These are the greatest stars from football’s most underrated continent!
Over the years, the great continent of North America has served as a breeding ground for outstanding football talent, extending from Mexico to the Caribbean and beyond. To create the ultimate list of the best football players to have ever come out of the area, we've dug deep into the archives. So, come honour these iconic athletes' incredible careers and their lasting contributions to the game.
Clint Dempsey is one of the greatest players his nation has ever produced, and he is a real legend in the annals of both Fulham and the USA national team. With his versatility to play as a number ten, a centre attacker, or both, Dempsey was crucial to Fulham's incredible run to the 2010 Europa League final. After being selected for the United States 141 times, he finished his Premier League career with a season at Tottenham, scoring 57 goals and taking home three Gold Cups.
The best player in American history, Landon Donovan, contributed significantly to the continued promotion of football on that side of the Atlantic with his achievements for both club and nation. During the most of his career, he was a free-scoring forward for the LA Galaxy. He also had stints in Europe with Everton and Bayer Leverkusen. He won an amazing six MLS titles, two with the San Jose Earthquakes and four with the Galaxy. In his 157 international appearances, Donovan scored 57 goals and won four Gold Cups. In 2015, the MLS MVP Award, which he had previously won in 2009, was renamed in his honour.
The greatest football player to come out of the Caribbean is, without a doubt, Trinidad and Tobago legend Dwight Yorke, a treble winner and 1998–1999 Premier League Golden Boot winner with Manchester United. Yorke began his career at Aston Villa and went on to score 136 goals in the English top flight for five different clubs. In 1998/99, he was chosen as the Premier League Player of the Season. He played every minute of every match while serving as his nation's captain during their 2006 World Cup debut.
Dwight Yorke Celebrating a Goal for Man United
Hugo Sanchez, unquestionably one of the best strikers in football's history, scored a tonne of goals for Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, and Mexico. Sanchez led Real Madrid to five consecutive La Liga titles between 1986 and 1990 and was included by Pele in his 2004 FIFA 100 list of the greatest living football players in the world. He also finished as the top scorer in the Spanish Premier Division in each of those five seasons. Nicknamed "Nino del Oro" (Golden Boy), this man was a great bicycle kick performer who scored more than 500 goals in his career for both club and nation.
It's a rarity for a player to maintain an international career as lengthy as their club tenure, but the exceptional Mexican centre-back/defensive midfielder, Rafa Marquez, came close to achieving just that. His club career spanned from 1996 to 2018, almost paralleling his international career, which lasted nearly as long. A distinguished figure, Marquez clinched two Champions League titles with Barcelona, amassing nearly 250 appearances for the prestigious club. Additionally, he secured victory in the Gold Cup twice with Mexico. Notably, Marquez holds the distinction of being the first player to captain his country in four, and potentially five, World Cup tournaments.
Other greats from North America include talents such as Walter Bahr, Luis de la Fuente, Javier Hernandez, Keylor Navas, and Brad Friedel.
