No doubt, this topic will always generate controversies. The
appearance of some names as well as some orderings might possibly cause
one or two irritations. Still, no one will disagree that those on this
list are indeed, great. Based on criteria such as longevity, impact,
honors & awards, trophies, personality and affection; the following
is my own exhaustive list of the greatest footballers the world has ever
seen:
1. Pele (Brazil)
Edson Arantes Nascimento, better known as Pele is arguably the best
footballer to have graced this planet. The Brazilian soccer star, 72,
was born in a small town in Brazil. The world acclaimed Pele became a
professional in 1956 at the age of 15 and was soon to be drafted into
the senior national side. At the age of 17, Pele became the heart of the
national team at the 1958 world cup, leading his country to its first
of many world cup titles. Perhaps what made Pele stand tallest among
other football greats is his consistency in the game. He was at the top
of his career for over 15 years. Pele’s professional career was almost
entirely in Brazil. His Brazilian club Santos achieved world class
status almost single-handedly because of Pele. Pele is credited to have
scored over 1300 professional goals in his impressive career, making him
the most prolific scorer in the game’s history. He is also widely
regarded as the man who changed the face of soccer in the United States
where he played for three years before retiring in 1977. Pele also won
the 1962 and 1970 world cups and is a great ambassador of the game. He
is the number one in my opinion.
2. Maradona (Argentina)
Diego Armando Maradona is another player that has made a case to be
considered the greatest ever. He had his off-field troubles, but
Maradona was undoubtedly a class act in his prime. In 1986, Maradona
scored the infamous ‘hand of God’ goal in a match against England but he
was nevertheless impressive, as he led his Argentinean side to the
world cup title. In the late 80’s, Maradona took his relatively small
club, Napoli to dominance in the Italian soccer league. Maradona’s
career was surrounded by controversies and he soon began to fade from
the scene. But we can only count ourselves lucky to have seen some of
the thrills and tricks of this footballer.
3. Johan Cryuff (Netherlands)
He was undoubtedly a great player. Cryuff was the heart of the
dominant Netherlands team of the 1970s that went so close to winning the
world cup on two occasions. He played most of his club football at Ajax
Amsterdam and he carved a niche for himself in Dutch football. He also
succeeded at Barcelona Fc, winning several trophies and individual
awards. He is the first of the golden generation of Dutch footballers,
which include Van Basten, Rijkaard, Gullit, Bergkamp, Overmars etc.
Johan Cryuff was a classy footballer.
4. Zinedine Zidane (France)
Zidane can be regarded as the greatest footballer of his generation,
with his flamboyance making him one of the game’s greatest. Zidane’s
contribution at the 1998 world cup was phenomenal as he came back from
suspension to inspire his team to the trophy with a 3-0 defeat of
Brazil. At Euro 2000, Zidane repeated the trick for France and he won
the FIFA player of the year the second time. Zinedine Zidane was equally
very good at club level. He played so well for Juventus that his move
to Real Madrid in 2001 commanded the previous world record fee of 46m
pounds. At Real Madrid, he was even more impressive, scoring a goal
regarded till now as the best in the history of Champions League in the
competition’s final against Leverkusen. Zidane had a quiet world cup in
2002 but he returned in 2006 with arguably his best world cup
performance but France fell in the final to Italy. Zidane won FIFA
player of the year thrice before retiring in 2006.
5. Ronaldo de Lima (Brazil)
Arguably the most talented striker in the history of the game,
Ronaldo Nazario de Lima burst into limelight in 1994. He is a recipient
of the FIFA world player of the year award three times. He holds the
record for the highest goal scorer at the world cup with 15 goals,
pulling away from the trio of Klose, Muller and Pele. Ronaldo’s career
could have been more impressive, but he was constantly troubled by
niggling injuries. He played for many of the world’s top clubs including
Inter Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan before retiring in 2010.
6. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
Don’t be surprised the diminutive Argentine is up there among the
best. He like Maradona, can single-handedly turn a match on its head.
For his incredibly high standards, he has been less impressive for
country than for his club side Barcelona, where he is scoring goals for
fun. However, Lionel Messi led his Argentinean team to the U-20 and
Olympic gold in 2005 and 2008 respectively, beating Nigeria on both
occasions. Apart from his goals, Messi is also a great team player and
has almost turned the FIFA Ballon d’Or award into his own personal
property, winning the coveted prize for a fourth consecutive time in
2012. His major undoing remains his inability to lead his Argentinean
side to World Cup and Copa America glory.
7. Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina)
Another Argentine on the list is the legendary Alfredo Di Stefano.
He, alongside Gento, Kopa and Puskas, was the heart of the Real Madrid
‘Galacticos’ team of the 1950s that won the UEFA competition five times
in a row. His performance in the 1960 final was simply breathtaking. Now
in his 80’s, Di Stefano also had a good career with Argentina and he is
still involved in football.
8. Romario (Brazil)
He is another player credited with over 1000 goals. Romario didn’t
have much luck with the Brazilian National Team. However, he is still
highly regarded in his country. His performance for Brazil at the 1994
World Cup was recognized with the FIFA world footballer of the year
award. To illustrate Romario’s greatness, Zagallo’s refusal to take him
to the 1998 world cup was heavily criticized by football fans in Brazil
and across the world. At club level, Romario was very successful. He
played for top European clubs such as Barcelona and was also successful
playing for Brazilian clubs, most notably Vasco Da Gama.
9. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
Simply the greatest Hungarian to have played the game and one of the
greatest the world has ever seen. Puskas was part of the successful
Madrid team of the 1950s. Ferenc Puskas became the toast of Hungarian
football, leading them to international recognition. How his Hungarian
team failed to win the 1954 world cup remains a mystery. He scored lots
of goals in his glittering career and when he died in 2003, the
Hungarian National Stadium was renamed after him.
10. Franz Beckenbeaur (West Germany)
Franz Beckenbaeur was a strong midfielder in his playing days.
Beckenbauer’s strong personality and tactical command of the game made
him an ideal captain. He led his club, Bayern Munich, to three
consecutive European titles in 1974, 1975, and 1976. In 1974 he was the
captain of the West German national team that won the World Cup. He was
voted European Player of the Year twice. After retirement, Beckenbauer
took up coaching, leading Germany to the World cup title in 1990.
11. Gerd Muller (West Germany)
Gerd Muller is widely regarded as the best box-to-box striker in
football history. He played for the highly successful Bayern Munich and
German teams of the 1970s. He has one of the most impressive
goal-per-match ratios in the history of the game, scoring 68 goals in
just 62 international appearances. He is also among the highest goal
scorers in world cup history, scoring his 14 goals in just two world cup
appearances. Muller recently had his long standing record of 85 goals
in a year smashed by the little Argentine, Messi.
12. Eusebio (Portugal)
Born in Mozambique but played for Portugal, Eusebio was a world class
player in the 1960s. He took his Benfica side to numerous domestic and
continental titles. He was a fantastic footballer and is still actively
involved in the game today.
13. Marco Van Basten (Netherlands)
Marco Van Basten, born in 1964, was a Dutch soccer player. He helped
The Netherlands win the European Championship in 1988 and scored two
goals for AC Milan in the European Cup final in 1989. A celebrated
striker, Van Basten started his career with Ajax and won several
domestic honors. He transferred to AC Milan and won several trophies and
personal awards, including European and FIFA best player awards. Injury
forced him to retire early in 1995.
14. George Best (Northern Ireland)
I think Best is up there among the best. He had a wonderful football
career playing for Manchester United. Best’s unknown country, Northern
Ireland was a relative force in the 60’s because of his presence. In the
late 60’s, George Best won the European footballer of the year award
after leading Man United to the European title. He had problems with
alcohol and he died few years ago at 59.
15. Stanley Matthews (England)
Sir Stanley Matthews was the game’s dominant name in the 1930s, 1940s
and 1950s. He was born in 1915 and played till he was 50 in 1965.
Records show that he barely received a yellow card throughout his over
30-year career. Sir Matthews was so famous for his dribbling skills that
he was nicknamed ‘the legend of the dribble”. He was the first
recipient of the European footballer of the year award. Footages of his
time are hard to come by (although a short one can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54HRpvcRn0w),
but he is arguably one of the best footballers ever. Even my dad easily
recalls the time of this legendary footballer. Matthews was knighted by
Queen Elizabeth before he died in 2000.
16. Bobby Charlton (England)
Sir Bobby Charlton is a very popular figure in the game. He held the
world by storm in the 1960s. He played some sensational football and led
England to its first and only world cup triumph till date. In the same
period, he was the heart of the Man United team that won several
trophies at that time. He remains a great ambassador of football till
today.
17. Ronaldinho (Brazil)
Ronaldinho is a two-time winner of the FIFA world player of the year
award. During his prime, Ronaldinho was virtually unstoppable. He burst
into limelight at the 1999 U-20 world cup in Nigeria, where he excelled
tremendously. At the 2002 world cup, Ronaldinho justified his selection
over Romario by helping Brazil to the trophy. He is arguably the most
skillful player ever. However, he will only make do with number nineteen
because he didn’t last long enough at the very top of his game.
18. Rivaldo (Brazil)
The former World footballer of the year deserves to be on any list.
However, it is high time the 40 year old hung his boots for good.
19. Lev Yashin (Russia)
Lev Yashin is arguably the greatest goalkeeper of all time. He was
estimated to have made over 150 penalty saves in his career. Most
remarkably, Yashin is the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or
award.
20. Guizeppe Meazza (Italy)
Meazza was a great Italian footballer who enjoyed great success with
Inter Milan and AC Milan in the 1920s and 1930s. The famous San Siro
stadium is named after him.
21. Garrincha (Brazil)
Garrincha is widely acclaimed by many to be the greatest Brazilian
player ever after Pele. Some have even argued that he was better than
Pele. Garrincha was a winger who played his professional football in
Brazil and was instrumental in Brazil’s 1962 World Cup triumph.
22. Zico (Brazil)
Another Brazilian on my list is Zico. Zico was a core member of the
Brazilian team of 1982, widely regarded as the best team never to have
won a world cup. He is considered one of the greatest playmakers ever.
Zico was a classy footballer.
23. Thierry Henry (France)
Thierry Daniel Henry was born in 1977. Originally a winger, Henry
later became a celebrated and an accomplished striker, playing for top
clubs including Arsenal, Monaco, and Barcelona. Henry started his
professional career in the mid 1990s and burst into limelight at the
1998 world cup where he scored three goals for France on their way to
winning the World cup. He also won the European Championships with
France in 2000 and was an integral part of the side that finished runner
up at the 2006 world cup. Thierry Henry is the all-time highest goal
scorer for France with 53 goals. He is also the highest goal scorer in
the history of Arsenal football club, scoring 228 goals in around 370
matches. Apart from these, he is also one of the highest goal scorers in
European competitions with around 60 goals, a feat that has seen him
named in the UEFA team of the year on five occasions. Henry finished
runner up in the FIFA world footballer of the year award three times,
but many consider him unlucky not to have won the award at least once.
He joined Barcelona and scored nearly 50 goals in over ninety matches
for the club. Henry, at almost 36 years, has lost some of the pace and
power that once made him one of the most feared strikers in the game.
Still, he shows his class in the MLS where he plays for New York Red
Bulls.
24. Michel Platini (France)
Now UEFA President, Platini was a very good footballer for France and
Juventus. He is the second highest goal scorer for France, behind
Thierry Henry. Known for his elegance on the pitch, Platini won the
European footballer of the year award twice.
25. Paolo Maldini (Italy)
His total trophy haul is amazing, and his playing years were just as
impressive. Paolo Maldini is one of the best defenders the world has
ever seen. He played for AC Milan all his life and won four UEFA
champions League titles with the club. He was solid at the back for
Italy since he joined the team in the early 80’s. He won other trophies
with AC Milan before retiring in 2008 at age 40.
26. Luis Figo (Portugal)
Luis Figo is the most capped player in Portugal history with over 120
appearances. Very skillful with the ball, Figo won the European and
World footballer of the year awards in 2000. Not many have successful
careers with both Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Figo was one of the few
who did.
27. Carlos Alberto (Brazil)
Carlos Alberto won the World Cup with Brazil in 1970. He was very
famous for his dribbling and shooting skills. He should be regarded as
one of the game’s greatest
28. Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands)
Call him the master of brilliant football, and you will be right.
Dennis Bergkamp was a talented footballer, who loved to score great
goals. In 1993, he was runner up to Roberto Baggio in the FIFA world
player of the year award. He was impressive playing for Netherlands at
the 1990, 1994, and 1998 world cup finals. He is renowned for his
incisive passing and great intelligent play. He has been voted the
second best player in the history of Arsenal football club, the club for
which he scored 121 goals before retiring in 2006 at the age of 37.
Bergkamp was part of the great Ajax team that won the 1995 European Cup.
That team included Kanu, Seedorf, Finidi and Overmars.
29. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
He has done enough to be on this impressive list. He scores plenty of
goals. He was hugely influential in Manchester United’s title successes
of the mid 2000s. Cristiano Ronaldo is currently banging in the goals
for his club, Real Madrid.
30. Franco Baresi (Italy)
Many regard Franco Baresi to be one of the greatest defenders to have
lived. He played his entire professional career in AC Milan and won the
world cup in 1982.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
31. Mattheus, Lothar (Germany);
32. Fontaine, Just (France);
33. Stoichkov, Hristo (Bulgaria);
34. Weah, George (Liberia);
35. Batistuta, Gabriel (Argentina),
36. Klinsmann, Juergen (Germany);
37. Gullit, Ruud (Holland);
38. Moore, Bobby (England);
39. Baggio, Roberto (Italy);
40. Zoff, Dino (Italy);
41. Lineker, Gary (England);
42. Gento, Francisco (Argentina)
43. Jairzinho (Brazil);
44. Kubala, Ladislav (Spain);
45. Carlos, Roberto (Brazil);
46. Hagi, Gheorghe (Romania);
47. Del Piero, Alessandro (Italy);
48. Banks, Gordon (England);
49. Giggs, Ryan (Wales);
50. Rossi, Paolo (Italy)
ON THE FRINGES:
51. Socrates (Brazil)
52
. Koeman, Ronald (Netherlands)
53. Cantona, Eric (France)
54. Schemeichel, Peter (Denmark)
55. Law, Dennis (Scotland)
56. Laudrup, Michael (Denmark)
57. Didi (Brazil)
58. Fachetti (Italy)
59. Seedorf, Clarence (Netherlands)
60. Rijkaard, Frank (Netherlands)
61. Xavi, Hernandez (Spain)
62. Cafu, Marcos (Brazil)
63. Kopa, Raymond (Spain)
64. Zizinho (Brazil)
65. Tostao (Brazil)
66. Shevchenko, Andriy (Ukraine)
67. Shearer, Alan (England)
68. Valderrama, Carlos (Colombia)
69. Rush, Ian (Ireland)
70. Raul, Gonzalez (Spain)
71. Kahn, Oliver (Germany)
72. Vieira, Patrick (France)
73. Buffon, Gianluigi (Italy)
74. Scholes, Paul (England)
75. Gerrard, Steven (England)
76. Rivelino (Brazil)
77. Heinz-Rummenigge, Carl (Germany)
78. Souness, Graeme (England)
79. Milla, Roger (Cameroon)
80. Keane, Roy (Ireland)
81. Papin, Jean Pierre (France)
82. Robson, Bryan (England)
83. Zola, Gianfranco (Italy)
84. Eto’o, Samuel (Cameroon)
85. Hoeness, Uli (Germany)
86. Deschamps, Didier (France)
87. Iniesta, Andres (Spain)
88. Bebeto (Brazil)
89. Rui Costa (Portugal)
90. Pirlo, Andrea (Italy)
91. Keegan, Kevin (England)
92. Dalglish, Kenny (Scotland)
93. Kempes, Mario (Argentina)
94. Zanetti, Christian (Argentina)
95. Nedved, Pavel (Czech)
96. Beckham, David (England)
97. Pele, Abedi (Ghana)
98. Blokhin, Oleg (Ukraine)
99. Kluivert, Patrick (Netherlands)
100. Kanu, Nwankwo (Nigeria).
NEAR MISSES
Mario Zagallo (Brazil), Francessco Totti (Italy), Duncan Edwards
(England), Christian Vieri (Italy), Van Nistelrooy (Netherlands), Marc
Overmars (Netherlands), Kalusha Bwalya (Zambia), Oliver Bierhoff
(Germany), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Claudio Canniggia (Argentina),
Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria), Paul Gascoigne (England), Robert Pires
(France), Frank Lampard (England), Edgar Davids (Netherlands), Iker
Casillas (Spain), Van der Sar (Netherlands), Laurent Blanc (France),
Lilian Thuram (France), John Barnes (England), Kaka (Brazil), Jose
Chilavert (Paraguay), Paul Breitner (Germany), Henrik Larsson (Sweden),
Emilio Butragueno (Argentina), Hugo Sanchez (Mexico), Fabio Cannavaro
(Italy), Fillipo Inzaghi (Italy), Gerson (Brazil), Tony Adams (England)
Originally written in 2011 by JOSHUA OMOJU (revised 2013).
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