'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
For a league that prides itself as the most competitive in the world, the Premier League has not actually seen the best South American talent play.
The likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and going back in time Diego Maradona, Pele, Alfredo di Stefano and many more have not displayed their otherworldly talents on English shores. This has been due to a combination of cultural factors, the terrible English weather and the rather archaic style of play favoured by the English.
However, following the increased commercial appeal of the Premier League which has led to evolutions in playing style and quality, players from South America have begun to make their way to England and have helped in boosting the profile of the league and improving its quality.
Here is a list of 5 of the very best South American talent to have played and starred in the Premier League era:
#5 Fernandinho - Manchester City (2013 to today) and Brazil
A lot of eyebrows were raised when the Cityzens paid £34 million to Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk for the then 28-year-old.
Suffice to say, the Brazilian has paid back every single cent spent on him and then some as he is set to win his second and City’s third league title in the Premier League era.
Strong in the tackle with an engine that never seems to stop, he has been one of the best defensive midfielders in the league and is at the heart of everything good that Pep Guardiola’s side has done this season.
With intelligence akin to that of Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets, Fernandinho is adept at making interceptions or tactical fouls to break up the attacking rhythm of the opposition. He also excels at initiating attacks with his precise passing and if need be, pops up with goals and assists.
In the four seasons he has been at the Etihad Stadium, he has featured in 160 Premier League games scoring 15 times and making 15 assists.
He has been an integral part of the team under both Manuel Pellegrini and Guardiola and with the Cityzens looking likely to be top dogs in the league for the foreseeable future, expect him to remain as important as ever.
#4 Gilberto Silva - Arsenal (2002 to 2008) and Brazil
The silent glue that held the Invincibles together, Gilberto was one of Arsene Wenger’s most astute signings at £4.5 million.
His keep-it-simple style meant that alongside the centre-backs, he provided the foundation for the club’s more creative players to express themselves.
Joining shortly after Brazil’s victory at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, he added the steel and defensive nous to the centre of the Gunners’ midfield and his presence allowed his midfield partner and then captain Patrick Vieira to embark on his trademark slaloming box-to-box runs.
The success of this central midfield pairing is one that a lot of Premier League managers have sought to emulate with varying amounts of success.
Known as the Invisible Wall back home in Brazil, Gilberto’s reliance on using intelligence to shadow an opposing player and force him back into his own half rather than brash tackling meant that he had an unusually clean record for a defensive midfielder: only receiving 9 yellow cards and 1 red in the 170 league games he played.
#3 Luis Suárez - Liverpool (2011 to 2014) and Uruguay
El Pistolero (The Pistol) had a very eventful stay in the Premier League and it was with a mix of sadness and relief that greeted his eventual move to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2014.
Opposing fans especially those who identify with the red part of Manchester will readily point towards the alleged racist incident with Patrice Evra which led to him being banned for 8 games or the biting incident with Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic in 2013, an incident that got him banned for 10 games.
Put these two unfortunate incidents and the many accusations of diving aside and what you get is a supremely gifted individual who was, without doubt, one of the most exciting players to ever grace the league.
A brilliant player whose edge-of-the-seat style always kept viewers enraptured, he made the sublime look ordinary and scored goals that defied description.
The central catalyst in Liverpool’s ultimately doomed title chase in 2014, the Uruguayan was incredibly popular with the Kop and was the nightmare of Premier League defenders with his dribbling and elusiveness.
With a work rate matched by a prodigious delivery rate in terms of goals and assists; the Uruguayan marksman got 69 goals and 43 assists in just 110 league matches.
#2 Alexis Sánchez - Arsenal (2014 to 2018), Manchester United (2018 to today), and Chile
The Chilean dynamo has been a sensation right from the first time he arrived on the shores of England in a £35 million deal from FC Barcelona where he was declared surplus to requirement following the signing of Brazilian superstar Neymar.
An always moving bundle of energy and activity, Alexis’ pace, agility and playmaking as well as goalscoring abilities stood him out in a mediocre Arsenal side where more often than not, he was the difference maker.
His ability to play anywhere across the front four and deliver effectively has marked him out as a special player and he has been among the best players in the league since he arrived except for this season.
Manchester United is yet to see the best of the 29-year-old since he switched to Old Trafford from the Emirates Stadium in an acrimonious player swap transfer but it is expected that he will be back to his best form after a full pre-season with his new coach Jose Mourinho and his teammates.
Despite not playing as an out-and-out striker for more than a few occasions, Alexis still boasts a very respectable tally of 62 goals and 28 assists in 129 Premier League matches.
#1 Sergio Agüero - Manchester City (2011 to date) and Argentina
The undisputed first choice and the best South American player that English football has ever seen, the scariest part is to note that were it not to be for a series of terrible injuries, the Argentine international’s goal tally in English football would be way higher than it currently is.
Possessing the short, stout stature of the traditional South American breadbox striker, Agüero was an instant hit with the Cityzens following his £35 million move from Atletico Madrid in 2011.
On his debut against Swansea City, he came in the 59th minute and scored two goals and created an assist; a game that has set the tone for his goal plundering adventure in English football.
On his way to winning his third Premier League title with the Cityzens (who can forget “Agueroooooooooooo”: his dramatic last-minute goal against QPR which clinched the 2011/12 title), he has delivered over 10 goals in all of his seven seasons in the Premier League (5 of these seasons have been 20+ goals).
Aguero has been a scary sight for defences across the length and breadth of the English game. His record of 143 goals and 42 assists in just 205 league games marks him out as a legend of the English game who at the tender age of 29 has already secured his cult status.
