Creating an all-time South American team is never easy. Perhaps even more so than the European selection, it’s nearly impossible not to leave out some important names or avoid unbalancing the formation, which is exactly what I did.
Yes, I know, such a lineup on paper would hardly work (or maybe not?). It’s too offensive, with virtually no defensive players… but come on, it’s a game! Let’s have some fun!

GOALKEEPERS
The school of South American goalkeepers is globally inferior in almost every aspect compared to its European counterpart. This doesn’t mean there aren’t great names, but it’s a role generally less considered in South America. My preference goes to Gilmar: he might not be the most modern goalkeeper, but in terms of historical greatness, he has no rivals in South America.

DEFENDERS
The full-back pair consists of Cafu and Roberto Carlos.
Two offensive, dominant full-backs with different characteristics who played together for a long time in the national team and enjoyed long and satisfying club careers. The choice was quite easy. As central defenders, my cornerstone is Elias Figueroa, the greatest South American defender of all time (and one of the best overall). Next to him, Passarella would have fit well, but I wanted to reward Thiago Silva for his technical-tactical completeness, professionalism, and consistently high performance standards.

MIDFIELDERS
Here’s where things get tough… As I mentioned, it’s a game, so I approached it as such. I opted for a hyper-offensive two-man midfield consisting of Schiaffino and Di Stefano. The former started as an attacking midfielder before moving deeper as his career progressed: Pepe Schiaffino played every midfield role, including deep-lying playmaker, and that’s where I envision him.
Di Stefano was a total footballer like few others in the history of the sport: center-forward, second striker, attacking midfielder, central midfielder, etc., so he fits perfectly in any role, in my opinion.

FORWARDS
Messi and Maradona are neither pure attackers nor pure midfielders, but they dance between the lines, shuttling between attack and defense thanks to top-level technical synergy. Both have total freedom of movement.
Further forward, we have Pelé in the role of a left-sided attacking midfielder (a modern second striker) and R9, who couldn’t be left out. The attack is truly terrifying, folks!