Top 5 Brazilian Footballers in the world right now
Brazil has consistently produced some stunning footballing talents year after year and the present generation is no different. However, the current crop are yet to replicate the success of the previous generations. The last time Brazil won the World Cup was in 2002. Their last major tournament win was the Copa America in 2007, but they did win the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. One cannot help but feel that the Brazil team has underachieved in recent years. In fact, the expectations are so high that even though Brazil has won the Olympic Gold Medal in the 2016 Olympics, it has not satisfied the fans.
The samba flavour is perhaps the most intriguing taste of football because it is the unadulterated love of the game that draws the Brazilians to the fields. Their skills and trickery and their desire to entertain separate them from the rest of the world. Even in the world of intense rivalries, Brazilians are widely loved and revered, and thanks to their involvement in club football, they are watched all over the world all through the year.
Even without the coveted trophy to place them in the same rank as their predecessors, the present generation of Brazilians are quite the talented bunch and today we look at 5 of the best Brazilians in football right now.
#5 Fernandinho
Pep Guardiola has collaborated with some of the finest players in football and when the Spaniard states that Fernandinho is one of the best holding midfielders he has worked with, you have to sit up and take notice. Fernandinho has 169 appearances in the Premier League so far and has scored 17 goals.
He averages 63.5 passes per game and has a tackle success rate of 69% and in Guardiola’s team, the Brazilian does the bulk of the dirty work silently, allowing the attacking players to play with more freedom. However, Fernandinho is not the average defensive midfielder, he does not just sit in front of the defence, he joins the attack quite often, but acts as the fail-safe in case of counter-attacks. He is defensively sound, his tackles, ball recoveries and interceptions are integral to City’s style of play, but Fernandinho also has fantastic passing abilities, a wide range of ball skills and has a very good shot in him too. This makes him a vital cog in Pep’s system.
Last season, Fernandinho attempted 2975 passes, the third highest in the league and second only to Otamendi in his team. He also had the fourth highest touches on the ball in the league. He also had an impressive 90% passing completion rate.
This season, he has already attempted 289 passes, the second highest in the team and in the absence of De Bruyne, will have to shoulder added responsibilities. But the Brazilian has the qualities to ensure that City are in good hands in the absence of their talisman.