Special To NAN
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 24, 2017: The Caribbean is often looked at as an underrated part of the World, but one area where the Caribbean shines is sports. There have been many great athletes from this part of the World, and that is especially true in regards to soccer. Here is a look at the best Caribbean born soccer players of all time.
Russell Latapy
Russell Latapy was born in Trinidad and Tobago, playing professionally for over twenty years. The attacking midfielder achieved success at both club and international level. Latapy initially achieved success in Portugal as a standout player for FC Porto. In his two years at Porto, the team won consecutive Primeira Liga championships. Latapy also became the first Trinidadian to play in the UEFA Champions League. Latapy later won the Portuguese Cup as a member of Boavista FC.
Latapy continued his career in Scotland, joining Hibernian. Latapy enjoyed a successful stay at Hibernian, winning multiple Player of The Year awards, while helping Hibernian earn a promotion to the Scottish Premier League. Latapy was later named the First Division Player of The Year, this time as a member of Falkirk. Latapy was eventually inducted into the Falkirk Hall of Fame. Falkirk also established a “Russell Latapy Day” to help celebrate and recognize his career achievements. Latapy made 81 appearances for the Trinidad and Tobago national team, helping the national team qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2006. He is currently seeking to become a coach in the Scottish Professional Football League.
Dwight Yorke
Also a native of Trinidad and Tobago, Yorke had a successful career at both club and international level. Yorke started his professional career in England with Aston Villa. Initially playing as a right winger, Yorke was switched to the centre forward role and became one of the English Premier League’s biggest stars. Yorke won two Football League Cup titles with Aston Villa. In total, Yorke made 231`appearances for Aston Villa, scoring 97 goals.
Yorke was able to secure a transfer to Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in The World. In his first season there, Manchester United won the English Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League, as Yorke scored 18 goals. He was also named Player of The Year in 1999. Yorke followed that season up by scoring 22 goals as Manchester United once again won the English Premier League. At international level, Yorke made 72 appearances for the Trinidad and Tobago national team, scoring 26 goals. Yorke was also a member of the 2006 FIFA World Cup team that qualified for the tournament for the first time in the history of the country. On February 16, 2017, Yorke was denied entry to the United States for a legends match because of an Iranian stamp in his passport.
Jocelyn Angloma
A native of Guadeloupe, Angloma enjoyed a successful European career as a right back. Angloma played in more than 400 games across Europe’s top leagues. Angloma played for prestigious teams such as Marseille, Paris Saint Germain, Valencia, and Inter Milan. Angloma won a UEFA Champions League title with Marseille and appeared in two more finals with Valencia. At the international level, Angloma helped Guadeloupe qualify for their first Gold Cup, where they reached the semi final stage. Angloma’s son Johan plays in several youth teams of Guadeloupe and was member of the Guadeloupe under-14 national football team at the Coupe National Under-14 2008.
