The endless influx of foreign players into soccer's English Premier League and the negative impact this has had on the development of English players is a well-known story. But a new list published in a British newspaper proves just how bad the situation is.

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Despite the presence of four Premier League teams in the European Champions League, only 12 English players are taking part in the most prestigious club competition in the world.

Wayne Rooney (Photo: Reuters)

This is even less than Israel's tally, which stands at 16 players. In fact, even Maccabi Tel Aviv alone has more representatives in the Champions League, with 14 of its players involved. The other Israeli players taking part are Bibras Natkho of CSKA Moscow and Kenny Saief of Ghent.

The English Premier League has been battling for years with Spain's La Liga over the title of greatest league in the world. Regarding the nurturing of local talent, however, there is no contest. Spain has the greatest representation in the Champions League, with 59 Spanish players taking part – most of whom play in La Liga.

Meanwhile, the non-European country with the most representatives in the Champions League is Brazil, which has 53 players in the competition.