South America has produced some of the greatest footballers of all time, with players from a number of different decades The likes of Lionel Messi, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are among the names who could be considered in the greatest of all time conversation, Messi is ranked as the best South American footballer in history thanks to his incredible success with both Argentina and Barcelona. Who hasn't marvelled at the exploits of Lionel Messi ? Who hasn't heard the legends about Pele, Diego Armando Maradona or Socrates? Who hasn't tried to imitate Ronaldo 's powerful shots? So many names and references paying tribute to some of the best players ever to set foot on a football pitch. And whatever generation you belong to, you'll no doubt have heard of them.
While it is impossible to rank the best South American players in history with absolute certainty, here is our attempt to define the 11 greatest from the continent. As is often the case with this type of list, several players who could legitimately have been included are missing. To give you a better idea of our choices, here is a list of the criteria used to draw up the rankings.
These are: Personal achievements and records Leadership role Aura Historical significance Ranking the 11 Greatest South American Footballers in History Rank Player Country Total Goals Total Assists Achievements 1 Lionel Messi Argentina 827 401 1x World Cup, 8x Ballon d'Or, 4x Champions League, 10x LaLiga, 8x FIFA Player of the Year, 1x Copa America, 2x.