Picking Everton’s finest foreign stars of the Premier League era is bound to spark debate. I’ve attempted to build a balanced starting eleven, players who not only excelled during their time with the Toffees but also complement one another in my system.

For this exercise, anyone from outside the British Isles counts as foreign (sorry, Seamus). I’ve set the XI players up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, designed to showcase both skill and cohesion. 

Why not tell me your Ultimate Foreign Everton XI and what system you would put them in?

This isn’t about longevity or loyalty alone. Some fan favourites won’t make the cut. I certainly struggled at right-back and probably should have had someone more defensively minded in the heart of the midfield, but here you go!

Goalkeeper: Tim Howard 

Between the posts, Tim Howard is a fortress of calm, a pair of hands that can snatch the impossible from the air. With reflexes like lightning and instincts honed to perfection, he commands his penalty area with authority, turning moments of panic into poetry.

Right-back: John Heitinga 

Versatile and resolute, John Heitinga embodies intelligence and determination. While not the flashiest going forward, his presence at right-back steadies the line, freeing Andrei Kanchelskis to dance and delight in the final third. A Dutch wall in defence, Heitinga’s experience and discipline anchor the team with quiet authority.

Centre-back: Joseph Yobo 

Joseph Yobo, versatile yet definitive at centre-back, marries pace with power, tackling with authority and marking with precision. His stamina never wanes, his leadership inspires, and his presence reassures both club and country. A guardian whose calm and confidence set the tone at the heart of defence.

Centre-back: Sylvain Distin 

At 6’-4”, Sylvain Distin is a colossus with surprising pace, a blend of strength and elegance that navigates the chaos of the Premier League. Left-footed and astute, he balances the backline, dominating aerial duels and reading danger before it arrives. In him, Everton found both a shield and a strategist.

Left-back: Lucas Digne

Down the left flank glides Lucas Digne, a magician with a left foot that weaves crosses like threads of silk. His endless energy fuels both attack and defence, a tireless sentinel who tackles with precision and reads the game with a scholar’s eye. He gives Richarlison the freedom to cut inside, while he shapes the play from the wide avenues of the pitch.

Midfield: Idrissa Gana Gueye 

The relentless pulse of Everton, Idrissa Gana Gueye runs as if the field itself bends to his will. Pressing, harrying, reclaiming, the Senegalese dynamo disrupts opponents like a force of nature, retrieving the ball with uncanny timing and turning defence into attack. He is the heartbeat, untiring and unyielding. Gana would have to be put on somewhat of a leash, playing a slightly deeper role in this side, providing a protective wall for the defence, doing his best work from inside his own half and rarely venturing forward.

Midfield: Mikel Arteta 

Mikel Arteta orchestrates the midfield with the finesse of a maestro. Every pass, every movement, every touch is deliberate, drawing teammates into rhythm and dictating the tempo. Calm under pressure and lethal from set-pieces, he links defense and attack, building the game from deep while always threatening the edge of the box.

Midfield: James Rodríguez 

James Rodríguez, the epitome of elegance and vision, turns the pitch into his canvas. A true playmaker, he conjures chances from nothing, strikes with precision from distance, and bends set-pieces like poetry in motion. Each pass and goal drips with class, making him perhaps the finest artist to wear the Everton shirt in the Premier League era.

Right-wing: Andrei Kanchelskis 

Speed incarnate, Andrei Kanchelskis is a whirlwind of unpredictability down the right. He can slice through defences with a searing cross or unleash a venomous shot from anywhere. Electric, daring, and uncontainable, he keeps defenders guessing while illuminating the flank with his audacious creativity.

Left-wing: Richarlison

Richarlison, ever the dynamo on the left wing, blends flair with fearlessness. An acrobatic finisher and tireless worker, he tracks back to guard Digne’s runs and bursts forward to torment defences. Every goal, every tackle, every sprint speaks of a player who bleeds Everton blue and embraces every battle on the pitch.

Forward: Romelu Lukaku 

Pace, power, precision, Romelu Lukaku is Everton’s unstoppable force at the spearhead. A titan in the air and a juggernaut on the ground, he holds up play, drags defenders out of position, and unleashes thunderous strikes. Whether holding up the ball to bring the likes of  Richarlison, Kanchelskis, or James into play, or racing behind the opposition’s defence, the Belgian’s presence alone reshapes the game and provides a constant source of goals.

 

Reader Comments (35)

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Bill Hawker
1 Posted 20/08/2025 at 14:42:14
Tim Cahill over James Rodriguez every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Other than that. I like it.
Kieran Kinsella
2 Posted 20/08/2025 at 15:15:08
This sounds so much like ChatGPT talking. Normal fans don't talk about footballers in this way.

"Idrissa Gana Gueye runs as if the field itself bends to his will."

Digne "a magician with a left foot that weaves crosses like threads of silk."

Really? I thought he was just the guy who took most of our corners and did some crosses. He was better than other options but hardly Pirlo.

Arteta "lethal from set-pieces." Is that a joke? I recall him wasting most of our corners with aimless balls usually caught by the goalie.

All of this written by yet another "writer" like Samuel Johnson, Angus Kearney, Harry Diamond etc who has never appeared on here before but just pops up with some kind of poetic epic talking about Everton from a distance Koeman style.

Kieran Kinsella
3 Posted 20/08/2025 at 15:20:15
Also for fun I just put this same scenario to Chat GPT and guess what it came up with:

Howard, Heitinga, Yobo, Distin, Digne, Arteta, Kanchelskis, Richarlison, Gueye, Lukaku and one difference: Cahill — though it said there was a case for including Rodriguez based on greatness of his career versus Cahill, lol.

Brian Denton
4 Posted 20/08/2025 at 15:44:59
Oh, I don't know Kieran. I remember Stuart Hall's pieces on Sports Report used to be very florid.

The best was when he detailed how a striker had ''caressed the leather spheroid into the reticule".

Kieran Kinsella
5 Posted 20/08/2025 at 15:58:08
Didn't Stuart Hall later get banged up for being a creep?
Brian Denton
6 Posted 20/08/2025 at 16:14:18
He did indeed. But my observation stands!
Alex Kociuba
7 Posted 20/08/2025 at 16:26:32
Since the site take over this AI nonsense is happening quite a lot and it is embarrassing on lots of levels. If it isn't the new owners creating this, they have a responsibility to remove it.

"Why not tell me your Ultimate Foreign Everton XI and what system you would put them in?"

Fuck off.

Paul Hewitt
8 Posted 20/08/2025 at 16:30:50
Alex@7. You could just not read it.
Alan J Thompson
9 Posted 20/08/2025 at 17:26:36
Bloody foreigners, don't they know we invented the World Game!

Personally, I couldn't care less where they were born, it's how they've performed in the Royal Blue that matters.

Ian Bennett
10 Posted 20/08/2025 at 17:30:43
Heitinga was rubbish.

Coleman ain't from the British Isles.

Tom Bowers
11 Posted 20/08/2025 at 17:42:40
Hard to believe but Everton just sign players who can sit on the bench.

Moyes has his strategy and will not change it so we cannot expect much from this season — not that many of us did anyway.

The midfield is still woefully short of tenacity, tackling ability and speed at closing down. This will always prevent Everton from being a team that scores goals.

Danny O'Neill
12 Posted 21/08/2025 at 04:49:55
Technically Seamus is from the British Isles Ian.

The geographical, not political, term British Isles includes the 4 nations of the UK, including Ireland and the Isle of Man.

I thought Heitinga was a decent player. He had a really good season when he was our player of the season, but then just seemed to loose interest, albeit appearances were hampered by Moyes opting for Jagielka and Distin as his preferred centre backs.

He could play centre midfield, but I thought he was better as a centre back. He also provided a commanding presence.

Micky Norman
13 Posted 21/08/2025 at 08:03:29
Another AI patch up. I’m guessing that the OP picked the players and got AI to do the rest. The AI detracts from the post.
It would have been ok to just put your list in the piece. Then others might produce theirs for discussion.
Ian Jones
14 Posted 21/08/2025 at 08:21:01
Pienaar, Cahill, Fellaini and Yakubu would have been included in mine.
Ian Bennett
15 Posted 21/08/2025 at 08:34:48
Assumed a proud Irishman would be using the political perspective Danny. I take the point after the British lions series though. A sporting great.
Jake FitzGerald
16 Posted 21/08/2025 at 08:43:40
Technically Seamus Coleman is emphatically not from the British Isles, politically, geographically or otherwise, Danny. He’s a citizen of Ireland.
Just because cartographers can’t be arse to update themselves, doesn’t mean it’s accepted fact.
Danny O'Neill
17 Posted 21/08/2025 at 11:18:46
Jake, the term British Isles includes Ireland (the whole Island). The Republic is an independent country and Seamus is an Irish citizen, but the British Isles is a geographical representation the islands are referred to as.

The map is quite clearly drawn, although the border is hardly noticeable in many parts.

My Grandfather, born before partition, was effectively Irish, although he always referred to himself as Northern Irish. I could still qualify for an Irish passport if I wanted, but I've never bothered or seen the need.

Harry Diamond
Editorial Team
18 Posted 21/08/2025 at 11:28:53
Kieran @2

You may not like the style of the article, but you can be assured that James is a real writer. As are all of the other posters.

Each of these writers will read the comments on their pieces, so please do your best to remember that.

The above are all new contributors to the site, as part of a plan to try and increase the number of voices on TW. Every writer posted on this site for the first time at some stage.

Once the new site is ready to launch, each writer will have bios and work history that you can explore if you wish.

I (quite quickly) have realised the readership of ToffeeWeb are cautious about change and new faces.

Thanks,

Harry.

Jake FitzGerald
19 Posted 21/08/2025 at 11:39:59
I know all that, Danny, thanks. That's not my point. The point is the “geographical representation” that's disputed. Geographical terminology usually changes in respect of political / historical change. In this case it hasn't.

Anyway, I'll explain with a blackboard and chalk over a pint sometime. In the meantime, I just want Dibling to be signed in time to start on Saturday. Which I know won't happen.

Tim Constable
20 Posted 21/08/2025 at 12:07:33
Ray Atteveld ar RB?
Andy Crooks
21 Posted 21/08/2025 at 14:12:05
Jake, even if Dibling is signing as we speak, he won't start this weekend. There will be some reason he isn't quite ready, up to speed, not settled in, needs a bit of time or whatever.

Never mind that the above applied to every one of them on Monday.

Lee Courtliff
22 Posted 21/08/2025 at 14:16:38
Peak Kanchelskis on the left in the modern day 4-3-3 formation would be a thing of beauty.

His crossing was generally poor anyway.

Paul Hetherington
23 Posted 21/08/2025 at 16:09:27
I stopped reading at 'designed to showcase skill and cohesion', at which point I knew it had been written by AI. If you're not going to put the effort in, than neither am I.

If, as the author, you think that something generated by AI is A) not obvious to most people and B) better than something you could do yourself then it's probably a sign that your calling lies outside of writing web articles.

Matt Traynor
24 Posted 22/08/2025 at 04:17:52
Tim #20, right. You started it. Worst Foreign XI

Baardsen

Ray Atteveld, Per Krøldrup, Li Weifeng, Nuno Valente*

Alex Nyarko, Claus Thomsen, Jean-Philippe Gbamim, Shandy Van der Meyde

Cenk Tosun, Oumar Niasse

* Gave ToffeeWeb readers a new word for describing a player - "Pantywaist".

Honourable mentions to Stefan Rehn, Denis Straq, Muhamed Besic, and plenty of others. Even if you included them and fielded 15 or 16 players, they'd struggle.

Peter Gorman
25 Posted 22/08/2025 at 06:13:31
Matt - you'd put Nuno Valente in your squad ahead of the man he replaced, one Alessandro Pistone?

Also, bit hard on Li Weifeng - he was only here to sell mobile phones.

Matt Traynor
26 Posted 22/08/2025 at 06:37:22
Peter #25,

I must confess I'd forgotten about Pistone, and putting Valente in there was purely to mention "pantywaist" from a contributor's match report – which had a number of TW'ebbers reaching for dictionaries.

If I recall, Li Wiefeng only played one game - away at Southampton, where we lost. (I was there!)

Denver Daniels
27 Posted 22/08/2025 at 07:12:23
Matt, how about Rodrigo Beckham aka Juliano Rodrigo in midfield?

Our first ever Brazilian. He came, we never saw him and he left.

Kunal Desai
28 Posted 22/08/2025 at 07:35:40
What about subs? Myhre and Mucha would make the bench for our two goalies.

Bob the Pole as our super sub to replace Kanchelskis.

Phil (Kelsall) Roberts
29 Posted 22/08/2025 at 15:41:18
Here's one for you. Players who were not on loan and have played for us in the Premier League.

Name one from each country (not all). Something for Monday?
France 9
Nigeria 6
Denmark 5
Portugal 5
Belgium 4
Brasil 4
Netherlands 4
Spain 4
Sweden 4
Cote d'Ivoire 3
Croatia 3
Italy 3
Senegal 3
USA 3
Argentina 2
Bosnia-Herzogovina 2
Colombia 2
DR Congo 2
Germany 2
Norway 2
Russia 2
Australia 1
Cameroon 1
Canada 1
Chinese 1
Costa Rica 1
Curacao 1
Ghana 1
Greece 1
Guinea-Bissau 1
Iceland 1
Israel 1
Jamaica 1
Mali 1
Paraguay 1
Poland 1
Slovakia 1
South Africa 1
Switzerland 1
Turkey 1
Ukraine 1
Venezuela 1

Tim Constable
30 Posted 22/08/2025 at 17:30:15
Matt at #24. I can't disagree with that team, however you may consider swapping your front 2 with Preki and Neal Maupay?

It's sad we could all probably pick a reserve XI as well.

Stu Gre
31 Posted 23/08/2025 at 09:29:39
Harry #18 I scanned this with an AI detector and it was highly confident it was written by AI. I'm sure the thoughts were original, but large chunks were not
Clive Rogers
32 Posted 23/08/2025 at 11:12:36
What about Li Tie who played 24 games for us and is now in prison for 20 years for bribery and match fixing.
Nick Page
33 Posted 23/08/2025 at 11:17:25
All very funny. Shows how utterly pathetic and amateur the clubs transfer “policy” has been.

Nyarko and the fella getting on the pitch at Highbury always gets me. And that Per Krøldrup from Fiorentina. Centre-back that couldn't head it! Just how?

Tamhas Woods
34 Posted 28/08/2025 at 01:32:31
I've had the privilege of working with the author of this article in a professional sphere. I can assure you all he's a real person.
Si Cooper
35 Posted 28/08/2025 at 02:47:47
Tamhas, I don’t think people doubt James is real.

They are just saying they think he has used AI to create / finesse his article, which many of us can only think of as ‘cheating’ if you are intent on making a living as a ‘wordsmith’.

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