Top 10 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 we’ve seen a plethora of South American players in England’s top flight and some have gone on to cement themselves as club legends. Here is now a look at the 10 best South American footballers in Premier League history.

Ranking factors

• Impact in the Premier League
• Longevity
• Trophies

10 Javier Mascherano

West Ham United and Liverpool

Javier Mascherano joined West Ham United in 2006 off the back of an impressive showing with Argentina at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The defensive midfielder played seven times for the Hammers before completing a loan move to Liverpool which would eventually become a permanent one worth £18m. Mascherano spent three and a half years in Merseyside and established himself as one of the best players in the world in his position.

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The 5ft 9 midfielder was made captain of Argentina by Diego Maradona during his stint with Liverpool and he went on to join Pep Guardiola’s relentless Barcelona team in 2010 for a fee worth £17.25m.

9 Philippe Coutinho

Liverpool and Aston Villa

Philippe Coutinho was simply unplayable at times during his career in the Premier League, most notably at Liverpool. The Brazilian play-maker joined The Reds from Inter in an £8.5m move in January 2013 and went on to make 201 appearances with the club, scoring 54 goals whilst laying on 45 assists. Coutinho was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2014/15 season and was awarded Liverpool’s Players’ Player of the Season and Player of the Year awards the following term.

Coutinho departed the Merseysiders for Barcelona in January 2018 for a mammoth fee worth £142m – making him one of the most expensive signings in history. The 68-cap Brazil international didn’t really live up to the lofty expectations at Camp Nou and he returned to the Premier League with Aston Villa in January 2022, where he made 43 outings for the West Midlands club, netting six times whilst turning provider on three occasions. Coutinho now plies his trade in Qatar with top-flight side Al-Duhail SC on loan from The Villans.

8 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 in eighth. There is no doubt 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. 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.

7 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 £35m. 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 Barca 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.

6 Ederson

Manchester City

Ederson joined Manchester City in a deal worth £35m 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 five Premier League titles during his time at the Etihad Stadium and played a key 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.

5 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 incredible he is. During Liverpool’s 2019/20 title-winning campaign, he conceded only 23 goals across 29 appearances.

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 United 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 £25.5m 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.

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 £29m 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.

2 Fernandinho

Manchester City

Manchester City outlaid £30m 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.

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. Only four players in Premier League history have scored more than Aguero and he is without doubt one of the greatest strikers in the history of the sport.

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The 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 outside of the Etihad Stadium, which shows his legendary status in the blue side of Manchester.