15 Greatest South American Players in Premier League History [Ranked]

Since its formation in 1992, the Premier League has quickly established itself as the best division in the world and players from overseas are often keen to ply their trade in it. As such, over the years, there have been a plethora of South American players in England’s top flight and some have gone on to cement themselves as club legends.

For example, perennial Champions League winner Clarence Seedorf has persistently exclaimed his regret about not making a move to England. Irrespective of where they are born or what club they play for, playing in the Premier League is often a youngster’s dream – but in terms of South Americans, we have borne witness to some of the continents greatest-ever assets.

Here is a closer look at the 15 best South American footballers in Premier League history.

Ranking factors

• Impact in the Premier League
• Goals/assists
• Clean sheets (defensive-minded players/goalkeepers)
• Longevity in the English top flight
• Premier League trophies won

1 Sergio Aguero

Manchester City

Sergio Aguero is the most prolific South American in Premier League history, having scored a remarkable 184 goals across 275 appearances. The 101-cap Argentina international joined Manchester City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 for a club-record fee worth a reported £38m and went on to top the club’s all-time top scorer charts, and he is without doubt one of the greatest strikers in the history of the sport.

The dazzling Argentine forward scored one of the most iconic goals in English top-flight history when he netted a stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers back in 2012 to win City their first Premier League title. Aguero now has a statue of himself erected outside the Etihad Stadium, which shows his legendary status in the blue half of a football-crazed Manchester.

2 Luis Suarez

Liverpool

Luis Suarez is widely considered one of the greatest strikers in the history of the sport, but his spell in the Premier League was fairly brief, which is why we’ve ranked him not at the top of the list. There is no doubt that, had he remained in the Premier League for longer, he would’ve been battling it out for the number-one spot, but he was at Liverpool for two and a half years before completing a £75m move to Barcelona in 2014.

Though, notwithstanding that, Suarez’s impact during that time was simply incredible, with him being one of the best players to ever don the No.7 shirt for the Merseysiders. The Uruguayan forward almost led Liverpool to their first Premier League title during the 2013/14 season, as he scored a whopping 31 goals whilst providing 17 assists in 33 outings. Suarez was named PFA Player of the Year that campaign and became the first non-European to win the award.

3 Roberto Firmino

Liverpool

Roberto Firmino was a real trailblazer during his time at Liverpool. The Brazilian wasn’t really a striker, nor a No. 10, but more of a false nine, which provided great fluidity and success for the Merseysiders. Having made a £29 million switch from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in 2015, Firmino scored 10 goals in his debut campaign and laid on eight assists, evincing that his game was about much more than goals.

The 55-cap Brazil international went on to fire in 111 goals for the Reds and played an influential role in the club’s first-ever Premier League title in 2020. Firmino departed Liverpool for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in 2023. The unselfish figure in Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Firmino era, the glittering Brazilian’s best work was done off the ball.

4 Carlos Tevez

West Ham United, Manchester United and Manchester City

Carlos Tevez joined West Ham United in 2006 off the back of the World Cup, where he impressed many, so much so that Manchester United and Chelsea were linked with the Argentine. The prolific forward spent one season at the Hammers and inspired his side to Premier League safety, scoring seven goals and providing three assists. Tevez’s final-day winner away at Old Trafford retained West Ham’s top-flight status and, sure enough, he joined the Red Devils that summer on a two-year loan deal.

The 76-cap Argentina international would go on to net 34 times whilst laying on 14 assists in just under 100 games for the Red Devils before Manchester City paid £25.5 million to land his signature in 2009. At the Citizens, Tevez really elevated his game and won the Golden Boot award in his second season with the club. He departed the Premier League in 2013 for Serie A giants Juventus with three titles to his name and 84 goals in the division.

5 Fernandinho

Manchester City

Manchester City outlaid £30 million to sign Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 and the Brazilian midfielder went on to enjoy a glittering nine-year stay with the club. The five-time Premier League winner established himself as one of the best midfielders in the division and seemed to raise his game to a new level under the stewardship of Guardiola. Fernandinho captained the Citizens on occasion and played out of position at times as a centre-back, evincing his tremendous versatility.

Speaking in 2018, Guardiola heaped praise on the defensive midfielder, saying: “Everything we’ve done wouldn’t have been possible without him.” Fernandinho was a key part of City’s centurion team – which broke the record for the most points in Premier League history, amassing a whopping 100.

6 Alisson Becker

Liverpool

Alisson Becker made a world-record £66.8m switch from Roma to Liverpool in the summer of 2018, becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in history, eclipsing the £32.6m Juventus paid to Parma for Gianluigi Buffon in 2001. Since arriving in Merseyside, the Brazilian has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet and picked up the first-ever Yashin trophy in 2019 at the Ballon D’or award ceremony.

Perhaps most tellingly, Alisson is Brazil’s No. 1 above the aforementioned Ederson, which evinces quite how incredibly talented he is between the posts – and his statistics attest to that. A one-time Premier League winner, the former Internacional man has kept 86 clean sheets and conceded just 174 goals in 201 league appearances. During Liverpool’s 2019/20 title-winning campaign, he conceded only 23 goals across 29 appearances.

7 Gilberto Silva

Arsenal

Widely courted as one of Arsenal’s best midfielders of all time, the energetic Brazilian joined the Gunners from Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro after winning the 2022 World Cup. Stationed at the fulcrum of his side, Gilberto Silva’s abilities allowed the more technical-minded players in front of him to flourish.

And that’s what Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincibles’ side needed. A tough-tacker who failed to shy away from the dirty work, Silva is often the forgotten man of the north Londoners’ glory days in the early 2000s – but he’s still one of the best South Americans to step foot in the Premier League. Across a six-year period, he chalked up 170 appearances in England’s top flight.

8 Ederson

Manchester City

Ederson joined Manchester City in a deal worth £35 million from Benfica in 2017 and since arriving in the Premier League, the 25-cap Brazil international has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers on the continent. The 30-year-old is incredibly comfortable with the ball at his feet and is pivotal to the way City play out from the back.

Ederson has won a whopping six Premier League titles during his time at the Etihad Stadium and played a vital role in the treble-winning 2022/23 season. There aren’t many better shot-stoppers in the division and should he continue to perform for the Citizens, he may well find himself further up the rankings in due course.

9 Alexis Sanchez

Arsenal and Manchester United

Alexis Sanchez left Barcelona in favour of a move to Arsenal in 2014 for a fee in the region of £35 million. The Chilean forward enjoyed a fruitful three and a half years with the Gunners, scoring 80 goals whilst laying on 45 assists across 166 appearances. Sanchez picked up the PFA Fans’ Player of the Season award in his debut campaign and won Arsenal’s Player of the Season twice during his stay in north London.

The former Barcelona star joined Manchester United in January 2018 in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and made 45 appearances for the Red Devils, netting five times whilst providing nine assists. For whatever reason, his time at United just didn’t really work out. Nonetheless, Sanchez is cemented as one of the best South Americans to ever play in the Premier League given his stint at Arsenal.

10 Pablo Zabaleta

Manchester City and West Ham United

Pablo Zabaleta joined Manchester City in the summer of 2008, one day before Sheikh Mansour bought the club and kick-started their new era, after asserting himself as a regular at Spanish side Espanyol, and he proved a revelation on the right-hand side of the back line. Despite not being the sexiest acqusition, he had all the tools to become a club great: his tenacity and leadership are standout attributes.

The two-time Premier League winner even moved to West Ham United in 2017 and spent a three-year period in east London, taking his top flight appearance tally to 303, before hanging up his boots as one of the best right-backs in Premier League history. Underrated during his time in the east of Manchester, Zabaleta provided a winning mentaltiy once he’d moved to the capital club – and what a player he was.

11 11-15

Antonio Valencia, Oscar, Phillipe Coutinho, David Luiz, Javier Mascherano

From 11th to 15th, the talent is still evident. Former Manchester United man Antonio Valencia could play in both positions on the right flank and his electric pace, combined with his athleticism and sheer pace, made him an absolute menace across his 10-year stint at Old Trafford.

Chelsea’s Oscar and Liverpool and Aston Villa’s Philippe Coutinho rank 12th and 13th, respectively, and both enjoyed terrific stints at the top of England’s football pyramid. The former, a two-time Premier League winner, has spent the last seven years in China while the latter moved to Barcelona, making him one of the most expensive players ever by total transfer fees.

David Luiz, who played for both Arsenal and Chelsea during his stint in England, notched 213 games in the Premier League and, his luscious locks aside, was one of the most expensive centre-backs in football history. Javier Mascherano, who plied his trade for West Ham United and then Liverpool, concludes the top 15.