Uefa player of the year

The Rey de América "King of America" , often referred to as the South American Footballer of the Year , is an annual association football award presented to the best footballer in South America over the previous calendar year. The award was conceived by Venezuelan newspaper El Mundo , which awarded it from to Uruguayan newspaper El País took over from onwards, and their award was considered official, but El Mundo continued their award until Originally for the El Mundo award, journalists could vote for any South American and Central American players at any club around the world.

From , eligibility extended to South Americans playing in Mexico due to the participation of Mexican clubs in the Copa Libertadores. Any South American player playing the Americas at any point in the year was eligible. As of , Brazilian players have won the most awards 17 , with Argentinian players a close second with 16 wins. Argentine club River Plate have had the most winners with nine awards. The award was officially awarded by newspaper El Mundo to the best South American footballer between and El Mundo continued their award until , but it isn't considered official.