Reading reports in the papers recently about the likes of Neymar, Nilmar and Sergio Aguero expressing a desire to play their football in the English Premier League got me thinking about the amount of South American’s who are currently playing, or have previously played in England.
Players from nine South American countries 롤 대리 have played in the EPL with the majority coming from Argentina and Brazil. Although there have been a few failures, many of the players have adapted well to the Premier League’s style of play. Amongst the successes are Juninho, Carloz Tevez and Gilberto, the main failures being Veron, Forlan and Roque Junior.
Manchester United top of the list of English Premier League clubs who have signed the most South American players with 10 players but Liverpool are a close second with 9. Manchester United currently have 4 South Americans in their squad while Liverpool have 5 players.
Uruguay
Luis Suarez – Liverpool. A prolific goalscorer for Ajax, Suarez joined Liverpool in 2011 for £22.8 million and was an instant hit with the fans due to a succession of fantastic performances. Great things are expected for the 2011-12 season under Kenny Dalglish’s new regime
Diego Forlan – Man Utd – Signed by Man Utd in 2001 Forlan spent 3 pretty much unsuccessful years at Old Trafford before moving to Villareal and then Atletico Madrid where he established himself as one of Europe’s leading marksmen.
Paraguay
Roque Santa Cruz – Man City, Blackburn – Signed by Blackburn from Bayern Munich in 2007 he has an indifferent spell in England and has struggled with injuries. Now with Man City he is looking to re-establish himself in the first team.
Peru
Nolberto Solano – Aston Villa, Newcastle – The little Peruvian has spent most of his playing career in England and has been adored by fans wherever he has played. He is currently playing for League One side Hartlepool.
Claudio Pizzaro – Peru Chelsea – 2 seasons at Chelsea were widely regarded as unsuccesful and he eventually left after the club bought Nicolas Anelka and he was surplus to requirements.
Ecuador
Agustin Delgado – Southampton – Played 11 times for Southampton in 3 years after being dogged by injuries. Never settled and refused to learn the language he was sold to a club in his native Ecuador.
Ullises de la Cruz – Aston Villa – De La Cruz spent 7 years in England and was arguably more successful at Aston Villa than his other clubs Reading and Birmingham. Now back in Ecuador.
Christian Benitez – Birmingham – The Ecuadorian signed on loan for Birmingham in 2009 but failed to make an impact and subsequently wasn’t offered a contract with the club.
Antonio Valencia – Wigan, Man Utd – The Ecuadorian has played in the Premier League for 5 years and has been a huge success. After a big money move to Man Utd he gained a place in the Premier League Team of the Season in his debut year.
Mexico
Javier Hernandez – Man Utd – “Chicarito” was an instant hit when he signed for United in the summer of 2010 and ended up scoring 20 goals in his debut season.
Giovanni Dos Santos – Tottenham – Never reached his full potential during his 3 year spell in England. Now at Benfica