Search results
Sep 5, 2023 · Declan Warrington, Thore Haugstad, Michael Yokhin, Seb Stafford-Bloor, Jon Spurling, Andrew Murray, Alex Hess, Marcus Alves, Alex Reid. published 5 September 2023. The 100 best football players ...
- From Maradona to Messi: Ranking Football's Greatest Players
- Michel Platini (France) - Three-Time Ballon d'Or Winner
- Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil) - Two-Time Ballon d'Or Winner
- Alfredo Di Stefano (Spain) - Two-Time Ballon d'Or Winner
- Zinedine Zidane (France) - 1998 Ballon d'Or Winner
- Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) - Two-Time Ballon d'Or Winner
- Johan Cryuff (Netherlands) - Three-Time Ballon d'Or Winner
- Pele (Brazil) - Three-Time FIFA World Cup Winner
- Diego Maradona
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - Five-Time Ballon d'Or Winner
Ranking the greatest footballers of all time is no easy matter, and there are a lot of factors to consider. Goals are obviously the most important aspect of the game. But there are other metrics such as influence and competitiveness across different eras, which cannot be measured through numbers. With Lionel Messi winning a record-breaking seventh ...
Michel Platini has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent years, in what has been a sad downfall for France's Player of the Century. For all his reported off-field wrongs with UEFA, Platini remains arguably the greatest goalscoring midfielder in the game's history. He scored nine goals in five games to lead France to Euro' 84 glory, t...
Ronaldo Nazario's career is one of football's biggest 'what ifs'. If not for knee injuries and hypothyroidism, the Brazilian striker could very well have established himself as the undisputed greatest player of all time. Ronaldo's CV is stacked with trophies. He is a two-time FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil. He also has two Copa America wins, two...
Ferenc Puskas narrowly misses out on our list. But his Real Madrid teammate Alfredo Di Stefanoremains a staple in debates about the greatest players of all time. Born in Argentina, the Blond Arrow only played a handful of games for his country of birth. He chose to represent Spain, where he spent most of his club career. Di Stefano arrived in Madri...
Zinedine Zidane is the bridge between modern football and eras gone by. Silky and languid in possession yet powerful and efficient, Zizou was a complete midfielder. Despite Platini's undeniable quality, Zidane gets the edge because of his long, decorated career and his 1998 FIFA World Cup triumph. Zidane famously led France to their first World Cup...
Der Kaiser was the embodiment of German football: simple, ruthless, effective and immensely successful. But more importantly, Franz Beckenbaueris one of the most influential players to have graced the game. Credited with inventing the role of a sweeper, the German star showed that defenders could do so much more than stop opposition attacks and cle...
Ajax and Barcelona legend Johan Cryuff remains the most influential player in history. Despite a list of individual accolades as long as your arm, Cryuff is also the greatest player never to win an international trophy. However, his club career was as dazzling as it was revolutionary. Cryuffpowered Ajax to elite status, winning eight Eredivisie tit...
It would not be a stretch to label Pele the most important player of all time. Time magazine named him on their list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. For an entire generation, the Brazilian legend remains the face of the sport. Pele is also the greatest player to have graced the FIFA World Cup, and by some distance. He led Braz...
Football's greatest maverick and entertainer, Diego Maradona, was hated and adored in equal measure, but his brilliance was undeniable. He stole the spotlight as a teenager, making his debut for Argentinos Juniors before turning 16. Five years and 115 goals later, he fulfilled his dream of playing for Boca Juniors, leading them to the league title....
Nearly 37, Cristiano Ronaldo's longevity is unlike anything we've seen in football, and is only matched by his eternal rival Lionel Messi (more on him later). Love him or hate him, the Portuguese superstar's statistical superiority cannot be denied. CR7 is the greatest goalscorer in the game's history, and the terrifying bit is that he's not finish...
- Parimal
- Lionel Messi. Peak: 2009-12. Major Achievements: 90min's Greatest Footballer of All Time, 2022 FIFA World Cup, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019 & 2021 Ballon d'Or, 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year, Barcelona all time top goalscorer, La Liga all time top goalscorer, six-time Pichichi winner, Argentina's all time top goalscorer, most goals scored in a calendar year, 2011 & 2015 UEFA Men's Player of the Year, seven-time La Liga Player of the Year, 2014 & 2022 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, 2005 Young European Footballer of the Year, five-time European Golden Shoe winner, four Champions Leagues, nine La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey, one Copa America.
- Diego Maradona. Peak: 1985-90. Major Achievements: Corriere dello Sport's Best Athlete in History, 1986 FIFA World Cup, 1986 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, 1985 Serie A Footballer of the Year, FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, FIFA Goal of the Century, Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century, two-time South American Footballer of the Year, four-time Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year, two Scudetti, one Coppa Italia, one Copa del Rey, one UEFA Cup.
- Pele. Peak: 1958-64. Major Achievements: FIFA Player of the Century, France Football's greatest FIFA World Cup player, TIME 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century list, Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer, Santos' all-time leading goalscorer, youngest FIFA World Cup winner, most assists in FIFA World Cup history, 1958, 1962 & 1970 FIFA World Cup, top goalscorer in FIFA World Cup finals, two Copa Libertadores titles, six Campeonato Brasilerio Serie A titles, two Intercontinental Cups, 1970 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, 1958 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player, 1970 Bola de Prata.
- Franz Beckenbauer. Peak: 1966-76. Major Achievements: 1972 & 1976 Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Cup All-Time Team, 1966 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player Award, four-time German Footballer of the Year, 1974 FIFA World Cup, 1972 UEFA European Championships, three European Cups, five Bundesliga titles, four DFB-Pokals, one Intercontinental Cup.
People also ask
Who is the greatest football player of all time?
Who is the best footballer in the world?
Is Messi the greatest footballer of all time?
Who is the most influential footballer of all time?
- Lionel Messi. The history books will laud Messi, and yet their limitations will do him a disservice. In 20 years, young football fans will read about a messianic figure whose brilliance stunned the world, shattered a litany of records and started an era of dominance… but not until they watch the videos will they get an idea of what they have missed.
- Pele. At the age of 17, in 1958, Pele became the youngest player to feature in a World Cup final. He scored six times in Sweden, including a semi-final hat-trick and two more in the final.
- Diego Maradona. How do you separate the three greatest footballers of all time? Any of them would have been worthy winners, but we can only pick one. Longevity, goals and trophies are where Lionel Messi and Pele arguably have the slight edge but, boy, Maradona was exciting.
- Cristiano Ronaldo. When Ronaldo became the first player ever to score in five World Cups, two days after Argentina opened their 2022 campaign with a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia, he hoped it would be the start of his bid to stand above Lionel Messi forever.
- News And Features Lead
- Diego Maradona.
- Pele.
- Lionel Messi.
- Franz Beckenbauer.
Apr 22, 2021 · PA. Franz Beckenbauer and Johan Cruyff make up the rest of the top five, while Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself down in seventh. Ronaldo and Messi are the only two active players to crack the top ...
Best football players of all time ranked. Our round-up of the top 10 best football players of all time – ranked and rated. Michael Potts. Published: Wednesday, 31 January 2024 at 11:11 am.
