South America has contributed some legendary superstars to the beautiful game. Pele, Lionel Messi, Ronaldo, Diego Maradona, and Ronaldinho are some of the all-time greats from the continent to grace the football pitch.
South Americans are no strangers to European football. They have been an integral part of the top five leagues, comprising the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue 1 for many decades. A total number of 228 South American players are playing in the top five European leagues currently.
So, who is the greatest South American goal-scorer in Europe’s top five leagues since 2000? Let’s take a look.
All stats via Stats Perform (h/t ESPN)
#5 Gonzalo Higuain (237 goals)
Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain arrived in Europe to join Real Madrid from River Plate in 2007. He established himself among the best strikers in the world with Los Blancos, scoring 107 goals in 190 league games.
Higuain left the Spanish giants to join Napoli in 2013, where he continued his fine goal-scoring form. The lethal striker played 104 Serie A games for the Naples outfit, scoring 71 goals. He broke the record for most Serie A goals in a season by finding the back of the net 36 times in 35 games in the 2015-16 season.
The River Plate academy graduate then moved to Juventus in 2016 coupled with loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea. He won the Capocannoniere in the 2015-16 season and was also included in the UEFA Europa League Team of the Season twice. Overall, Higuain has scored 237 league goals at the top level.
He left Europe to join MLS club Inter Miami in 2020.
#4 Luis Suarez (248 goals)
After impressing with his performances in his home country, Luis Suarez joined Ajax in 2007. He established himself as among the most lethal strikers in Europe with the Dutch club before joining Liverpool in 2011.
Suarez played 110 Premier League games for the Reds, scoring 69 goals. He won the 2013-14 season’s Golden Boot after scoring 31 goals in as many appearances.
The Uruguay international left the English giants to join Barcelona in the summer window of 2014. He continued his fine goal-scoring form at Camp Nou, forming an incredible partnership with Lionel Messi and Neymar, scoring 195 goals in 283 appearances across all competitions.
Overall, the striker has netted 248 league goals during his time in the top five European leagues. Suarez won the 2015-16 season’s La Liga Pichichi Trophy by scoring 40 goals in 35 appearances and was included in the FIFA FIFPro World XI in 2016.
The Uruguayan legend left the Blaugrana to join Atletico Madrid in 2020, where he spent two seasons before leaving Europe in 2022.
#3 Sergio Aguero – 259 goals
With 259 goals in the top five European leagues, Sergio Aguero is in third place on this list.
Aguero was one of the most promising attackers in South America when Atletico Madrid signed him from Independiente in 2006. He lived up to the hype after arriving in Spain, establishing himself among the most talented strikers in the league and then across Europe.
The former Argentina international played 175 league games for Atletico, scoring 74 goals. Aguero won the Golden Boy award in 2007 and was also named the 2007-08 season’s La Liga Ibero-American Player of the Year.
This was just the beginning of a legendary club career. Aguero joined Manchester City in a big-money move in the summer window of 2011. He continued his goal-scoring exploits at the Etihad Stadium, registering 184 goals in 275 Premier League appearances for the Cityzens.
The Independiente Academy graduate won the 2014-15 season’s Premier League Golden Boot and was also named in the Premier League Team of the Season twice.
His last-gasp goal against QPR to deliver the first Premier League title to Manchester City back in 2012 will forever be remembered as one of the greatest sporting memories in history.
The Argentine moved to Barcelona in 2021 but was forced to announce his retirement from professional football after he was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia a few months later.
#2 Edinson Cavani – 267 goals
Edinson Cavani joined Serie A club Palermo from Danubio F.C. in January after impressive performances at the 2007 South American Youth Championship. He finished as the tournament’s top goal-scorer with seven goals in nine appearances.
The Uruguayan made a slow start to life in Europe, scoring just seven goals in his first one-and-a-half seasons with the Sicilian club. However, he found his goal-scoring form during the 2008-09 season and finished as Palermo’s top scorer in all competitions with 15 goals in 36 appearances. Cavani played 109 league games during his time at Stadio Renzo Barbera, scoring 34 goals.
The Salto-born attacker moved to Napoli on loan in 2010 before a permanent move in 2011. Cavani established himself as among the best strikers in Serie A with the Naples club, scoring 52 goals in 69 appearances for them.
The forward then left Napoli to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in the summer window of 2013. Cavani’s most successful spell in Europe came with the Parisian club, where he scored 138 league goals in 200 appearances, helping them win more than 20 major trophies, including six Ligue 1 titles. Cavani is the Parisians’ all-time top goal-scorer.
The Uruguay international won the 2016-17 season’s UNFP Ligue 1 Player of the Season and clinched the Ligue 1 Golden Shoe twice.
Cavani spent two seasons with Premier League club Manchester United before moving to Valencia in the summer transfer window of 2022. He then joined Boca Juniors in 2023, where he’s currently playing.
#1 Lionel Messi – 496 goals
Lionel Messi is the greatest South American to have played in Europe. The Argentina international spent most of his career with Spanish giants Barcelona, where he began his journey as a 13-year-old kid in 2003.
Messi played 520 league games during his time at Camp Nou, scoring 474 goals. He boasts eight La Liga Golden Boots, six European Golden Boots, and eight Ballon d’Ors in his trophy cabinet.
The Argentina international scored 73 goals across all competitions in the 2011-12 season, which is a record for most goals scored in a single season in European football.
Messi left his boyhood club to join Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain during the summer transfer window of 2022. He played 58 league games during his time at the Parc des Princes, scoring 22 goals.
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