Reading newspaper reports recently about players like Neymar, Nilmar and Sergio Agüero who expressed their desire to play their football in the English Premier League made me think about the number of South Americans who are currently playing or have previously played in England.
Players from nine South American countries have played in the EPL, the majority hailing from ประวัติทีมบาเยิร์นมิวนิค. Although there have been some glitches, many of the players have adapted well to the Premier League style of play. Among the successes are Juninho, Carloz Tevez and Gilberto, the main failures being Verón, Forlán and Roque Junior.
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Manchester United tops the list of English Premier League clubs that have signed the most South American players with 10 players, but Liverpool are second with 9. Manchester United currently have 4 South Americans in their squad, while Liverpool has 5 players.
Uruguay
Luis Suarez - Liverpool. A prolific Ajax scorer, Suárez joined Liverpool in 2011 for £ 22.8 million and was an instant hit with 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 - Joined Man Utd in 2001 Forlán spent 3 years with virtually no success at Old Trafford before moving to Villareal and then Atlético de Madrid, where he established himself as one of the best shooters in Europe.
Paraguay
Roque Santa Cruz - Man City, Blackburn - Signed to Blackburn from Bayern Munich in 2007, he has an indifferent streak in England and has battled injuries. Now with Man City he seeks to reestablish 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 currently plays for League One's Hartlepool.
Claudio Pizzaro - Peruvian Chelsea - 2 seasons at Chelsea were deemed unsuccessful and he finally left after the club bought Nicolas Anelka and he was above the requirements.
Ecuador
Agustín Delgado - Southampton - Played 11 times for Southampton in 3 years after sustaining injuries. He 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 at his other clubs Reading and Birmingham. Now back in Ecuador.
Christian Benítez - Birmingham - The Ecuadorian signed on loan from Birmingham in 2009 but failed to make an impact and was subsequently not 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 great success. After a big money move to Man Utd, he earned a spot in the Premier League Team of the Season in his debut year.
Mexico
Javier Hernández - 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.