South America is known as one of the richest continents with some of the best-ever footballers in the history of football.
Players like Pele, Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, and Ronaldo are some of the great players who have come out of the continent.
However, they have not been short on goalkeepers as well over the years; going into 2023, let’s take a look at the top 10 best goalkeepers in South America at the moment.
1. Emiliano Martinez (Argentina)
Everyone saw the heroics of Martinez as Argentina went from Copa America winners to World Cup champions in under 24 months.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper played a massive part in both runs to the finals stopping penalties like it’s nobody’s business.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper is 30 years old and seems destined for a big move very soon on the backdrop of his recent showings, especially as big European teams are tempted to make a move.
2. Alisson Becker (Brazil)
Allison is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Brazil may not have gone past the quarter-final of the FIFA World Cup, but they sure won’t blame their goalkeeping department for that.
Alisson Becker has remained top of the list of goalkeepers from South America for the last couple of years.
It’s tough to move around the biggest European club sides without meeting a World class goalkeeper, so Alisson may have to keep doing his thing at Anfield; at least he has won the UEFA Champions League and Premier League there.
3. Ederson (Brazil)
It’s always difficult to keep a goalkeeper like Ederson on the bench, and only a team that has Alisson can afford to sit another top-class goalkeeper on the sidelines.
At Manchester City, Ederson doesn’t have to deal with the shadows of his compatriot at Manchester City, where he remains number one on the team sheet.
A decline isn’t in sight for Ederson; he can play only for better to try and unseat Alisson in the national team in 2023. He’s known to be comfortable with the ball at his feet, a ball-playing goalkeeper.
The Brazilian is also one of the best ball-playing goalkeepers in the game.
4. Claudio Bravo (Chile)
Claudio Bravo is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world due to his outstanding performances for both club and country.
He has been a key player for several top-level teams throughout his career, including Real Sociedad, Barcelona, and Manchester City, and has consistently shown excellent reflexes, shot-stopping ability, penalty-saving, and distribution skills.
Bravo is also known for his leadership and communication skills, which have helped him to organize and motivate his defense.
He has been one of the best goalkeepers in La Liga since in arrived in Spain.
In addition to his club career, Bravo has also had a successful international career, winning over 140 caps for the Chilean national team and helping them to win the Copa America in 2015 and 2016.
5. David Ospina (Colombia)
Although the Colombian goalkeeper currently plays for Saudi Professional League club Al Nassr, he is regarded as one of the best South American goalkeepers right now.
Ospina has been a top goalkeeper in South America for several years due to his consistent performances at the club and international levels.
He has made over 120 appearances for the Colombian national team and has played for several top clubs in South America and Europe, including Atletico Nacional, Nice, and Napoli.
Ospina is known for his quick reflexes, strong shot-stopping abilities, and excellent distribution.
6. Weverton (Brazil)
Goalkeepers are known to be late bloomers, and as such, it’s not surprising that 35-year-old Weverton features on the list of goalkeepers to look out for in 2023.
He’s the third choice to Alisson and Ederson in the Brazilian national team and has performed on the few occasions that he has been called upon.
He won gold with the Brazilian soccer team at the 2016 Olympics games in Rio, playing all six matches for the Brazilian team.
Weverton plays for Palmeiras in Brazil.
7. Geronimo Rulli (Argentina)
Seven clean sheets in fourteen La Liga games for Villarreal before the start of the World Cup earned him a place with the Argentina national team.
The 30-year-old has an 82% of shots saved, although he has conceded ten goals in 14 matches in La Liga this season.
Rulli may not be a young goalkeeper, as he has been around for a while featuring for Manchester City, Real Sociedad, and Montpellier on different occasions, but he may have interesting years ahead.
8. Fernando Muslera (Uruguay)
Muslera is an Uruguayan goalkeeper who currently plays for Galatasaray SK in the Turkish Süper Lig.
He is also the captain of the Uruguayan national team.
Fernando Muslera has also played for a number of other clubs throughout his career, including Nacional, Lazio, and Galatasaray.
With Galatasaray, he has won five Süper Lig titles, four Turkish Cups, and four Turkish Super Cups.
The 36-year-old has participated in five Copa América tournaments, winning the title in 2011, and played in the 2010, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cups, helping Uruguay to fourth place in the 2010 edition.
9. Agustín Marchesín (Argentina)
Although is not very popular, Agustín Marchesín is one of the underrated South American goalkeepers playing in Europe.
The Argentine goalie currently plays as a goalkeeper for Spanish club Celta Vigo.
He began his career with the Argentine club Lanús, made over 200 appearances there, and won the Copa Sudamericana in 2013.
He then spent several years in Mexico’s Liga MX, winning league titles with Santos Laguna and Club América, before moving to FC Porto in 2019.
He won the Primeira Liga and Taça de Portugal double twice and transferred to Celta Vigo in 2022.
10. Juan Musso (Argentina)
Yet another Argentine on our list of the best South American goalkeepers.
Juan Musso is the goalkeeper of Serie A club Atalanta.
The 28-year-old is currently one of the best goalkeepers in the Italian Serie A.
Before joining Atalanta in 2021, Musso spent three years at Udinese and made over 100 league appearances there.
