Thousands of players from all across the world have played in the Premier League. Some remain loyal to one club, while others become journeymen in the English top-flight. However, which players have featured for the most clubs in the Premier League era?
Marcus Bent (Eight clubs: Crystal Palace, Blackburn, Ipswich, Leicester, Everton, Charlton, Wigan, Birmingham and Wolves)
The forward started his Premier League with Crystal Palace in season 1997/98, as he scored six goals in 16 top-flight appearances. The most sustained prior Bent spent in the Premier League was from 2003 until 2007 when he played for Leicester, Everton and Charlton Athletic.
During his time with Everton, he helped the Toffees to finish in the Champions League spots, the only time they have achieved that feat in the current era of the English game.
In his Premier League career, Bent made a total of 2014 appearances, scoring 40 goals and also producing 14 assists.
Craig Bellamy (Seven clubs: Coventry, Newcastle, Blackburn, Liverpool, West Ham, Man City and Cardiff)
The energetic Welsh forward spent the majority of his playing career in the English top flight. Having started his career with second-tier Norwich City, he moved to the English top-flight with Coventry City in 2000.
The forward’s longest spell at one top flight came from 2001 until 2005 when he featured for Newcastle United in the Premier League. While with the Magpies, he won the PFA Young Player of the Year Award in 2001–02.
Bellamy has a respectable scoring record in the English top flight, scoring 81 goals in 293 Premier League appearances while also producing 31 assists.
Andrew (Andy) Cole (Seven clubs: Newcastle, Manchester United, Blackburn, Fulham, Man City, Portsmouth and Sunderland)
The former England international started his career at the Arsenal academy. However, he never played for the Gunners in the Premier League era and made only a solitary appearance in the First Division for the north London outfit.
After loan spells in lower divisions, Cole finally made his Premier League debut in 1993. During the 1993/94 season, he scored an incredible 34 goals in 40 league games (the league season was 46 games).
View this post on Instagram
Despite his most prolific season coming in his debut campaign, Cole is arguably best remembered for his eight years at Manchester United.
The forward won the Premier League title five times with the Red Devils, as well as two FA Cups and a Champions League in season 1998/99.
Cole is amongst the top goalscorers ever in the Premier League era, having scored 187 goals in his 414 appearances in the competition. Ironically, despite his goalscoring exploits, the forward’s only Golden Boot of his career came in that prolific debut campaign.
Peter Crouch (Seven clubs: Aston Villa, Southampton, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City and Burnley)
The former England international started his career with Premier League outfit Tottenham but didn’t play a game during his initial spell at the club. He made his Premier League debut in 2001/02 with Aston Villa but later returned to Spurs for a second stint with the north London outfit.
The longest period Crouch enjoyed at any club was at Stoke City from 2011 to 2018. He won the Stoke Player of the Year in season 2011/12. However, his most prolific campaign of his top-flight career came in season 2004/05, when he scored 12 goals for Southampton.
In total, the striker played 468 times in the Premier League, scoring 108 goals and providing 58 assists for his teammates.
Tal Ben Haim (Seven clubs: Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland, Portsmouth, West Ham and QPR)
The former Israel international became a true journeyman in the Premier League, having played for seven different clubs in the English top flight.
Ben Haim started his career at his home city club, Maccabi Tel Aviv. His career really took in 2004 when he moved to the Premier League Bolton Wanderers. He spent three years with the Trotters, enjoying the longest stint at any of his seven Premier League clubs and proving to be a dependable presence at the back.
The defender made 201 Premier League appearances, scoring just one goal. However, he helped his teams keep 40 clean sheets, which is respectable considering he played for some teams that often fought for top-flight survival.
Wayne Routledge (Seven clubs: Swansea City, Crystal Palace, Tottenham, Portsmouth, Fulham, Aston Villa and Newcastle)
The winger came through the youth ranks of Crystal Palace, making his Premier League debut in season 2004/05. He would go on to play for six more top-flight clubs in his career, scoring 16 goals and producing 29 assists in 297 Premier League appearances.
Routledge’s most successful spell was the seven years he spent playing for Welsh outfit Swansea City, who he helped to the League Cup in 2012/13.