Top 10 greatest South Americans in Premier League as Diaz looks to follow suit

Luis Diaz is set to become the latest South American to make the move to the Premier League with Liverpool closing in on a £37million deal for the Porto star.

The Colombian will follow in a long line of players from that continent to play their football in England, with many of them having helped their sides to win the title.

The Reds’ new star will hope to follow in their footsteps when he makes the switch from the Primeira Liga to the Premier League.

There are plenty of examples for Diaz to follow, including a few faces who would be familiar to Liverpool supporters.

Here, Mirror Football ranks the 10 greatest South American outfield Premier League stars…

HAVE YOUR SAY! Who is the best South American player in Premier League history? Comment below.

10. Alexis Sanchez

The first four seasons of Alexis Sanchez’s Premier League career marked him out as a possible all-time great.

The Chilean scored 80 goals for Arsenal in his four-year spell at the Gunners, helping them to win two FA Cups.

But he ruined his reputation after making a disastrous switch to Manchester United, where he would score just five goals.

He joined Inter Milan to escape his nightmare at Old Trafford, but the Arsenal version of Sanchez was a force to be reckoned with.

9. Juninho

Pocket rocket Brazilian Juninho was a transformative figure for Middlesbrough and is still considered one of the best players in the club’s history.

The attacking midfielder had three spells in the Premier League – all with the Teesiders – and scored 34 goals in total.

He was named both Middlesbrough’s and the Premier League’s player of the season in 1996/1997, which was his second campaign at the Riverside.

Juninho also helped Boro to win the League Cup in 2004 during his third spell at the club, which remains their only major trophy.

8. Gilberto Silva

During a six-year career at Arsenal, Gilberto Silva earned a reputation for being one of the best defensive midfielders in the division.

Silva won the World Cup with Brazil before making the move to the Gunners and enjoyed a highly successful stay in the capital.

His partnership with Patrick Vieira in midfield was key to Arsenal winning the title as Invincibles in 2003.

While he was a defensive-minded player, Silva also holds the distinction of scoring the first goal at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium home.

7. Philippe Coutinho

Though his dream move to Barcelona turned out to be a disaster, Philippe Coutinho is still fondly remembered for his time at Liverpool.

Signed for only £8.5m, Coutinho proved to be one of the best bargain buys in Premier League history.

The Brazilian international played a key role in Liverpool’s title challenge in 2013/2014, before being named the club’s player of the season the following year.

He has now returned to England with a loan move to Aston Villa and starred off the bench on his debut to help them claim a draw against Manchester United.

6. Fernandinho

Known for doing the unsung dirty work in Pep Guardiola’s astonishingly successful Manchester City teams, Fernandinho is one of the best defensive midfielders in the top-flight.

He has been key to City and Guardiola for the past nine years, winning four titles and being well on the way to picking up a fifth.

While his influence has waned somewhat in recent seasons, Fernandinho is still one of Guardiola’s most consistent performers.

He has also impressed on the international stage, frequently captaining Brazil’s national team.

5. Roberto Firmino

Up to this season, Roberto Firmino has played a crucial role in Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team, as a member of the Reds’ brilliant front three.

A total of 70 top-flight goals since his arrival from Hoffenheim makes him the highest-scoring Brazilian player in Premier League history.

Firmino has lost his place in Liverpool’s team this season, but did help them to win their first title in 30 years in 2019/2020.

For his national team, Firmino has been less potent, but has still managed 17 strikes in 55 appearances, some of which came as Brazilian won the Copa America in 2019.

4. Willian

While his reputation suffered somewhat during a disastrous one-year spell at Arsenal, Willian was one of the best wingers in the top-flight at Chelsea.

Signed for £30m, Willian helped the Blues to win two Premier League titles, scoring 63 times along the way.

He was popular at Stamford Bridge, being named both the fans and players’ player of the season in 2015/2016.

Willian has also won 70 caps with Brazil, featuring at two World Cups and helping them to pick up the 2019 Copa America.

3. Luis Suarez

Though he spent less than four years at Liverpool, Luis Suarez developed a reputation for being one of the deadliest strikers in the top-flight.

He scored an astonishing 82 goals in only 133 appearances in all competitions for the Reds, becoming the first Liverpool player to score 20 goals in a season since Robbie Fowler and the first to score 30 since Ian Rush.

The Uruguayan also broke Andy Cole’s record for the earliest date to reach the 20-goal mark, became the first non-European to win the PFA Player of the Year award, picked up the European Golden Shoe award and was named the Premier League player of the season.

2. Carlos Tevez

Argentine star Carlos Tevez played a key role in three Premier League title winning campaigns and a successful survival battle.

He arrived in England with West Ham in August 2006, scoring seven goals to keep them in the top-flight before joining Manchester United.

In two years at United he scored 34 goals, winning two Premier League titles, the League Cup and the Champions League.

Tevez then made a controversial move to Manchester City, where he hit 73 goals and picked up another Premier League title.

1. Sergio Aguero

Undoubtedly one of the best strikers in Premier League history, Sergio Aguero’s final seasons were cruelly disrupted by injury.

He won two club player of the year awards and ended up as City’s all-time record goalscorer.

Aguero scored an astonishing 184 times in the Premier League and 260 times in all competitions during his decade-long spell at the Etihad Stadium.

Those goals helped City to win five top-flight titles and the FA Cup, with Argentine striker Aguero crucial to all of those trophy wins.