A South American Footballer of the Year was first chosen in 1971 under the auspices of the daily newspaper El Mundo , which appears in the Venezuelan capital Caracas . Any player from the continent could be chosen. The election took place annually until 1992. Since 1986, however, the athletes who emerged from the “Rey del Fútbol de América” investigation have been considered South America's official footballer of the year. This election is organized by the daily El País based in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo .
In order to be taken into account in the vote, the players must play for a club on the South American continent (since the opening of the Copa Libertadores for Mexican visiting teams, Mexico has also been accepted as a game country) - in the vote for El Mundo , however, was only the origin of the players was decisive, so that legionnaires also found recognition. El País interviews journalists from across the American continent.
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Diego Maradona
Carlos Valderrama
Elias Figueroa
Zico
Enzo Francescoli
Paraguay
Peru
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Arsenio Erico