Declan Sloan has put together a complete record of every South American player to wear the famous Red Jersey, from Mauricio Pellegrino in 2005 to newly recruited Roberto Firmino.
Firmino’s arrival this summer from 1899 Hoffenheim made him the 15th South American to represent Liverpool. This is including; Gabriel Paletta, although he was born in Argentina, he is now a full Italian international and Mark González, born in South Africa but the winger moved to Chile when he was just ten years old.
Firmino’s homeland Brazil has supplied the most Liverpool players with six of the fifteen originating from the land of samba. However, not all of our South American recruits have been a success. The reds have plundered some of the best youth talent and maybe have failed to develop them into the players they originally had the potential of being. "The most important thing is the head of the player," says Christian Rapp, who heads the Brazilian-based operation of a German company that specialises in looking for talented youngsters. The player who wants to have a career abroad needs to make the adaptation to his country and club, not the other way round. This is the big explanation for some cases working out while others don't."
It wasn’t until January 2005 until the first South American joined Liverpool in the form of experienced Argentinian defender Mauricio Pellegrino. Having played under current boss Rafa Benítez when he was in charge of Valencia CF, it was hoped he could prove a decent short term acquisition and provide adequate cover for his first choice centre-back pairing of Hyppia and Carragher. Pellegrino made 13 appearances in all but was released in June 2005, returning to Spain to join 2001 UEFA Cup runners-up, Alaves.
Benítez, however, later added him to the backroom staff at Anfield in 2008, where he worked with him until his own career at the helm ended in 2010. Mauricio's best performance in a red shirt was a 2-1 win against Everton in March 2005 as the Reds fought it out with the Blues for a top four spot. Pellegrino is currently the manager of Liverpool’s 1984 Intercontinental conquerors Independiente, after engaging in short spells coaching Valencia CF and Estudiantes.
Our second South American signing was highly rated Mark Gonzalez. His move initially was stalled due to work permit issues but he finally arrived at Anfield in the summer of 2006. He made an almost instant contribution to the team with a late winner in a Champions league qualifying round match against Maccabi Tel Aviv to ensure Liverpool’s place in the group stages.
There was no doubt that the Chilean was a talented individual. Nevertheless, his time at Liverpool was destined to be short lived and ultimately could be called a failure. Only making 36 appearances and just 3 goals, Benítez had seen enough and ushered him towards the exit door and joined Real Betis in 2007.
In the same summer of Gonzalez’s arrival, came the double swoop of; Argentinian Gabriel Paletta and Brazilian left-back, Fabio Aurelio. Paletta arrived with high hopes after starring for the Argentina U-20s side alongside Lionel Messi.
Paletta, like many other young South Americans, who chanced their luck in proving themselves in the Premier League, turned out to be a step too early in his career, especially coming straight from his homeland. The pace of the English League can be an unforgiving environment. One of which the young Argentine soon found out by making only eight appearances in all competitions. Nevertheless, Credit to Paletta, after returning to Boca Juniors he then was given another shot at European football as he made his way to Serie. In Italy he became a consistent performer with Parma which even earned him a call up to the Italian national side.
Fabio Aurelio’s arrival on a free transfer looked to be a shrewd piece of business by Benitez. Unfortunately, for both player and club injuries blighted his time at Anfield.
His six seasons at the club saw him only make 87 appearances with 2008-09 being his best. Two goals in that season really stand out. Aurelio left his mark on Old Trafford as he clipped in a lovely free kick as the Reds beat their arch enemies 4-1 which reignited their title bid. He just about topped that a month later, when he outwitted Chelsea’s Petr Cech with a cleverly disguised free kick which got Liverpool back into their Champions League Quarterfinal tie against the London side.
Injuries though were a constant running theme during his LFC career and was ruled out in the summer of 2009 when he went down to a freak injury whilst playing football with his son. From his Liverpool peak of the 2008-2009 season he only managed to play another 30 league games in the next three seasons. He left the club when his original contacted expired, refusing Liverpool's offer of a new pay-as-you-play deal. However, he incredibly resigned months later when new manager Roy Hodgson joined Liverpool in 2010. Despite been given another crack of the whip, unfortunately, injuries kicked in again and his last appearance for the Reds was in May 2012 as a Martin Skrtel OG saw Fulham record a rare victory at Anfield.
Argentinian Javier Mascherano was the next foray for Benitez and Liverpool and one who would prove to be the first truly successful South American import. Javier joined the Reds on loan in February 2007. Mascherano like his compatriot Carlos Tevez had ended up at West Ham Utd via a third party ownership deal arranged by international football fixer Kia Joorabchian. Mascherano was mostly confined to a substitute role, only appearing seven times for the Hammers and when Benitez came calling he was more than happy to swap London for Liverpool.
'El Jefecito' became a firm favourite with the Anfield crowd with his tough tackling and excessive work rate. Liverpool finally signed him a year later in a permanent deal worth around £17m. During his four seasons at the club he managed 139 League and Cup appearances, scoring just the two goals.
He did find himself red carded on a number of occasions, most notably when he took umbrage at his teammate Fernando Torres receiving a yellow card at Old Trafford from referee Steve Bennett after he felt the Spaniard was being targeted by United defenders.
With Benitez’s departure in June 2010 the end of Mascherano’s career at Liverpool was also coming to an end. Barcelona had already tried to lure him to Spain the previous summer and with new coach Roy Hodgson now in charge he decided it was time to depart. It was a blow to Hodgson whose own Liverpool career was to be short lived which wasn’t helped by losing such a key player in Javier.
Moving on, Brazilian Lucas Leiva followed Mascherano's arrival on Merseyside just a few months later in May 2007. Unlike, the Argentine who was given the thumbs up by most of the Liverpool crowd, the young Brazilian player of the year's arrival from Gremio for £5m, very much divided opinion.
At times, the Brazilian was used as a scapegoat to attack Benitez when elements of the crowd felt he didn’t merit selection in a team with designs on winning the title. It was tough on Lucas who conducted himself in a professional manner even when supporters were on his back.
The quintessential Brazilian player is usually viewed as someone who has plenty of flair and goals. However, Lucas was far removed from that romantic stereotype. Nonetheless, this didn’t mean he wasn’t of any value to Liverpool and Benitez.
It is testament to his character that he is now just one game short of 200 league appearances for Liverpool. Especially, taking into account the early part of his career which looked unlikely he would even reach 20 appearances given all the negativity which surrounded him. When the passing genius Xabi Alonso departed for Real Madrid Lucas had his best spell at Liverpool and became a key player in Benitez’s final season at the club.
In echoes of Fabio Aurelio just when it looked like he had established himself, a bad injury was just around the corner. In November 2012 during a cup tie at Stamford Bridge he damaged his cruciate ligament which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. His comeback game against Man City at the start of 2012/13 season saw him last only five minutes before succumbing to injury. He didn’t return until December 2012 but still managed to play 31 games in all competitions. Finally, Leiva made his 250th appearance in the Bernabeu last November and has managed to feature on 61 occasions for Liverpool in the previous two seasons.
In the summer of 2007 Rafa again cast his eyes towards Buenos Aires, signing Sebastian Leto from Lanus for £1.8m. The 21 year old experienced an unhappy time at Anfield only appearing 4 times. He made his debut for the Reds in a Champions League qualifier against Toulouse. He played in the league cup against Reading and Cardiff and in the group stages of the Champions League against French side Marseille.
Leto didn’t see any more competitive action in his Anfield career and with Liverpool struggling to secure a work permit he was sent out on a two year loan in the summer of 2008 to Olympiacos. Fellow Athens club Panathinaikos secured a permanent deal for Leto in 2009 paying £3m for his services. This was one of those rare times that Liverpool actually made a small profit from a player who had made little effect on the team. It was also a move that worked out well for the player too who went on to win the Greek League and Cup with both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos. Again, Reds fans were left pondering over what the scouts had seen in the young winger, who let's just say was not up to scratch.
Someone who enjoyed a little more success at Liverpool was Emiliano Insua, a diminutive left back who signed on loan in June 2007 from Boca Juniors. It took him a few seasons before he established himself as a regular starter. In his first three seasons at the club he only managed 18 games in all competitions.
His most successful season at Liverpool came in 2009/10 were he made an impressive 44 appearances in all competitions. Injuries again were a disruptive factor for Insua. Nevertheless, being relatively young it was hoped he would be around the club for longer than was hoped. However, the clubs' hierarchy had other ideas as he was made available for sale in the summer of 2010. It looked like he was heading to Fiorentina but that move collapsed and he ended up signing for Galatarasay on a season long loan.
He returned to Anfield in 2011 but Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon eventually signed him on a permanent deal. It became apparent that his game time was going to be limited, as Liverpool had signed another left back in Jose Enrique from Newcastle United.
He made a significant contribution to Sporting’s Europa League run as the Portuguese side reached the semi-finals and that very season he secured a lucrative move to Atletico Madrid. However, he was only a bit part player at Atletico and was loaned out to Rayo Vallecano during the 2013/2014 season. He returned to Madrid but his contract was cancelled by mutual consent in May 2015. He is currently playing his football for German side VFB Stuttgart. Still at the tender age of 26, let's hope he is able to establish himself in the Bundesliga.
Insua scored just one goal for Liverpool in his 62 appearances with the club, against Arsenal in the League Cup in November 2009. His LFC career can be counted as a qualified success and in retrospect he was probably dispensed of a season or so too early.
Diego Cavalieri followed in the footsteps of countrymen Aurelio and Lucas when he put pen to paper for the Reds in the summer of 2008. The Brazilian stopper cost £3.5m from Palmeiras but his role was always going to be as a bit part player. Pepe Reina who was at his peak wasn’t rotated for any league games and Cavalieri’s opportunities were restricted to Cup games. He debuted against Crewe in the league cup and also played in the final game of the Champions’ League group stages against Fiorentina in 2008/09.
His last appearance for the Reds was against FK Rabotnicki in the Europa League qualifying rounds. Again he experienced more success in his own homeland winning a championship with Fluminese in 2012 and gaining 2 Brazilian caps. All in all Cavalieri only made 10 appearances for Liverpool.
Rafa Benitez’s last South American signing was Maxi Rodriguez. Maxi had already found the net at Anfield whist playing for Atletico Madrid during the 08/09 Champions League campaign, but it wasn't until January 2010 before he sealed a permanent move to Liverpool. His first outing in English football was as a 78th minute substitute at Stoke and his first goal for the Reds came at Turf Moor in April 2010. His best goal scoring season for Liverpool came in 2010/11, reaching double figures with 10 goals in all competitions.
Furthermore, Maxi relieved the pressure on the beleaguered Roy Hodgson when he scored a late winner at Bolton in October 2010. After Hodgson’s dismissal, early 2011, he starred for caretaker boss Kenny Dalglish, banging in two hat-tricks against Birmingham at Anfield, and also against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
His part in Liverpool’s surge in form ensured Dalglish was given the job permanently at the start of 2011/12 season. This proved to be the peak of his Liverpool career and although he contributed with a few important goals notably one at Chelsea in a league cup tie, he found himself on the bench more often than not.
Nevertheless, Maxi was a popular figure among the Liverpool faithful, having a great song which until today is still belted out on many away days. 73 appearances and 17 goals wasn’t a bad return, but again it was a case of what might have been. If he had arrived at Anfield earlier in his career who knows what he could have achieved!
One of Kenny Dalglish’s first signings in January 2011, proved to be the best money Liverpool ever spent on a South American. The controversial Luis Suarez arrived following the departure of former Kop favourite Fernando Torres.
He made an instant impact against Stoke on his debut, coming off the bench to score. The Uruguayan then went from strength to strength, playing a starring role in March 2011 when Dirk Kuyt’s hat-trick saw off Manchester United at Anfield. His first full season at Anfield was marred by his apparent racism row with Manchester United’s Patrice Evra. Suarez's punishment meant he had to sit out 8 games, but he still managed to notch up 17 goals that season. The highlight being his fantastic hat-trick against Norwich City in April.
Brendan Rodgers unfortunately replaced Dalglish as manager for the 2012/13 season and again Suarez improved his goal scoring tally, scoring 30 in all competitions. He lashed in another early season hat-trick in a 5-2 win at Norwich and a skilful finish against Newcastle in November 2012, where with a stunning first touch he managed to outwit both defender and keeper.
He knocked in another hat-trick against Wigan late on in the season but again he was at the centre of another controversy when he bit Branislav Ivanovic’s arm in the 2-2 draw at Anfield against Chelsea.
With his previous indiscretion fresh in the mind, the Football Association took a dim view and banned him for another 10 games, four in 2012/13 and the first six in 2013/14. It was a shame for both player and club as he had shown a great desire and will to win which sometimes unfortunately led him to behave erratically which ultimately led to punishment.
In the summer of 2013, Suarez agitated for a move away from Anfield. His agent thought he had secured a move to Arsenal when the Gunners triggered what they thought was a release clause in his contract.
The club though held strong and insisted he was going nowhere. Credit to the Uruguayan after the initial disappointment and a few words of encouragement from club captain Steven Gerrard, Luis was ready and raring to go again.
As Liverpool went agonisingly close to ending their title drought in 2013/14, Suarez even though missing those first six games was Liverpool's main man leading the charge. Liverpool Football Club have been blessed with some of the greatest attacking talent the English game has ever seen. There is no doubt that the mercurial Uruguayan will stand in the pantheon of greats even with his foibles.
That season he helped himself to 31 goals in the league with two hat-tricks against West Brom and Cardiff. He also went one further and grabbed four against Norwich. Finally, the steam ran out for both player and club and with the team capitulating at Selhurst Park, Suarez was inconsolable as he was escorted from the field in tears. If anyone deserved a league title apart from Stevie, it was Suarez for his sheer will and determination to win and also his insistence to drag his teammates along with him.
Again though controversy was lurking, he became embroiled in another biting episode this time with Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s World Cup group game with Italy. FIFA handed down a four month ban in all competitions, including nine international games. Barcelona were waiting in the wings as they knew the pressure was on Liverpool from within the English game. The tabloid press never warmed to him especially as he had trained his guns on them with interviews before their group game with England earlier in the competition. The ending came as FC Barcelona agreed a £75m fee with Liverpool for his services, beating the £50m record transfer amount Chelsea had previously paid for Fernando Torres. However, it didn't feel as compensation for the world class talent we had lost and the sheer joy he brought fans.
Anfield was a lot quieter during the 2014/15 season and there is definitely a case to be made that the shambolic season that unfolded started when our talisman left for the Nou Camp. Even Barcelona supporters who have seen plenty of world class players through the seasons didn’t realise what a unique talent they had bought. Some jested that he might not even make their starting XI. 12 months on they can hardly live without him.
Liverpool’s penchant for Brazilian goalkeepers continued in July 2011 as Alexander Doni arrived on a free transfer from Roma. Doni made fewer appearances than Cavalieri appearing 4 times in the league in 2011/12 after Pepe Reina had been sent off at Newcastle United.
His good fortune turned to despair as a misplaced back-pass from John Flanagan in a midweek league game at Blackburn saw the Brazilian red carded which ruled him out of a FA Cup semi-final meeting with Everton the following Saturday.
It was rumoured that he had brought his whole family to England in anticipation of appearing in the Wembley showpiece. His final match for Liverpool was at Swansea on the last day of the 2011/12 season. He did not appear in the 2012/13 season and returned to Brazil in January 2013. It later transpired that he had been suffering heart related difficulties and had to retire from the game in the August of the same year.
Sebastian Coates became the second Uruguayan to sign for Liverpool in August 2011, costing the club £4.9m from Nacional. There was some suggestion that he had been bought to keep Luis Suarez company, in a similar way to when Dennis Bergkamp insisted that Wim Jonk was signed when he moved to Inter Milan.
Nevertheless, Coates arrived with extremely high expectations and many supporters were excited by the signing of their new towering central defender. Like Gabriel Paletta, Coates excelled at U-20 level for his country, winning the young player of the tournament award at that years' Copa America, when Uruguay ended the competition lifting the trophy.
Again though, he failed to carry on such good form into his new club. Coates only managed to make 24 appearances and just 12 of them came in the league. His finest hour came when he scored an acrobatic scissor kick at Loftus Road in March 2012. Failing to break into the side, he found himself out on loan at Sunderland for the 2014/15 season making 10 appearances in the league. Nonetheless, he made enough of an impact in the final weeks of the season for the Black Cats to secure their Premier League status and to convince manager Dick Advocaat to pay £2m for his permanent services this July.
The next Latin American in the door was Phillipe Coutinho who was signed by Brendan Rodgers in the 2013 January transfer window for just £8.5m. This proved to be Brendan's most productive transfer window to date, also bringing in Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea.
Coutinho who arrived at Inter at the same time as former Red's coach Rafa Benitez only played 11 out of 38 League games that season. The following campaign, however, saw him embark on a loan spell at La Liga side Espanyol, scoring 5 goals in 16 appearances. When Liverpool came knocking, Inter were more than happy to dispense of the young Brazilian's services and probably even thought they had got a decent fee for him. Obviously they were wrong!
He settled in quickly to life on Merseyside, scoring his first goal against Swansea City at Anfield in February 2013. He also showed his passing prowess by laying on a number of fine assists for both Suarez and Sturridge. He was a key component in Liverpool’s failed title bid in 2013/14, scoring some important goals. Most notably in a 3-2 win at Anfield against fellow title rivals Manchester City. Again, Like Luis Suarez the little magician is able to excite the Anfield crowd with some neat tricks, but also possesses the end product to match.
During the 2014/15 season he weighed in with some important strikes and became an even more key figure for Liverpool. Due to the departure of Suarez and the continued absence of Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool relied heavily on Coutinho, not only to carry on providing goals but also to score more of them himself. He did just that, last season was his best goal scoring season to date with eight in all competitions. The highlight being his 30 yard astonishing finish at St Marys against Southampton. With the 2015/2016 season well underway, he is already off the mark again with another outside of the box finish against Stoke on the opening day. Liverpool’s hopes for success this season will largely be dictated again by the brilliant Brazilian. To date he has 103 League and Cup appearances to his name and 17 goals. Liverpool fans will be praying there is a lot more to come from their magical number 10.
Now it's the turn of New signing Roberto Firmino to prove his worth. He certainly has the potential after his successful period in Germany and as a full Brazilian international; there is little reason why he won't excel as a Red. Nevertheless, there is always that danger of players needing time to adapt to the English game and struggle to find top form early on. Let's hope that isn't the case with Roberto and he starts firing off all cylinders very soon.
Ricky Villa and Osvaldo Ardiles were a significant double capture for Tottenham in 1978. Hardman Tommy Smith famously said after inflicting a thunderous tackle on Ardiles during an FA Cup tie between Swansea and Spurs that they "can't expect to come here and play like fancy flickers".
There has certainly been more 'misses' than 'hits' regarding Liverpool’s Latin American imports. Maybe, there is a suggestion that the Liverpool scouting system in that part of the world needs to be rethought. Especially, their strategy when picking out talent directly from South America. Despite this, arguably three of Liverpool's best players since 2005 have been South American; Suarez, Mascherano and Coutinho. However, all three came via other European clubs. Lucas Leiva is the stand alone success who came directly from South America. Nevertheless, the recent signing of Allan Rodriguez de Souza from Brazilian club Internacional suggests that Liverpool haven’t given up quite yet in discovering the next big thing from the Americas.
Written by Declan Sloan - Edited by Carl Clemente ([email protected]). Copyright - LFChistory.net
