By Dr Rami osman 

 

The three best players in the history of the game?The best evidence of South America's excellence in the most popular game in the world.. It is the presence of the three best players in the history of football from the same continent (Messi_Maradona_Pele) and the list goes on for a number of players who are the best such as Neymar, Suarez Ronaldinho, and the phenomenon Ronaldo, Kaka, Rivaldo, Batistuta, Dani Alves and many others

Football in South America: An Alternative Identity Beyond the Nation

At a time when coups, dictatorships, revolutions, civil wars, mass kidnappings, and poverty shattered any hope of genuine national belonging, the game famously known as the crazy, beautiful witch granted South American peoples an alternative identity: loyalty to the national team and the club passionately supported by the masses.

Belonging to clubs and national teams instead of countries.

The Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano captures this idea with a simple observation repeated by football fans around the world, often without deeper reflection:

“Rarely does a fan say, ‘Today the club will play.’ More often, he says, ‘Today we will play. Look at the goals we scored against them.’”

A striking example is the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, who once attempted to force national loyalty by appointing himself president of one of the country’s biggest clubs, Colo-Colo. In that moment, belonging to a football club became easier than belonging to a nation.

Thus, football offered a lesson: they deceived us once again.
The resemblance between football and religion is impossible to ignore.

Latin America’s Football Madness

Latin American societies are famously obsessive in their love for football. This extraordinary passion led Galeano—the Uruguayan writer and novelist—to ask whether football became a refuge for players seeking escape from poverty.

It is true that football was not invented in South America, yet the continent shaped it uniquely. For many, the game became a pathway out of misery.

From Love to Death: The Murder of Andrés Escobar

Some incidents reveal how deep this passion runs—sometimes to lethal extremes.

Colombia’s national team was eliminated from the 1994 World Cup in the United States after defender Andrés Escobar scored an own goal against the U.S. team. That single mistake cost him his life: Escobar was murdered by Colombian mafia members, shot 21 times, in one of football’s darkest tragedies.

The Fiercest Derby in the World

South America did not invent football, but it gave the world its most intense rivalries.

The fiercest derby on the planet is not Manchester United vs. City, Arsenal vs. Tottenham, or Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid.
It is Boca Juniors vs. River Plate in Argentina.

Before and after the match, tens of thousands flood the streets. Violence, riots, and clashes are common, sometimes resulting in injuries—and even deaths.

Numbers That Tell the Story

The improvisational joy of football shaped the global image of Brazil and Argentina, reinforcing the mystique of South American players. Statistics support this legacy:

  • Brazil: 5 World Cup titles

  • Argentina: 3 titles (most recently Qatar 2022)

  • Uruguay: 2 titles (including the first-ever World Cup)

Out of 22 World Cups, South America has won 10, a powerful reflection of what football means in this part of the world.

Football of the Streets

Football in South America is the game of the people. Players grow up in alleyways and streets, learning a natural style far removed from English tactics, Italian grit, or Spanish triangles. They play without calculation—purely out of love.

Its beauty lies in flair, individual brilliance, and spontaneous creativity.

Yet these streets are also home to dictatorship, ignorance, violence, and gangs. Drug trafficking and weapons are commonplace; murder and brutality surround daily life.

For many players, football became the escape—a way out—especially after witnessing the financial transformation of those who made it to European clubs.