The Rest of South America Connection

Official SS Lazio photo

When one thinks of South American football, Brazil and Argentina immediately come to mind followed by Uruguay and Chile but the rest of the continent has also had competitive teams and good players. Many have played in Europe and some with Lazio.

Colombia

The country of Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, coffee, amazon forests, music and Cumbua, bandeja paisa, aguapanela, canelazo, writer Gabriel García Márquez, painter Fernando Botero has also had some quality football players.

These include Arnoldo Iguarán, Carlos Valderrama, André Escobar, René Higuita, Freddy Rincón, Faustino Asprilla, Iván Córdoba, Radamel Falcao, David Ospina, Luis Muriel, Juan Cuadrado, Duván Zapata, Rafael Santos Borré, James Rodríguez and many more.

Colombia have taken part in 6 World Cups and their best result was a quarterfinal in 2014. The Cafeteros won the Copa América in 2001.

Lazio have had connections with 4 Colombian players:

Libis Arenas - goalkeeper, arrived on loan in 2006. He played one pre-season friendly but then had to return to Colombia due to extra-community player limits.

Culma - defender, was tried out with the U19s in the summer of 2010 but not signed. His brother John Jairo play for Maccabi Haifa.

Brayan Perea - forward, arrived from Deportivo Cali and played in 2013-14, Jan -June 2015, 2017-18 and June - Dec 2018. He only made appearances in his first two spells; 33 games with 5 goals (1 in A, 2 in Coppa Italia and 2 in the Europa League). While at Lazio, he had a loan stints at Perugia, Troyes (France) and Lugo and after Lazio had seasons with Independiente Santa Fe (Colombia), Temperley (Argentina), Palm Beach Stars (US) and is currently in Bulgaria with Botev Vraca.

He is nicknamed "El Coco" and had a decent 2013-14 season at Lazio. A tall (1.89) centre forward he was useful and dangerous in the six-yard box but could also play out wide. By far Lazio’s most prominent Colombian player anyway.

In 2013 he played 11 games with 1 goal for Colombia U20s and won the South American Championship.

Angel Rubiano - defender, was part of the Allievi nazionali squad in 2014-15. Later played for Miami in the USA.

Ecuador 

The country of the equator, volcanoes, Andes mountain range, Inca culture, Amazon forests, the Galapagos islands, lamas, la colada, chica aguardiente and more has become more competitive at world football level over the last twenty-five years.

Its famous players include Alberto Spencer, Eduardo Hurtado, Agustin Delgado, Edison Mendez, Walter Ayoví, Antonio Valenza, Alex Aguinaga, Ivan Hurtado, Jorge Bolaños and Enner Valencia.

Ecuador have taken part in 4 World Cups and "La Tricolor's" best result was the last 16 in 2006.

Lazio have had one Ecuadorian player and he became a club legend.

Felipe Caicedo - forward, arrived from Espanyol (previously Basel, Manchester City, Sporting Lisbon, Malaga, Levante, Lokomotiv Moscow and Al-Jazira) and played from 2017-2021. He made 139 appearances and scored 33 goals. He won a Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa twice. After a difficult start he became immensely popular at Lazio, scoring in a 3-0 derby win and scoring 6 decisive goals in injury time. The minutes of added time became known as "Zona Caicedo" and fans joked that the matches were not over until Caicedo decided so.

A strong, left-footed centre-forward, he combined power with agility and good technical skills. He was nicknamed "La Pantera" and paired up well with Ciro Immobile.

The fans were sad to see him leave when he joined Genoa, then Inter on loan and Abha (Saudi Arabia). He is now back in Ecuador playing for Barcelona Guayaquil (his hometown club).

He has won 68 caps and scored 22 goals for his country (La Banana Mecánica or La Tricolor).

Caicedo is still a big Lazio fan and regularly posts celebrations and comments on social media.

Paraguay 

The country of wild savannas, wildlife, waterfalls, dams, the world's largest water reserve, the world's largest navy among landlocked nations, chipa guazu and Rorá food dishes and Yerba mate drink, "El Corazon de America" has also had some quality footballers.

These include: Manuel Solich, Luis Vargas Peña, Aurelio González, Arsenio Erico, Heriberto Herrera, Cayetano Ré, Eulogio Martínez, Julio Romero, Carlos Gamarra, José Luis Chilavert, Miguel Almirón, Paulo da Silva, Omar Alderete, Roque Santa Cruz, Oscar Cardozo, Francisco Arce, Juan Carlos Villamayor, Raúl Vicente Amarilla and Guido Alvarenga.

The national team have taken part in 8 World Cups and their best result was reaching the quarterfinals in 2010. The "Albirroja" won their group (including 1-1 draw with Italy), then knocked Japan out on penalties but then lost 0-1 to eventual winners Spain. They have won 2 Copa de Américas (1953 and 1979)

Lazio have had connections with 6 Paraguayans:

Dionisio Arce - forward, arrived from Sporting Luqueño and played from 1949-51. He made 28 league appearances and scored 9 goals. They were positive years for Lazio with two 4th places and 3 wins and a draw in the derbies. He then played for Napoli, Sampdoria, Novara, Torino, Palermo and SPAL. He was a quick and technical forward but was also good in the air.

He won 7 caps for Paraguay and scored 7 goals.

He then became a coach in Italy in the lower leagues. His biggest success was getting Tuscania (Viterbo) promoted to the 4th tier for the first time in their history.

Unzain Leoncino (or Leongino Unzaim) - forward, arrived from Nacional Asuncibė and played in the 1950-51 season. He made 15 appearances and scored 1 goal (Sampdoria). Lazio finished 4th and won both derbies. He then continued his career in France with Toulouse, Bordeaux, Béziers and Grenoble.

On retiring he moved to Spain with his Roman wife and worked as a mechanic.

José Parodi II - midfielder, arrived from Sporting Luqueño in 1955 but could not be registered because Lazio already had the limit of foreign players. He was therefore loaned to Padova (19 games, 3 goals) before returning to Lazio who however then sold him to Genoa. He later played for Nimes in France and Las Palmas in Spain.

Rivaldo (Gonzalez Kiese Rivaldo) - midfielder, arrived on trial in the summer of 2008. He took part in the pre-season training camp and played several friendlies. He looked promising and Lazio decided to sign him but the player then unexpectedly joined Venezia in Serie B. He then played for Genoa, Avellino, Lugano, Potenza, SPAL, Gubbio, Atletico Patronato (Argentina), Bari and Deportivo Capiatà (Paraguay).

José Gustavo Almada Cabrera - midfielder, arrived on loan from Club Nacional Lyd in 2009. He played in the "Trofeo Città di Arco 2009" and scored a goal against Midtjylland. He was then not kept on.

Luis Diego Alcaráz González - forward, arrived on loan in January 2023 from Mexicans Celaya (previously Club Libertad Asunción, CD del Este, Potros del Este and U. San Martin) and played with the U19s. He took part in the first squad pre-season training camp the following summer but was then loaned to Mexicans Atlas F.C until December 2025 with an option to buy.

He has played for Paraguay U20s.

Peru 

The country famous for its Inca culture including Machu Picchu, its landscapes including the Nazca lines and Lake Titicaca, its wildlife, its Ceviche food and Pisco drink, Alpaca wool, writer Mario Vargas Llosa and a lot more has also produced some good football players.

Some famous Peruvian players include: possibly the greatest, Teófilo Cubillas, plus Teodoro Fernandez, Hector Chumpitaz, Osvaldo Ramirez, Hugo Sottil, Franco Navarro,  Jorge Soto, Roberto Palacios, Juan Jayo, Claudio Pizarro, Norberto Solano, Jefferson Farfán, Paolo Guerrero, Luis Advíncula, Yoshimar Yotún and more.

Peru have participated in 5 World Cups and "La Bicolor" (with their iconic strips) reached the quarterfinals in 1970 and 1978. Los Incas have won the Copa América twice (1939, 1975).

Lazio have only had a brief connection with 1 Peruvian player:

Pelaez - forward, he was tried out in a training game between Lazio first team and the reserves on October 13, 1948 but did not continue at Lazio.

Suriname

A country of rainforests, natural beauty, diverse populations and religions, rich natural resources, it is also known for being the smallest country in South America and for its Dutch colonial legacy.

The Dutch connection means it has produced a surprising number of top football players at least of Surinamese origins. These include Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids, Aron Winter, Henny Meijer, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Stanley Menzo, Henk Fraser, Ulrich van Gobbel and Romeo Castelen. Some of these, including Edgar Davids, have played for Suriname in unofficial games.

The Suriboys national team have never qualified for a World Cup.

Lazio have had 5 players with a Suriname connection, either through their origins or with a dual passport:

Aron Winter - midfielder, arrived from Ajax and played from 1992-1996. He made 123 appearances and scored 21 goals. A great box to box midfielder, he was immensely popular at Lazio. He then played for Inter, Ajax again and Sparta Rotterdam.

He was born in Paramaribo in Suriname but won 84 caps for Holland, where he was brought up, and scored 6 goals.

In 2022-23 he had a spell as Suriname national team coach.

Edson Braafheid - defender, arrived from Hoffenheim (previously Utrecht, Twente, Bayern Munich and Celtic) and played from 2014-16. He made 23 appearances. He returned to Utrecht and then Austin Bold and Palm Beach Stars (USA). A promising left back early in his career he did not fulfil the expectations.

He was born in Paramaribo in Suriname but has Dutch nationality and played for the "Oranje" 10 times. He won a silver medal at the 2010 World Cup, playing in extra-time in the final loss to Spain.

Ricardo Kishna - midfielder/forward, arrived from Ajax and played from 2015-Jan 2017 and was again in the squad without playing in 2019/20. He made 31 appearances and scored 2 goals (on league debut against Bologna and then Milan). In his time at Lazio he was loaned to Lille and ADO Den Hag where he later ended his career. A skilful and talented player but his career was also hindered by several injuries.

He has both Dutch citizenship and Surinamese, thanks to his father.

Djavan Anderson - defender, arrived from Bari (previously Jong Ajax, AZ Alkmaar and Cambuur) and was at Lazio from 2018-21. In his first year he was loaned to Salernitana and then between 2019-21 he made 10 appearances for Lazio. He then played for Cosenza, PEC Zwolle, Oxford United and most recently Lecco.

He has dual nationality, Dutch and Surinamese.

Satchel Nimmermeer- forward, arrived from AZ Alkmaar youth academy (previously Ajax academy) in 2018 on trial with the U19s. He played for the Primavera for two seasons. In February 2021 he was about to sign for Portuguese club Paços de Ferreira but then suffered an injury which hampered his career.

Venezuela 

The country of natural wonders including Angel Falls and the Orinoco River, huge oil wealth, Caribbean beaches, Simón Bolívar, triple jump athlete Yulimar Rojas, Arepa buns and Pabellón Criollo dishes is also a sporting nation. Its main sports are baseball, basketball and also football.

The "Vinotintos" (Red wine) have never qualified for a World Cup (the only major country in South America) and never won a Copa América (as Ecuador). They are however improving, in 2011 they finished 4th in the Copa América and are currently 7th in the South American World Cup qualification table (6 qualify and the 7th goes to an inter-zonal playoff). They drew 1-1 both home and away to Brazil and 1-1 at home to Argentina and have beaten Paraguay, Chile and Peru.

Venezuela have had a few prominent players; these include Tomás Rincón, Danny and Salomón Rondón, Jorge Valdivia, Juan Arango and Jeffrén Suárez.

Lazio have had connections with 6 Venezuelan players:

Bruno Mingardi - midfielder, arrived in October 1950 from Venezuela where he had moved from Padova youth sector four years earlier. He was tried out for 20 days and played a couple of friendlies but was not signed.

Renato Botti- forward, was tried out in Lazio's 1980-81 pre-season training camp and in a few friendlies but was not signed. He then played for amateurs Astrea and then became a 5-a-side player also making 10 appearances with 2 goals for Italy. He was born in Caracas but has dual nationality.

He then graduated in Economics and has had an important career in the Italian National Health Service.

Miguel Angel Mea Vitali - midfielder, arrived in 2004 from Caracas FC. One of the many unknown players signed by Lotito at the end of August he made no league appearances before joining Sora (Serie C) on loan in January 2005. He then played for Levadiakos (Greece), UA Maracaibo (Venezuela), Vaduz (Switzerland), Aragua, Deportivo Lara and Caracas (all Venezuela).

He was born in Caracas and won 86 caps with 1 goal (Bolivia) for Venezuela. He played in four editions of the Copa América.

Rafael Matias Lacava - forward, arrived from Barcelona in 2015 at the age of 13. In 2016 he joined Lazio's U15s. He left in 2018 and has since played for Academia Puerto Cabello in his homeland, Santos in Brazil, Tondela and Vizela in Portugal, Atletico Goianiense in Brazil and is currently with Ulsan HD in South Korea.

He is Venezuelan and was born in Caracas. He has earned 2 caps for the "Vinotinto"

Alessandro Milani - defender, arrived from Carso in the summer of 2018. In 2022-23 and 2023-24 was in the U19s squad.

In June 2024 he obtained Venezuelan citizenship through his parents (he himself was born in Latina) and has since been called up for Venezuela U20s.

Lorenzo D'Agostini - forward, arrived from Inter Miami in 2023 and joined the U19s. In 2024 he was called up for Venezuela U20s.

He was born in the USA but has both Italian and Venezuelan citizenship.

Lazio have never so far had a player with any Bolivian connection.