Continuing our alphabetical world tour, next up is Equatorial Guinea. A small country in West Africa, Equatorial Guinea have appeared at two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, hosting both the 2012 and 2015 editions.
There is currently no option to filter for Equatoguinean players on the Premier League’s player stats website, but we believe that only two players have represented Equatorial Guinea in the Premier League.
First Player – Pedro Obiang (West Ham United; 2015-19)
Born in Spain, Pedro Obiang made his professional breakthrough at Italian club Sampdoria before earning a move to West Ham in 2015.
A powerful midfielder, Obiang’s style was well suited to the Premier League and he went on to make 91 league appearances for the Hammers over four seasons, during which time he scored the club’s goal of the season for 2017/18.
Obiang made his international debut for Equatorial Guinea in 2018 after previously playing for Spain at youth level. He currently plays club football in Italy after swapping West Ham for Sassuolo in the summer of 2019.
Records
- Most Appearances – Pedro Obiang (91)
- First appearance – Pedro Obiang (WEST HAM 1-2 Leicester, August 15th 2015)
- Most goals – Pedro Obiang (3)
- First goal – Pedro Obiang (Southampton 1-3 WEST HAM, February 4th 2017)
Other Players
Following a similar path to Obiang, Emilio Nsue was born in Spain and appeared for the 2010 World Champions at youth level before switching allegiance to Equatorial Guinea. Nsue made just four Premier League appearances for Middlesbrough in 2016/17.
Trivia
- Both Pedro Obiang and Emilio Nsue were born in Spain and capped by Spain at youth level. Both players turned down invitations to play for Equatorial Guinea in their African Cup of Nations debut in 2012, but have since reversed their decision.
- Pedro Obiang’s first Premier League goal came almost 18 months after his first appearance.
