5 Best Brazilians to ever grace the Premier League

Samba boys have mesmerized the footballing world for generations. Being five-time world cup winners, they have unarguably been the most successful country in world football.

Right from good old days of Pele and Zico in the 60s, 70s, and 80s to last generation superstars like Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Kaka, Brazilians have always managed to rule the footballing stage at international as well as club level across the world.

Historically the great Brazilian footballers have always preferred to play their club football in the more lucrative league's in Spain, Italy or France rather than coming to England. The legendary names mentioned above and so many other greats have never opted to play for English clubs in their illustrious careers.

But in recent years, the new generation footballers from the South American nation have been opting to come to England and play in the Premier League due to its competitive nature, fast-paced style of football and high wages offered by most of the clubs.

The Brazilian World Cup Squad of 2002, 2006 and 2010 had only one player each from Premier league but the 2014 and 2018 squad had as many as six players each. This figure itself explains the growing popularity of the Premier League among present and future stars of Brazil. These premier league stars have significantly been contributing to Brazil's success on the international stage since last decade.

Of the current crop of youngsters, Fred, Gabrial Jesus, Ederson Moraes, Andreas Pereira, and Roberto Firmino are expected play a big part for their respective clubs and country in years to come. Below is the list of some prominent Brazilians who have graced the Premier League since its inception in the early 90s.

Honorable Mentions

David Luiz

Champions League winner of 2012, Luiz was also a key member of Chelsea's 2013 Europa League and 2016-17 Premier League winning side. Primarily a defender but equally capable of playing in defensive midfield position mostly due to his technique, work rate, and passing range.

Willian

Two-time premier league winner with Chelsea. Willan till date, has scored 47 goals in 254 appearances for the London club. Primarily known for his quick feet, sound technique, creativity, and proficiency from set pieces, he narrowly misses out on this list.

#5 Fernandinho

Two-time Premier League and three-time league cup winner with Manchester City, Fernandinho is a vital member of Pep Guardiola's all-conquering side. Signed for just £34million from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, Fernandinho has scored 23 goals till date for City.

Fernandinho is a defensively minded box to box midfielder with a great passing range and ability to break opposition attacks. He is also known for his blistering pace and ability to score long-distance screamers.

#4 Gilberto Silva

An indispensable member of Arsenal's invincible side of early 2000's, Arsene Wenger signed Gilberto after his consistent performances for Brazil at 2002 World Cup. In his initial years at Arsenal, he formed a formidable midfield partnership with the club captain Patrik Vierra which coincided with one of the most successful periods in the clubs history.

Gilberto who mostly played the role of the defensive-minded midfielder for his club and country was responsible for breaking up opposition attacks and laying the ball off to his attackers.

He appeared 244 times for the Gunners between 2002 to 2008 and scored 24 times. He left Arsenal to join Panathinaikos in July of 2008. With one Premier League, two FA Cups and a UEFA Champions League runner-up medal to his name, Gilberto Silva will forever be remembered for being one of the best midfielders in the history of Premier League.

#3 Juninho

Considered by many as one of the greatest players to have played for Middlesbrough in the modern era, Juninho had three different spells in the Premier League, all of them with the North Yorkshire club. He was one of the first Brazilian footballers to achieve success on English soil. Juninho was an extremely effective attacking midfielder and with his dribbling and playmaking ability, he soon became of the most feared attackers in Premier League.

Even though Boro got relegated during 1996-97, Juninho won Premier League Player of the season award. He left Boro the following season but came back in 1999 for his second spell and also had a third spell from 2002 to 2004. In 2002 he also helped his club win League Cup, the only major trophy that Middlesbrough has won in recent years. He managed 31 goals in 130 appearances for the Yorkshire club.

#2 Lucas Leiva

Lucas Leiva is known for being one of the most underrated performers of Liverpool for the past two decades. He represented Liverpool for ten years( from 2007 to 2017) raking up 346 appearances in all competition.

Prominently a hard-tackling defensive midfielder, Lucas was not very skillful or creative but his work rate and tactical intelligence made him one of the best holding midfielder in Premier League. His tacking ability also allowed different managers to use him as a makeshift central defender.

Lucas who was a former captain of Brazilian National youth team captain also won Liverpool's Player of the Year for the 2010-11 season.

#1 Philippe Coutinho

Probably the best signing of Brendon Roger's managerial tenure, Philip Coutinho scored 54 goals in 201 appearances for the Merseyside club. Signed for just £8.5 million He was undoubtedly one of the key figures under Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool revolution.

Coutinho mesmerized Premier league fans with his pace, drilling, and ability to score screamers from outside the box. He was also nicknamed "Little Magician" by Liverpool fans for his vision and passing ability. Coutinho spent six successful but trophy-less seasons in England before moving to Barcelona in January of 2018 for a deal worth a whopping £143 million

Edited by Abhinav Munshi