The NFL lags behind other pro sports leagues in international influence. While the percentage of foreign players in the NBA and MLB are 25 percent and 27 percent, respectively, and Americans are the minority in NHL as roughly 75 percent of the league comes from another country, the NFL is as domestic as they come. Less than 3 percent of the players are international players.
That doesn’t mean there haven’t been some great foreign players to step on the gridiron. Nine Pro Football Hall of Famers were born in another country, and American football has gained in popularity in foreign places. Canada and Germany have produced the most NFL players, combining to send nearly 200 players into the league. Smaller countries like Cyprus and the Virgin Islands have sent just one player each to the NFL, and those players made this list.
We’ve gone through every player from every foreign country to rank the best 30 international players. It may be a surprise that some of these players aren’t from the United States. For others, it’s just interesting to hear about their journeys to the States. Here are the best foreign players in NFL history.
30. Garo Yepremian, Kicker
Garo Yepremian was born in Larnaca, Cyprus. AP Photo
Country: Cyprus
Career: 14 seasons (1966-67, 1970-81)
Teams: Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stats: 313 FGM, 444 XPM, 1,074 PTS
Super Bowls: 2 (1972, 1973)
Bottom Line: Garo Yepremian
Garo Yepremian grew up playing soccer. AP Photo
Garo Yepremian played pro soccer in London in his early days, which made him ineligible to play in the NCAA when he emigrated over to the United State. Thus, he decided to pursue an NFL career, and his 14-year career is the longest in league history for someone who did not play in college.
Yepremian played with four seasons but is best remembered for his nine years with the Dolphins, where he won two Super Bowls and was the leading scorer on the undefeated 1972 Dolphins.
But Yepremian is also known for his ignorance regarding the game of football as he never watched it while growing up abroad. In his first career game, the coach told him they lost the coin toss and Yepremian proceeded to run onto the field and search for the “lost” coin.
Bottom Line: Buckets Goldenberg
Buckets Goldenberg moved to Wisconsin with his family when he was 4 years old. dandalyonsports / Twitter
With a nickname like “Buckets,” you would think that Charles Goldenberg played basketball instead of football. But his nickname was a play on “buttocks,” which was apparently a family thing as his older brother had the same nickname.
Goldenberg moved from Ukraine to Wisconsin at 4 years old and went on to play for the local NFL team. He started off as a running back before shifting to the offensive line to allow more talented ballcarriers to handle the ball.
He also played linebacker and is credited with being the originator of the draw play. When the Packers played the Bears and Sid Luckman was at quarterback, Goldenberg would drop back in coverage as soon as he saw Luckman drop back in the pocket. That left a huge void in the defense and the Bears exploited it by devising the draw play, which is a run that fools defenses by first appearing to be a pass play.
27. Mark Rypien, Quarterback
Mark Rypien went to Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Washington. Doug Mills / AP Photo
Country: Canada
Career: 11 seasons (1986-97, 2001)
Teams: Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts
Stats: 18,473 YDS, 115 TD, 88 INT, 56.1 CMP%, 78.9 RAT
Super Bowls: 2 (1987, 1991)
Bottom Line: Visanthe Shiancoe
Visanthe Shiancoe scored 27 touchdowns in his career. Jim Mone / AP Photo
Born to a Liberian mother and a Ghanaian father in Birmingham, England, Visanthe Shiancoe emigrated to the Washington, D.C., metro as a baby.
His first few years in the NFL were nondescript as he was a backup to Pro Bowler Jeremy Shockey and was used mostly as a blocking tight end. After notching just 35 total catches in four years in New York, “Shank,” as he was nicknamed, signed with the Vikings, where he averaged 42 catches over his five years in Minnesota.
Shiancoe’s 27 career touchdowns are tied with former running back Sammy Morris for the most among English-born NFL players.
Bottom Line: Christian Okoye
Christian Okoye rushed for 40 touchdowns in his career. Barry Sweet / AP Photo
Nicknamed the “Nigerian Nightmare,” Christian Okoye didn’t start playing football until he was 23 years old. By 26, he was in the NFL, and at 28, he led the league in rushing en route to his lone All-Pro selection.
Okoye was the rare fullback who was his team’s primary ballcarrier, and his bruising style was reminiscent of players like Earl Campbell and John Riggins. But because of that style, and getting a late start at the game, his career lasted just six seasons.
Okoye retired as the Chiefs’ all-time leading rusher before being surpassed by Priest Holmes.
Bottom Line: Patrick Chung
Patrick Chung, left, won three Super Bowls with the Patriots. Charles Krupa / AP Photo
The Chung family made the 2,800-mile move from Kingston, Jamaica, to Southern California when Patrick was 10 years old. He established himself as one of the best prep players on the West Coast before becoming a defensive stalwart for the Patriots.
Chung spent the first four seasons of his career in New England before spending a lone season in Philadelphia. Chung then rejoined the Patriots in 2014 just in time for their forthcoming dynasty as he won three Super Bowl rings over the next five seasons.
His 19 postseason starts are the fourth-most among active players trailing just Ben Roethlisberger and teammates Tom Brady and Devin McCourty.
Bottom Line: Vai Sikahema
Vai Sikahema, right, went into sports broadcasting after his playing career. Tannen Maury / AP Photo
The first Tongan-born player in NFL history, Vai Sikahema lived in various parts of Polynesia before settling in Arizona as a teen.
His nominal position in the NFL was running back, but he lasted eight years due to his return skills on both kickoffs and punts. He made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist in his first two seasons and led the league in combined kick and punt return yards three times.
Perhaps Sikahema’s most memorable play wasn’t what happened on the play itself, but rather what happened after the play. In 1992, Sikahema scored on an 87-yard punt return and proceeded to box the goalpost, which was an homage to his younger days when he had 80 fights as an amateur boxer.
Bottom Line: Luis Sharpe
Luis Sharpe was a three-time Pro Bowler. Marques_Ogden / Twitter
From Cuba to Detroit to UCLA to the NFL, Luis Sharpe had a winding road that got even more difficult after his 13-year career ended.
While he played, he was a beacon of stability for a franchise that had two locations and three different names during his career. But drug problems that Sharpe had as a player only got worse when he hung up his cleats, and he spent much of the next 20 years in and out of jail.
He was almost killed by other inmates who brutally beat him but eventually rehabilitated himself and got clean. Sharpe has shared his story with others, including speaking at the NFL’s Rookie Symposium, where he talked about turning his life around.
Bottom Line: Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson scored 2,434 points in his career. Ed Reinke / AP Photo
One of just three South African NFL players, Gary Anderson moved to the United States after high school and played both football and soccer at Syracuse. He ranks third all-time in points scored in NFL history, but it’s one game that sticks out more than any Anderson played in during his 23-year career.
In 1998, he became the first kicker to have a perfect season and made all 35 of his field goals and all 59 of his extra points. However, once the postseason rolled around, Anderson missed when it mattered most, and a late field goal in the NFC championship game went wide.
The game went to overtime where the Falcons made a field goal of their own to eliminate Anderson and the 15-1 Vikings.
Bottom Line: Mosi Tatupu
Mosi Tatupu played 14 seasons in the NFL. KevG163 / Twitter
What Matthew Slater is for the Patriots today Mosi Tatupu was for the team for 13 years.
His nominal position was fullback, but he was best known for his work on all facets of special teams. He could be a gunner, a personal protector or even a returner in some instances. Tatupu started just 22 of the 199 games he played in, but he received recognition for his work by being selected to the 1986 Pro Bowl.
Tatupu’s son, Lofa, also played in the NFL and was a three-time Pro Bowler. He was born in Massachusetts while his father was with the Patriots, so Lofa didn’t qualify for this list.
Bottom Line: Tamba Hali
Tamba Hali recorded 89.5 sacks in his career. Charlie Riedel / AP Photo
Tamba Hali migrated to New Jersey as a 10-year-old to escape civil war in Liberia and lived with his father, who was a professor at Fairleigh Dickenson. From a young age, Hali sought to become a football player with hopes of earning enough money to reunite with his mother, who remained behind in Liberia.
It took 12 years, but Hali’s mother finally came over to the United States in Hali’s rookie year in 2006. That was Hali’s first of six seasons with at least eight sacks, and he made five straight Pro Bowls from 2011 to 2015.
His 89.5 sacks are the second-most in Chiefs history, trailing only Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas.
Bottom Line: Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud was the first kicker inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. AP Photo
The second Norwegian player in NFL history, Jan Stenerud came to the U.S. on a ski jumping scholarship at Montana State University. Ski jumping landed him a spot on the football team after a coach saw him just kicking a ball around one day during down time.
After booting the longest field goal in college history at the time, Stenerud was signed by the Chiefs, where he won a Super Bowl. He helped bring the soccer style kicking technique to the NFL as most kickers used a straight-on approach beforehand.
When Stenerud retired in 1985, he was the second-leading scorer in NFL history. In 1991, he became the first kicker to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bottom Line: Sebastian Janikowski
Sebastian Janikowski kicked a career-long 63-yard field goal in 2011. Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo
A youth soccer player, Sebastian Janikowski moved to Florida as a teenager and quickly learned about American football while also learning English.
After an All-American career at Florida State, “Seabass” became the third kicker in NFL history to be drafted in the first round. While he struggled with accuracy at times in his career, his power never came into question as he holds the NFL record of 58 made field goals of 50-plus yards.
Janikowski is also a part of lore for two field goals, which show off his leg strength. One is a reported 82-yard field goal that he made while still in high school and the other is a 76-yard attempt in the NFL, which is unofficially the longest in league history.
Bottom Line: Ernie Stautner
Ernie Stautner was not the biggest lineman at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, but he was one of the best. CJ28MTL / Twitter
Ernie Stautner didn’t make his NFL debut until he was 25 after serving in World War II, but he still had a Hall of Fame career with the Steelers. He played both ways but made his name as a defensive lineman and played everything from tackle to end to nose guard.
The Steelers never made the postseason during Stautner’s career, but it certainly wasn’t his fault. When he retired in 1963, Stautner ranked first all-time in safeties (3) and third all-time in recovered fumbles (23).
In 1969, Stautner and the Italian-born Leo Nomellini became the first two European players to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
6. Hines Ward, Wide Receiver
Hines Ward was born in Seoul, South Korea, to a Korean mother, and Black father. David J. Phillip / AP Photo
Country: South Korea
Career: 14 seasons (1998-2011)
Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers
Stats: 1,000 REC, 12,083 YDS, 85 TD, 12.1 AVG
Super Bowls: 2 (2005, 2008)
Bottom Line: Hines Ward
Hines Ward scored 85 touchdowns in his NFL career. Tom Puskar / AP Photo
Born into a military family in Seoul, South Korea, Hines Ward moved to Georgia as an infant and later attended the University of Georgia.
He transitioned from a college quarterback into one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history and was the eighth player to ever record 1,000 receptions. He recorded more receptions than 1970s Steelers legends Lynn Swann and John Stallworth had combined, but unlike those two, Ward has yet to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In addition to his regular-season accomplishments, Ward also performed admirably in the postseason and ranks fourth all-time in postseason receptions and receiving touchdowns.
Bottom Line: Leo Nomellini
Leo Nomellini played offensive and defensive tackle. KevG163 / Twitter
Leo Nomellini was born in Tuscany, Italy, but moved to the States as an infant and was raised in the Midwest. He fought in World War II after high school and, because of that, didn’t start his pro career until he was 26 years old.
But Nomellini didn’t need much seasoning to become an impact player on both sides of the ball. He was all-pro at both offensive and defensive tackle during his career. He was nicknamed “The Lion” and dabbled in pro wrestling during his career, even once defeating the legendary Lou Thesz during an NFL offseason.
Nomellini’s strength was legendary. “He was as strong as three bulls,” said 49ers teammate Joe Perry. “He’d slap you on the back and knock you twenty feet.” In 1969, Nomellini and the German-born Ernie Stautner became the first two European players to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bottom Line: Tom Fears
Tom Fears made the Pro Football Hall after nine seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. David F. Smith / AP Photo
Born in Guadalajara, the Fears family moved 1,500 miles northwest to Los Angeles when Tom was 6 years old. He had quite a journey before reaching the NFL. He fought in World War II and acted in a Humphrey Bogart movie before focusing on football.
As a split end, Fears led the NFL in receptions in each of his first three seasons. In his 1950 season, he set the league’s all-time single-season receptions mark (84) while also catching a record 18 passes in one game, a mark that stood for 50 years.
After retiring, Fears went into coaching and was the first head coach in New Orleans Saints history. That tenure didn’t go well. The expansion Saints struggled, but Fears still became the first Mexican-born NFL player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during this tenure.
3. Steve Van Buren, Running Back
Steve Van Buren was orphaned at age 10 and lived with relatives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chet Magnuson / AP Photo
Country: Honduras
Career: 8 seasons (1944-51)
Teams: Philadelphia Eagles
Stats: 5,860 YDS, 69 TD, 4.4 AVG, 45 REC, 523 RYDS, 3 RTD
NFL championships: 2 (1948, 1949)
Bottom Line: Steve Van Buren
Steve Van Buren was the first NFL player with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. AP Photo
Born in La Ceiba, Honduras, Steve Van Buren became an orphan at 10 years old and was sent to live with relatives in New Orleans. That led him to LSU, which made him into a first-round pick in 1944.
Van Buren developed into the best NFL running back in the 1940s and won four rushing titles while his Philadelphia Eagles won two NFL championships. He did everything on the field. In addition to being a world-class running back, he also had five return touchdowns on special teams, picked off nine passes on defense and even filled in at kicker and punter.
Van Buren scored 77 touchdowns in 83 games and is one of just six players in NFL history to average at least 0.9 touchdowns per game.
Bottom Line: Ted Hendricks
Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese is sacked by Oakland Raiders Ted Hendricks for a seven-yard loss during the opening minutes of their game at the Oakland Coliseum, Oct. 8, 1979. (AP Photo) AP Photo
The tallest linebacker in NFL history at 6-foot-7, Ted Hendricks was nicknamed “The Mad Stork” for obvious reasons. He was born to an Italian mother and American father in Guatemala, while being raised in Miami where he learned to speak Spanish fluently. He has a very diverse background and was an equally diverse football player since there was nothing on the field he couldn’t do.
Hendricks used his size to his advantage and blocked an astounding 25 kicks and punts during his career. That is an NFL record as are his four career safeties. Sacks weren’t tracked for the first 13 years of his career, but Hendricks unofficially had 60.5 sacks, which would make him the only player in NFL history with 60-plus sacks and 20-plus interceptions.
He also won four Super Bowls as a player, which was the NFL record until Charles Haley and Tom Brady came along, and Hendricks made eight Pro Bowls. All of that adds up to Ted Hendricks being the greatest international player in NFL history.
