Mayra Madrigal
Latin soccer players have earned a special place in international soccer, as there are several who are at the top of the list of the best players in history for everything they did throughout their professional careers, especially the success they had with their national teams during their participations in the World cups.
We know that the Selection of Brazil is the most winning team in the history of World Cups, with five crowns, and also that Brazilian Pelé is the only player in history to have won three World Cups: Sweden 1958, Chile 1962 and Mexico 1970.
However, there are also Latin footballers who have written their names in golden letters in the history of world soccer.
Here at JefeBet we tell you who we are talking about.
Latin American Soccer Players Who Won World Cups
Uruguay 1930 and 1950
The history of the World Cup dates back to 1930, when the top national team competition, which is still in force to this day, began. The first edition was held in Uruguay and had only 13 teams. The final was South American, as Uruguay and Argentina faced each other. Only one could win the trophy and it was the host team who won by a score of 4-2.
The first 22 world champions, led by Alberto Suppici, were: Enrique Ballesteros, Miguel Capuccini, Domingo Tejera, Emilio Recoba, José Nasazzi, Ángel Romano, José Leandro Andrade, Lorenzo Fernández, Álvaro Gestido, Miguel Ángel Melogno, Carlos Riolfo, Conduelo Píriz, Pedro Petrone, Héctor Castro, Zoilo Saldombide, Pablo Dorado, José Pedro Cea, Héctor Scarone, Santos Urdinarán, Victoriano Santos Iriarte, Juan Peregrino Anselmo and Juan Carlos Calvo.
Twenty years later, life allowed Uruguay to win the World Cup again, but this time with everything against them. That edition was held in Brazil and the final was played at the Maracaná, between the host and the Uruguayan team. The odds were against Uruguay, but they managed the feat of beating Brazil in the famous “Maracanazo” of 1950, with a 2-1 score.
Under the leadership of coach Juan López Fontana, these were the 22 champions: Roque Gastón Máspoli, Matías González, Eusebio Tejera, Juan Carlos González, Obdulio Varela, Víctor Rodríguez Andrade, Alcides Ghiggia, Julio Pérez, Óscar Míguez, Juan Alberto Schiaffino, Ernesto Vidal, William Martínez, Héctor Vilches, Washington Ortuño, Rodolfo Pini, Luis Rijo, Carlos Romero, Juan Burgueño, Julio César Britos, Aníbal Paz, Schubert Gambetta and Rubén Morán.
Argentina 1978 and 1986
Argentina won its first World Cup in the 1978 edition in which it served as host country. To this day there is much controversy about the situation in which that tournament took place, in the midst of Jorge Rafael Videla’s dictatorship. Some still believe that the 16-team tournament was rigged so that the local team could win and divert attention from political issues.
With César Luis Menotti as coach, the “Albiceleste” faced the Netherlands in the final and won in the extra time by a score of 3-1. The team consisted of: Norberto Alonso, Osvaldo Ardiles, Héctor Baley, Daniel Bertoni, Ubaldo Fillol, Américo Gallego, Luis Galván, Rubén Galván, René Houseman, Mario Alberto Kempes, Daniel Killer, Omar Larrosa, Ricardo La Volpe, Leopoldo Jacinto Luque, Jorge Mario Olguín, Oscar Ortiz, Miguel Oviedo, Rubén Pagnanini, Daniel Passarella, Alberto Tarantini, José Daniel Valencia and Ricardo Villa.
In the 1986 World Cup, with Diego Armando Maradona appearing as the star player, the Argentine National Team, led by Carlos Salvador Bilardo, won the second title in history, and equaled Uruguay, to become the most winning Latin teams in the highest national team tournament.
Argentina’s 22 world champions at the Azteca Stadium were: Sergio Almirón, Sergio Batista, Ricardo Enrique Bochini, Claudio Borghi, José Luis Brown, Daniel Passarella, Jorge Burruchaga, Néstor Clausen, José Luis Cuciuffo, Diego Armando Maradona, Jorge Valdano, Héctor Enrique, Oscar Garré, Ricardo Giusti, Luis Islas, Julio Olarticoechea, Pedro Pasculli, Nery Pumpido, Oscar Ruggeri, Carlos Daniel Tapia, Marcelo Trobbiani and Héctor Miguel Zelada.
Daniel Passarella, the only Latin American among football players to have won the World Cup more than once
Argentine defender Daniel Passarella, who was captain of his national team in the 1978 World Cup, was the only champion called by Bilardo to assemble his team prior to the Mexico 86 World Cup. Although he was unable to see action in any match due to illness, the “Káiser” became the first Argentinean and the first Latin American player to be a two-time World Cup winner.
To date, 88 Latin players have won the World Cup, 44 Uruguayans and 44 Argentines, but only Passarella is in the group of two winners, together with 13 Brazilians and four Italians.
