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Ranking the greatest soccer players of all time often leads to a top three dominated by South Americans Lionel Messe, Pele and Diego Maradona. While soccer originated in Europe, its arrival in the Americas was a turning point for the sport. So how did a game with such a late start in the Western Hemisphere evolve into a cultural sensation? And how did these nations become an engine for the world's most brilliant talent? Learn more about the history and rapid ascendancy of soccer in South America on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. This episode is sponsored by Quints. For months I have been telling you about the high quality products at great prices at Quint's, but I want to share with you a recent experience I had with them. I recently purchased a new laptop bag from Quince. I I read it online and waited for it to arrive, but it never showed up. It turns out the Postal Service lost it, not Quince's fault, but I went to their website to report it. 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That's why I recommend Mint Mobile. For a limited time get 50% off 3, 6 or 12 month plans of unlimited premium wireless. Ready to stop paying more than you have to. New customers can make the switch today and for a limited time get unlimited premium wireless for just $15 a month. Switch now@mintmobile.comeed that's mintmobile.comeed upfront payment of $45 for three month, $90 for six months or $180 for 12 month plan required $15 a month equivalent taxes and fees, extra initial planned term over 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. Capable device required availability speed and coverage varies. Additional terms apply. See mintmobile.com. If you go back to my episode on the origins of soccer, football and rugby, you may recall that there were many ball based games dating back to antiquity. These games were often violent and featured a wide variety of rules that changed from game to game. The game of soccer or football as we know it began to develop in the 19th century. The first soccer associations in Europe were created in England in the 1860s, a development which was crucial to the sport's growth. Soccer associations organized league play and hosted tournaments. But perhaps their greatest contribution to the sport was establishing a developmental ladder from youth leagues to senior level leagues. European soccer experienced a surge in popularity after the establishment of these associations. By the turn of the 20th century, the traditional European soccer powers such as Germany, Italy, France and the Netherlands developed their own associations. Association football arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, with Portugal and Spain adopting their club programs. By the dawn of World War I, it's clear Europeans had an early start in the development of soccer and the organizations that promote it. This foundation became important as the sport crossed the Atlantic to the Americas. And just as an aside, there were also contributions of the sport that went in the other direction across the Atlantic. In ancient Mesoamerica, the Maya played a ball game with some soccer like qualities, but it was more of a hip, focused game than a kicking game. The game had ritual significance, with the losing team often being chosen for human sacrifice. When Europeans first observed this Mayan ball game, they likely noted similarities to their own ball games, but the biggest difference was actually the ball. European games of the period used a leather ball, often oddly shaped and stuffed with feathers or cloth, and it didn't bounce. The conquistadors were amazed when they saw these balls, known as ulama pelotas, bounce as rubber was a New world crop and was unavailable in Europe. In fact, they were so amazed that the conquistador Hernan Cortez brought a contingent of Aztec players to the Spanish court of Charles V in 1528. And while the players impressed Charles V with their hip skills, the bouncing ball was actually the star of the show. Rubberized balls began appearing in Europe during the early Industrial Revolution, helping to pave the way for association football. As association football was taking root in Europe in the 19th century, the continent was also undergoing massive economic and political changes. In Italy, wars of independence and the political challenges of national unification created economic unrest throughout the country. As economic depression worsened in Italy, it led to a massive Exodus of Italians in search of economic opportunities the Italian diaspora led to the mass migration of more than 30 million Italians between 1880 and the end of World War I. Millions of these Italians emigrated to Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. The economic situation in Argentina differed radically from that in Italy in that it had a growing, flourishing economy. The Argentine export driven economy lacked enough workers to meet demand. This growth created new jobs and Italians responded in incredible numbers. Nearly 3 million Italians migrated to Argentina and Brazil. As was common throughout history, these migrants established ethnic enclaves where people from a particular region all lived together. These communities spoke their native language, ate their customary foods and continued traditions that fostered familiarity. Immigration was so intense that some regions of Argentina had as many as 30% of the population of of Italian origin. Among the traditions brought by these Italian emigres was soccer. And to put it plainly, Argentina and Brazil were never the same. Argentina may be the most unique case study in the rise of soccer, as it had both the Italian diaspora driving the process and a large British population that further influenced local culture and the sport's development. The British also deserve credit for fostering a passionate soccer base in Argentina. British clubs and leagues began to appear in the railway towns of Argentina in the early 20th century. Ethnic enclaves didn't just foster community and familiarity for those who lived there, they also spread ideas and traditions to the host country. And soccer was arguably the 19th century's biggest cultural import to the Americas. Within the enclaves of Italian immigrants in South America, soccer was central to life. Soccer clubs began to form in the early 20th century, the most famous of which was Boca Juniors. Founded by Italian immigrants, Boca is Argentina's most well known club. It's the Argentinian equivalent to Manchester United, Paris Saint Germain, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich. The clubs encouraged a progressive approach to player development, moving from youth leagues up to national teams that competed internationally. Perhaps the greatest contribution of these clubs was the development of passionate fan bases that propelled the sport's popularity as the Boca Jr. S website. What was done by Esteban Bagalito, Alfredo Scarpatti, Santiago Sana and the brothers Teodoro and Juan Antonio Ferenga on April 3, 1905 was not much different from what in those times, other groups of friends used to do in Argentina. And that was to create an irrepressible passion for football and build a team. The Argentine soccer story is filled with extraordinary players, and it boasts arguably the two greatest in the sport's history, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. The tradition of Argentine legendary players began with players of Italian descent competing in leagues within Italian enclaves. Luis Monti is perhaps Argentina's first soccer hero. Monti, an Italian Argentinian, is the only player to have played for two different countries in World cup finals. Monti led the 1930 Argentine national team to the World cup finals. This was Argentina's first appearance in a World cup final and the match was won by the host nation Uruguay. 4 2. Monte reportedly received death threats during the tournament for his decision to play for Argentina from angry Italian fans. These threats had an impact as Monti switched sides and played for Italy in the 1934 tournament who won the championship. The expansion of soccer into the Americas also affected European teams. This became a long term trend as it's difficult to pick up a sports page during transfer season without seeing an Argentine or Brazilian star signing a record setting contract with one of the famed European clubs. At the end of World War II, nationalist leader and soccer enthusiast Juan Peron sought to use soccer as an engine of national development. Perrone encouraged the creation of new soccer clubs and new stadiums across Argentina. Peron saw this as a path for building national unity in the country. Clubs like Boca provided a blueprint for economic and on field success. What began in Italian ethnic enclaves and was enhanced by participation in early British leagues created a national juggernaut. Peron wanted a modern Argentina and saw soccer as a platform for achieving this goal. He saw the development of soccer infrastructure as a path towards the same modernization enjoyed by European nations. A vision of soccer stadiums supporting local communities became a national goal. One that Peron supported with government loans and grants for stadium construction and the clubs that occupied them. The strategy and style of soccer in Argentina also mirrored those of their Italian founders. The two nations have an almost symbiotic relationship when it comes to soccer. Stars from both nations often play for each other's top teams, with the exception of the Argentine legend Lionel Messi, who, despite a well documented Italian ancestry and dual citizenship, has never played for an Italian team. The story of soccer's genesis in Brazil is quite similar. Driven by demand for coffee and other natural resources, Brazil was experiencing an extraordinary surge in railway construction in the early 20th century. Much of Brazil's railway system was built by the British. One of the railway workers who migrated to Brazil was a Scotsman named Charles Miller. Miller was the man who brought soccer to Brazil. Miller famously arrived with a copy of the English rules and a few balls in his attempt to bring the joy of soccer to Brazil. Brazil had athletic clubs, many of them dedicated to cricket and influenced by wealthy European railway interests. Miller founded a Soccer club in Brazil's largest city of Sao Paulo. Originally, the sporting clubs were segregated and Brazil's large black population was not allowed to participate. But one of the pillars of the Brazilian soccer program's strength has been its role in establishing leagues open to all players, black or white. This effort to promote inclusion led to the integration of clubs across Brazil. The first large scale inclusion efforts were undertaken by the Vasco da Gama club in the 1920s when it fielded a team composed of both black and white players. This created some of Brazil's greatest stars, including the legendary Pele. Soccer proved to be a path to social mobility in Brazil, which drove generations of talent. In a nation as urban as Brazil, with some of the world's largest cities, soccer was a sport open to everyone, requiring only a ball and a little bit of space. Like the Argentine story, the Brazilian story is also predicated on replicating the model of European style clubs that promoted the growth and development of the national team and created a soccer craze nation similar to Juan Peron in Argentina. The longtime Brazilian autocrat Jutullio Vargas used soccer as a springboard for modernization and national unity. Ruling Brazil for nearly two decades, Vargas used soccer to highlight the country's progress and the establishment of professional leagues. Vargas often used soccer as a symbol of Brazil's modernization, its movement away from its colonial past, and as a springboard to becoming a nation to be reckoned with on the world stage. Like Argentina, the popularity of soccer in Brazil was fueled by World cup success. Led by the 17 year old Pele's two goals, Brazil came back to win 52 over HO Sweden in the 1958 World Cup Finals. This victory convinced the nation that it could become a soccer power, a status that cemented with another title at the next World cup in 1962. Only Italy in the 1930s would match the feat of consecutive World cup titles. Of the 22 FIFA World Cups that have been held, Brazil has won five titles, Argentina three and Uruguay two. These three South American countries have accounted for 45% of all world cup championships. Despite its relatively late arrival, South American soccer has had a profound impact on the sport, resulting in legendary teams and some of the world's greatest players. The success of these South American countries is all due to a few European immigrants who brought the Spora with them when they migrated to a new land. The executive producer of Everything Everywhere Daily is Charles Daniel. The associate producers are Austin Otkin and Cameron Kiefer. Research and writing for this episode was provided by Joel Hermanson. 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