The 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, given to the best football player in South America by Uruguayan newspaper El País through voting by journalists across the continent, was awarded to Neymar of Santos on December 31, 2012.
Wilson Francisco Alves - also known as Wilson only - (21 December 1927, Rio de Janeiro – 12 July 1998, São Paulo) was a Brazilian football player and manager.
 The defender had his greatest successes with CR Vasco da Gama in the 1940s and 1950s, a club then known as "Expresso da Vitória".
 With the Brazilian national team he won a South American Championship.
 A highlight of his coaching years was the winning of a State Championship of Paraná.
Giovanni Silva de Oliveira (born 4 February 1972 in Abaetetuba), better known as Giovanni, is a Brazilian football manager and former player.
 A versatile playmaker, his natural and favorite position was as an attacking midfielder, but he could also play as a forward, being an exceptional goalscorer.
 He was predominantly known for his world-class technique, his exceptional dribbling skills, and his outstanding flair and creativity on the ball, which saw him employ a variety of crafty moves, as well as his passing accuracy and goalscoring ability.
 At club level, he most notably played for Spanish side FC Barcelona, Greek side Olympiacos F.C., and Brazilian club Santos.
 Internationally, he played for the Brazilian national team, gaining 20 caps and scoring 6 goals; he was part of the Brazilian team that reached the 1998 FIFA World Cup Final.
Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior (] ; born 5 February 1992), commonly known as Neymar or Neymar Jr., is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for French club Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national team.
Marcos Carneiro de Mendonça (born December 25, 1894 in Cataguases) was a Brazilian footballer who achieved notoriety playing for Fluminense and the Brazilian national football team.
 He was the first goalkeeper for the Brazilian squad and played a key role in Brazil's first cup, the 1919 South American Championship.
Tatiane Nascimento Pacheco (born October 16, 1990) is a Brazilian basketball player for América Basquete Recife and the Brazilian national team.
 She began in the sport at the age 9, and six years later was already in the junior squads of the national team.
 Pacheco started playing for the adult team in 2013, where she won the South American Championship and a bronze medal at Americas Championship, earning her and the Brazilian team a spot at the 2014 FIBA World Championship.
Wallace de Souza (born 26 June 1987) is a Brazilian volleyball player, who competes for Sada Cruzeiro Vôlei and the Brazilian national team.
 In 2007 Wallace won the U-20 World Championship with the Brazilian national team.
 Playing for Vôlei Futuro he was considered one of the best players of the Superliga 08/09 and was elected the best server.
 His good performances took him to Sada Cruzeiro (MG).
 Right after, in 2010, he won the World League title.
 In 2011, he won a gold medal at the Pan American Games and finished the season with the World Cup bronze medal.
 He won silver medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics and at the 2014 FIVB World League, where he was elected the best opposite spiker of the tournament.
 In 2015, he had a surgery on his back that put him out of the national team for the whole season.
 In 2016, with the Brazilian national volleyball team, he finished second in 2016 Volleyball World League and became Olympic champion in 2016 Olympic Games.
Daniele Matias Hypólito (born September 8, 1984) is a Brazilian gymnast who competed in the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
 Hypólito was the first athlete from Brazil ever to win a medal at the World Championships, a silver on floor exercise in 2001.
 She is also the nine-time senior all-around Brazilian National Champion in artistic gymnastics, 2002 South American Games all-around champion and 2003 Pan American Games all-around bronze medalist.
 To date Hypólito has won the Brazilian National Championships more than ten times; has represented Brazil at the World Championships thirteen times, competing in every Worlds meet from 1999 to 2015, except in 2009; has taken part in every edition of the Olympic Games from 2000 to 2016; and has competed at five Pan American Games between 1999 and 2015.
Marílson Gomes dos Santos (born 6 August 1977) is a Brazilian long-distance runner.
 He won the 2006 and 2008 New York City Marathon, becoming the first South American to win the race.
 He was selected as the best male performer at the 2009 Brazilian national championships after breaking the meet records in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres races.
 He is the current South American record holder in both these events with times of 13:19.43 and 27:28.12, respectively.
Leandro, full name José Leandro de Souza Ferreira, (born 17 March 1959 in Cabo Frio, Brazil) is a Brazilian former footballer who played as a defender.
 He played for Flamengo during his whole professional career, first as a right-sided full-back and, from 1983 on, as a central defender.
 With Flamengo, he won four Brazilian national leagues, five Rio State championships, one Libertadores da América, and one Intercontinental Cup against Liverpool.
 He also played for the Brazilian national team in the 1980s, including the 1982 FIFA World Cup, along with Zico, Júnior, Falcão, Sócrates, and others.
 Leandro was capped 27 times for Brazil between September 1981 and May 1986.
 He is considered one of the greatest Brazilian defenders of all-time.

Question: What position does the winner of the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year play on the Brazilian national team?
Answer: forward