Bolivia Greatest All-Time 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

World Cup Finals 1994

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.

Bolivia went to the World Cup in 1930 and 1950, and won the Copa America in 1963.  In 1930, Bolivia was one of the teams invited to the inaugural edition of the World Cup, held in Uruguay. Drawn in Group 2 of the 1930 World Cup, Bolivia lost both its games 4–0, first to Yugoslavia at the Estadio Parque Central, and then to Brazil in the Estadio Centenario

However, it was the founding of Tahuichi Academy that put Bolivia on the map.  In 1993, Bolivia armed with players from the academy became the first team to beat Brazil in a World Cup Qualifier.  They went to the 1994 World Cup Finals in the USA.  Bolivia also participated in one FIFA Confederations Cup at 1999 in Mexico, their fourth FIFA tournament they have played.

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

Copa America winner, 1963

Team 
GK: Carlos Trucco
Born in Argentina, Carlos Trucco played for a number of clubs in Argentina before moving to play for Destroyers, Oriente Petrolero and Boliva in Bolivia.  He also played in Colombia and Mexico.  He had 51 caps for Bolivia.  He started playing for Bolivian national team in 1989 and was their starting goalkeeper at the 1994 World Cup Finals in the USA, Bolivia's first ever World Cup Finals since 1950.

GK: Vicente Arraya
Born in 1922, Vincente Arraya was one of Bolivia's top players in the 1950's.  He was capped 8 times for the national team of Bolivia. He played for Bolivia in the 1950 FIFA World Cup.  He went to the South American Championships of 1945 , 1946 , 1947 and 1949 when Bolivia achieved a historic 4th place, its best performance in this tournament outside of Bolivia . For his club career, he also played for Ferroviario La Paz, and 8 matches for Club Atlético Atlanta of Argentina, in the 1944-45 season. He was the first Bolivian player to play in the Argentina First Division.

Vicente Arraya (3rd left)

GK: Luis Esteban Galarza

Born in Paraguay, Luis Galarza was considered the Strongest's greatest ever goalkeeper.  He played for them between 1971 and 1987.  His club career would last until 1996.  He was one of the oldest professional footballers ever to take the field in Copa Libertadores.  He played for Bolivia, but the number of his cap varies. He went to the 1987 Copa América tournament.  Brother Ramón Mayeregger played for Paraguay while brother Arturo and son Sergio represented Bolivia.

RB: Miguel Rimba 

Rimba made three appearances in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and was part of the squad that reached the final of the Copa América in 1997.  He played the majority of his club career for Bolívar where he won six Bolivian league titles (1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997). Towards the end of his career he played in Argentina with Atlético Tucumán, he then had short spells with Oriente Petrolero, Real Santa Cruz and Aurora before his retirement in 2003.
 

CB: Ronald Raldes
Raldes started his career with Club Destroyers in 1998, the following year he joined Oriente Petrolero, where he played for them in two different stints. Raldes played Argentine club Rosario Central between 2004 and 2008.  He also played in Saudi Arabia, Israel and Mexico. He had 102 caps between 2001 and 2008. He is Bolivia's most capped player. Raldes was captain of the Bolivian squad for the 2015 Copa América in Chile. 

CB: Marco Sandy 

Marco Sandy belonged to the Golden Generation that qualified for the 1994 World Cup Finals in the United States. He was a part of the team that finished runner-up at the 1997 Copa America. He earned 93 caps between 1993 and 2003. On club level he spent the majority of his career with Bolívar, apart from three spells abroad with Real Valladolid of Spain playing alongside his countryman Juan Pena, Gimnasia de Jujuy of Argentina and Tampico Madero of Mexico.

Marco Sandy 

CB: Óscar Carmelo Sánchez  

Sanchez  began his professional career with The Strongest in 1991. In 1997, he was transferred to Argentine club Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy. He moved to Independiente in the winter of 1998. On his return to Bolivia in 2000, he would spend two more periods with The Strongest, and one with Bolívar.  He was capped 78 times by Bolivia and scored 6 goals, between 1994 and 2007.  He was not a member of the 1994 WC team.

CB: Juan Manuel Peña

Juan Manuel Pena was capped 85 times for Bolivia between 1991 and 2009. and was a member of the Golden Generation that qualified for the 1994 World Cup Finals in 1994 and 5 Copa America tournaments. He spent 14 seasons playing for clubs in Spain, most notably with Valladolid for 9 seasons. He also played 3 seasons for Villarreal and 2 more for Celta de Vigo before moving to play in the MLS with DC United in 2010.

LM/LB: Luis Cristaldo 

Born in Argentina, Luis Cristaldo moved to Bolivia at the age of 15.  He played for Oriente Petrolero and Boliva in Bolivia before moving to play in Spain for Sporting de Gijon.  From 2001 to 2006, he played for the Strongest. He also played in Argentina and Paraguay. For the national team, he was capped 93 times.  He went to 1994 World Cup Finals in the USA.  He was at one point Bolivia's national team record cap holder alongside Marco Sandy with 93 caps.

Luis Cristalsdo

DM/CM: Jose Milton Melgar

At the club level, Melgar played for Blooming, Bolívar, Oriente Petrolero and Real Santa Cruz in Bolivia, as well as Everton (VdM) and Cobreloa in Chile. He also played in Argentina for the two giants and fierce rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate.  Melgar was capped 89 times and scored 6 international goals for Bolivia between 1980 and 1997. His tally of 89 caps was a national record until January 31, 2002,

DM/CM: Wilfredo Camacho
Wilfredo Camacho started his career with Deportivo Municipal in Bolivia. In 1962, he joined his compatriot Ramiro Blacut in the Argentine club Ferrocarril Oeste. He only remained there for only a season.  In 1964, he joined Once Caldas at home. He would return to play for Deportivo Municipalto at the end of his career. At the international level, he earned 27 caps, helping Bolivia to win the South American Championship in 1963. It was Bolivia's greatest honour in international football.

Wilfredo Camacho

CM/DM: Carlos Fernando Borja 
At the club level, Melgar started his career with Blooming before moving to Argentina, where he played for both Boca Juniors(1985-1988) and River Plate(1988-1989).  He also played for Bolívar, Oriente Petrolero and Real Santa Cruz in Bolivia, as well as Everton (VdM) and Cobreloa in Chile. He was capped 89 times and went to the WC Finals in 1994.  His tally of 89 caps was a national record until January 31, 2002

CM: Erwin Sanchez  
Nicknamed "Platini", Erwin Sanchez was among the greatest Bolivian players of all-time.  He was a graduate of Tahuichi Academy. He became the first Bolivian to join an European club when he signed for Benfica in 1990.  However, his career did not take off until he joined Portugal's Boavista in 1992.  He helped them to win the league title in 2001.  For the national team, he earned over 50 caps. He was an important player as Bolivia qualified for the World Cup  Finals in 1994.

Erwin Sanchez

AM: Carlos Aragonés 

Carlos Aragonés started his career in 1976 with Bolívar. Aragonés moved to Brazil in 1981 to play for Palmeiras. He moved to Coritiba in 1984, without successes.  He returned to Bolivia in 1985 and joined Destroyers.  He played 31 games for the Bolivia national team between 1977 and 1981, scoring 15 goals.  He is the third-placed Bolivia national teams all-time goal scorer.

RW/FW: Ramiro Blacut 
Blacut was the hero of Copa America winning team of 1963, where he also won the Player of the Tournament. He played 23 times for Bolivia. between 1963 and 1972. During his career, he represented Club Bolívar and The Strongest as well as Argentine club Ferro Carril Oeste from 1963 to 1965. In addition, in 1965-66 he played with Bayern Munich. He was the first Bolivian to play in Europe. 

ST/LW: Marcelo Martins

Marcolo Martins played over 100 caps for Bolivia and scored over 30 goals.  he is the national team's all-time capped player and all-time top goalscorer.  He had played for many club teams around the world.  Martins was UEFA Europa League champion in 2009 with Shakhtar Donetsk and became the first Bolivian footballer to win a European title.  he was born in Bolivia of a former Brazilian footballer.  He was capped by Brazil at the youth level.

AM/SS: Marco Etcheverry 
Marco Etcheverry was one of the best ever Bolivian player and one of the best players to have played in MLS. He was an important player as Bolivia beat Brazil in 1993 and qualified for their first World Cup Finals in 1994.  He was capped 71 times between 1989 and 2003.  For his professionbal career, he played in Spain, Colombia and Chile before he moved to MLS in 1996 where he was considered one of the greatest ever to play in the league. He won 3 MLS Cups with DC United.

Marco Etcheverry

AM: Erwin Romero

Nicknamed "Chichi", Romero was a gifted midfield playmaker noted for his vision and ball control. He made his debut at the age of 15 with Destrpyers.  Some of the clubs he played for include Oriente Petrolero, Quilmes, Blooming and Bolívar. Romero played for Bolivia in four World Cup qualifying campaigns- 1978, 1982, 1986 and 1990 as well as the 1979 and 1983 Copa América tournaments.  He earned 48 caps between 1977 and 1989.

FW: Mario Alborta
Mario Alborta started playing football for Universitario de La Paz in 1920's.  From 1925 to 1939, he played for Bolívar. For international football, he went to 1926 and 1927 South American Championship.  He scored a goal against Argentia in the 1927 edition.  In 1930, he went to the World Cup Finals, held in Uruguay. Bolivia was eliminated after playing two games.

ST: Jaime Moreno

Jaime Moreno began his career at Club Blooming and then played for Colombia's Independiente Santa Fe before becoming the first Bolivian to play in the English Premier League.  He spent two seasons with the English club Middlesbrough.  In 1996, he joined DC United, playing with countryman Marco Etcheverry.  He spent 15 seasons in MLS, becoming its all-time leading scorer.  With DC United, he won 4 MLS Cups. From 1991 to 2008, Moreno played 75 matches for the Bolivia.

Jaime Moreno

ST: Joaquín Botero
Botero is the all-time record Bolivia national team's goalscorer and was the top goalscorer in world football in the 2002 season, with 49 goals scored for Club Bolívar.  In 2003, he played overseas.  In his career, he played for UNAM of Mexico, San Lorenzo of Argentina, Deportivo Táchira of Venezuela, Correcaminos UAT of Mexico and Al Arabi of Kuwait. He had 48 caps between 1999 and 2009. 

ST: Maximo Alcoer   
With the national team of Bolivia, Maximo Alcoer won the 1963 South American Championship and scored the winning goal versus Brazil in Bolivia's final match of the tournament in Cochabamba. He earned a total of 22 caps, scoring 13 goals. Alcócer played for Club Union Maestranza, Club Wilstermann and Club Aurora. 

ST: Victor Agustin Ugarte 
Victor Agustin Ugarte spent most of his career with Club Bolívar but he had a short spell with Argentine club San Lorenzo de Almagro in 1958 where he became the first Bolivian to play in the Argentine Primera. He also played for Once Caldas in Colombia.  He scored 16 goals in 45 caps for Bolivia, making him their second all-time top goalscorer. He helped his country to win the 1963 Copa America. The victory was the greatest achievement in Bolivia's football history.

Victor Agustin Ugarte 

Honorable Mention
Arturo Galarza, Arturo López, José Carlo Fernández, Carlos “El Pollo” Arias, Carlos Lampe, Jesús Bermúdez, Mauricio Soria, Gustavo Quinteros, Jose Bustamante Nava, Vladimir Soria, Alberto Achá, Luis Gatty Ribeiro, Marvin Bejarano, Hernán Huaranca Aramayo, Lorgio Álvarez, Silvio Rojas, Juan Carlos Arce, Julio César Baldivieso, Joselito Vaca, Ovidio Messa, Ramiro Castillo, Roberto Capparelli, William Ramallo, Mario Mena, Benigno Gutiérrez, Silvio Rojas.

Squad Explanation
-- The original team was created on Janauary, 2018.  I did an intensive update in October, 2023.
-- The greatest footballers ever from Bolivia were Marco “Diablo” Etcheverry and Victor Ugarte.  They were followed by Erwin Sánchez, Maximo Alcócer and Erwin “Chichi” Romero.

-- Bolivia's greatest generation was from the 1990's, where they qualified the World Cup Finals in 1994.  In 1993, Bolivia became the first team to beat Brazil in the South American World Cup qualifiers while playing them in La Paz.  Then, in 1997, Bolivia hosted the Copa America, where they reached the Final before losing to Brazil, a team that featured Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Dunga, Cafu, Leonardo, etc.  Up until the Final, Bolivia won every single matches.  From that generation, I had the following players on my all-time team: Marco Etcheverry, Carlos Trucco, Jamie Moreno, Juan Manuel Pena, Oscar Sanchez, Luis Cristaldo, Miguel Rimba, Marco Sandy, Erwin Sanchez, Carlos Fernando Borja, José Milton Melgar and Carlos Fernando Borja.  Most of the players came from the Tahuichi Academy.

-- Bolivia also went to the 1930 World Cup Finals.  I knew very little about them.  I took Mario Alborta, but I actually do not know much about him.  One source named him as the first star player from Bolivia.  Jesús Bermúdez who was their goalkeeper made the 2018 team, but I dropped him during the review in 2023.

-- Bolivia's 1950 World Cup team was also unknown to me. They only played a single game against eventual champion Uruguay after France withdrew and left the group just two teams.  Jose Bustamante Nava and Alberto Acha were two names that I came upon. I needed more information on Mario Mena and Benigno Gutiérrez. I put them as honorable mentions.  But goalkeeper Vicente Arraya made my team.  He was also the first Bolivian to play in the Argentinian league.  Of course, the big star of the team was Victor Ugarte,

-- Bolivia won the South American Championship in 1963.  It was Bolivia's greatest achievement in football. Ramiro Blacut won the Player of the Tournament award. Wilfredo Camacho, Victor Ugarte and Maximo Alcoer made my all-time team.  

-- The IFHHS created an All-Time team for Bolivia.  The players selected were Vicente Arraya, Miguel Rimba, Wilfredo Camacho, Juan Manuel Peña, Luis Cristaldo, José Milton Melgar, Erwin Sánchez, Marco Etcheverry, Ramiro Blacut, Víctor Ugarte and Julio César Baldivieso
-- Rompiendo la Red - Página Deportiva came up with their All-Time Best XI.  Their lineup was as followed: Mauricio Soria, Ronald Raldes, Juan M Pena. Marco Sandy, Milton Melgar, Julio César Baldivieso, Edwin Sanchez, Ramon Blacut, Marco Etcheverry, Marcelo Martins and Victor Ugarte.

-- Ronald Raldes was Bolivia's all-time cap holder while Joaquín Botero and Marcelo Martins are two of Bolivia's all-time leading scorers.  They are the only players selected from the generation after the 1990's.

Goalkeepers

-- The younger fans considered Carlos Trucco as Bolivia's greatest ever.  He was known for the 1994 World Cup Finals.  Vicente Arraya was one of the first Bolivians to play aboard.  He was also IFFHS's choice for their goalkeeper.  The pair was my first two choices for goalkeepers.

Carlos Trucco

-- In 2018, I took Jesús Bermúdez as my third goalkeeper largely because he led Bolivia to their first ever World Cup Finals.  However, in 2023, I replaced him with Luis Esteban Galarza.  Jesús Bermúdez's name was not mentioned frequently in discussions while Galarza's name was everywhere.  Perhaps, Bermudez was forgotten by the modern fans since he played in the 1930's while Luis Esteban Glarza was remembered fondly for his club performance in Bolivia.

-- Jesús Bermúdez was Bolivia's starting goalkeeper at the 1930 World Cup Finals. He also played in the South American Championship of 1926 and 1927. For his club career, he played for Oruro Royal, whose Estadio Jesús Bermúdez stadium is named after him. He also played for Club San Jose. He died at the age of 42.

-- Luis Esteban Galarza was considered one of Bolivia's greatest ever while his brother Arturo was not far behind.  They were originally from Paraguay.  I could not find much information for both of their international games. Different sources listed different caps number for Luis Galarza.  Arturo Galarza played for Bolivia against Hungary in the World Cup continental playoff against Hungary in 1977, but any other information was unclear.  He reportedly played for Paraguay national team in the early 1960's as many as 9 times.  

-- The Galarza family was an interesting story.  Eldest brother Ramón Mayeregger Galarza was the starting goalkeeper for Paraguay at the 1958 World Cup Finals.  His two younger brothers Arturo Galarza and Luis Esteban Galarza moved to play in Bolivia.  Arturo would play for Bolivar while Luis Esteban Galarza suited up for the Strongest.  Both would captain their respective clubs during El Clásico Paceño (Bolivian Derby) between Bolívar and The Strongest.  Both would become naturalised and played for Bolivia.  Luis's son Sergio Galarza was capped 29 times for Bolivia.  His younger brother Luis was a goalkeeper for Strongest while Arturo's son played with Real Potosí.  In total, this family had 7 professional goalkeepers.  Hipólito Recalde who was a brother of their mother scored a goal for Olimpia at the final of the inaugural Copa Libertadores against Penarol in 1960.   

-- Arturo López was a forgotten player, but one source specifically named him as Bolivia's greatest ever.  He kept undefeated record against Argentina and Brazil during Bolivia's victory at the 1963 South American Championship.  José Carlo Fernández's club career took him to 9 clubs abroad in Mexico, Chile, the United States and Colombia.  While playing in Israel, Carlos “El Pollo” Arias was considered the best goalkeeper over there, which led to a move to Spain.  Carlos Lampe spent some time as a backup goalkeeper in Boca Juniors.  He also captained the national team.  Mauricio Soria also deserved a mention. They were some of the bests of the rest, and I put them on honorable mention.

Defenders

-- For defenders, both Luis Cristaldo and Marco Sandy have 93 caps each.  Both came from the Golden Generation in the 1990's. Luis Cristaldo was sometimes mentioned as one of Bolivia's greatest players.  He was a naturalized player from Argentina, but he moved to Bolivia as the age of 15 and he also graduated from Tahuichi Academy, which made his "football" journey very Bolivian.  He was a wing-back.  He would provide the wide attack on this team.  Sandy was also an undisputed selection for his central defensive position.  The two of them were often listed among the greatest Bolivian footballers of all-time.  I started off by taking the two of them.

-- Marco Sandy alongside Juan Mannuel Peña and Óscar Carmelo Sánchez were easy picks for the central defensive position.  Peña had a long career playing in Spain, and he spent at least a single season playing with Sandy in Real Valladolid. He contested a Champions League semifinal while being undisputed starter of Villarreal.  Sanchez had a long career with Club Bolivar. He played in the Final of 2004 Copa Sudamerica.  All three of them was a part of the Golden Generation in the 1990's.  

-- For the last central defender, I took Ronald Raldes who is currently Bolivia's most capped player. He is priobabky ranked ahead of Oscar Sanchez.  I did not have many candidates after the four of them, except Gustavo Quinteros and Alberto Achá.

Ronald Raldes

-- This team only carried 6 defenders and Wilfredo Camacho.  It was not enough to play in any meaningful tournaments.  However, I did not know who to drop.  Alberto Acha was seriously considered.

-- Alberto Achá from the 1950 World Cup Finals was supposed to be a top defender, but I had limited information on him.  He was mentioned a few times as one of Bolivia's greatest defenders.  He was the captain of the Bolivian team that participated in the II Bolivarian Games (Lima, 1947-48) and in the 1946 South American championships.  I really had to dig deep for his career overseas.  The internet only had a small mention about that in a few sources.  He was the third footballer from Bolivia to play aboard.  Only one source named his club team in Mexico.  I believed that he played for San Sebastián del Oro around 1945.  

-- Gustavo Quinteros played around the same time as Marco Sandy, Juan Mannuel Peña and Óscar Carmelo Sánchez.  He was originally from Argentina, but he became a naturalised citizen and played for Bolivia. He only became a central defender after he moved to the Strongest in 1993 because of his aerial ability.   

-- José Bustamante Nava played for Bolivia in the 1950 World Cup Finals as a defender.  Meanwhile, José Bustamante went to the 1930 World Cup Finals.  He was an attacker. I don't know if they were related.  In Spanish tradition, "Nava" should be the surname of the mother's family.  I believed José Bustamante Nava was the more famous one.  Both of their Wikipedia page had little information about them.

-- One source said that Luis Gatty Ribeiro was the greatest Bolivian rightback ever. He only earned 36 caps between 2000 and 2009 at a time when La Verda did not have any significant performance. He also played domestic club football in Bolivia only, which limited his exposure outside Bolivia. I just had to leave him on honorable mention only. Miguel Rimba of the 1990's generation was probably the greatest rightback from here.

-- The IFHHS selected Luis Cristaldo as Bolivia's greatest leftback.  He was undisputed for this position.  I could not find a suitable backup.  Marvin Bejarano and Lorgio Álvarez came up during my research, but I did not know how to rank them accordingly. Both did not break the 50-cap barrier.  Lorgio Alvarez's goal against Peru in the 2004 Copa America was one of the greatest ever goals ever scored in Copa America's history.  Hernán Huaranca Aramayo played with Victor Ugarte.  His Bolívar club team in 1953 went undefeated, but I knew nothing about him. So I just left all of them on honorable mentions only.

Midfielders/Wingers

-- Carlos Borja was selected over some of the midfielders who played in a more advanced position. Jose Milton Melgar played with both Boca Juniors and River Plate. He was a number 8.  In the 1990's, he and Borja played in a deeper role behind Edwin Sanchez, Julio César Baldivieso and Marco Etcheverry for Bolivia.  And then, I selected Wilfredo Camacho from the 1963 South American Championship winning team. He actually scored 4 goals in the tournament.  He was sometimes listed as a defender.  Ideally, I would like to select one more central/defensive midfielder, but I could not fit Vladimir Soria onto the team.  He was put on honorable mention.

-- Several sources pointed out that Edwin Romero was one of the top three players ever from Bolivia.  In 1977, he helped Bolivia to win their World Cup Qualifying group and reach the continental playoff for the World Cup Finals.  In 1979, Bolivia also beat both Argentina and Brazil during the group stage of the Copa America, where he was Bolivia's most important player.

Edwin Romero

-- Marco Etcheverry was one of the most underrated players in South America.  He showed brilliance in helping Bolivia to qualify for the 1994 World Cup Finals, but his exposure in the World Cup Finals was very limited.  He only played a short time in the World Cup Finals. Later, injuries cut his career short in Europe.  He spent the prime of his career playing in the MLS.  He was one of the greatest players ever playing in the MLS.  If he had better exposure outside the MLS, he might be rated much higher.

-- Erwin Sanchez's club career in Europe was the best ever from Bolivia.  He successfully played with Boavista in Portugal, in which he won a league title in 2001.  He also scored 2 goals against his former team Benfica in the Final of Taça de Portugal for them. His nickname was "Platini" because their style was similar.  

-- Bolivia played with three attack midfielders on their lineup during the 1990's.  They were Ewin Sanchez, Julio Baldivieso and Marco Etcheverry.  For this team, I already had Romero, Sanchez and Etcheverry, but I wanted a fourth or backup attack midfielder. 

-- I considered Ovidio Messa from the 1970's.  Ramiro Castillo had played more games in the Argentine league than any other Bolivian footballer.  He was often mentioned among the greatest.  Julio César Baldivieso also held a long career outside Bolivia.  But I decided to select Carlos Aragonés.  Basically, I wanted to spread the team so I dropped Baldivieso from the Golden Generation of the 1990's. 

-- Julio César Baldivieso is the greatest player not selected for this team.  Nicknamed "El Emperador",  he began his career playing for Wilstermann in 1987.  He joined Bolívar in 1992.  Later, he played around the world with Newell's Old Boys in Argentina, Yokohama Marinos in Japan, Barcelona Sporting Club and Deportivo Quevedo in Ecuador, Cobreloa in Chile, Al-Nasr in Saudi Arabia, Al-Wakra in Qatar and Caracas in Venezuela. Towards the end of his career he returned to Bolivia and played for The Strongest.  He had 85 caps and went to the World Cup Finals in 1994.

-- Ramiro Blacut (Bolivia) went to play in Germany during the 1960's, which was considered a big move for a Bolivian in that era. He also won the South American Championship in 1963, Bolivia's greatest achievement in football. He won the Player of the Tournament award.  He was a wing-forward.  Juan Carlos Arce could also operate on the wide. He was also a wing-forward, but only Blacut made the team. 

-- Marcelo Martins was a striker, but he could play on the wide.  I believed that he was more suitable on the left.  He and Luis Cristaldo were the wide player on the left.   The IFHHS put Julio César Baldivieso on the left, but according to footage from the 1990's, he did not play on the left for Bolivia.  I did try to sneak him onto the team.

Forwards

-- Victor Ugarte became the first Bolivian to play in the Argentine Primera when he joined San Lorenzo.  He was considered to be one of Bolivia's greatest players.  He led them to the 1950 World Cup finals.  As an aging player, he played in the 1963 Copa America, where he scored two goals in the last game against Brazil.  Maximo Alcoer was the Bolivia's top scorer at the 1963 Copa America.  He scored the winning goal against Brazil that gave Boliva the title.

--Jamie Moreno played with Marco Etcheverry at DC United.  He does not get onto many all-time list for Bolivia.  However, he had played in Premiership and was one of the best ever players in MLS.  He has outdone many Bolivian players in his club career. I saw plenty of him while I was living in Washington, DC.

-- Marcelo Martins is now the all-time leading scorer for Bolivia.  He was the 2008 Copa Libertadores scorer in 2008, in which led him to a career in Europe.   Joaquín Botero was the their all-time leading scorer before Marceloa Martins.  Both were often included the best ever form Bolivia's list, but I almost dropped Botero.  The modern fans might have favored them over the old-timers.

Marcelo Martins

 -- I do not know much about Mario Alborta.  His name came up in my research.  He went to the 1930 World Cup Finals as the first star player for Bolivia.  And I did not have anyone from that team.  So I added him to this squad.

-- Roberto Capparelli was a naturalised player who went to the 1950 World Cup Finals,  he only made honroable mention.

Formation