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The 2018 South American Footballer of the Year award (Spanish: Rey del Fútbol de América), given to the best football player in South America by Uruguayan newspaper El País through voting by journalists across the continent, was awarded to Argentine midfielder Gonzalo "Pity" Martínez of River Plate on December 31, 2018.
The award is part of the paper's "El Mejor de América" (The Best of America) awards, which also presents the awards for South American Coach of the Year (Entrenador del año en Sudamérica) and the Best XI (Equipo Ideal), composed of the best eleven players at their positions. Marcelo Gallardo of River Plate was named Coach of the Year.
Best Player
Best Manager
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Club / National team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcelo Gallardo |  Argentina
|
River Plate
|
278 |
| 2 | Ricardo Gareca | Argentina
|
 Peru national team
|
16 |
| 3 | Gerardo Martino | Argentina
|
 Atlanta United
|
11 |
| 4 | Tiago Nunes |  Brazil
|
Atlético Paranaense
|
2 |
| Renato Portaluppi | Brazil
|
Grêmio
|
2 | |
| Tite | Brazil
|
Brazil national team
|
2 | |
| 7 | Ariel Holan | Argentina
|
Independiente
|
1 |
| César Farías |  Venezuela
|
 The Strongest
|
1 | |
| Guillermo Barros Schelotto | Argentina
|
Boca Juniors
|
1 | |
| Óscar Tabárez |  Uruguay
|
Uruguay national team
|
1 | |
| Diego López | Uruguay
|
Peñarol
|
1 | |
| Lucas Pusineri | Argentina
|
 Cúcuta Deportivo
|
1 | |
| Mario Salas |  Chile
|
Sporting Cristal
|
1 | |
| Pedro Caixinha |  Portugal
|
 Cruz Azul
|
1 | |
| Alexander Medina | Uruguay
|
Nacional
|
1 |
Best Team
| Position | Player | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Franco Armani | Argentina
|
River Plate
|
| CB | Walter Kannemann | Argentina
|
Grêmio
|
| CB | Pedro Geromel | Brazil
|
Grêmio
|
| CB | Jonatan Maidana | Argentina
|
River Plate
|
| MF | Gonzalo Martínez | Argentina
|
River Plate
|
| MF | Exequiel Palacios | Argentina
|
River Plate
|
| MF | Wílmar Barrios | Colombia
|
Boca Juniors
|
| MF | Nahitan Nández | Uruguay
|
Boca Juniors
|
| MF | Juan Fernando Quintero | Colombia
|
River Plate
|
| MF | Dudu | Brazil
|
Palmeiras
|
| FW | Darío Benedetto | Argentina
|
Boca Juniors
|
National awards
References
- "SENSACIONAL TEMPORADA CON RIVER CONVIRTIÓ A "PITY" MARTÍNEZ EN EL 'REY DE AMÉRICA' | INFOCancha Información Deportiva". www.infocancha.com. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
- "Escobar y Villegas son elegidos los mejores del fútbol boliviano". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
- "Pity Martínez é eleito o Rei da América; Brasil tem dois representantes da seleção de 2018". Globoesporte (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-01-01.
External links
| South American Footballer of the Year | |
|---|---|
| Men's winners (Rey de América) | |
| El Mundo award |
|
| El Gráfico award | |
| El País award |
|
| Women's winners (Reina de América) | |
| El País award | |
| South American Coach of the Year | |
|---|---|
|