Germán Cano gave himself every pleasure in 2024. He was Boca’s executioner in the final of the Copa Libertadores, MVP of the most important competition on the continent and now he has just been chosen as the Best Player in America in the traditional survey carried out every year the newspaper El País of Uruguay.
Thus, this Sunday Cano was declared the new King of America after being the most voted footballer in the 38th edition of the traditional Uruguayan newspaper survey, which chooses the best footballer on the continent in the season. The Brazilian Fluminense striker won with 67% by obtaining 167 votes and beat the Uruguayans Luis Suárez (40) and Nicolás de la Cruz (8).
Among the votes of the 250 journalists from the continent who participated there were also votes for Lionel Messi, whom four juries chose as the best for his performance in the American team Inter Miami.
Germán Cano’s bonus track in the El País Survey
Cano won this award for the first time in his professional career and He became the footballer who achieved it at the oldest age, winning it at 35 and surpass three who had achieved it with one year less: Enzo Francescoli (1995), Romario (2000) and Juan Sebastián Verón (2009).
Born in Lomas de Zamora in January 1988, the new King of America He made his professional debut in Lanús at the age of 20. He then had steps through Colón and Chacarita. And, without much luck with the bow in Argentina, he then spent much of his career in Colombia and Mexico. In 2022 he joined Fluminense from fellow Brazilian Vasco da Gama and, in this last season, He was a key part of the team that won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in its history..
Cano was the tournament’s top scorer, scoring 12 goals, seven of these between the quarterfinals and the last match, in which the Brazilian team beat Boca 2-1. He was also the top scorer in the last edition of the Carioca Championship, a trophy that his team won by beating Flamengo 4-1 in the last match.
Cano, Chiquito Romero, Advíncula and De la Cruz in the ideal XI of America
During the survey, journalists also chose the best XI on the continent, which was made up of Sergio Romero, Boca’s goalkeeper; the defenders Luis Advincula, Gustavo Gómez, Nino and Joaquín Piquerez; the flyers Jhon Arias, André, Nicolas de la Cruz and Alan Patrick; and the attackers Luis Suárez and German Cano.
The King of America award has been given by the newspaper El País since 1986 and, since that moment, the footballer who has stood out the most is the Argentine Carlos Tevezwho won it three times.
Carlos Valderrama, Juan Sebastián Verón, and Neymar conquered it in two. Meanwhile, Antonio Alzamendi, Rubén Paz, Bebeto, Raúl Amarilla, Oscar Ruggeri, Raí, Cafú, Enzo Francescoli, José Luis Chilavert, Marcelo Salas, Martín Palermo, Javier Saviola, Romario, Juan Román Riquelme, José Saturnino Cardozo won it once , Matías Fernández, Salvador Cabañas, Andrés D’Alessandro, Ronaldinho, Teófilo Gutiérrez, Carlos Sánchez, Miguel Borja, Luan, Gonzalo Martínez, Gabriel Barboza, Marinho, Julián Álvarez and Pedro Guilherme. choose the best footballer on the continent in the season.
The winners, year by year, of the award for the best player in America
1990 – Raúl Vicente Amarilla
1996 – José Luis Chilavert
2001 – Juan Roman Riquelme
2002 – José Saturnino Cardozo
2006 – Matías Fernández
2008 – Juan Sebastian Veron
2009 – Juan Sebastian Veron
2010 – Andrés D’Alessandro
2014 – Teófilo Gutierrez
Among the coaches, Diniz above Bielsa and Scaloni
On the other hand, the Brazilian Fernando Diniz He became the best coach on the continent after receiving the most votes. The technical director of Fluminense and the Brazilian national team He won with 40% by obtaining 101 votes and beat the Argentines Marcelo Bielsa (44) and Lionel Scaloni (34). Among the votes there were also for 14 other coaches, including Abel Ferreira and Luis Zubeldiaboth over 20.
Diniz won this award in a season in which he led Fluminense to win the first Copa Libertadores in its history, while also winning the Guanabara Cup and the Carioca Championship. Besides He became the fifth Brazilian to achieve itafter Sebastião Lazaroni (1989), Tele Santana (1992), Luiz Felipe Scolari (1999 and 2002) and Tite (2017) did it.
To date, the most awarded technical director is the Argentine Carlos Bianchi, who was chosen as the best on the continent five times.
José Nestor Pekerman and Marcelo Gallardo, also Argentines, won the award three times, while Carlos Salvador Bilardo and Óscar Washington Tabárez won it twice each.
For their part, they got it once Roberto Fleitas, Lazaroni, Luis Cubilla, Alfio Basile, Santana, Francisco Maturana, Hector Nunez, Hernan Darius Gomez, Daniel Alberto Catwalk, Luis Fernando Montoya, Anibal Ruiz, Claudio Borghi, Gerardo Martino, Edgardo Bauza , Marcelo Bielsa, Jorge Sampaoli, Reinaldo Rueda, Tite, Abel Ferreira and Scaloni.
DT’s: the best in the survey year by year
1986 – Carlos Salvador Bilardo
1987 – Carlos Salvador Bilardo
1989 – Sebastiao Lazaroni
1993 – Francisco Maturana
1996 – Hernán Darío Gómez
1999 – Luiz Felipe Scolari
2002 – Luiz Felipe Scolari
2004 – Luis Fernando Montoya
2010 – Oscar Washington Tabárez
2011 – Oscar Washington Tabárez
2017 – Adenor Bachi “Tite”
What did journalists vote for in 2023 country by country?
