The 2022 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 Brazilian striker Pedro of Flamengo on March 15, 2023.[1] Pedro finished only four votes ahead of Uruguayan midfielder and Flamengo teammate Giorgian de Arrascaeta.
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 Women's Player of the Year (Reina de América), 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. Lionel Scaloni was named Coach of the Year after leading Argentina to victory at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
At eighteen years of age, Colombian forward Linda Caicedo was named Women's Football Player of the Year.[2]
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Club | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Linda Caicedo |  Deportivo Cali | 76 | |
| 2 | Bia Zaneratto |  Palmeiras | 21 | |
| 3 | Yamila Rodríguez |  Boca Juniors | 20 | |
| 4 | Ary Borges | Palmeiras | 7 | |
| Duda Sampaio | Internacional | |||
| Rank | Player | Nationality | Club / National team | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Scaloni | Argentina national team | 107 | |
| 2 | Abel Ferreira | Palmeiras | 35 | |
| 3 | Dorival Júnior | Flamengo | 28 | |
| 4 | Martín Anselmi |  Independiente del Valle | 20 | |
| 5 | Luiz Felipe Scolari | Athletico Paranaense | 8 | |
El Salvador
