5 South American players who can win the Ballon d'Or in the future
The Ballon d’Or is the most prestigious individual accolade in football. Every footballer from every continent dreams of bagging one, and South American footballers are no exception.
South Americans tend to have a natural flair for the game, they always seem to find a way to make the game entertaining. Through goals, tackles, and even celebrations, Latin Americans know how to pull the crowd and keep them hooked.
Today’s list is about the South American footballers who have been keeping us on the edge of our seats. These five men not only know how to entertain but they also know how to win against odds. These footballers are arguably the best South America has to offer right now.
Here are the five South Americans who can win the Ballon d’Or in the future:
#5 Luis Suarez
A prime Luis Suarez would be considerably higher on this list. However, considering he is already 34 years old, we are leaning a bit towards practicality.
Suarez, who currently plies his trade at Atletico Madrid, is still one of the sharpest forwards in La Liga. He cleverly beats oppositions’ offside traps, slides into little pockets of space, and is excellent in the air as well.
The Uruguayan joined Atletico ahead of the 2020-21 season and inspired Los Rojiblancos to the La Liga title in his debut season. With 21 goals and three assists, Suarez emerged as Atletico Madrid’s most influential forward.
This season, too, he has started brightly in La Liga, scoring seven goals in 12 appearances.
Luis Suarez still has love for Liverpool ❤️ https://t.co/FwdUlXn32L
To put himself on the map, Suarez needs to replicate his last-season heroics and try to turn Atletico Madrid’s fortunes around in La Liga. A couple of man-of-the-match performances in the Champions League will also come in pretty handy.
#4 Casemiro
Real Madrid’s central defensive midfielder Casemiro is one of the most underrated players in the world. He was the unsung hero of Real Madrid’s unmatched Champions League three-peat, putting in multiple man-of-the-match performances en route to glory.
The Brazilian has not had that much success in national colors, but he remains one of the first names on the team sheet.
Casemiro: “It's a privilege to play for so long at the biggest club in the world and I think I'll only really get a sense of the scale of what I've achieved when all this ends one day” [ESPN] https://t.co/MgenFlrTd2
Casemiro is arguably the only player at Real Madrid who can create an unbreachable shield in front of the backline. He can drop down as a centre-back when defending in numbers and even covers for the full-backs when hit with a counter-attack.
Ballon d’Or has never been too kind to defensive players, meaning he might end up getting ignored like his predecessors. However, if the biases are removed, we believe Casemiro could at least get a podium finish in the future.