former Manchester United believes that African stars were among the best the top flight has seen.
“I remember some of my biggest battles in the Premier League were with African strikers,” Ferdinand told Guinness. “The strength, the pace is obvious, but it’s the quickness of thought, the intelligence, the mentality.
“Players like [Didier] Drogba, [Samuel] Eto’o, [Sadio] Mane,” added the Guinness Night Football ambassador. “You can’t teach that.”
Editors' Picks
While Drogba and Mane are among the few African strikers who have over a half-century of Premier League goals, with 104 and 77 strikes respectively, it’s Cameroon legend Eto’o who most terrorised the United great.