Ranking the Top-12 South Americans to Play for Liverpool
Philippe Coutinho grabbed a priceless winner against Manchester City, Luis Suarez's goals have been an inspiration throughout the club's title challenge, and Lucas Leiva is likely to have an important role to play in the coming weeks following the suspension picked up by Jordan Henderson. South American players are pretty important to Liverpool right now.
Mauricio Pellegrino was the first player from the continent to play for the club when he joined in 2005, and although the players to have come since have enjoyed varying levels of success, they always seem to have hit the headlines in one way or another.
But who are best ones? Here, we count down the top 12.
12. Gabriel Paletta
1 of 12
Country: Argentina (has since become an Italian citizen)
Years at Liverpool: 2006-2007
Appearances: 8
Goals: 1
Big things were expected of centre-back Gabriel Paletta when he moved to Liverpool from Argentinean football in 2006, but the youngster failed to settle down.
Paletta managed to score a goal in a League Cup game against Reading, but it was another match in the tournament which proved to be his undoing as several errors in a 6-3 loss to Arsenal proved fatal to his Reds career.
He has since found a home at Parma in Serie A, where his consistent displays and his taking on of Italian citizenship has seen him stand a real chance of earning a place in Italy's World Cup squad.
11. Diego Cavalieri
2 of 12
Country: Brazil
Years at Liverpool: 2008-2010
Appearances: 10
Liverpool went through a succession of understudies to Pepe Reina during the Spaniard's time at the club, and the Brazilian Diego Cavalieri was arguably the best.
Although he never played in a league game during his two seasons at the Reds, Cavalieri did appear in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, proving a dependable stopper in all.
10. Mauricio Pellegrino
3 of 12
Country: Argentina
Years at Liverpool: 2005
Appearances: 13
An experienced defender and a trusted lieutenant under Rafael Benitez at Valencia, Mauricio Pellegrino was already past his best when he arrived at Liverpool in 2005, but as the Reds were going for Champions League glory he was an important member of the squad as he allowed Sami Hyypia to be rested for Premier League games.
Pellegrino impressed as Liverpool hung on to win a Merseyside derby with 10 men, but he left the club after just 13 appearances over six months, later to return as a coach under Benitez.
9. Mark Gonzalez
4 of 12
Country: Chile
Years at Liverpool: 2006-2007
Appearances: 36
Goals: 3
Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez had to be parked at Spanish club Albacete for a year as Liverpool sought a work permit for him, but ultimately he failed to live up to the hype.
He did however have an immediate impact, scoring a crucial late goal on his debut in a Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa in August 2006, before adding further strikes against Tottenham and Fulham in the Premier League.
Injuries restricted his impact though, and he left for Real Betis after just one underwhelming year.
8. Sebastian Coates
5 of 12
Country: Uruguay
Years at Liverpool: 2011-present
Appearances: 24
Goals: 2
Highly rated in his native Uruguay after helping his country to the 2011 Copa America title, there were high hopes for centre-back Sebastian Coates when he moved to Liverpool from Nacional.
Competition for places in defence is always fierce at Anfield though, and Coates has had to be extremely patient during his time at the club.
He scored a memorable flying volley in a Premier League defeat at QPR in 2012, whilst he also managed a goal at Young Boys in last season's Europa League. However, a cruciate knee ligament injury wrecked this season for him before it began, and with the likes of Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori now on the Reds' books, it would be a surprise to see him return to action for the club.
7. Emiliano Insua
6 of 12
Country: Argentina
Years at Liverpool: 2007-2011
Appearances: 62
Goals: 1
Emiliano Insua was somewhat thrown in at the deep end when he become Liverpool's regular left-back during the disappointing 2009/10 season, and his performances suffered as a result.
He did manage a stunning strike in a League Cup defeat at Arsenal, but the sheer volume of matches he had to play eventually took its toll on the talented Argentinean, who nonetheless never shirked on the amount of effort he put in.
6. Fabio Aurelio
7 of 12
Country: Brazil
Years at Liverpool: 2006-2012
Appearances: 134
Goals: 4
If only an injury curse had been kinder to him, Fabio Aurelio would have established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.
The Brazilian was a classy performer, and possessed a wand of a left foot which could both play in accurate crosses and prove a threat from free-kicks.
He memorably scored from the latter at both Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, and although he came back to the club for a year after initially seeing his contract run out, that injury jinx was never too far away.
5. Maxi Rodriguez
8 of 12
Country: Argentina
Years at Liverpool: 2010-2012
Appearances: 72
Goals: 17
A huge favourite on the Kop, Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez arrived on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid in January 2010 and proved to be one of the more astute pieces of business Liverpool have ever done.
After being in and out of the team, a goal-filled ending to the 2010/11 season saw him score hat-tricks against both Fulham and Birmingham City, with many calling for him to feature more regularly.
He was part of the squads which reached the finals of both the League and FA Cups in 2012, before he moved back to his native Argentina with Newell's Old Boys.
4. Philippe Coutinho
9 of 12
Country: Brazil
Years at Liverpool: 2013-present
Appearances: 46
Goals: 8
If Liverpool go on to win the Premier League title, Philippe Coutinho's winning goal against Manchester City last Sunday will go down in Anfield folklore.
The little Brazilian has been in inspired form in recent weeks as the Reds' title challenge has brought out the best in him, with his £8.5 million arrival from Inter Milan looking more and more like a bargain with each passing game.
With four more matches to go this season, you wouldn't put it past Coutinho to make more seismic contributions.
3. Javier Mascherano
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Country: Argentina
Years at Liverpool: 2007-2010
Appearances: 139
Goals: 2
A metronomic and fierce influence at the heart of the Liverpool midfield for three-and-a-half seasons, Javier Mascherano was an excellent player for Liverpool.
With the heart of a lion and ferociousness of a tiger, Mascherano would tackle anything that moved as he helped the Reds to a Champions League final and to second in the Premier League in 2008/09.
He only ever scored two goals for the club, virtually identical strikes against Reading and Unirea Urziceni, before leaving for Barcelona in 2010 and reinventing himself as a centre-back.
2. Lucas Leiva
11 of 12
Country: Brazil
Years at Liverpool: 2007-present
Appearances: 239
Goals: 6
Consistency has been key for Brazil's Lucas Leiva at Liverpool, where he initially struggled following his arrival from Gremio in 2007.
He slowly but surely won fans over though, becoming the club's Young Player of the Year in 2009/10 and then Player of the Year a season later. Sadly though, injuries have since restricted him and he has ended up as more of a peripheral figure than he would have liked, especially now that Steven Gerrard has settled into his defensive-midfield role.
As an experienced member of the squad though, Lucas is sure to be a vital part of Brendan Rodgers' plans in the coming weeks.
1. Luis Suarez
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Country: Uruguay
Years at Liverpool: 2011-present
Appearances: 129
Goals: 80
It's no surprise that Luis Suarez takes our No. 1 spot, with the Uruguayan repeatedly stamping his quality all over the current Liverpool side.
He managed 30 goals in all competitions last season, and his total of 29 Premier League strikes in this campaign has bettered a post-1992 club record set by Robbie Fowler.
The forward looks certain to walk away with several of the end-of-season awards, and if he's got anything to do with it, he'll hope to be holding the league title, too.
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