The duels
Pick the greater legend. Every vote moves the people's ranking of Legends of the Americas.
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Pick the greater legend. Every vote moves the people's ranking of Legends of the Americas.
Ranked by the almanac. Vote in the duels to build the people's version.
99
Diego Maradona 
91 caps · 34 goals · FC Barcelona, SSC Napoli · FIFA Player of the Century 2000At the Azteca on 22 June 1986 he collected the ball in his own half, beat five England players over sixty yards in about eleven seconds, and rolled it past Peter Shilton. He won the 1986 World Cup and its Golden Ball, took Napoli to their first two Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990, added the 1989 UEFA Cup, and reached the 1990 World Cup final.
CAMAll-time
207 caps · 125 goals · Newell's Old Boys, FC Barcelona · 2× Ballon d'Or (2009–2010)Lusail, 18 December 2022: he scored twice in a final that ended 3-3, then buried the first penalty of a shootout Argentina won 4-2. The trophy cabinet runs from the 2022 World Cup and a second Golden Ball through the Copa América of 2021 and 2024 to eight Ballon d'Or awards, four Champions Leagues, ten La Liga titles and 672 goals for Barcelona.
RMAll-time
99
Pelé 
92 caps · 77 goals · Bauru Atlético Clube, Santos · South American Footballer of the Year 1973On 19 November 1969 the Maracanã stopped while photographers swarmed the pitch and 80,000 Vasco supporters cheered Pelé, who had just converted the penalty that was his thousandth goal. He is the only man with three World Cups, scoring twice in the 1958 final at seventeen, and he took the Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup with Santos in both 1962 and 1963 along with five Taça Brasil titles.
SSAll-time
50 caps · 17 goals · Botafogo F.R., Associação Atlética PortuguesaBrazil called him Alegria do Povo, and on 10 June 1962, with Pelé injured and watching, he took the quarter-final against England apart himself, heading in Zagallo's corner and then curling a second past Ron Springett. He won the World Cup in 1958 and 1962, took the Golden Ball and a share of the Golden Boot in Chile, and lost only one of his 50 matches for Brazil, his last, against Hungary in 1966.
RMAll-time
97 caps · 33 goals · Grêmio FBPA, FC Barcelona · Ballon d'Or 2005Twice at the Bernabéu on 19 November 2005 he cut in from the left and scored in a 3-0 win, and at the final whistle the crowd rose to applaud him, an honour Madrid had given no Barcelona player since Maradona. He won the 2002 World Cup, the 2006 Champions League, La Liga in 2005 and 2006, the Ballon d'Or in 2005, FIFA's world player award in 2004 and 2005, and the Copa Libertadores with Atlético Mineiro in 2013.
LMAll-time
98 caps · 62 goals · Inter Milan, Real Madrid Club de Fútbol · Ballon d'Or 1997Kahn had barely conceded all tournament when he spilled Rivaldo's shot in Yokohama on 30 June 2002, and Ronaldo, two knee ruptures behind him, tucked in the rebound before adding a second twelve minutes later. That win came with eight goals, the Golden Boot and a second Ballon d'Or after 1997, and he also took the Copa América in 1997 and 1999, the UEFA Cup with Inter in 1998 and a then record 15 World Cup goals.
STAll-time
70 caps · 55 goals · CR Vasco da Gama, PSV Eindhoven · FIFA World Player of the Year 1994In the Clásico of 8 January 1994 he dragged the ball a full turn around his marker, the move Spain calls the cola de vaca, and finished; two more goals followed in a 5-0 win over Real Madrid. Five goals and the Golden Ball won Brazil the 1994 World Cup, and he was FIFA's world player that year, top scorer in La Liga with 30 goals in the title season, and a Copa América winner in 1989 and 1997.
STAll-time
Liverpool came to Tokyo as European champions on 13 December 1981 and went in three down at half-time, two of the goals laid on for Nunes by the man who ran the game from just behind him. That win completed Flamengo's 1981 double with the Copa Libertadores, and he added four Brazilian championships, South American Footballer of the Year in 1977, 1981 and 1982, World Soccer's player of the year in 1983, and 508 goals for the club.
CAMAll-time
68 caps · 20 goals · Madureira Esporte Clube, FluminenseOn 21 April 1957 he bent a folha seca free kick past the Peruvian goalkeeper Asca after eleven minutes at the Maracanã, the only goal of the night, and Brazil were on the plane to Sweden. He won the World Cup there in 1958 and again in Chile in 1962, and was voted the best player of the 1958 tournament ahead of Pelé and Garrincha.
CMAll-time
21 caps · 8 goals · Club Atlético Peñarol, AC MilanThe Maracanã fell quiet in the 66th minute on 16 July 1950, when he met Ghiggia's cross and put Uruguay level against a Brazil side already being called champions. That afternoon brought the 1950 World Cup, and he added three Uruguayan titles with Peñarol, a world record move to Milan for 52 million lire in 1954, three Serie A championships in 1955, 1957 and 1959, and the Latin Cup in 1956.
CMAll-time
93
Daniel Passarella 70 caps · Club Atlético River Plate, ACF FiorentinaWhen Argentina beat the Netherlands at the Monumental on 25 June 1978, the trophy went into his hands before anyone else's, and he finished a centre-back career with 134 goals in 451 matches. World champion as captain in 1978 and part of the winning squad in 1986, he took seven league titles with River Plate and scored freely from set pieces in Serie A for Fiorentina and Inter.
CBAll-time
93
Falcão 28 caps · 6 goals · S.C. Internacional, AS RomaSarrià, 5 July 1982: Júnior rolled the ball to him twenty yards from Italy's goal and he drove it in with his weaker foot for 2-2, six minutes before Paolo Rossi settled the tie and sent Brazil home. Rome crowned him its eighth king after the 1983 scudetto, and he also took three Brazilian titles with Internacional, two Coppa Italia, and the silver ball as second-best player of the 1982 World Cup.
CMAll-time
93
Luis Suárez 143 caps · 69 goals · AFC Ajax, Liverpool · European Golden Shoe 2014In the final minute of extra time in Johannesburg on 2 July 2010 he stopped Adiyiah's header on his own goal line with both hands, walked off with a red card, and was gone when Gyan's penalty hit the crossbar. He won the 2011 Copa América, the 2015 Champions League with Barcelona, five Spanish titles including Atlético's in 2021, the Eredivisie with Ajax, two European Golden Shoes, and stands as Uruguay's record scorer on 69 goals.
STAll-time
75 caps · Botafogo F.R.Against Austria on 8 June 1958 he carried the ball out of his own half with Feola screaming at him to get back, ignored him all the way, and scored the second in a 3-0 win in Brazil's opening match. He won that World Cup and the next one in Chile, added the 1949 South American title, made the 1958 all-star eleven, won four Carioca championships and never once played for a club other than Botafogo.
LBAll-time
93
Teófilo Cubillas 
81 caps · 26 goals · Club Alianza Lima, FC PortoSix minutes after his penalty against Scotland in Córdoba on 3 June 1978, he curled a free kick into the top corner with the outside of his right foot. Peru won the 1975 Copa América with him as its best player, and he scored five goals at both the 1970 and 1978 World Cups, one of six men ever to manage that twice, alongside the 1970 young player award and 26 goals in 81 caps.
CMAll-time
142 caps · São Paulo, AS RomaStanding on the podium in Yokohama on 30 June 2002, he lifted the trophy in a shirt reading "100% Jardim Irene", the São Paulo neighbourhood he came from, his third World Cup final in a row. He won the tournament in 1994 and 2002, the Copa América in 1997 and 1999, two Copa Libertadores titles with São Paulo, the 2007 Champions League with Milan, and ended with 142 caps, more than any other Brazilian.
RBAll-time
92
Elías Figueroa 
47 caps · Club Atlético Peñarol, S.C. InternacionalOn 14 December 1975 at the Beira-Rio, sunlight broke through the cloud as he rose above Cruzeiro's defenders to head in Valdomiro's cross, the only goal of the final and the one Brazilians call the Gol Iluminado. South American Footballer of the Year in 1974, 1975 and 1976, he won Brazilian championships in 1975 and 1976, Uruguayan titles with Peñarol, the Chilean league with Palestino in 1978, and a place in the 1974 World Cup all-star team.
CBAll-time
92
Roberto Carlos 125 caps · Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, Real Madrid Club de FútbolLyon, 3 June 1997: Deschamps fouled Romário 35 metres out, and the left back struck a free kick so far off line that Barthez never moved, before it bent back, clipped the post and went in. He won the 2002 World Cup, Copa América in 1997 and 1999, three European Cups with Real Madrid between 1998 and 2002, four Spanish titles, and finished as Ballon d'Or runner-up in 2002 with 125 caps for Brazil.
LBAll-time
91
Hugo Sánchez 
58 caps · 29 goals · Pumas UNAM, Atlético Madrid · European Golden Shoe 1990Every one of the 38 league goals he scored in 1989/90 came off a single touch, a total that matched Telmo Zarra's Spanish record from 1951 and won him the European Golden Boot. Five Pichichi awards, four in a row from 1985 to 1988, sit beside five straight La Liga titles with Real Madrid, the 1986 UEFA Cup, two Copas del Rey, two Mexican championships with Pumas, and 208 goals in 282 games in white.
STAll-time
91
Javier Zanetti 145 caps · Club Atlético Talleres de Remedios de Escalada, Club Atlético BanfieldInter gave him the armband in 2001 and he kept it until he retired at forty, by then on 858 appearances for the club and two red cards in a twenty-two-year career. He captained the Inter side that won the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia in 2010, and finished with five Serie A titles, the 1998 UEFA Cup and 145 caps for Argentina.
RBAll-time
91
José Santamaría 20 caps · Club Nacional de Football, Real Madrid Club de FútbolMadrid's press called him El Muro, and he earned it across 337 matches for the club, having already done the rare thing of playing a World Cup for Uruguay in 1954 and another for Spain in 1962. He won four European Cups with Real Madrid in 1958, 1959, 1960 and 1966, six Spanish league titles, the 1960 Intercontinental Cup and a Copa del Generalísimo.
CBAll-time
90
Ángel Di María 145 caps · 31 goals · S.L. Benfica, Real Madrid Club de FútbolThe 2021 Copa América final turned on a long ball he ran onto at the Maracanã, chipping Ederson to beat Brazil and end a twenty-eight-year wait for Argentina. He scored in the 2022 World Cup final as well, and in the 2008 Olympic final and the Finalissima, then took the 2014 Champions League with Real Madrid and five Ligue 1 titles at Paris Saint-Germain.
LMAll-time
90
Diego Forlán 112 caps · 36 goals · Club Atlético Independiente, Villarreal CF · European Golden Shoe 2005On 2 July 2010 in Johannesburg, with Uruguay a goal down to Ghana in the quarter-final, Forlán bent a free kick over the wall and into the corner, and Uruguay went through on penalties. He took the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player with five goals, won the Copa América a year later, and had already scored both goals in Atlético Madrid's 2010 Europa League final win over Fulham, adding European Golden Shoes in 2005 and 2009.
SSAll-time
90
Diego Godín 161 caps · C.A. Cerro, Villarreal CFA goal down at Camp Nou on the final day of the 2013/14 season, Godín rose to a corner in the 49th minute and headed the equaliser that gave Atlético Madrid their first league title in 18 years. His trophy list opens with Uruguay's 2011 Copa América, then La Liga in 2014, the Europa League in 2012 and 2018, two UEFA Super Cups, the 2013 Copa del Rey and two Champions League finals reached with Atlético.
CBAll-time
29 caps · C.D. Tenerife, Real Madrid Club de FútbolAt Old Trafford on 19 April 2000 he carried the ball into the left corner, back-heeled it through Henning Berg's legs, ran onto it himself and squared for Raúl to make it 3-0. Redondo won the European Cup with Real Madrid in 1998 and 2000 and again with Milan in 2003, took La Liga in 1995 and 1997, lifted the 1993 Copa América, and was voted UEFA's club footballer of the year in 2000.
CDMAll-time
90
Héctor Chumpitaz 105 caps · Club Universitario de Deportes, AtlasPeru's captain for the better part of fifteen years, he led an all-star Americas XI out at the Camp Nou on 31 October 1973 against Europe's best, converted the equalising penalty, and left Barcelona with the name that stuck, Capitán de América. He won the Copa América in 1975, reached the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup and returned in 1978, and took five Peruvian titles at Universitario and three at Sporting Cristal across 105 caps.
CBAll-time
90
José Luis Chilavert 
74 caps · San Lorenzo de Almagro, Real ZaragozaIn 1999 he stepped up three times for Vélez Sarsfield against Ferro Carril Oeste and converted all three penalties, the first goalkeeper in professional football to score a hat-trick. He won the 1994 Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup with Vélez, four Argentine championships, three IFFHS world goalkeeper awards in 1995, 1997 and 1998, a place in the 1998 World Cup team of the tournament, and finished on 67 career goals, second only to Rogério Ceni among keepers.
GKAll-time
90
Keylor Navas 
127 caps · Deportivo Saprissa, Real Madrid Club de FútbolTen men and level with Greece on 29 June 2014, Costa Rica went to a shootout, and Navas pushed away Theofanis Gekas's penalty, one of three man of the match awards he took that summer. Three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid in 2016, 2017 and 2018 lead the honours, followed by La Liga in 2016-17, four Club World Cups, three Ligue 1 titles at Paris Saint-Germain and 127 Costa Rica caps.
GKAll-time
90
Rafael Márquez 146 caps · AS Monaco, FC BarcelonaSix minutes into the round of 16 against Argentina on 24 June 2006 he put Mexico in front with his right foot, and only Maxi Rodríguez's volley in the 98th minute ended it. No one else has captained a country at five World Cups, and he took the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006 and 2009, four Spanish titles, Ligue 1 with Monaco in 2000, the 1999 Confederations Cup and two Gold Cups from 147 caps.
CBAll-time
89
Arturo Vidal 147 caps · Club Universidad de Chile, JuventusIn the Santiago shootout that settled the 2015 Copa América, he took Chile's second penalty and beat Sergio Romero, who got a hand to the ball and could not keep it out. That was the first of back-to-back Copa América titles in 2015 and 2016, and his club record runs to four Serie A titles at Juventus, three Bundesligas at Bayern, La Liga with Barcelona, another Scudetto at Inter and the 2022 Copa Libertadores with Flamengo.
CDMAll-time
89
Carlos Valderrama 
111 caps · 12 goals · Millonarios, Deportivo CaliIn the 93rd minute against West Germany in Milan, 1990, Valderrama traded two wall passes and threaded the ball to Freddy Rincón, whose finish through Bodo Illgner's legs put Colombia into the last 16. South American Footballer of the Year in 1987 and 1993, he captained Colombia at three World Cups across 111 caps, took the first MLS MVP award in 1996 and set a league record of 26 assists in 2000, at 38.
CAMAll-time
89
Ubaldo Fillol 58 caps · Quilmes Atlético Club, Racing ClubEl Pato saved Kazimierz Deyna's penalty in Rosario on 14 June 1978, the first of three straight clean sheets that carried Argentina through the second group stage. He was voted the best goalkeeper of the World Cup Argentina won at home, took seven Argentine league titles with River Plate between 1975 and 1981, and in 1977 became the first goalkeeper named Argentine Footballer of the Year.
GKAll-time
91 caps · ACF Fiorentina, VfB StuttgartHe captained the side Brazil accused of playing without joy, and on 17 July 1994 at the Rose Bowl he converted the fourth penalty of the shoot-out before lifting the trophy. That World Cup came with the 1997 Copa América, the 1997 Confederations Cup, a runners-up medal in 1998, the 1988 Olympic silver, and Serie A time at Fiorentina and Pisa across 91 caps.
CDMAll-time
Diego Maradona tops Legends of the Americas's all-time pool, ahead of Lionel Messi and Pelé. The 33 covers 3 goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 14 midfielders and 6 forwards. 8 players reach the Immortal tier or higher. Pick a formation, drag your eleven onto the pitch, then settle the duels below. Your votes reorder the people's ranking of these 33 in real time.