Top 10 football players of all time. Football has had some great heroes who transcended the game and secured their legacy forever. Is it possible to rank all football players?
We’ve done that here. The ability to win matches single-handedly, longevity, and success under pressure were considered.
True sportsmanship is the ability to perform consistently under pressure. Therefore, the last two factors are more important.
Let’s look at the ten greatest football players of all time.
#1 Pele
Pele is considered the greatest footballer ever. No player has won more World Cups than him, which should be enough to put him first.
Pele was the club and country’s go-to scorer. Only he has scored over 1200 senior goals.
Pele brought his best game when it counted most. Pele scored twice in the 1958 final against Sweden at age 17 and 249 days.
In 1970, he secured his position as the best football player in the world of all time despite missing the 1962 World Cup due to injury. Brazil dominated the tournament, and Pele won the Golden Ball (Best Player) award.
#2 Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona’s complete persona was captured in that 1986 World Cup match against England. The Argentine maestro’s crafty goals left the English defense in knots.
Diego Maradona was supremely skilled and a football magician. El Diego never feared bending the rules to win and was Argentina’s star in 1986.
Maradona had a notable club career in Europe with Barcelona and Napoli. The iconic playmaker won only a Copa del Rey and Supercopa Espana with Barcelona, but he put in some amazing performances, including getting a standing ovation from the hostile Santiago Bernabeu crowd.
Maradona led Napoli to two Serie A titles virtually single-handedly. The Naples mob viewed the Argentine maestro as their messiah throughout those years.
#3 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are among our generation’s best players. Messi, a fresh-faced La Masia kid in 2005, established himself as one of the game’s greatest players under Frank Rijkaard and Pep Guardiola.
Messi became Barcelona’s primary man after Ronaldinho’s departure and was the centerpiece of Guardiola’s 2008-09 Barcelona team.
Messi has scored in Champions League finals, semi-finals, Copa del Rey Finals, and Clasicos against Real Madrid, yet he struggled for Argentina.
After losing three straight finals with the national team, Messi briefly retired before returning two months later. Messi eventually won a trophy with Argentina in 2021.
Messi will always be considered one of the greatest. The only seven-time Ballon d’Or winner left Barcelona for PSG last summer.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo was a precociously brilliant kid at Sporting CP when Sir Alex Ferguson discovered him. At Manchester United, he solidified his legacy as one of our generation’s finest players.
With his guts and commitment, Ronaldo has become one of the most renowned figures in world football.
Manchester United made him a global sensation, but Real Madrid cemented his legacy.
Ronaldo has stepped up when it mattered most, like in the Champions League final penalty shootout and the Euro 2016 semi-final.
After leaving Real Madrid for Juventus in the summer of 2018, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has continued to score goals.
He returned to Manchester United last summer. The 37-year-hat-trick old’s against Tottenham made him the all-time goalscorer (807).
#5 Zinedine Zidane
Zidane won the 1998 Ballon d’Or with Juventus and Real Madrid. Zidane first emerged as a world-class player in the 1998 World Cup final against Brazil.
Zidane’s two-headed goals in the final earned France their first World Cup victory, making him an overnight hero and icon. In Euro 2000, France won again, and he was named tournament MVP.
Zidane became one of Real Madrid’s top players after a world-record transfer. In 2001-02, he won the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen.
Zidane scored from outside the area when the score was 0-0. The Frenchman scored one of the most magnificent Champions League goals, proving he could always be counted on.
Zidane was a top player until his 2006 retirement. The iconic Frenchman thrived on the grandest platform, despite his 2006 World Cup headbutt.
#6 Garrincha
Garrincha was a renowned number 7 for Brazil and Botafogo, where he won two World Cups. Garrincha captivated the Brazilian public from 1953-1965 with his football talents, stunts, and flicks.
Garrincha made his World Cup debut for Brazil in 1958 and quickly became one of the world’s top players, scoring and assisting goals for Vava and Pele. The famous mastermind earned man-of-the-match honors for his two assists in the final.
Garrincha led Brazil to World Cup triumph in 1962 without Pele and was awarded the tournament’s best player.
In 1962’s semi-finals versus Chile, the famous Brazilian scored two amazing goals. El Mercurio, a Chilean newspaper, praised the Brazilian’s performance. Garrincha is the best ever.
#7 Alfredo Di Stefano
Alfredo Di Stefano was Real Madrid’s greatest player and a key element of their domination in the 1950s. During his 20-year career, he was among the world’s best footballers.
Di Stefano scored 307 goals in 396 games for Real Madrid and won 15 major titles, including five consecutive European Championships.
Di Stefano was the only player to score in five European Cup finals, as a supporting striker or attacking midfielder with Puskas and Gento.
The Real Madrid legend’s best performance was in the 7-3 final win against Eintracht Frankfurt, when he dominated the game.
#8 Ronaldo Nazario
When a player plays for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and AC Milan, he’s extraordinary. Ronaldo Nazario, aka ‘O Fenomeno,’ is the best striker ever.
Ever when Ronaldo broke onto the spotlight as a 17-year-old at Cruzeiro, he was destined for greatness. After storming Europe with PSV, Ronaldo had his best season at Barcelona, when he sealed his position as a superstar.
#9 Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff is the most influential player in soccer history. Cruyff was a pioneer who brought ‘total football’ to Ajax, Barcelona, and the Netherlands national team. He played beautiful football for his clubs and national team.
Cruyff was a visionary and pioneer of the game who helped the Netherlands come second to West Germany in the 1974 World Cup.
Cruyff was a true legend of the game who stayed at the top level for 20 years, guiding Feyenoord to the league title.
#10 Michel Platini
Michel Platini is 10th. Zinedine Zidane, is one of the best players ever, maybe France’s greatest player. Before Ronaldo, Les Bleus had Platini.
The small playmaker is credited with making France a football superpower. As a number 10, Platini saved his best for the biggest matches, scoring key goals.
The three-time Ballon d’Or winner led France to the 1984 European Championship victory.