The Argentines Lionel Messi and Adrián ‘Maravilla’ Martínez and the Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta They were the footballers with the most votes in the traditional ‘América Responde a El País’ survey and one of them will become the new ‘King of America’.
On December 31, the Uruguayan newspaper El País will announce the winner of the annual recognition. Also that day the best player and the best coach of the year will be announced.
MLS Champion with Inter Miami, Messi He will seek to keep a trophy that he has not been able to win until now. Last season, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner obtained 14 votes and came in fifth place behind Luiz Henrique, Jefferson Savarino, Juan Fernando Quintero and Thiago Almada.
In 2025, the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain player also sealed his ticket to the next FIFA World Cup, where he will seek to retain the title he won with Argentina in Qatar 2022.
For his part, ‘Maravilla’ Martínez will try to keep the crown in a year in which he won the Recopa Sudamericana with Racing, was a semi-finalist in the Copa Libertadores and a finalist in the Clausura Tournament.
The scorer scored in the Cup Winners’ Cup against Botafogo and was, along with José Manuel López, one of the Libertadores’ scorers.
Finally, De Arrascaeta will go for recognition in a year in which he won the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship as a figure of Flamengo.
The Uruguayan midfielder was chosen as the best player of the continental competition and was his team’s top scorer and top assister in the league at the local level. He also sealed his ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
The ‘King of America’ award has been awarded by the newspaper El País since 1986. Since that moment, the footballer who has stood out the most is the Argentine Carlos Tévez, who won it three times.
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In two he was conquered by the Colombian Carlos Valderrama, the Argentine Juan Sebastián Verón and the Brazilian Neymar.
Meanwhile, Antonio Alzamendi, Rubén Paz, Bebeto, Raúl Amarilla, Oscar Ruggeri, Raí, Cafú, Enzo Francescoli, José Luis Chilavert, Marcelo Salas, Martín Palermo, Javier Saviola, Romario, Juan Román Riquelme, José Saturnino Cardozo, Matías Fernández, Salvador Cabañas, Andrés D’Alessandro and Ronaldinho won it once.
Also, Teófilo Gutiérrez, Carlos Sánchez, Miguel Borja, Luan, Gonzalo Martínez, Gabriel Barboza, Marinho, Julián Álvarez, Pedro Guilherme, Germán Cano and Luiz Henrique.
On December 31, the best coach of the year will also be announced, a recognition that the Brazilian Filipe Luís and the Argentines Gustavo Alfaro and Gustavo Costas will seek, after having been the three with the most votes.
