5 South Americans with the most Bundesliga goals

Kumar
FC Bayern Munich legend Claudio Pizarro was a prolific scorer in the Bundesliga.
FC Bayern Munich legend Claudio Pizarro was a prolific scorer in the Bundesliga.

#3 Ailton – 106 Bundesliga goals

Ailton (left)
Ailton (left)

Ailton played a key role in Werder Bremen’s latest Bundesliga triumph in 2004. However, despite his incredible record, the Brazilian is not very popular outside Germany.

Ailton scored a whopping 106 Bundesliga goals and was one of the most skilful finishers in the league. It’s a shame that the Brazilian team had so much quality around 2003 that Ailton never graced the Selecao jersey.

His impressive performances in front of goal won him the Bundesliga Footballer of the Year award, becoming the first non-German player to do so.


#2 Giovane Elber – 133 goals

Giovane Elber
Giovane Elber

Giovane Elber is perhaps one of the best South American players to grace the Bundesliga. Blessed with pace, dribbling ability and a wise head above his shoulders, Elber often eased past Bundesliga defenders while playing for Stuttgart.

His impressive performances for the club led to a £5.85 million move to Bayern Munich, where he enjoyed a lot of success.

Elber scored 140 goals in 266 appearances for Bayern Munich in all competitions, helping them to the Champions League title in 2001. He had the typical Brazilian flair and audacity to pull off moves that not many could fathom, a player most Bundesliga neutrals admired at the time.

The Brazilian scored 133 goals in the Bundesliga and is one of the best imports the league has ever seen.


#1 Claudio Pizarro – 197 goals

Claudio Pizarro
Claudio Pizarro

Claudio Pizarro holds the record for the most goals scored in the Bundesliga by a South American player. He is a legend at more than one club for his goal-scoring exploits.

Pizarro first rose to prominence at Werder Bremen in the 1999-00 season before Bayern Munich made a move for him a couple of years later. The Bavarian giants just couldn’t resist pairing him up with Roque Santa Cruz, and the duo forged a good partnership.

The Peruvian later formed another deadly strike-force with Giovane Elber, and the two players helped Bayern Munich win the Bundesliga and the Champions League.

Pizarro often combined exceptional technique with good finishing ability. His game was not all about pace, which is why he had such a long career. The Peruvian ended his career with a whopping 197 Bundesliga goals scored for Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and FC Koln.

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Edited by Bhargav