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The Premier League is undoubtedly the most competitive and widely watched globally. Players from all over the world dream of playing in the Premier League, but the same cannot be said about Brazilians.
Premier League hasn't always had the best Brazilian players
Over the last three decades, the best Brazilian players have been Neymar, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. None of these have played in the Premier League. The trend has changed recently, and more players of the Selecao are keen on playing in England.
Juninho was one of the first Brazilians to dazzle in the English top flight. Brazil are blessed with two world-class goalkeepers, and unsurprisingly, both of them ply their trade in the Premier League with Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively.
South Americans usually prefer playing in Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries. However, with the ever-increasing appeal of the Premier League, players find it hard to pass up an opportunity to play in England.
With that being said, there are some terrific Brazilian players in the Premier League right now, and we take a look at five of them.
#5 Raphinha
Raphinha started the season right from where he left off last season. The winger has already scored eight goals and also has an assist under his belt. His fruitful displays earned him his first five caps for Brazil last year, and he also scored a couple of goals.
The Leeds star has drawn plaudits across Europe and is being kept a close eye on by teams like Liverpool and Bayern Munich. His great numbers for club and country earned him a place on this list over the likes of Fabinho, Fernandinho and Roberto Firmino.
The 25-year-old still has a long career ahead of him. As long as he maintains his numbers and stays true to himself, Raphinha can go on to make a name for himself in the Premier League history books.
#4 Gabriel Jesus
Gabriel Jesus is part of Manchester City’s gauntlet of attacking players. Some say he is overrated, while others reckon he is underrated. As far as stats go, Jesus is having a decent season with two goals and seven assists in the Premier League.
Although he couldn’t replace Sergio Aguero at the Etihad Stadium, he has been a more than handy utility player for Pep Guardiola. He was one of Manchester City’s leading creative players last year, with 12 assists to his credit in all competitions.
Whether or not Jesus has lived up to his hype is a topic for another day, but one thing is for sure. Despite being played in unnatural positions for the benefit of the team, Jesus has come up trumps more often than not.
#3 Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva joined the Premier League very late in his career. But he was still able to make a positive impact on Chelsea as he won the Champions League in his first season with the club. Along with Antonio Rudiger, he has been their best defender under Thomas Tuchel.
The 37-year-old has immense leadership skills and relies on his defensive awareness due to the lack of speed. Although he has only started 14 matches, he has made more passes (1292) than any other Brazilian in the league.
Chelsea have conceded just 16 goals in 21 matches, the third least in the Premier League. Thiago Silva is a major reason for their compactness at the back. He has also chipped in with two goals in the league this campaign, which is always a bonus.
#2 Alisson Becker
Alisson Becker is arguably the best Brazilian player in the Premier League based on ability, but he has been trumped by one player this season. Alisson has kept nine clean sheets this season in 18 appearances in the Premier League.
The Liverpool goalkeeper managed to beat teammates Firmino and Fabinho to merit a place on the list. Both players have struggled with injuries this season and it is no surprise to see them missing here. Meanwhile, Alisson has been brilliant as usual.
Seen as a more reliable goalkeeper than Ederson, Alisson has more passes and better distribution than his Manchester City counterpart this season. However, he loses out in terms of clean sheets and clean sheet percentage.
#1 Ederson Moraes
Ederson Moraes is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. As mentioned earlier, it is hard to pick between him and Alisson. However, the southpaw has been slightly better recently. He has 11 clean sheets in the Premier League and is the reigning Golden Glove winner.
Manchester City are well on course to win their 6th Premier League title and Ederson has made a huge contribution to their success over the years. He is so good with his feet that commentators take it for granted nowadays.
Ederson’s save percentage of 73.3 was also higher than Alisson’s 67.3. Since he has kept 11 clean sheets in 20 appearances, he has a clean sheet percentage of 55% which is the highest in the league. At the moment, Ederson is Premier League’s best Brazilian player.
