While Brazil has long been a footballing nation, it has only been in recent decades that the country’s best players have been drawn to Europe: until the 1982 finals in Spain, no Brazilian team hosted European players in a FIFA World Cup . While players like Pelé and Garrincha have never played for European clubs, big names like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Dani Alves, Ronaldinho and Neymar have made waves in the UEFA Champions League.
128: Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid, Fenerbahce)
116: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City)
114: Dani Alves (Seville, Barcelona, Paris)
102: Marcello (Real Madrid)
102: Thiago Silva (Milan, Paris, Chelsea)
97: Maxwell (Ajax, Inter, Barcelona, Paris)
88: Kaka (Milan, Real Madrid)
85: Lúcio (Leverkusen, Bayern, Inter Milan, Juventus)
83: Casemiro (Real Madrid, Porto)
80: Alex Sandro (Porto, Juventus)
80: Neymar (Barcelona, Paris)
43: Neymar (Barcelona, Paris)
31: Rivaldo (Barcelona, Milan, Olympiacos, AEK Athens)
30: Kaka (Real Madrid, Milan)
28: Jardel (Porto, Galatasaray)
27: Young Elber (Bayern, Lyon)
24: Jose Altafini (Milan, Juventus)
23: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)
22: Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk, Spartak Moscow)
20: Hulk (Porto, Zenith)
20: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
Most appearances by a Brazilian player in UEFA club competition*
155: Dani Alves (Seville, Barcelona, Paris)
147: Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk, Manchester City)
144: Roberto Carlos (Inter, Real Madrid, Fenerbahce)
127: Luisao (Benfica)
122: Willian (Shakhtar Donetsk, Chelsea, Arsenal)
109: Marcelo (Real Madrid, Olympiakos)
106: Fernando (Porto, Manchester City, Sevilla)
105: Taison (Metalist Khakhiv, Shakhtar Donetsk)
103: Adriano Correia (Sevilla, Barcelona, Beşiktaş)
102: David Luiz (Benfica, Chelsea, Paris, Arsenal)
102: Thiago Silva (Milan, Paris, Chelsea)
102: Maxwell (Ajax, Inter, Barcelona, Paris)
Brazilian top scorers in UEFA club competitions*
43: Neymar (Barcelona, Paris)
43: Vagner Love (CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Kairat Almaty)
40: Sonny Anderson (Servette, Monaco, Barcelona, Lyon, Villarreal)
39: Rivaldo (Barcelona, Milan, Olympiacos, AEK Athens)
37: Ronaldo (PSV Eindhoven, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan)
36: Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk, Spartak Moscow)
36: Jardel (Porto, Galatasaray, Sporting CP)
32: Hulk (Porto, Zenith)
32: Young Elber (Grasshoppers, Stuttgart, Bayern, Lyon)
31: Marcos Tavares (APOEL, Maribor)
31: Kaka (Milan, Real Madrid)
The first most important
First Brazilian to reach a European Cup/UEFA Champions League final
Julinho (Real Madrid – Florentine 2:0, 1957)
The first Brazilian to win the European Cup/UEFA Champions League
Canaries (real Madrid – Eintracht Frankfurt 7:3, 1960)
The first Brazilian to win the European Cup/make it to the final
Dino da Costa (Rangers – Florentine 4-1 after aggregate, 1961)
First Brazilian to win/participate in a UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League Final
Aunt (Spanish – Leverkusen 3-3 on aggregate, Leverkusen won 3-2 on penalties, 1988)
*UEFA club competition means European Cup/UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League, European Cup/South America, UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Super Cup and UEFA Intertoto Cup
