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If you take a look at some of the top teams around Europe you will easily find that most of them have at least one player from South America in their squad. In fact, the forward trio of Barcelona which comprises of Lionel Messi (Argentina), Neymar (Brazil) and Luis Suarez (Uruguay) are all South Americans.In addition to the Barcelona trio, some of the best forwards who are currently active are also from South America. For example: Sergio Aguero, Edinson Cavani, Diego Costa (Brazilian who is now an adopted Spaniard), Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain, Radamel Falcao and Diego Milito.Pele and Maradona who are considered by many as the greatest ever football players are also from South American countries. This clearly shows that these countries have produced some amazing players over the years and they have a natural flair when it comes to playing football.We take a look at the top 10 footballers from the South American countries who have played and been great successes and fan favourites in Europe.Honourable mentions: Hernan Crespo, Dida and Roberto Ayala
#10 Lucio
Club Honours
Bayern Munich: Bundesliga and DFB -Pokal (2004-05, 2005-06 and 2007-08), DFB – Ligapokal (2004 and 2007) and DFL Supercup (2008), Internazionale: Serie A (2009-10), Coppa Italia (2009-10, 2010-11), UEFA Champions League (2009-10), Supercoppa Italiana (2010) and FIFA Club World Cup (2010), Juventus: Supercoppa Italiana (2012)
Lucio started his spell in Europe at Germany with Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen, for whom he played and scored in the Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid in 2002. His performances for Leverkusen caught the eyes of many other European clubs, but it was Bayern Munich who eventually won the race for the center back’s signature. After his move, the Brazilian quickly became a vital member of the Bavarian side and was honoured with the post of the club’s vice captain for his contributions to the team.
In 2009, he moved to Internazionale with whom he won the treble in his maiden season. Lucio played the final of the Champions League in 2010 as Inter defeated his former club Bayern Munich. However, two years later, he left the club by mutual consent and joined Juventus, but Lucio could only manage four appearances for Juventus before his contract was once again terminated by mutual consent.
Age started to catch up to the once mighty Brazilian and he decided to return home to Brazil and he currently plays for Palmeiras.
Lucio is a World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002 and he started and finished all the games at the tournament.
#9 Diego Forlan
Club Honours
Manchester United: Premier League (2002-03), FA Community Shield (2003) and FA Cup (2003-04), Villarreal: UEFA Interloto Cup (2004), Atletico Madrid: UEFA Europa League (2009-10) and UEFA Super Cup (2010)
Forlan turned professional with Argentine side Indenpendiente. The Uruguayan was set to sign for Middlesbrough in 2001, but a late intervention from Manchester United changed his travel route and he signed for the Red Devils.
Forlan wasn’t a successful signing for Manchester United and he could only manage 17 goals in 98 games for the English side in three seasons, but the Manchester United faithful still remember him and chant his name for the two goals he scored against Liverpool.
In 2004, Forlan moved to Villarreal in Spain and revived his goal scoring prowess as he found the back of the net 59 times in 128 games for them in three seasons. Later in 2007, he moved to Atletico Madrid, where he formed a potent partnership with Sergio Aguero after replacing Fernando Torres. The Uruguayan’s best moment in club football came at Atletico Madrid when he scored both goals in the final of the 2009-10 Europa League as Atletico Madrid were crowned champions.
Following the arrival of Radamel Falcao at Atletico, Forlan signed for Internazionale in 2011, but had a very unsuccessful stint in Italy due to which he moved to Brazil to play for Internacional a year later.
Forland currently plays for Japanese side Cerezo Osaka.
The most memorable period of Forlan’s career came at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where the Uruguayan deservedly won the Golden Ball and his goal in the third place match was selected by FIFA as the Goal of the tournament. He also holds the record for the most capped Uruguayan player with 112 appearances.
#8 Rivaldo
Club Honours
Barcelona: UEFA Super Cup (1997), La Liga (1998 and 1999), Copa del Rey (1998), AC Milan: UEFA Champions League (2003), Coppa Italia (2003) and UEFA Super Cup (2003), Olympiacos: Greek Super League (2005, 2006 and 2007) and Greek Cup (2005 and 2006)
Rivaldo started his career with Brazilian club Santa Cruz for whom he made his first team debut in 1991 and he retired from professional football after 23 years this March. He played as attacking midfielder or as a second striker.
The highlight of his career was his time with Barcelona where he spent seven years from 1997 to 2002, scoring 130 goals for the club. He won the league twice with the Catalonian side and formed an impressive partnership with Patrick Kluivert. He had a poor relationship with current Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal during his spell at Barcelona and was released and sold to AC Milan when Van Gaal returned to Barcelona in 2002.
In 1999, Rivaldo won the Ballon d’Or after his impressive performances for both club and country. He spent two seasons at Milan and upon leaving Milan he briefly played for Brazilian side Cruzeiro before joining Greek side Olympiacos. Rivaldo spent three years with the Greek club and also one year with AEK in Greece. Upon leaving Greece, he played for different clubs around the world in Brazil, Uzbekistan and Angola and eventually retired at Mogi Mirim. He remains at the club as their president.
Rivaldo has represented Brazil 74 times and is the 7th highest goal scorer with 34 goals. He made his debut for them as early as 1993. He has scored 8 times at the World Cup, three of which were in 1998 when Brazil finished second and five in 2002 when Brazil were crowned champions.
#7 Cafu
Club Honours
Real Zaragoza: UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup (1995), AS Roma: Serie A (2001) and Supercoppa Italiana (2001), AC Milan: UEFA Super Cup (2003 and 2007), Serie A (2004), Supercoppa Italiana (2004), UEFA Champions League (2007) and FIFA Club World Cup (2007)
Cafu came through the ranks of Sao Paulo and his youth coach at the club suggested that he move from midfield to wingback. This turned out be a very important turning point in his career as the Brazilian went on to become one of the greatetst full backs to grace the beautiful game.
Cafu’s first stint at Europe lasted for just one season with Real Zaragoza, two years later he returned to Europe and joined Serie A side Roma. During his stay at the Italian capital he earned the nickname ’Pendolino’ (The express train).
Despite his strong bond and affection towards Roma, he joined their direct rivals Milan in 2003 and went on to win several trophies, including the Champions League in 2007. At the end of the 2007-08 season, Cafu retired from professional football in style by scoring a goal in the final game of his career.
In 2004, Pele named him among the Top 125 living footballers. The Braziian is also one of the eleven players in Roma’s hall of fame, an honour which only club greats get. Cafu is also the only player to have appeared in three World Cup finals (1994, 1998 and 2002), winning two.
#6 Javier Zanetti
Club Honours
Serie A: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10, Coppa Italia: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2009-10 and 2010-11, Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2010, UEFA Champions League: 2009-10, UEFA Cup: 1997-98, FIFA Club World Cup: 2010
Javier Zanetti is one of the most loved and respected players in football. Zanetti was a versatile player, who could operate as a full back and as a winger on either side and was equally good as defensive midfielder.
He spent 19 years at Inter and played under the same number of coaches during his stay. Zanetti was made Inter’s captain in 1999 and he wore the armband till his retirement in 2014. The Argentine played as a right back for a significant period of his career, but had to quickly adapt to a midfield role following the arrival of Maicon in 2006. Even then he alternated between his midfield role and the defender role according to the manager’s requirements and this made him a valuable asset for the team.
Zanetti made his 700th appearance for Inter when he started and finished the final of the 2010 Champions League as Inter were crowned champions. This also made him the only captain to win a treble with an Italian side.
As of 2011-12, he was the only non-Italian to captain a Serie A team. The Argentine also the holds the record for the most appearances for Inter and the most appearances by a non-Italian player in the Serie A.
Inter honoured Zanetti by retiring his Number 4 jersey after he hung up his boots and appointed him as the club’s vice president. Zanetti is the epitome of passion and loyalty towards an adopted club and a role model for youngsters – both as a footballer and as a human.
#5 Roberto Carlos
Club Honours
Real Madrid: La Liga (1997, 2001, 2003 and 2007), Supercopa de Espana (1997, 2001 and 2003), UEFA Champions League (1998, 2000 and 2002), Intercontinental Cup (1998 and 2002) and UEFA Super Cup (2002), Fenerbahce: Turkish Super Cup (2007 and 2009)
Roberto Carlos has to be one of the most attack minded left backs in the history of the game.
His first club in Europe was Internazionale, where he spent just one year due to a clash of opinions with manager Roy Hodgson after which he joined Real Madrid. Carlos quickly established himself as the first choice left back and held the position till his departure, eleven years later in 2007. Carlos scored some important and sensational goals during his stay at the Spanish capital, the most important one was probably his last goal for the club.
With three games remaining in the league, Carlos scored an injury time winner against Recreativo de Huelva. The goal proved to be crucial as Madrid were level on points with Barcelona at the end of the season and clinched their 30th league title thanks to a better head to head.
After leaving Real, he joined Turkish side Fenerbahce and later returned to Brazil. Carlos eventually returned to Europe to play for Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala in his last season as a professional footballer.
Carlos is well known for some of his traits as a player. He possessed immense speed and his thighs measured 24 inches. His most famous skill is his free kick ability. The Brazilian took powerful bending free kicks and has managed to even score a goal directly from a corner. The most famous one out of his many brilliant free kicks was the one he scored against France in 1997.
After retirement, Carlos continued at Anzhi as an assistant manager, and currently he is the manager of Turkish club Sivasspor.
#4 Kaka
Club Honours
AC Milan: Serie A (2003-04), Supercoppa Italiana (2004), UEFA Champions League (2006-07), UEFA Super Cup (2007) and FIFA Club World Cup (2007), Real Madrid: La Liga (2011-12), Copa del Rey (2010-11) and Supercopa de Espana (2012)
Kaka currently plays for Sao Paulo in Brazil, the club with which he started his professional career, before moving to AC Milan in 2003. It was at Milan that Kaka made a name for himself. He operated as an attacking midfielder but was also capable of playing as a wide forward. Kaka played two Champions League finals for Milan and was phenomenal in both.
During the final in 2007, Kaka won the free kick that led to Milan’s first goal and he assisted the second. He was on top of his game that season and he was rightfully rewarded with the FIFA World Player of the Year and the Ballon d’Or in 2007 for engineering Milan’s successful Champions League campaign.
The Brazilian moved to Real Madrid in 2009 and at the time of his transfer he was the second most expensive player in the world, behind Zinedine Zidane. Kaka’s time at Real Madrid was plagued with injuries and he never found the form he had with AC Milan. Real Madrid eventually let Kaka join AC Milan for free prior to the start of the 2013 -14 season.
The Brazilian scored 9 times and assisted 5 goals last season for Milan, but that wasn’t enough to power them to Champions League qualification. Following this Kaka terminated his contract with Milan and joined MLS franchise Orlando City, who loaned him out to Sao Paulo because they can only enter the league in 2015.
Outside football, Kaka is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004, he became the youngest ambassador of the UN’s World Food Programme and he was also named in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in 2008 and 2009.
#3 Ronaldinho
Club Honours
Paris Saint Germain – UEFA Interloto Cup (2001), Barcelona – La Liga (2004-05 and 2005-06), Supercopa de Espana (2005 and 2006), UEFA Champions League (2005-06), AC Milan – Serie A (2010-11)
Ronaldinho is renowned for his technique, dribbling, pace, tricks and no-look passes. If there is anything that could be done with the ball, then Ronadlinho could do it. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder or on the left wing.
The Brazilian started his career with Gremio and moved to Europe to play for French side Paris Saint Germain in 2001. Two years later he moved to Barcelona and this would soon turn out to be his best period as a footballer. He announced his arrival in Spain in style by scoring a sensational first goal for Barcelona. The Brazilian received the ball in his own half, then dribbled through midfield before launching a sensational shot from 30 yards past a hapless Sevilla keeper.
Ronaldinho had racked up 94 goals and 69 assists to his name before leaving Spain and joining AC Milan. After two seasons in Italy, he returned to Brazil and he currently plays for Mexican club Queretaro.
Ronaldinho has been awarded many individual honours during his career, the most notable of the lot being the Ballon d’Or in 2005 and the South American footballer of the year in 2013.
He was such an amazing talent that he was given a standing ovation by the Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2005, even though he scored two goals and Madrid lost the game 3-0. This was such a rare tribute and the only other player to receive it while playing for Barcelona was Diego Maradona.
Ronaldinho stated “I will never forget this because it is very rare for any footballer to be applauded in this way by the opposition fans."
#2 Ronaldo
Club Honours
PSV Eindhoven: KNVB Cup (1996) and Johan Cruijff Shield (1996), Barcelona: Copa del Rey (1997), UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup (1997), Supercopa de Espana (1996), Inter Milan: UEFA Cup (1998), Real Madrid: La Liga (2002-03), Intercontinental Cup (2002), Supercopa de Espana (2003)
Ronaldo is one of three players to have won the FIFA Player of the year award three times or more along with Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi. He has also won the Ballon d’Or twice in 1997 and 2002.
He was at his physical peak while he was at Barcelona, during which he scored 47 goals in 49 appearances. However the Catalan club failed to secure his services beyond that season and he moved to Internazionale for a then record fee of $27 million. His first season at Inter was phenomenal and the Brazilian turned out to be a complete striker who could score and assist.
Ronaldo’s career was marred by injuries and his injury problems started in 1999, when he ruptured the tendon on his knee. Due to his recurring injury problems, he missed the entire 2000-01 season and much of the seasons either side of it. He eventually made his return from injury in time for the 2002 World Cup.
After a successful World Cup campaign with Brazil, Real Madrid made a sensational €46 million coup for Ronaldo. There was much buzz surrounding the arrival of the Brazilian at Madrid even though he had to wait for a few months to make his debut. Despite the injury concerns, Ronaldo lived up to expectations and quickly became a fan favourite at Real.
He moved to AC Milan during the winter transfer window of the 2006-07 season. This season proved that Ronaldo was not destined to win the Champions League as he could not play for Milan who won the title that year, because he was cup tied with Real Madrid.
Ronaldo was included in the Brazil national team’s hall of fame in 2006 and Real Madrid’s hall of fame in 2011.
#1 Lionel Messi
Club Honours
La Liga: 2004-05, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, Copa del Rey: 2008-09, 2011-12, Supercopa de Espana: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, UEFA Champions League: 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011, FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011
Lionel Messi breaks records for fun, just last weekend, he scored his 400th career goal and he is still only 27!
Messi is the only player to have won four Ballon d’Or awards till date. He received his first nomination for the award at the age of 21 and won the award for the first time in 2009 and he followed this up by winning the award again in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
The Argentine started his career by playing on the right wing and he was moved to his iconic ‘false 9’ position only in the 2009-10 season under Pep Guardiola. Messi scored 47 goals that season in his new position – a tally which he improved under the guidance of Guardiola.
Messi became Barcelona’s all-time top scorer in club competitions at the age of 24 and at the age of 25 he became the youngest player to have scored 200 goals in La Liga. The Barcelona man is also the top scorer in El Clasico fixtures.
One of the most notable records broken by Messi was Gerd Muller’s long standing record for the most goals in a calendar year. He broke Muller’s record of 85 goals in 1972 by scoring 91 goals in 2012.
The day Messi retires from football, he will own almost every individual record that a football player can hold.
