Football, often hailed as the world’s most popular sport, has produced an array of exceptional talent over the years. South America along with Europe are the two biggest footballing continents when it comes to producing players. This is unsurprising as there has not been a world cup winner from a country outside Europe or South America.
From forwards/attackers who had a knack of scoring to midfielders who could dictate the tempo of a game. In this article, we summarise the seven best South America players of all time, each of whom will be remembered by fans forever.
7.Ronaldinho
We kick of this top 10 with one of if not the most skilled football player of all time in the shape of Ronaldinho. Very few players can get the crowd of their feet like the former Brazil international. Unfortunately for supporters he did not have the anything remotely close to Messi or Ronaldo’s longevity as his peak was three years (2004 to 2007).
6.Romario
Romario is the second Brazilian on the list. During the 90s he was one of the most clinical strikers. He most notably scored five goals in the 1994 World Cup after coming out of international retirement which helped fire Brazil to World Cup glory on American soil. In his career he played 1002 games and scored 784 goals.
5.Alfredo Di Stefano
Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano had a trophy laden time at Real Madrid. He has won eight La Liga’s, five European Cup’s, one Intercontinental Cup and one Copa del Rey. The Argentine certainly knows where the back of the net . During his time at Madrid he scored 308 goals in 369 games for the Spanish giants.
4.Ronaldo
R9 is one of a select few players to have featured for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. He has had a quite remarkable World Cup career winning the 2002 edition whilst scoring eight goals in the edition. We arguably didn’t see him reach is full potential , as knee injuries stopped him in his tracks on two separate occasions.
3.Diego Maradona
Maradona is similar to Messi in relation to his playing style . The Argentine icon is small, quick and diminutive which makes him hard to stop. He is behind Messi on the list as Leo has had a superior club career. Like his fellow compatriot ,Messi, Maradona has guided his national team to a World Cup.
2.Lionel Messi
Messi is the greatest player of the 21st century. No body in the continent has had the Argentine’s longevity in the game or level of output. No footballer is close to Messi when it comes to pure talent. The successful World Cup campaign in Qatar was the icing on the cake for him as that was the only trophy that had alluded him.
1.Pele
Pele is possibly the greatest player of all time not just greatest South American. He was football. The Brazilian icon is the only player to have won three World Cups. In his first World Cup he scored a stunning solo goal in the final against Sweden which etched his name in the history books.