Sport
Chile’s greatest ever XI
South America is full of nations that eat and breathe football whilst finding relative success at the same time. Outside of the major players like Brazil and Argentina, Chile have been one of the region’s most successful sides. Alongside hosting the 1962 World Cup and finishing 3rd on home soil (a record best performance), La Roja have enjoyed a plethora of other top results. This includes 2 Copa America wins with consecutive victories in both 2015 and 2016. These efforts, as well as a best FIFA ranking of 3rd, underlines Chile as a footballing power. But who are the legends that have helped bring this success? Let’s see who makes our greatest ever Chile XI…
GK: Claudio Bravo
The best goalkeepers often have skill and personality bundled into one package. That is what describes Claudio Bravo in a nutshell. Bravo’s best plaudits have come through his lightning reactions allowing him to pull off spectacular saves and shut down attacks quickly. This is matched by a fiery persona on the pitch who is never shy to show his opinions during a game. During his career, Bravo has starred for several clubs including Colo-Colo in Chile as well as several European giants like Barcelona and Manchester City. Bravo’s best accolades have perhaps come with the Chilean national side where he captained them to the 2015 and 2016 Copa America tournaments – where Bravo was named Best Goalkeeper both times. This, alongside 2 Zamora trophy wins’ underlines why Bravo is one of Chile’s greatest names of any era.
RB: Luis Eyzaguirre
Chile’s successful form in the 1960s came from having one of the best backlines anywhere in the world. On the right-side of this defence sat Luis Eyzaguirre who was an excellent all-around defender. This included excellent passing as well as strong tackling. Known as Fifo, Eyzaguirre spent his entire career in his homeland with Santiago side Universidad de Chile. During this time, he won 5 Chilean Primera Division titles from 1952-1967. All these accolades showcase why Eyzaguirre is still highly-revered in his homeland to his day.
LB: Sergio Navarro
During Chile’s heyday during the 1960s, the national side was lead emphatically by Sergio Navarro in one of their strongest eras. It was Navarro who captained his side at the 1962 World Cup and played in every game as La Roja finished third. It earmarked Navarro has a leader on both sides as he also featured for many of Chile’s best sides of the time. This included winning three titles with Universidad de Chile in the 1960s before featuring for other leading sides such as Colo and Union Espanola. After retiring in 1960, Navarro switched to management coaching many of Chile’s biggest teams such throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
CB: Alberto Quintano
There were fewer defensive units more formidable than Universidad de Chile’s Ballet Azul in the 1960s and Alberto Quintano was at the heart of it all. Affectionally known as El Madrigal, Quintano fearless nature made him a popular figure and saw him shine across Latin America. Alongside two successful stints with Universidade, Quintano was successful in Mexico too playing six seasons with Cruz Azul. Whilst in Mexico, Quintano won 3x Liga MX titles to add to the 4 Primera Division titles he won with Universidade De Chile. An iconic figure who shone in an iconic era.
CB: Elias Figueroa
Before Chile’s modern revolution, there were fewer Chilean footballers more famous than Elias Figueroa. The defender wowed fans across the world with his psychic ability to shut attacking moves down and make precise tackles under intense pressure. This excellent defending skillset attracted attention from across the footballing world. Figueroa found much of his success overseas with the likes of Uruguayan side Penarol and Brazilian giants Internacional. Figueroa won two titles with both sides in the 1970s where his role was underlined by three successive South American Footballer of the Year awards from 1974-1976. Also named as Chile’s footballer of the 20th Century, Figueroa was also named in the FIFA 100 in 2003 to truly showcase his elite sporting merits.
CM: Ruben Marcos
During Chile’s golden age in the 1960s and 1970s, few midfielders could run the middle of the park quite like Ruben Marcos. Capable of playing anywhere in the middle, Marcos’s coolness under pressure made him an excellent anchor whilst his creative passing made him a vital cog further up the pitch. Marcos primarily shone for Universidade de Chile in the 1960s winning 5 Primera Division titles. He also briefly shone in Ecuador for Emelec before retiring in 1974. An unheralded hero many may have forgotten in more modern times.
CM: Arturo Vidal
Known just as much for his striking looks as his football, Arturo Vidal has been a modern day midfielder that could run any team when he was on form. Vidal has no real weaknesses in his game making him an excellent box-to-box midfielder. A strong tackler and passer, he acts well as a defensive midfielder yet has the ability to make killer passes and power to lash goals home from distance. This ranging skill-set has seen Vidal for some of the best sides in the world. This has included spells with Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona during his career. Vidal has won a myriad of awards including 9 league titles across Europe, the Copa Libertadores and the Copa America. Vidal has played his part in these roles being named multiple times in both the Bundesliga and Serie A Team of the Year as well as being named 2016 Chilean Player of the Year. It’s a glowing CV that very few footballers can show off no matter what era they played in.
CM: Alexis Sanchez
Fewer players in modern football have torn defences apart quite like Alexis Sanchez. Capable of playing anywhere in the final third, Alexis Sanchez used his quick feet, rapid acceleration and finishing finesses to score plenty of goals at the highest level. He has shown this quite comfortably in European football starring for the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal and Inter Milan throughout his career. Sanchez’s best form arguably came with Arsenal where he won 2 FA Cup trophies and scored 80 goals for The Gunners. This hot form brought plenty of individual accolades such as 2 Premier League Player of the Month awards as well as 2015 PFA Fans Player of the Year. He was also given the Golden Ball in the 2016 Copa America where Chile successfully defended their title. Sanchez currently leads the Chilean national side for most appearances and goals showcasing why he is one of their greatest players of all time.
FW: Leonel Sanchez
During Chile’s golden age of football in the 1950s and 1960s, Leonel Sanchez was the star striker for both club and country. For Universidade de Chile, Sanchez was unstoppable scoring 159 goals in 386 games. This success came through his skilful left boot and a keen eye for goal. With Universidade, Sanchez won 6 League titles before adding a seventh in 1971 with Colo Colo. He was also a star for the national side as well. This was on full display at the 1962 World Cup where he won the Golden Boot scoring 4 goals as Chile finished 3rd and even earning a place in the 1962 All-Star Team. It’s a fitting reward for a player who excelled for both club and country for almost two decades.
FW: Marcelo Salas
During the turn of the century, few players could rival Marcelo Salas when he was plying his trade against opposition defences. Salas had an excellent left-foot which could produce subtle turns and unleash thunderbolts when required. Much of Salas’ success came in Italy where he played for the likes of Lazio and Juventus. He was a major part of the Lazio side that completed the Italian Scudetto in the 1999/2000 season scoring 17 goals to help bring success to the Rome-based side. On top of that, Salas was also a star for the likes of River Plate where his exploits in the 1997/98 season saw him named South American Player of the Year. With league title wins in two different continents, its proof that Salas was one of the biggest stars of his generation.
FW: Ivan Zamorano
You will be hard pressed to find any striker who had such a strong consistent goalscoring record quite like Ivan Zamorano. Zamorano’s success came from his abilities on the ball thanks to his incredible accuracy and being an excellent set-piece taker. It was why Zamorano starred for some of the world’s biggest sides such as Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Sevilla. During his career, Zamorano was a potent finisher particularly with Real Madrid. This was highlighted by Zamorano winning the Pichichi Trophy after scoring 28 goals in the 1994-95 season. It’s just one of several accolades won by Zamorano which also includes a spot in the FIFA 100 when it was revealed in 2003. A great showcase of one of Chile’s greatest ever strikers.
