The best player of all time in every CONMEBOL member country

South America
Argentina (Lionel Messi)
GOAT
Bolivia (Marcelo Moreno)
All four corners
Brazil (Pele)
Three World Cups
Chile (Ivan Zamorano)
Prolific scorer
Colombia (Radamel Falcao)
In Europe
Ecuador (Antonio Valencia)
Career at United
Paraguay (Roque Santa Cruz)
Scoring in four decades
Peru (Teofilo Cubillas)
National Success
Uruguay (Luis Suarez)
One of the best
Venezuela (Juan Arango)
Copa America appearances
South America

The South American Football Confederation has ten members, the fewest of all FIFA confederations. However, some of the best players have played for these nations!

Argentina (Lionel Messi)

Lionel Messi is Argentina's greatest football player. The Argentine is an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner and won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022.

GOAT

Messi created his legacy with FC Barcelona, the Spanish giants he signed with as a youth. The Argentine has won every trophy with the Catalan club and even won two Copa America's between his World Cup success.

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Bolivia (Marcelo Moreno)

Marcelo Moreno is the greatest Bolivian football player of all time. Moreno is the most-capped Bolivian with 108 appearances and all-time top-scorer (31).

All four corners

Moreno is a striker who has played in all four corners of the globe, scoring goals in Europe, Brazil, and China. According to Transfermarkt, his best-scoring season was 25 goals in 34 games in the Chinese Super League.

Brazil (Pele)

Brazilian icon Pele is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers ever. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendlies, are a Guinness World Record. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century.

Three World Cups

For Brazil, Pele was unbelievable, winning three World Cups in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He played 92 times for the national team and scored 77 goals.

Chile (Ivan Zamorano)

Finding a more prolific striker than Chile's Ivan Zamorano will be hard. The striker scored 34 goals from just 69 matches for Chile, playing at the 1998 World Cup and winning bronze at the 2000 Olympics.

Prolific scorer

Sportsmole reported that he netted 77 goals in 137 games for Real Madrid and had successful stints with Inter Milan and Sevilla. He scored almost 350 goals in his career.

Colombia (Radamel Falcao)

Columbian striker Radamel Falcao is one of the greatest strikers of a generation. He has scored over 350 goals for club and country, and 36 times in 105 appearances for Colombia.

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In Europe

Falcao's most prolific period in Europe came for Porto, Atlético Madrid, and Monaco. He has won the Europa League twice and the league titles in France and Portugal.

Ecuador (Antonio Valencia)

After 99 appearances for Ecuador between 2004 and 2019, there aren't many more Ecuadorian football players who have had a career like Antonio Valencia.

Career at United

After a three-year stint with Wigan Athletic, Valencia made his name as captain and leader of Manchester United. The flying full-back won two Premier League titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup, and a Europa League, per GiveMeSport.

Paraguay (Roque Santa Cruz)

Roque Santa Cruz is the most legendary striker in Paraguay history. He is the record scorer (32) and has appeared in 112 games.

Scoring in four decades

Santa Cruz started his career in 1997 and still plays in the Paraguayan top division. He is among the few players to score a goal in four decades. Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Blackburn Rovers are his most notable teams.

Peru (Teofilo Cubillas)

In an IFFHS poll, Cubillas was selected as Peru's greatest-ever player. Between 1968 and 1982, he played 81 times for Peru, scoring 28 goals.

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National Success

Cubillas became a national hero for Peru, helping them to the quarterfinals at the 1970 and 1978 World Cup. He won the Copa America in 1975 and was awarded the South American Footballer of the Year in 1972.

Uruguay (Luis Suarez)

Luis Suarez is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He has won the Golden Boot in the Netherlands, England, and Spain while winning two European Golden Shoes.

One of the best

Suarez scored 69 goals in 143 appearances for Uruguay and played at multiple World Cups and Copa Americas. For Barcelona, he formed the most incredible front three of all time with Lionel Messi and Neymar.

Venezuela (Juan Arango)

Juan Arango is considered Venezuela's greatest football player. Between 1999 and 2015, he played 129 times for the national team and scored 22 goals.

Copa America appearances

Arango represented Venezuela at six Copa America tournaments, and most notably played in Europe for Mallorca and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

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