In October 1995, Juninho Paulista became the first high-profile Brazilian to sign for a Premier League side. 

Since then, a further 53 Brasileiros have turned out for clubs in the English top flight—some with more success than others. 

Over the following slides, we take a look back at 10 of the worst and 10 of the best Brazilian players of the Premier League era. 

This list does not include anyone signed from summer 2013 onwards.

Feel like we have missed out the best or worst Brazilian from your club? Let us know who you would add below!

10. Worst: Jo, Manchester City

There was a real sense of excitement when Jo signed for Manchester City in 2008.

The striker, formerly of Corinthians and CSKA Moscow, had scored 44 goals in 77 games in Russia before putting pen to paper with City—breaking the club's transfer record in the process, as seen on BBC Sport. 

The Sao Paolo-born striker struggled to adapt to life at the Manchester club, where he scored just one top-flight goal before being sent out on loan to Everton.

Jo remained on loan with the Toffees during the 2009/10 season, before being suspended by then-manager David Moyes after an unauthorized trip back to Brazil, as reported on BBC Sport.

He was then sent out to Galatasaray on loan and was eventually sold on to Brazilian side Internacional in 2011.

Now 26, Jo plays for Atletico Mineiro. 

10. Best: Elano, Manchester City

Back when Thaksin Shinawatra bankrolled operations and Sven-Goran Eriksson was at the helm of the club, £8 million was paid to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2007 to bring Elano to Manchester City.

The then-26-year-old slipped seamlessly into life at his new surroundings—providing five assists in his first seven games at the club and scoring four goals in the next three.

When Elano scored a goal, it was frequently a World-class strike. "Finally," City fans must have thought, "we've got a new hero."

All in all, Elano did impress and his first season at the club boded well for the future. However, a change in management and the sudden influx of money from Sheikh Mansour and a raft of new players saw Elano pushed out of position and eventually onto the sidelines.

At the time, still an international for Brazil, Elano was sold to Galatasaray in 2009.

9. Worst: Anderson, Manchester United

To take a look at Anderson's Manchester United trophy haul, is to be confused.

How can a player who won four Premier League titles, the Champions League trophies, the FIFA Club World Cup and two League Cups be deemed a flop?

Anderson is a curious case. Signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2007, the former Gremio and Porto midfielder looked like the real deal. Signed at the same time as Nani, the pair were described as "two of the most coveted rising talents in Portugal," by The Guardian's Dominic Fifield.

Consistently inconsistent is the best way to describe Anderson's time at Old Trafford. Despite occasional flashes of brilliance, the Brazilian struggled with injury and fitness issues.

After 179 appearances and nine goals for United (in all competitions), Anderson was loaned to Fiorentina in January 2014.

9. Best: Alex, Chelsea

After playing back-up to Ricardo Carvalho in his early days at Stamford Bridge, Alex Rodrigo Dias Da Costa (or "Alex") went on to make 134 appearances for the Blues.

Nicknamed "The Tank" when at PSV Eindhoven, the defender won two FA Cups and the Premier League and scored seven times in the top flight during his time with Chelsea.

Now playing for Paris Saint-Germain, the Niteroi-born centre-back will be remembered for mainly one thing at Stamford Bridge—his long-range goals.

25-yard free-kicks, 30-yard strikes, you name it, Alex knew how to hit an effort from distance. 

8. Worst: Robinho, Manchester City

Robinho's Premier League career was a huge disappointment. In 2008, he broke the division's transfer record when Man City paid Real Madrid £32 million for his services.

There were high hopes—here was a genuine Brazilian star, once booked for doing too many stopovers while at Santos and dubbed "the new Pele" by, well...Pele himself.

After a promising start, it looked like money well spent and Robinho scored 15 goals in his first season with the club. During the second, the Brazilian suffered through injury, made just 10 top-flight appearances and was loaned back to Santos in January 2010.

We expected so much more.

8. Best: Sandro, Tottenham Hotspur

Sandro came to North London in 2010, when Tottenham Hotspur paid a fee rumoured to be worth £6 million to secure his services from Brazilian side Internacional, as reported by The Telegraph's John Ley. 

Under Harry Redknapp, the 24-year-old became a key figure in the Spurs midfield until injury ruled him out for large portions of last season.

Nicknamed "The Beast" by fans of the club, Sandro is a firm favourite at White Hart Lane. 

7. Worst: Andre Santos, Arsenal

In two years at Arsenal, Andre Santos made 33 appearances in total for the side that brought him to the Premier League in 2011.

The left-back struggled to make an impact for Arsene Wenger's side, where injury forced him onto the sidelines for large portions of his first season at the club.

The former Fenerbahce player started to fall down the pecking order behind Kieran Gibbs, and when Nacho Monreal was brought to the Emirates in January 2013, Santos went back to his native Brazil to join Gremio on loan.

Best remembered for his ill-advised move of asking Robin van Persie for his shirt at half-time in a league meeting between Arsenal and Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2012, it's fair to say that Santos never made an impact with the Gunners.

In July 2013, the Sao Paulo-born defender returned to Brazil, where he now plays for Flamengo.

7. Best: Lucas Leiva, Liverpool

If Lucas Leiva didn't suffer from injury quite so much, he would be a lot higher up this list.

The Liverpool midfielder was not immediately accepted at Anfield. Tasked with the nigh-on impossible job of filling a Xabi Alonso-shaped hole when he departed in 2009, Lucas struggled to find his feet in the Premier League.

He may not be a "traditional" Brazilian in terms of flair, tricks and style, but his determination and hard work in the center of the park have paid off and Lucas has grown into a very important player for the Reds.

6. Worst: Kleberson, Manchester United

Kleberson became the first Brazilian to play for Manchester United, when he signed for Sir Alex Ferguson's side in 2003.

The former Old Trafford manager told BBC Sport at the time:

He is a young, athletic midfield player who can play in a number of positions. One of the reasons we sold Seba Veron was because we knew we were getting Kleberson - that shows how highly we regard his talent.

Unfortunately, the 24-year-old's talent was never truly displayed during his time with United. Injuries blighted his time at the club, and the 2002 World Cup winner made just 12 Premier League appearances in his first season in England.

In his second, he took to the pitch just eight times in the top flight and found himself heading for the exits in summer 2005.

6. Best: Rafael, Manchester United

After signing for Manchester United in 2008, Rafael da Silva has developed into an outstanding right-back.

Last season, in Sir Alex Ferguson's last year in charge of the club, the young Brazilian was composed, was playing with a new-found maturity and could lay a claim to being one of the best in the division, had he not been injured towards the tail end of the campaign. 

This term, he has struggled a little with injury. Still only 23, he already has three Premier League titles to him name.

5. Worst: Branco, Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough got some Brazilian signings just right and others they got very, very wrong.

Branco, it's fair to say, was not a hit on Teeside. Upon signing for the club in 1996, the full-back said in The Independent, "I am very happy to be with Middlesbrough and I am looking forward to a new venture. I want to do well for my new club and myself. But don't expect me to perform magic right away."

The 1994 World Cup winner went on to make just nine appearances for Boro in the top flight, before leaving less than 12 months later.

5. Best: Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool

In time, Philippe Coutinho may be considered as one of the very best Brazilians to play in the Premier League.

The former Inter Milan man has stiff competition from other young Brazilian imports like Oscar and, more recently, Fernandinho, Paulinho and Willian, but already his quality is there for all to see.

The playmaker has been instrumental in Liverpool's revival under Brendan Rodgers, whose team are currently chasing a Champions League spot and have an outside shot at this season's Premier League title.

4. Worst: Gilberto, Tottenham Hotspur

Gilberto da Silva Melo will go down as one of the worst Tottenham Hotspur signings of all time. 

He joined the White Hart Lane side from Hertha Berlin for £1.9 million in 2008. At the time, it was reported on BBC Sport that, "The move had looked in doubt earlier on Thursday after problems with the 31-year-old's medical but those difficulties have now been resolved."

Or had they?

The first nine games of the season, he was on the bench before taking to the pitch against West Ham and, somehow, scoring. It was to be his only goal for the club and the first of only 10 games that he played in a Spurs shirt (seven in the Premier League). 

After displaying one too many calamitous mistakes, Gilberto was moved on to Brasileirao side Cruzeiro in 2009.

4. Best: Oscar, Chelsea

Signed by Chelsea in summer 2012, Oscar is currently one of the best players at Stamford Bridge.

Just 22, the attacking midfielder has already appeared in 59 Premier League games for the Blues, where he has scored 10 goals and registered 11 assists.

The young Brazilian scores, creates and is a constant menace to opposition defenses. Also, he was ultimately the reason why Juan Mata was sold to Manchester United last month.

Scarily, the best is probably yet to come.

3. Worst: Roque Junior, Leeds United

Leeds United fans could be forgiven for having high hopes when Roque Junior came to Elland Road on loan in 2003/04.

The Brazil international, who was on the books of AC Milan at the time, was just what the relegation-threatened team needed: some flair, some excitement, some new blood.

The excited chatter that greeted the centre-back's arrival was swiftly replaced with groans, when Roque Junior was sent off in his home debut for the club in a 2-0 loss against Birmingham City.

The defender went on to make two more top-flight appearances for Peter Reid's side that season, before being sent back to Serie A where he was farmed out on loan to Siena.

In the five Premier League games that Roque Junior appeared in for Leeds, they conceded 20 goals and suffered five losses (per Transfermarkt).

3. Best: Ramires, Chelsea

Ramires did not take immediately to life in the Premier League but, after almost four years with Chelsea, the 26-year-old is now one of the Blues' key players.

Like Lucas, Ramires does not come equipped with the "classic" Brazilian skill set. Tricks and ball skills are not his forte, but he could list a dependability, a faultless work rate and tireless stamina as some of his best qualities.

However, the 26-year-old is capable of scoring beautiful goals. Indeed, he has twice won Chelsea's goal of the season award for strikes against Manchester City in the Premier League and for this chipped Champions League goal against Barcelona in 2011/12.

Ramires has already won the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League with Chelsea and has clocked up almost 200 appearances for the club.

2. Worst: Mario Jardel, Bolton Wanderers

At one time, Mario Jardel was one of the best strikers in European football.

Twice a winner of the European Golden Shoe and Primeira Liga top scorer for four seasons in a row with FC Porto, Jardel enjoyed prolific spells with Galatasaray and Sporting Lisbon before moving to Bolton Wanderers in 2003.

Unfortunately for Jardel and Trotters fans, his decline had already begun.

"Super Mario" failed to make an impression at the Reebok Stadium, where he scored just three goals (in the Carling Cup). He was loaned out to Italian side Ancona, who were bottom of Serie A at the time, before eventually moving on to Argentine side Newell's Old Boys in summer 2004.

2. Best: Gilberto Silva

Gilberto Silva can be considered as one of the best Brazilian success stories in the Premier League to date.

On the back of an impressive showing for Brazil in the 2002 World Cup, Gilberto swapped Belo Horizonte for North London, where he immediately became an integral Arsenal player.

The defensive midfielder went on to make 244 appearances for the Gunners, where he won two FA Cups and was a member of the famous "Invincibles" side, who went unbeaten for an entire season on their way to winning the Premier League in 2003/04.

After six years of solid displays, while notching 24 goals (in all competitions), the Gunners' vice-captain moved on to Panathinaikos in 2008.

1. Worst: Afonso Alves, Middlesbrough

45 goals in 38 games for Heerenveen—it's not hard to see why Middlesbrough were attracted to Brazilian striker Afonso Alves in January 2008.

So much so, the Teeside club broke their transfer record to sign the then-27-year-old for a fee believed to be in excess of £10 million, as seen on BBC Sport.

"His goalscoring record in Holland in particular but in Sweden too has been prolific. We hope he will reproduce that sort of form for us in the Premier League," manager Gareth Southgate said on BBC Sport.

After sitting out seven of his first 10 Premier League games with Boro, Alves bagged a brace against Manchester United, his fifth appearance for the club.

In the next five games, Alves notched a further four before the season came to a close with Middlesbrough in 13th place.

The following campaign, the goals really dried up as Alves managed to put away just four efforts in 31 league games. 

Speaking to BBC Tees (h/t the Daily Mail), Boro chairman Steve Gibson said:

Every supporter I speak to sees something in Alves, that there is a talent in there, and it is whether we can get it out.

We felt he could do it in the Premier League. He showed signs of that in the latter part of last season. It hasn't worked out for him.

Middlesbrough were relegated at the end of the 2008/09 season, and in September 2009, the striker was sold on to Qatari side Al-Sadd.

1. Best: Juninho, Middlesbrough

In the mid-'90s, Juninho Paulista became the best and most loved Brazilian to play in the Premier League. Now, almost 20 years later, he can still lay a claim to that title.

When the diminutive midfielder swapped Sao Paulo for Middlesbrough in 1995, it was a huge coup for the division.  Juninho became the second Brazilian to move to the North East of England—after Mirandinha, who had signed for Newcastle United in 1987.

The club, managed at the time by Bryan Robson, had recently been promoted into the top flight, and overseas stars were only just starting to trickle into the Premiership. 

His 5'5" stature, big smile and eye for goal swiftly saw Juninho become a cult hero. This was cemented when he cried on the pitch when Boro were relegated in 1997. In the same season, Juninho had helped his side to both the League and FA Cup Finals.

Juninho departed the club soon after, signing for Atletico Madrid in a bid to make it into the Selecao. But, in 2002, after a loan spell at Boro, he was officially re-signed. 

In 2004, he won the League Cup with Middlesbrough and ensured that he'd be a hero forever when he declared that the trophy meant more to him than winning the 2002 World Cup, as told to the BBC (h/t Gazette Live).