Chile Greatest All-time 23 member team

This blogger Artur Yanturin of Russia copied many of my blog teams.  This blog was one of them.  It was my Russia All-Time Team here.  His team was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.   His Spartak Moscow All-Time team entry of was published in October 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2017.  His entry of the Dutch-German rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona was written in 2020, but mine was uploaded in 2014.  He also copied many many of my blog entries.

His Facebook and Instagram

Chile World Cup 1962

Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

South America without Brazil and Argentina.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Colombia,
Chile, Paraguay, Ecuador
Bolivia, Venezuela.

The Federación de Fútbol de Chile is the second oldest South American federation, having been founded in Valparaíso on 19 June 1895. Chile was one of the four founding member nations of CONMEBOL. Together with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, the four competed in the first South American Championship, later to be renamed the Copa América, in 1916. 

The national team of  Chile is commonly referred to as La Roja ("The Red One").  The best result for Chile at a World Cup Finals were in 1962 when they finished 3rd as the host.  Leonel Sanchez was their star player. Their next major success came in 1998. The strike force of  Marcelo Salas and Iván Zamorano helped them to reach the round of 16. In 2000, Chile won the Bronze medal at the Olympics with Zamorano as one of the overage players.  Since then, another Golden Generation emerged.  They qualified for both 2010 and 2014 World Cup Finals, advancing to the second stage on both occasions.  Chile won back-to-back Copa America in 2015 and 2016.

This is my All-Time team for Chile.  If there were an All-Time World Cup, this would be the 23 players I would bring to the tournament.

Copa America 2016

Team
GK:  Sergio Livingstone
Sergio Livingstone was the greatest keeper in Chile's history.  He was of Scottish descent.  He was nicknamed "El Sapo" ("The Toad") for his typical posture in the goal mouth. From 1938–1959 he played primarily for CD Universidad Católica in Santiago. At the international level, He played 52 times for Chile between 1941 and 1954. With Chile he took part in seven South American Championships.  He went to the 1950 World Cup Finals in Brazil.  

Sergio Livingstone

GK: Roberto Rojas

Roberto Rojas is best remembered for faking an injury hit by a rocket during a match against Brazil in 1989 and led to a lifetime ban on football.  He was actually a good keeper who was capped 49 times. With Colo-Colo, Rojas won national titles in 1983 and 1986. In 1987, after a successful performance in the Copa América 1987 championship, he transferred to Brazil's São Paulo where he remained until 1989. 

GK: Claudio Bravo
As of 2018, Claudio Bravo is Chile's most capped player with 119 times.  He was the hero of Chile's two back-to-back Copa America titles in 2015 and 2016, winning penalty shootouts on both Finals.  He also went to two World Cup Finals. He started his professional career playing with Colo-Colo at home.  He also played with Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Manchester City.

RB: Luis Eyzaguirre
Luis Eyzaguirre played right back in the Universidad de Chile football team known as the Ballet Azul, with which he won four national championships. He was capped 39 times. He played in 1962 World Cup Finals at home where Chile reached the semi-final.  He also played a single match at the 1966 World Cup Finals in England. He was considered the best rightback of his time.

RB/RW/DM: Mauricio Isla

Isla started his career with Udinese in 2007,  He played there until 212 when he joined Juventus.  He also played for Queens Park Rangers, Cagliari, Marseille, Fenerbahce and  Flamengo. Isla has earned over 120 caps for Chile since his debut in 2007, and represented the nation in two World Cups (in 2010 and 2014) as well as five Copa América tournaments (in 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021), winning the 2015 and 2016 editions.

  
CB:  Alberto Quintano
Alberto Quintano had 49 caps for Chile. He played in the 1974 World Cup Finals in West Germany, forming a strong partnership with Elias Figueroa. For his club career, he spent most of his career with Universidad de Chile.  He went to play for Cruz Azul(Mexico) in 1971 and became one of the best defenders playing in the Mexican league.

SW:  Elias Figueroa
Elias Figueroa was one of the best defenders in South American history.  He was named the Brazilian Player of the year award whilst playing for Internacional in 1972 and 1976. He was also awarded the South American Footballer of the Year three times in a row. He played notably for Santiago Wanderers, Internacional and Uruguayan club Peñarol. He also represented Chile 47 times, appearing in three world cups, in 1966, 1974, and 1982.

Elias Figueroa

CB: Ignacio Prieto 
For the national team, Ignacio Prieto played at the 1966 World Cup Finals in England.  He played with Club Deportivo Universidad Católica at home and Nacional in Uruguay before moving to France. While playing with Lille, he was the joint-winner of the Trophée de l'Étoile d'or in 1974-1975. He also played for Stade Lavallois.  His father and brother were also professional players.

CB: Ulises Poirier
Ulises Poirier had 16 caps for Chile between 1919 and 1930.  He was voted Best Defender of the South American championship twice in 1922 and 1926. He was the captain of Chilean national team at the 1930 World Cup finals in Uruguay.  For club football, he played for Colo Colo and La Cruz Valparaíso.

LB: Sergio Navarro
Sergio Navarro was the captain of the 1962 World Cup team, where Chile reached the semifinal.  It was Chile's best ever result at the World Cup Finals. He was capped 31 times between 1957 and 1962.  For his club career, he played for Universidad de Chile (1955-1964), Colo-Colo (1965-1967) and Unión Española (1967-1968).  With Universidad de Chile, he was a part of the team known as "Ballet Azul". He won the Primera División in 1959, 1962 and 1964.

Sergio Navarro (L)

LB: Antonio Arias
Antonio Arias played 30 times for the Chile between 1968 and 1973.  He went to the 1974 World Cup and played 3 matches in the Finals.  At the club level, Arias played for Magallanes and Unión Española. With Unión Española, he won three league titles and finished second at the 1975 Copa Libertadores. It was the club's greatest era in its history.

DM: Gary Medel 

Medel has played club football starting out with  Universidad Católica, and later playing for Boca Juniors, Sevilla, Cardiff City, and Inter Milan, before moving to Beşiktaş. in 2017. He then moved to Bologna in 2019. A full Chilean international with over 150 caps since 2007, where he won two Copa Americas.  He is Chile's most capped players. In 2008, he was Chile's Player of the Year.

DM: Eladio Rojas
Eladio Rojas spent most of his career with Everton (Chile).  He was a hero at the World Cup Finals in  1962. He scored the winning goal in the quarterfinal against the Soviet Union. He again scored the winning goal against Yugoslavia at the 90th minute that gave Chile a third place finish in the Third Place match.  He went to play for River Plate in Argentina after the World Cup Finals.

CM: Rubén Marcos 
Rubén Marcos was considered one of the best Chilean midfielders ever.  He was known for his endurance.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1966. He also went to the South American Championship in 1967. During his career, Marcos played for Universidad de Chile, and Palestino.  Estadio Rubén Marcos Peralta at his home town Osorno was named after him.

CM: Arturo Vidal
At time of writing, Arturo Vidal is considered one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 2010 and 2014.  He played with Colo Colo and Bayer Leverkusen before transferring to Juventus in Italy.   In 2015, he moved to Bayern Munich.  He moved to Barcelona in 2018. At the time of writing, he has 100 caps.  He helped Chile to win back-to-back Copa America in 2015 and 2016.

Arturo Vidal

AM: Francisco Valdes

Francisco Valdes is the all-time leading scorer in the Chilean league. He was an all-time great from Chile.  He played for many clubs, but he spent the longest period with Colo Colo, where he formed a notable partnership with Carlos Gaszely.  He earned 50 caps for Chile between 1962 and 1975, and served as the national team captain. He went to the World Cup Finals in 1966 and 1974.  

AM: Jorge Toro

Jorge Toro represented Chile at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. He scored the second goal in Chile's 2-0 win over Italy at that tournament, in a match that is remembered as the Battle of Santiago.  He became the first Chilean to play in Italy when he moved to Sampdoria after the World Cup Finals. He also played for Hellas Verona. He was left off the 1966 World Cup team because he was playing abroad in Italy. Between 1963 and 1969, he played for Modena.  he also played for Colo-Colo and Unión Española in Chile.

LW:  Leonel Sanchez
Leonel Sanchez was Chile's record cap holder until 2014.  He had 85 caps between 1955 and 1968. He was one of the greatest left wingers ever in South America.  He scored 4 goals in the 1962 World Cup Finals, where he finished as a joint-top scorer, as Chile finished 3rd.  He spent the majority of his career with Universidad de Chile, despite offers from big clubs in Europe. He was an icon at the club.  He finished his career playing for different Chilean clubs such as Colo-Colo, Palestino and Ferroviarios.

Leonel Sanchez

FW/WF/RW: Carlos Caszely

Carlos Caszely was known to be a critics of Pinochet's government of Chile.  He played in the 1974 and 1982 World Cup Finals.  In Chile, he played mostly with Colo Colo.  He also went to play for Levante and Espanyol in Spain. He was the first ever player sent off in a World Cup Finals when he received a red card against West Germany at the WC Finals of 1974.

FW/RW: Alexis Sanchez
After his debut season of first-team football with Cobreloa, Sánchez was signed by Italy's Udinese in 2006. Following successful loans at Colo-Colo and River Plate, he began playing in Serie A. In 2011, he was signed by Barcelona for £25 million, becoming the most expensive transfer in Chilean football history. In 2014, he moved rot Arsenal.  At the time of writing, he earned 108 caps.  He has played in the WC Finals of 2010 and 2014. He helped Chile to win the 2015 Copa America.  A year later, he led Chile to win Copa América Centenario in the US.

Alexis Sanchez

ST: Raúl Toro Julio
Raúl Toro Julio was considered the first star in Chilean football.  He played with Santiago Morning , Santiago National and Santiago Wanderers.  He was known for his wild life-style. He went to the South American Championship in 1937, where he scored two goals against Uruguay and Uruguay lost its first ever match in the tournament.

ST: Marcelo Salas
Salas played 71 times for Chile and the all-time leading scorer for Chile.  He went to the WC in 1998, where he formed a partnership with Ivan Zamorano.  Salas made his debut playing for Universidad de Chile in 1993, but he first made his name with River Plate, where he was considered one of the greatest foreigner ever played for them.  He moved to Lazio in 1998, where he won the Serie A in 1999-2000. He also had a successful spell with Juventus.

ST: Iván Zamorano
Iván Zamorano is considered to be one of Chile's greatest strikers.  He played in the 1998 World Cup and four Copa América tournaments. He won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics, where he also finished as the top-scorer.  He played notably Real Madrid, where he won La liga and was the league's top scorer in 1994-1995.  He also scored a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Barcelona that season. He developed a great partnership with Michael Laudrup. He also played with Inter Milan, Sevilla, Colo Colo, etc.

Ivan Zamorano

Honorable Mention
Jorge Aravena, Mario Galindo, Humberto Elgueta, Gabriel Mendoza, Lizardo Garrido, Isaac Carrasco, Manuel Guerrero, Misael Escuti, Mario 'Gato' Osbén, Adan Godoy, Mario Osbén, Adolfo Nef, Nelson Tapia, Javier Margas, Humberto Cruz, Ascanio Cortés, Ignacio Prieto, Fernando Astengo, Pablo Conteras, Raul Sanchez, Carlos Reinoso, Jamie Pizarro, David Pizarro, Francisco Molina, Patricio Yáñez, Pedro Araya  George Robledo, Rubén Espinoza, Hernán Carvallo, Gonzalo Jara, Jean Beausejour, Enrique Hormazabal, Jorge Valdivia, Matias Fernandez, Guillermo Saavedra, Carlos Campos, Eduardo Vargas, Ivo Basay, Esteban Paredes, Osvaldo 'Pata bendita' Castro, Alexis Sanchez, Humberto Suazo and Pedro González.

Squad Explanation
-- The original blog was created in 2015.  I redid the entire team in September, 2023.

-- The greatest footballers from Chile were probably Elias Figueroa,  Iván Zamorano, Marcelo Salas, Leonel Sanchez, Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal.  Claude Bravo should also be undisputed.

-- Chile as the host of the 1962 World Cup Finals finished third. I selected Luis Eyzaguirre, Jorge Toro, Leonel Sanchez, Eladio Rojas and Sergio Navarro from that team onto this all-time team.  Enrique Hormazabal was also from this generation, but he was left off the World Cup team due to disputes with the management.

-- Chile won back-to-back Copa America in 2015 and 2016.  They also reached the second round of two World Cup Finals, in which Chile had only managed to do twice before the 2010 World Cup Finals. Claudio Bravo, Mauricio Isla, Gary Medel, Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal were on this team. This generation was under represented. Jorge Valdivia, Gonzalo Jara, David Pizarro and Eduardo Vargas deserved a spot on the team.  In 2021, I edited the team,  Isla took over Mario Galindo's spot.

-- IFFHS selected the following players as their All-Time Best XI for Chile: Claudio Bravo, Luis Eyzaguirre, Alberto Quintano, Elías Figueroa, Antonio Arias, Arturo Vidal, Francisco Valdés, Alexis Sánchez, Iván Zamorano, Marcelo Salas and Leonel Sánchez.

-- Goal.com did a historical Best XI.  The players selected were: Claudio Bravo, Elias Figueroa, Alberto Quintano, Gary Medel, Humberto Cruz, Francisco Valdes, Arturo Vidal, Jorge Toro, Alexis Sanchez, Marcelo Salas and Ivan Zamorano.

-- Guioteca also selected their Best XI in 2014.  They were Sergio Livingtone, Luis Eyzaguirre, Alberto Quintano, Elías Figueroa, Antonio Arias, Arturo Vidal, Ruben Marcos, Enrique Hormazábal, Alexis Sánchez, Marcelo Salas and Carlos Caszely.

Goalkeepers

-- Sergio Livingstone was often considered to be the greatest keeper in Chile's history. He was voted as the 9th best Latin American goalkeeper of the 20th Century. Claudio Bravo had a successful club career in Europe, which was rare for a goalkeeper from Chile. He was also the hero of two Copa America titles. So he should be number one by time of the review in 2023.

Claudio Bravo

-- Roberto Rojas was a good player, but remembered for the wrong reason. He was the player in question for El Maracanazo. He was considered the 12th best goalkeeper in South America in the 20th Century by the IFFHS. I kept him as one of the three keepers.  Some source ranked him ahead of Livingstone.

-- Those goalkeepers stood out from the rest.  Misael Escuti helped Chile to finish third in the 1962 World Cup Finals.  Mario 'Gato' Osbén defended the national team in 1982 World Cup Finals. The other famous goalkeepers from Chile included Manuel Guerrero, Adan Godoy, Mario Osbén, Adolfo Nef and Nelson Tapia. 

Defenders

-- Both IFFHS and Guioteca had the same back four on their All-Time Best XI. 

-- Luis Eyzaguirre was one of the best rightbacks in South America at his time.  He was no doubt as Chile's number one. In 2021, I studied the team again.  I decided to replace Mario Galindo with Mauricio Isla.  

-- Galindo was often rated as one of Chile's greatest fullbacks (he could play both sides).  One source claimed that he was the best right back in Latin America for several years. But he only played 12 times for Chile between 1973 and 1982.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1982. During his playing career, Galindo played at the club level for Colo Colo. He reached the Final of Copa Libertadores in 1973. Isla had a solid club career in Europe, especially with Udinese.  He was also voted as the best rightback at Copa America 2016.  He might have done more than Galindo.

-- Humberto Elgueta was a historical right-sided defender.  He played in the 1930 World Cup Finals. Lizardo Garrido won the Copa Libertadores with Colo Colo but as a central defender.  His teammate Gabriel Mendoza was also a renowned rightback of his time. They made honorable mentions.

-- Sergio Navarro was the captain of the 1962 World Cup team, where Chile reached the semifinal, but Antonio Arias was usually considered their greatest ever leftback. Some old-timers also listed Isaac Carrasco as Chile's greatest, but I stayed with Navarro and Carrasco.  I might have overrated Navarro. His name did not mention much anywhere.

Antonio Arias 

-- Elias Figueroa won South American Player of the Year three times in a row.  He was largely considered among the greatest ever defender from Latin America.  He was also voted 8th best South American and 37th best player in the world of the 20th Century by the IFFHS in 1999.  I also took his partner Alberto Quintano who often listed among Chile's greatest central defenders. Ulises Poirier was the first star defensive player ever from Chile.  He was the second oldest player listed in the inaugural 1930 World Cup. Belgian goalkeeper Jean de Bie was the only player older to have participated in a World Cup Finals who was born before Poirier.  He was awarded as the best defender at two South American Championship. Then, I finally took Ignacio Prieto. He was the joint-winner of the Trophée de l'Étoile d'or in the 1974-1975 season when he played in France.  

-- Javier Margas' name was mentioned frequently, but I stayed with the older players. He was just outside looking in.  I also looked into Fernando Astengo. He was considered one of the best defenders in Chilean history.  Because of the ban in 1989 following the Rojas incident vs Brazil, he only played 18 times for Chile.  I put him below the central defenders I chosen for the team because services to the national team was very important in my selection process.  He just did not play enough for Chile. Pablo Conteras and Raul Sanchez also made honorable mention.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- Eladio Rojas, Rubén Marcos and Arturo Vidal were selected for the team.  Vidal was famous while playing at some of the biggest clubs in Europe.  Except Alexis Sanchez, he was the most successful Chilean playing in Europe at the time.  In 2023, I added Gary Medel to the team.  He was Chile's most capped player.  He could also play as a central defender. I was unsure about Jaime Pizarro even through he was frequently mentioned. Pizarro was playing at home in a generation where Chilean footballers were playing all over the world.  His exposure outside South America was limited.  So I took Medel over him.

Gary Medel

-- Chile had a horrible time at the 1966 World Cup Finals, but Ruben Marcos stood out.  He scored two goals in England. He was comfortable playing on the left as a defensive midfielder, but he also  appeared on the right and sometimes also on the wing. He was a full-field player.

-- Eladio Rojas' goal against Yugoslavia in the 1962 World Cup Finals was the most important goal in the history of Chilean football.  It earned Chile a third place in the tournament. He also scored against the Soviet Union.  It was difficult to select Jaime Pizarro over a national hero. It also seemed that Marcos was ranked better than Rojas.

-- David Pizarro had a successful club career, especially in Italy, but unfortunately, he did not go to a World Cup Finals. He lost out to players who contributed to Chile in a major tournament.  He was a veteran or an aging player at the 2015 Copa America so his contributions to the national team was somewhat limited.  Matías Fernández made honorable mention.  His career was largely unfulfilled after his early promises, but he won the South American Player of the Year in 2006.  He was great for a few seasons.  Carlos Reinoso was considered the greatest foreign player ever in the Mexican league, but his name recognition out of Mexico was limited. These players were well-known to the younger fans, but I only put them on honorable mention.

-- Jorge Valdivia was sometimes billed as Chile's greatest, but his career did not live up to expectation. Guillermo Saavedra starred at the 1930 World Cup Finals, but I was not sure about him.  Francisco Molina was born in Spain.  He moved to Chile as a boy.  He played for Atletico Madrid in the 1950's.  No many Chilean player was playing in Europe at the time. Those players were solid candidates, but I put them on honorable mention for now.  

-- Instead, I went with Francisco Valdes who was widely considered to be Chile's greatest playmaker.  He is also Colo Colo’s all-time top scorer with the 180 goals. Jorge Toro was the first Chilean to play in Italy. It was viewed a big milestone in Chilean football history.  He was also considered to Chile's best player in the 1962 World Cup Finals.  Goal.com put him on their All-Time Best XI, but he was probably not undisputed on my team.  His place could have gone to Enrique Hormazabal, David Pizarro or Jorge Valdivia.  

-- Enrique Hormazabal had a rockstar status in Chile during his prime. He was named the best player at the 1959 South American tournament, but he did not attend the 1962 World Cup Finals because of a disagreement with the national team.  That perhaps damaged his chance with this team.  Jorge Toro shoned in the World Cup Finals while Hormazabal's name did not become famous outside of Chile. Guioteca actually out him on their All-Time Best XI ahead Francisco Valdes and Jorge Toro. So his reputation might have been greater in Chile.  He was a right winger as well, but the right side was also loaded. Both Alexis Sanchez and Carlos Caszely could also play on the right. So I left him off the team.  I also did not need Patricio Yáñez and Pedro Araya.  

-- Leonel Sanchez had many great moments in Chile's football history. His 40-yard strike in 1959 that forever changed the rivalry between Universidad de Chile and Colo Colo. His free-kick goal against Soviet keeper Lev Yashin at the 1962 World Cup Finals was legendary in Chile.  He won the Golden Boot title in the 1962 World Cup Finals.  Ruben Marcos might be able to play on the left.

Forwards

-- Iván Zamorano and Marcelo Salas helped Chile to reach the second round of the 1998 World Cup Finals.  It was their best finish since 1962.  Zamorano was La Liga Best Foreign Player for the 1994-95 season.  He also helped Chile to win a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. He formed a famous attack with Michael Laudrup in Real Madrid in the early 1990's.  His hattrick against Barcelona in 1995 was one of the greatest individual performances in El Clasico's history.  Marcelo Salas was widely considered to be one of the greatest players ever from Chile.  The IFFHS ranked him as the 31st best South American player of the 20th century, the 19th best South American forward of the 20th century and the 3rd best South American forward of the 1990s behind Ronaldo and Romário.  Salas and Zamorano were a famous duo back in the 1990's.  Zamorano usually served as the provider while Salas was the main scoring threat.

Marcelo Salas with Ivan Zamorano

-- Alexis Sánchez was one of the best players in the Premiership during his prime.  For his country, he was their second-most capped player and all-time top goalscorer. He led Chile to their first victory in a major tournament by winning the 2015 Copa América.  He again captained them to win the Copa América Centenario a year later, winning the Golden Ball for Best Player.

-- Raúl Toro Julio was sometimes listed as the greatest striker from Chile.  The old-timers ranked him ahead of the younger strikers.  He was the top scorer in the 1937 South American Championship.  Carlos Caszely also appeared in many greatest players from Chile list.  He was an All-Timer for Colo-Colo. He helped to reach the Final of Copa Liberatadores.  For the national team, he was named the best player at the 1979 Copa America. I could not drop neither of them.
-- George Robledo was added to Honourable Mention after a suggestion from a poster here.  He was a pioneer for South American players playing in Europe. He was a hero of Newcastle United in the 1950's.  He was capped by Chile, in which he should be considered to be an early player who were capped through the "grandfather" rule.  I could not find spaces for him because the selected players had done more for Chile. 

-- Carlos Campos, Eduardo Vargas, Ivo Basay, Esteban Paredes, Osvaldo 'Pata bendita' Castro, Humberto Suazo and Pedro González were some of the more famous forwards.

Starting lineup
Formation: 4-4-2
Claudio Bravo is the most decorated keeper ever in Chile's history, winning two Copa Americas through his heroic effect in a penalty shootout.  Marcelo Salas, Iván Zamorano and Alexis Sanchez playinhg on the same lineup might leave the team unbalanced.