Cardiff City have had some top players over the years and they'll be looking to add to that list in the summer transfer window under Mick McCarthy.

A play-off place looks a bit beyond them after a rocky patch in recent matches but, overall, the pick-up from the Neil Harris era has been good and there are foundations on which to build for next season.

Indeed, McCarthy will be pleased enough with what he has seen and will be looking to add another promotion to his CV if he can.

The Bluebirds will aim to bring in some good players from all over during the summer, then, and with that said we're taking a look at some of the best signings they have made in recent years that have been of players not from Great Britain or the Republic of Ireland.

Here, then, are ten of the best foreign arrivals at Cardiff City in recent years...

Kasper Schmeichel was a very young goalkeeper when he arrived in 2007 but still impressed during his short spell from Manchester City to the extent where, come the January window, both the player and the club wanted to make things a longer deal.

However, City needed him back as cover for Joe Hart and the stay ended there, with the Dane saying he would like to play again for the Bluebirds in the future.

Of course, he never did but he's gone on to become a top-class goalkeeper in the Premier League, famously winning the title in the top-flight back in the 2015/16 season for the Foxes.

Kenwyne Jones has a very Welsh-sounding name, in fact, but he hails from Trinidad and Tobago and has played for them over 90 times during his career.

The striker arrived at Cardiff in 2014 but could not help them avoid the drop to the Championship from the Premier League in the 13/14 season.

Form in 14/15 started off well for him, though, with nine goals in the first half of the second-tier campaign.

He left on loan in January 2016 and then moved away permanently in the summer of that year.

Heidar Helguson was at the club between 2012 and 2013 for just a season as he helped the Bluebirds get into the Premier League from the Championship.

He scored eight league goals in 38 league appearances during that campaign so played his part in the Bluebirds run to promotion under Malky Mackay.

He made over 50 appearances for Iceland between 1999 and 2011 and left Cardiff at the end of his contract in 2013.

He played briefly for Skautafélag Reykjavíkur back in his native land in 2015 but there was where his playing days came to an end.

Gary Medel only played for Cardiff for one season but certainly had an impact and the moves he made after just underline the quality that he brought.

The defender was no-nonsense and was signed for big money, with him leaving just a season later as Inter Milan came calling.

He couldn't help Cardiff remain in the Premier League during the 2013/14 season but was a regular throughout the campaign and a sign of the ambition Cardiff had to try and establish themselves in the top flight.

Of course, they dropped and Medel moved on but for a season we saw some impressive stuff from him in the middle of the park.

Kenneth Zohore had a fine time at Cardiff as he helped them into the Premier League under Neil Warnock.

The Dane originally arrived on loan from K.V. Kortrijk in 2016 and the Bluebirds liked what they saw, with him joining them permanently later that year.

Over 80 league appearances would follow with Neil Warnock getting the very best out of him during his time as manager of the club.

Zohore left the Bluebirds in 2019 with West Bromwich Albion signing him whilst he has also played for Millwall but neither spell has really seen him hit the heights that he did in Wales.

Neil Etheridge is a player we're being a bit cheeky with, in the sense that he was born in Enfield, England but represents the Philippines on the international stage.

He's made over 60 appearances for the south-east Asian country and is proud of his heritage, becoming one of their biggest ever stars.

For Cardiff, he was a fine goalkeeper too as he made just shy of 100 league appearances between 2017 and 2020, helping them, of course, into the Premier League during that time.

He joined Birmingham City in 2020 and will be looking to be a part of their survival bid in the Championship in the final weeks of the season.

Junior Hoilett has been at Cardiff City since 2016 and during that time has made over 170 league appearances for the Bluebirds.

He's a winger of real explosive moments and has shown that at times in south Wales with some fantastic long-range goals.

He's perhaps a little erratic at times but has been a committed servant to the Cardiff cause for the last half-decade and has also made plenty of appearances for the Canadian national team.

Indeed, he featured recently in their 11-0 win over the Cayman Islands during the international break.

Glenn Loovens joined initially on loan from Feyenoord in the 2005/06 season and did enough during his 33 league appearances that year to earn himself a permanent move.

He was at the club between 2006 and 2008 and was a real mainstay, with Celtic eventually swooping in to take him to Parkhead.

The Dutchman made just two appearances for his international side during his career but had a fine time on these shores with the likes of Sheffield Wednesday as well as the Bluebirds, with him key in the Welsh side's run to the 2008 FA Cup final.

Sol Bamba will go down as a real Cardiff icon.

The powerful defender hails from France but represents the Ivory Coast on the international stage and has made well over 40 appearances for his nation during his career.

A player that epitomised everything Neil Warnock wants in a centre-half, Bamba has been a rock for Cardiff since 2016, making well over 100 league appearances.

The defender is currently fighting non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the moment and will be attacking that with as much gusto as he did challenges on the pitch.

Certainly, a real rock for Cardiff.

Aron Gunnarsson was a top player for Cardiff City during his time at the club.

He joined in 2011 from Coventry City and would remain in south Wales until 2019, racking up over 270 league appearances for the club in that time.

Indeed, he was committed to the cause and a real top presence under several managers as Cardiff went to and fro between the Premier League and Championship.

Neil Warnock wanted to keep him, too, but the midfielder opted to leave in 2019 with him joining Al-Arabi.

An Icelandic international, he has made over 90 appearances for his country.