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South America is a continent that is filled with talented footballers. After all, in every street of South America, football breathes and lives. It could actually be argued that they are born to play football and are in fact, moulded by it.
The difficulty of compiling this list is a testament to the talent that the continent has.
The ones that narrowly missed out..
Ederson
The Brazilian goalkeeper has been in such fine form this season that Tite must be losing sleep as to who should be his starting goalkeeper in Russia come the World Cup. He is in fine form, but the ones on this list have been more impactful for their respective teams.
Gabriel Jesus and Paulo Dybala
The Manchester City man is having somewhat of a breakthrough season this year. He is almost certain to lead the line for Brazil in the World Cup, but a certain forward from Liverpool could be a hurdle in his way.
The reason for him not being in the main list is because he has played only one game in 2018 and since the list is based on current form, he is just out of the top 10. This is also the case with Dybala, who has only played for 90 minutes in one game in 2018, no thanks to injury.
Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sanchez
Both Chileans are fantastic players, but just have not been in the same form as the ones that are in the list.
Angel di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain
Great players, but miss out of the top 10 because the others have been slightly better.
Now that we have cleared this up, lets begin…
#10 Alisson Becker
When someone labels you as the Lionel Messi of goalkeepers, it has to mean something. And it does. Alisson is truly a special talent that almost often stands like a wall in front of the goal. The fact that he has kept Ederson away from the number 1 spot for Brazil is a testament to his abilities.
Alisson has made 2.73 saves-per-game this season so far. In general, he makes an average of 3.38 saves before letting a goal in. He has kept 11 clean sheets in 26 appearances this season and has, in some games, been a one-man show for Roma.
He is to Roma what David De Gea is to Manchester United—the single-most difficult person to overcome in order to beat his team.
#9 James Rodriguez
At number 9 is Real Madrid’s on-loan star James Rodriguez. He might have struggled in his initial days with the Bavarians, but has now finally settled in and is operating at a level that is perhaps making his parent team regretful about their decision.
Since Real Madrid had Isco, who displayed a level of superiority over the Colombian last season, Zidane chose to let James go. Since he found no outright buyers, Real loaned him to Bayern for two years and so far, it seems as though it has worked wonders for Bayern.
In 13 starts for Bayern in the league, he has scored four times and has assisted six times to force himself back into the reckoning.
#8 Roberto Firmino
One of the most underrated players in the Premier League is Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino. The Brazilian may have had a tough beginning to his career at the Merseyside, but he has completely amalgamated to the surroundings of the Premier League.
Also read: Top 10 most underrated players in the world right now
Indeed, in his 33 starts with the Reds this season, he has scored 23 goals and has helped out with 9 assists. The way he combines with Mohamad Salah and Sadio Mane should bring hope to the millions of Brazilians, as he could do the very same with Neymar and Coutinho in the World Cup.
Right now, it could be claimed that he is as important to Liverpool as Mohamad Salah is.
#7 Nicolas Otamendi
Manchester City have a plethora of attacking talents in the team. Most of the people are in awe of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva’s ability to create something out of absolutely nothing and yet, it is perhaps the improvement of an Argentine defender that has made all the difference.
Nicolas Otamendi had an indifferent start to his career at the Etihad. This season, however, he has taken his game to another level. Indeed, according to his manager Pep Guardiola, City wouldn’t be where they are now without him.
"We have a Superman in the team, as Nico Otamendi helped us absolutely," said Guardiola.
"Without Nico, it would not be possible, what we have done. Everyone speaks about a bit of players such as Raheem, like David, like Kevin, like Sergio, and they deserve it, but if I would like to point to a player who deserves full respect, for what they have done until now, it’s Nico. Nico has been amazing.”
The fact that City have conceded the least amount of goals in the league—tied with Man United—at 20 from 27 games speaks volumes about Otamendi’s form.
#6 Edinson Cavani
Regardless of which league one plays, scoring goals is always difficult. The net only covers a small part of the ground and that too is guarded by a goalkeeper. One of the pioneers at scoring a lot of goals in Edinson Cavani.
The Uruguayan has been at his brilliant best ever since the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This season, he has 24 goals from 24 league starts and 6 goals in 7 Champions League games so far. Inside the box, there are only a few contemporaries who are as effective.
The fact that he has outscored Neymar thus far is a testament to his ability of finding the bacl of the net.
#5 Sergio Aguero
If it weren’t for Lionel Messi, then people in Argentina would have perhaps worshipped Sergio Aguero. In terms of consistency, he has always been in the top echelons of football. In a way, he is quite underrated when compared to the top four players on this list.
This season, he has been ripping apart Premier League defences with his dazzling skills on the ball. In 25 starts in the Premier League and Champions League combined, he has scored 25 goals and has assisted a further six times to help the Etihad outfit sustain their superiority.
#4 Philippe Coutinho
He might be disliked by the Kop for pushing through a move in January, despite being cup-tied at Anfield, but make no mistake here: he is one of the best players in the world right now. At his best, it is almost impossible for any team to stop him.
And how can they?
He has almost everything a player needs to be a menace for the opposition: mazy dribbling, slick passing and a vicious long shot. He might have only just joined Barcelona, but he has already wowed the Camp Nou.
This season, he has played in five Champions League games for Liverpool, scoring five goals and provided two assists. In the league with both Barcelona and Liverpool combined, he has scored 8 goals and has helped out with 9 assists so far.
#3 Luis Suarez
The Uruguayan’s place would have been further below had this list been complied around 2-3 months ago. The Suarez we are witnessing right now, however, is back at his best and is, along with Lionel Messi, winning games for Barcelona like it were a walk in the park.
In Barcelona’s recent routing of Girona, he scored a hattrick while also assisting twice. In the league this season, he has scored 20 goals in 22 games while also providing his team-mates with six assists.
Since the turn of the year, he has hit his optimum form, which will perhaps see Barcelona to a historic treble of trebles.
#2 Neymar
The star and jewel of Brazilian football. There is little doubt that the Brazilian will one day win the Ballon d’Or. Who knows, the way he has been playing so far this season, this could be his year. He might be injured now, but he will return in 8 weeks’ time and get ready for the most prestigious tournament in the world: the World Cup.
Neymar has scored 19 goals in the league in 20 appearances, while also coming up 13 assists in the same time. In the Champions League, he has scored six goals in 7 appearances and also given three assists to help the Parisians reach the round of 16.
#1 Lionel Messi
The phenomenon. The best player in the world and perhaps the best player of all time, Lionel Messi is the undisputed king of South American footballers. There have been times this season when the Argentine single-handedly carried his team to victories despite the Catalans being disjointed.
In 35 games in all competitions this season, the Argentine has scored 29 goals and further assisted 13 goals. Stats are perhaps not enough to elaborate on his importance to Barcelona. The Argentine drops deep to act as the playmaker and set up plays for his team, which results in Barcelona doing well.
Right now, the Catalans are riding on his shoulders—and he is carrying them wonderfully too.
