Most valuable South American XI in football right now - February 2022
In football, the term 'valuable' works with the transfer market, and to stay valuable means the players must be consistent in their performance.
Throughout the years, there have been situations in which a player would be the most valuable player for a particular season. However, the following season they end up being just a regular player. In other cases, there are some whose value tends to rise yearly which is mostly the case of young prodigies.
Others might depreciate in value due to age, for instance Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. They have been the face of football for almost two decades but are currently martyrs of this predicament.
A lot of such phenomenal players that have defined the sport due to their outstanding brilliance and mastery have come from South America. This includes legends such as Pele, the late Maradonna, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi etc.
Right away, let's check out the most valuable South American XI in the world right now.
Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker (Liverpool/ Brazil) - €60m
Alisson Becker is certainly one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now.
The Brazilian has been a gem for his club Liverpool since joining them from Roma in 2018. Since he was bought for €66m, the second most expensive fee for a goalkeeper behind Kepa Arrizabalaga, the Reds have enjoyed a lot of success.
In his debut season, he won the Premier League Golden Glove and the Champions League. The following season, he played an integral role as they won their first ever Premier League title, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Alisson is nicknamed "O Goleiro Gato," which translates to "the cat-like goalkeeper", by his country media because of his great reflexes. He has 55 clean sheets in 121 appearances in the Premier League so far.
Centre-back: Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain/ Brazil) - €75m
Marquinhos is regarded as one of the best center backs in the world. He is known for his pace, passing ability, technical skills and versatility to play as a right back and defensive midfielder.
Marquinhos joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2013 for a fee of €31.4m after playing 26 games for Roma. In his second season, he helped the team win their first domestic treble.
@BrasilEdition
Verratti & Marquinhos now PSG’s most-capped players in Europe with 69 appearances. #UCL twitter.com/RomainCG75/sta…
The center back played a monumental role in PSG's Champions League road to the final of the 2019-20 season. He scored in the quarter-finals and semi-finals against Atalanta and RB Leipzig respectively.
Marquinhos' individual brilliance earned him a spot back-to-back in the UEFA Champions League squad of the season (2019-2020) and (2020-2021).
Centre-back: Eder Militao (Real Madrid/ Brazil) - €60m
Eder Militao is a versatile player just like his compatriot Marquinhos. He is able to play as a defensive midfielder and right back which makes him one of the most valuable centre-backs in the world.
Militao became former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane's first signing after his brilliant showcase at Porto for around €50m.
⚔️ Eder Militão and David Alaba have played 24 games together as a center-back pair this season, their record is: 18 games won, 2 losses, 4 draws. 12 goals conceded and 13 clean sheets. Madrid's answer to PSG's attack. @mundodeportivo https://t.co/ZzNl9jsSAM
But it was not until the departure of Zidane, Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane that the defender started being included as a first choice pick. He has become a regular under current Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti. Since the start of the season, there have been massive improvements in his game due to an increased number of play-time.
Militao is also known for his agility, good technique and swift recovery of the ball.
Left-back: Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid/ Brazil) - €20m
Renan Lodi is part of Atletico Madrid's La Liga winning team. He left Atletico Paranaense in the summer of 2019 for Atletico Madrid after 48 appearances in three years.
Lodi offers a lot of depth to Atletico's defensive line-up. He knows when to position before intercepting and quickly converts defense into attack.
He also knows how to keep possession when trying to stabilize play. Lodi also has a good cross percentage. So far, he has managed 72 games for Atletico Madrid.
Right-back: Emerson Royal (Tottenham Hotspur/ Brazil) - €25m
Emerson Royal was bought by Tottenham Hotspur from Barcelona last summer. This was right after he completed his loan spell at Real Betis having played just three games for the Catalan side.
Royal is quite a skilled right back. He can act as a wide defender used to counter fast wingers because he can cover ground quickly over short distances. He is also extremely good at passing the ball into the 18-yard box.
So far, he has played 16 Premier League matches.