The Premier League is a testament that Soccer is the best sport. Hence, we have seen a lot of Brazilian players move to the Premier League and set themselves in the limelight. This season had a total of 34 Brazilians and over 80 in Premier League’s history. We take a look at some of the best Brazilian players to grace the English Premier League from every department: goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards.
Summary of the Best Brazilian In the Premier League History
| SN | Position | Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Premier League Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Goalkeeper | Ederson Moraes | 216 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | Midfielder | Fernandinho | 264 | 25 | 18 | 5 |
| 3 | Forward | Gabriel Jesus | 184 | 68 | 34 | 4 |
| 4 | Defender | Rafael | 109 | 5 | 11 | 3 |
| 5 | Defender | Fabio | 80 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Forward | Willian | 285 | 43 | 42 | 2 |
| 7 | Forward | Oscar | 131 | 21 | 21 | 2 |
| 8 | Goalkeeper | Alisson Becker | 173 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 9 | Defender | David Luiz | 213 | 12 | 5 | 1 |
| 10 | Midfielder | Fabinho | 150 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 11 | Forward | Roberto Firmino | 255 | 81 | 50 | 1 |
| 12 | Goalkeeper | Heurelho Gomes | 195 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Defender | Thiago Silva | 81 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Midfielder | Lucas Leiva | 247 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| 15 | Midfielder | Bruno Guimarães | 48 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| 16 | Midfielder | Casemiro | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | Forward | Philippe Coutinho | 191 | 47 | 38 | 0 |
Brazilian Premier League Players Stats
From the above, we can infer the following stats about Brazilians in the Premier League.
- Fernandinho holds the record for the highest number of appearances by a Brazilian player in the Premier League, featuring in an impressive 264 matches. His longevity and consistent presence on the field have made him a key figure in English football.
- Ederson Moraes has proven himself to be a true champion, lifting the Premier League trophy an incredible five times during his time at Manchester City. His commanding presence in goal has contributed significantly to the team’s success.
- Roberto Firmino has established himself as a prolific goal scorer, finding the back of the net 81 times in the Premier League. His clinical finishing and ability to score crucial goals have been instrumental in Liverpool’s triumphs.
- In addition to his goal-scoring prowess, Roberto Firmino has also been a creative force, providing 50 assists. His vision, link-up play, and ability to set up his teammates make him a well-rounded attacking threat.
- Gabriel Jesus has showcased his immense talent as a forward, netting an impressive 68 goals and providing 34 assists. At a relatively young age, he has already made a significant impact and continues to be a player to watch for future success.
- Willian has displayed his flair and versatility in the Premier League, contributing with 43 goals and an impressive 42 assists. His technical skills, creativity, and ability to influence the game have made him a valuable asset to his teams.
- Philippe Coutinho has proven to be a consistent performer, showcasing his attacking prowess with 47 goals and 38 assists. His ability to score goals and create opportunities demonstrates his effectiveness as an all-around attacking midfielder.
- David Luiz has been a commanding presence in the Premier League, contributing both defensively and offensively. With 12 goals and 5 assists, he has not only been a reliable defender but also a threat during set pieces, adding another dimension to his game.
Best Brazilian Goalkeepers In The Premier League
| Goalkeepers | Apps | Clean sheets | Goals conceded | Saves | Saves per match | Saves per match% | Penalty success % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alisson | 173 | 78 | 144 | 402 | 2.32 | 73.63 | 14.29 |
| Ederson | 216 | 102 | 162 | 353 | 1.63 | 68.54 | 14.29 |
| Gomes | 195 | 53 | 258 | 621 | 3.18 | 70.65 | 26.47 |
A total of six Brazilian goalkeepers have played in the EPL: Alisson Becker, Ederson Moraes, Neto, Julio Cesar and Heurelho Gomes out of which three of them still actively play in England. Their job is simple; to defend the goalpost.
When comparing goalkeepers, the first thing that comes to mind is clean sheets but that’s not the only criterion to determine who was or is a better shot-stopper.
We are going to look deeply at the records of Alisson, Ederson and Heurelho Gomes as these are the most popular goalkeepers to have made the most EPL apps out of the six.
Looking at the table above, Ederson has made the most appearances and kept the most clean sheets but Alisson with the least number of appearances has the most save success rate of 73.63%.
Gomes, on the other hand, has the least number of clean sheets among the three with 53 but has made the most saves, has more saves per match and a better penalty success rate.
Heurelho Gomes played for Watford and you could say Watford concedes more shots per game than Liverpool and Man City which Alisson and Ederson play for respectively. If you’d like to go into goal contributions, Alisson has a goal and 3 assists, Ederson with 3 assists only and Gomes with none.
But when comparing goalies, you can’t look into goals and assists. With this goalkeeper comparison, let us look at defenders.
Read Also: How Many Premier League Matches Per Season?
Best Brazilian Defenders In The Premier League
| Player | Appearances | Premier League Titles |
|---|---|---|
| David Luiz | 213 | 1 |
| Thiago Silva | 81 | 0 |
| Rafael | 109 | 3 |
| Fabio | 80 | 2 |
We’ve seen a few Brazilian defenders play in England such as David Luiz, Emerson Thome, Thiago Silva, Lyanco, Gabriel Magalhaes, Rafael, and Fabio just to name a few.
David Luiz had the most appearances among Brazilian defenders in the Premier League with 213 matches played for Chelsea and Arsenal winning the league on one occasion in 2017 with Chelsea.
Thiago Silva, another Chelsea defender, one of the fans’ favourites, has been a very reliable player at the heart of Chelsea’s defence. Signed in the summer of 2020 from PSG for free, Silva was given a one-year contract with an option of a further year but he’ll be heading to his fourth season next season with the Blues at the age of 38.
Rafael is also in the mix alongside his twin brother Fabio. Both players having played for Manchester United have a combined 5 Premier League titles; 3 for Rafael and 2 for Fabio.
Best Brazilian Midfielders In The Premier League
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Premier League Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernandinho | 264 | 25 | 18 | 5 |
| Fabinho | 150 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| Lucas Leiva | 247 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Bruno Guimarães | 48 | 9 | 6 | 0 |
| Casemiro | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
A few midfielders from Brazil have graced the Premier League. Fabinho, Bruno Guimarães, Casemiro, Lucas Paquetá, Fernandinho, Gilberto Silva, Lucas Leiva etc.
Fernandinho is considered as the greatest Brazilian central midfielder to play on English soil. He played for Manchester City and has the record for most appearances by a Brazilian in England (264) and also won the most EPL titles (5) having played for the Citizens for 5 years.
A legend of Brazil and Man City. You also can’t overlook the good works of Fabinho, Lucas Leiva and the new guys like Bruno Guimaraes and Casemiro.
Best Brazilian Attackers In The Premier League
| Goals | Assists |
|---|---|
| Roberto Firmino 81 | Roberto Firmino 50 |
| Gabriel Jesus 68 | Willian 42 |
| Philippe Coutinho 47 | Philippe Coutinho 38 |
| Willian 43 | Oscar 19 |
Lastly, the attackers. Brazil never ceases to disappoint in producing world-class attackers and some of them have shone their lights in England. Some of their attackers include Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, Willian, Juninho, Oscar and so on. The table below shows the highest-scoring Brazilians as well as assists.
As we can see above, Roberto Firmino has the most goals and assists as a Brazilian player in the English Premier League with 81 goals and 50 assists winning the league on one occasion.
His 81st goal and last goal for Liverpool came in a 1-1 draw against Aston Villa where he equalized for the Reds in stoppage time after being substituted into the game. You may call Firmino the best Premier League player from Brazil with his stats and achievements for Liverpool.
Conclusion
To end the article, below is a table showing Brazilian players with the most appearances and Premier League titles won.
| Appearances | EPL Titles |
|---|---|
| Fernandinho 264 | Fernandinho 5 |
| Firmino 255 | Ederson 5 |
| Lucas Leiva 226 | Gabriel Jesus 4 |
| David Luiz 213 | Anderson 4 |
| Heurelho Gomes 195 | Rafael 3 |
Judge for yourself which Brazilian is the best ever to play in the Premier League.
