Giorgian Daniel de Arrascaeta Benedetti

When Flamengo paid a fee that was a Brazilian record at the time to sign Giorgian de Arrascaeta from Cruzeiro in January 2019, the number raised eyebrows in Rio de Janeiro. What followed answered the doubts: within the year the Uruguayan had a Copa Libertadores winner's medal and a Brazilian championship to go with it, the start of a run of trophies that has barely let up since.

De Arrascaeta came through the Uruguayan academies of Pescadores Unidos, Club Anglo and Defensor Sporting before making his senior debut for Defensor in October 2012. A move to Cruzeiro in 2015 gave him four seasons in Brazil, two Brazilian Cups and a Minas Gerais state championship, and built the reputation that eventually took him to Flamengo.

In Rio he has become the side's creative core, passing 370 appearances and more than 100 goals from midfield. The Libertadores has come round three times under his watch, in 2019, 2022 and 2025, alongside four Brazilian league titles, several Brazilian Cups and a long run of Campeonato Carioca crowns. Individual recognition followed the team success: two Bola de Prata awards, a Bola de Ouro and the Craque do Brasileirão prize in 2025, plus a nod as best player of the 2021 Brazilian Super Cup.

For Uruguay, de Arrascaeta made his debut against South Korea in September 2014 and has since appeared at three World Cups and four editions of the Copa América, among them the bronze-medal campaign in 2024.