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| Top 10 best South American players of all time |
best South American players of all time
Who is the best player in the history of South America? If England is the birthplace of football, then the southern half of the American continent is the home of skills and boundless fun. It would be a reason for anyone to hear many stories about players who grew up in poor neighborhoods and then went on to play for the biggest clubs in Europe.
And although some legends never left their homeland, they excelled in their local teams, whether in Brazil, Argentina, or Uruguay. These three teams alone possess 9 World Cups, so this list will be filled with heavy names. Here are the top 10 players from South America.
Who is the best player in the history of South America?
The greatest football players in South America throughout history:
- Diego Maradona (Argentina).
- Pelé (Brazil).
- Lionel Messi (Argentina).
- Ronaldo (Brazil).
- Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina).
- Garrincha (Brazil).
- Zico (Brazil).
- Ronaldinho (Brazil).
- Romario (Brazil).
- Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina).
Top 10 South American players of all time
10- Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
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| Gabriel Batistuta |
Batistuta's titles seem modest compared to the rest of the legends on this list, but the Argentine top scorer in the 1990s cannot be ignored, with 56 goals in 78 matches for Argentina. What a great scoring rate for one of the strikers in the history of Latin American football.
Batistuta spent most of his professional life with Fiorentina, scoring 207 goals for them and coming close to winning the Italian league with them on several occasions, but he achieved it before retiring in Rome after an amazing season in the Italian capital.
9- Romario (Brazil)
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| Romario |
The great Brazilian striker who competed with the records of the king Pele and has scored more than 1000 goals in his career, including friendly matches. Romario was not a striker who spent a long time thinking before scoring, as he had an instinctive instinct towards the goal that made him outperform the goalkeepers in face-to-face confrontations.
Romario only played for a short historic period with Barcelona, leading them to win the Spanish League title in 1993/1994. He then won the World Cup with Brazil and scored 5 goals, earning him the Ballon d'Or at the end of the year.
8- Ronaldinho (Brazil)
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| Ronaldinho |
No player matches the beauty of Ronaldinho in dribbling if he is in his best form. From 2002 to 2007, the Barcelona player and the Brazilian national team continued to dazzle the fans with unique moments and a style of play that was extremely creative.
One simply cannot stop watching Ronaldinho with his charm, his invisible passes, tricks, set-piece kicks, and all the beautiful techniques one can think of. The magician has won all the individual and collective titles that any football player dreams of, from the World Cup to the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
7- Zico (Brazil)
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| Zico |
Zico was distinguished from the rest of the players in his generation by his abilities classifying him as the most complete Brazilian player in history. He can create something out of nothing. This is Zico, the immortal genius who was both a top scorer and a decisive passer simultaneously.
While he did not play for any strong European team, Arthur Antunes Coimbra set extraordinary standards in Brazil when he scored 574 goals for Flamengo, earning him the nickname The White Pelé has clinched significant titles, including four Brazilian League championships, triumphs in the Copa Libertadores, and success in the Intercontinental Cup.
6- Garrincha (Brazil)
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| Garrincha |
Garrincha ranks fourth for the best players in the history of South America after being distinguished by a reputation that made him among the best in the game throughout the ages. He is considered the first player to win the Golden Ball award for the best player in the 1962 World Cup, accompanied by the tournament's top scorer award after winning the same World Cup following a great individual performance.
Garrincha showed great capabilities in dribbling that reflected the skills of the Brazilian player to viewers around the world after frustrating most of the defenders he faced because it was almost impossible to stop him when he started on the wing.
5- Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina)
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| Alfredo Di Stefano |
When you ask Real Madrid fans in the current era about the best player in the history of the team, most of them will choose Cristiano Ronaldo, but the older fans who witnessed the royal team in the late fifties and sixties will remember Alfredo Di Stefano, who was a true reflection of Real Madrid's dominance of European football between 1955 and 1960.
The Argentine legend, who played for Spain more than his own country, left an undeniable legacy after scoring more than 500 goals in his career, most of which came with Los Blancos, fortunately for national teams, he did not participate in the World Cup.
4- Ronaldo (Brazil)
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| Ronaldo |
The Brazilian striker Ronaldo is known by the nickname (The Phenomenon) in the world. He was a player recognized by most football legends for his abilities, and they all admitted that if it weren't for the serious injuries he suffered, he would have become the best player of all time. The most terrifying thing is to imagine what Ronaldo would have achieved if he had remained at the peak of his football career throughout his career.
3- Lionel Messi (Argentina)
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| Lionel Messi |
Messi was dubbed (The GOAT) the greatest of all time by football fans worldwide. The Argentine player is considered a one-club man, as he played for Barcelona and led them to historic levels never seen before.
Messi has won 35 titles in his career and left his mark on almost all of them, as a goal scorer, playmaker, dribbler, decisive player, tactician, and pure talent, he will be the greatest player in history. He surpassed the players in first and second place on our list.
2- Pelé (Brazil)
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| Pelé |
Pelé left the world in awe when they saw him as a teenager of 17 leading Brazil to win the World Cup in 1958. He wasn't just a player who surpassed some of the players of his time, but he surpassed an entire generation, none of whom achieved the accomplishments of the king who won the World Cup three times in his career.
The legend scored a terrifying number of goals (1293 goals he personally acknowledges) which materialized in his Santos team winning the Brazilian league title 11 times, and his local championship 6 times. He also won the Copa Libertadores twice and the Intercontinental Cup twice as well.
1- Diego Maradona (Argentina)
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| Diego Maradona |
Diego Maradona will remain the best ever in almost all of our lists, not just the best player in the history of South America, but in the history of football altogether, and if you are not convinced, we advise you to read his career (here), maybe it will change your perspective.
Maradona played at a time when it was the toughest defensively in history, and won the Italian league title twice and the UEFA Cup with Napoli, what embodies his achievements and makes them more impressive is his victory in the 1986 World Cup with Argentina through individual effort that has not been repeated after scoring five goals and assisting with five others.
