South America has gifted the world Pele and Diego Maradona. Bright colours and the dark arts. Intense passion and wild trickery.
On the international stage, Brazil and Argentina have bestrode the global game, winning eight World Cups between them.
And at club level too it is never less than engrossing, rife with folklore, rivalries and other-worldly football.
From Asuncion to Zapopan there are literally hundreds of clubs whose histories are utterly compelling, their statures hard-earned and impressive.
Biggest Clubs In South American Football:
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Boca Juniors
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Palmeiras
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River Plate
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Flamengo
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Corinthians
From this large number these five are considered to be the biggest and the best on the continent. Given the strong competition that is some feat indeed.
5) Corinthians
Cards immediately on the table, the temptation was to go with Penarol or Colo Colo, so there is some representation here beyond Brazil and Argentina.
But how can Corinthians possibly be omitted, it being the most valuable club in the Americas according to Forbes and one with such a storied past.
Founded in 1910 by railway workers, the Sao Paulo club boasts 30 million supporters in Brazil alone as well as legions from across the globe.
For many the appeal is the club’s working class roots, the ‘People’s Team’ proudly extending on that to embrace political stances taken against dictatorships in the past.
In 1982, the team famously wore jerseys emblazoned with ‘Dia 15 Vote’ encouraging youth to vote out the military dictatorship whose days were numbered.
It will not surprise to learn that Socrates was instrumental in that particular drive, the midfield great being a lifelong left-leaning activist.
Other legends who have worn the black and white include Rivellino, the World Cup winner with the iconic moustache and magical feet. Going further back there was Teleco who scored a staggering 251 goals in 246 outings.
Corinthians have won seven Campeonato Brasileiro titles and enjoyed a vintage year in 2012, lifting their second World Club Championship before securing a first Copa Libertadores.
4) Flamengo
It is estimated that 20% of the Brazilian population support the Rubro-Negro, a club that was founded in 1895 from an already established rowing club.
Based in Rio de Janeiro, with the famed Maracana stadium their home, they were dominant in their state championship prior to the national league being conceived in 1959 but then had to wait a while before flexing their might on a broader scale.
Their first of seven Campeonato Brasileiro titles came in 1980, with an inaugural Copa Libertadores triumph following soon after, and an Intercontinental Cup victory over Liverpool coming next, and it’s worth staying with their early-Eighties heyday because what a team that was.
At the heart of everything was Zico, incomparable and sublime.
Considered by some to be the second greatest Brazilian of them all, the attacking midfielder had come through Flamengo’s revered youth academy, a system that has also developed Zizinho, Leonardo, and more recently, Vinicius Junior.
On the left there was Junior, another homegrown talent. Up front prowled the prolific Tita, scorer of 135 goals for the club.
In more current times, Flamengo have won the Copa Libertadores a further two occasions, in 2019 and 2022.
3) River Plate
No club has won the Argentinian league more (38) while in the historical table of the Copa Libertadores, River Plate have accrued the most points and won the most games.
On four occasions they have been crowned champions of the continent while their iconic red sash has come to denote excellence and success.
Yet for all this, two other details concerning the residents of the Estadio Mas Monumental loom largest, the first being their astonishing track record at producing exceptional talent.
Alfredo Di Stefano came through the ranks here, back in the day. So too did Daniel Passarella and Enzo Francescoli.
Then there’s a fierce, sometimes vicious rivalry with Boca Juniors to consider.
Situated in a salubrious neighbourhood in Buenos Aires – and subsequently nicknamed Los Millonarios – River Plate are somewhat unfairly deemed to be the establishment club compared to the earthy charms of Boca.
It means the Superclasico is a clash of cultures as well as two hated enemies colliding.
Incidentally, does anyone head to the live betting when these sides meet? Surely that’s a fool’s errand given the unpredictable levels of drama each encounter brings.
2) Palmeiras
According to Opta, Palmeiras are the highest ranked South American club, a merit largely based on winning back-to-back Copa Libertadores titles in 2020 and 2021.
The Verdao (Big Green) also conquered the continent in 1999.
Domestically, no other Brazilian club has won more league titles (12) while all told a trophy haul of 26 national and international titles is comparable to just about anyone.
The club was formed to represent and assist the country’s Italian community but their original name of Palestra Italia was dropped during the Second World War when Brazil joined the allies against the Axis powers.
On that patriotic note it’s also worth pointing out that Palmeiras have boasted at least one member in each of Brazil’s five World Cup winning squads.
At the time of writing they’re at it again, challenging at the summit of the league and well fancied in the football odds to add a thirteenth league crown. In the modern era it’s become the norm.
1) Boca Juniors
Boca have won the Primera Division a remarkable 36 times and with 74 trophies to their name they are unquestionably the most successful Argentine club.
Moreover, courtesy of their highly distinctive ‘Chocolate Box’ ground and close association with Diego Maradona, who played for them twice, they have a global renown that is the envy of others.
Everyone is aware of their blue and yellow kit and extremely boisterous fans.
They are a staple of world football.
And perhaps it goes a little deeper too, with Boca’s authentic working class origins contrasting so sharply with River Plate’s supposed noble heritage. They are the club of the people, no matter where those people reside.
For all this, it’s their six Copa Libertadores crowns that set them apart.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
