Across football history, South America has always been a hotbed for exciting young talents. It’s a continent that has produced all-stars such as Pele, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi in the past – who are the best South American wonderkids at the moment?
That’s the question we’ll be aiming to answer today. We have just two parameters – they must still be playing in South America and they must have been linked with a club in the Premier League over the past calendar year.
Edwin Quintero
At the age of just 16, Edwin Quintero has already been identified and snapped up by Arsenal – however, he’s still eligible for our list, as he won’t join the Gunners until the summer of 2027.
A lightning-fast right winger with excellent dribbling ability, Quintero has made waves for Ecuador’s youth teams – it won’t be too long before he is called up to La Tricolor’s senior team.
Holger Quintero
From one Quintero to another – when Arsenal snapped up his brother, who we detailed in the previous entry, they also snapped up Holger Quintero in a double transfer deal.
He is a similar player to his brother, being a dynamic, forward-thinking attacker, but he generally functions as an attacking midfielder. They have each come from the academy of Independiente del Valle, which has produced current Premier League superstars such as Piero Hincapie and Moises Caicedo. One thing is for certain – the future of Ecuadorian football is glowing at the moment.
Rayan
Rayan is one of Brazil’s most promising young talents at the moment. Currently, the Brazilian national team is in disarray – but they have plenty to look forward to moving forwards.
The 19-year-old has been linked with a litany of Premier League clubs, with Arsenal and Manchester United looking like the current frontrunners. Despite this, teams such as Brighton, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Aston Villa have all been credited with an interest in the player. That’s not all – Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also thought to be in the race.
Maher Carrizo
The only Argentinian on our list, Maher Carrizo stamped his authority on world football when he put in a series of excellent displays at the U20 World Cup, scoring three goals and notching up an assist for his country.
Manchester City have been heavily linked with a move for the 19-year-old, but have yet to seal a deal – meanwhile, Arsenal are believed to be in the race for his signature as well.
Néiser Villarreal
Neiser Villarreal is one of the world’s most promising strikers as things stand. Featuring limitless talent on the ball and underrated physicality for his age, he could be a real threat in the Premier League moving forwards.
Currently, he plays for Millonarios F.C. in his native Colombia, but is due to join Cruzeiro in 2026. As such, this could scupper a move to the Premier League for the time being, but interest in Villarreal is high – in particular, Liverpool have been linked with a move for the player, as have Newcastle.