If you are among the competitors to win Premier League, you need at least one player from either Brazil og Argentina. If your squad doesn’t have a “special one” you are not really in the fight and will lose out.
At the moment Leicester City does not have a player from one of those countries and surprisingly never had anyone at the club from Brazil. The last time a PL trophy was one without an Argentinian or Brazilian in the squad was as far back as the 2000/01 season, after that every single season one player from one of the two countries have lifted the trophy.
Leo UIloa was “The Special One” in 2015/16. The first player in the category to be part of a Premier League win was Brazilian midfielder Edu, who did lift the trophy with Arsenal in 2001/02. He joined The Gunners from Corinthians in front of that season, and in some way became an iconic figure, being the first Brazilian player to win a Premier League trophy.
In the 2002/03 season Argentinian Juan Sebastian Veron was in the Manchester United set up, and since then the growth of Brazilians and Argentinians has been part of the top clubs of English football.
You could say that Chelsea won the title in 2004-05 without a single player from those two countries, but then you have to count out Hernan Crespo and Juan Sebastien Veron who had moved on loan to Inter and AC Milan. Crespo was back the following season and waving the Argentinian flag as he played regularly and scored important goals.
Gabriel Heinze was the “special one” when the 2006/07 title was secured by Manchester United and he played 21 league games that season. The season after Brazilian Anderson joined Heinze at Old Trafford as they grabbed the title again.
Heinze eventually left Manchester United but another Argetinian arrived in front of the 2008-09 season, Corlos Tevez. Anderson was still there and the young twins Fabio and Rafael also had a sniff of first team football.
When Chelsea regained the title in 2009/10, no Argentinian were present but they had the two Brazilians Alex and Juliano Beletti. Anderson, Rafeael and Fabio took over from the Chelsea duo as Brazil again waved the PL trophy flag with Manchester United.
When Manchester City lifted their first PL trophy in 2011/12, there were no Brazilians in the squad, but three Argentinians, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta. Rafael and Anderson were both with Manchester United when they won in 2012/13, and since then you have a number of different players from these two countries in the squads.
Liverpool does have the ingredient this season as well with Firmino, Alisson and Fabinho waving the flag of the Brazilian nation. So if you decide to challenge for a Premier League title you can’t neglect the fact that you need either a Brazilian or Argentinian in your group, without one, you look doomed.
This was often talked about about Scots in English football in the 60’s and 70’s, as a very important part of your plan to build a trophy team, but now it looks as if those two other countries from South America does have to be part of you set up to win that special trophy.
Who would be the first Brazilian to join Leicester City?, we have had Esteban Cambiasso and Leo Ulloa from Argentina and both must have said to have done their duties in the best way possible.
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