The 100 greatest players of all time

Marco van Basten

Marco van Basten leaps for the highest point of his career in Euro 88

30. Andres Iniesta

Career span 2001-
Country Spain: 54 caps, 5 goals
Clubs Barcelona
Position attacking midfielder
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship, 3 Champions Leagues, 6 Spanish titles, 1 Spanish cup

One of football’s great aphorisms is that you only truly appreciate a true ability when he’s absent. And it can be no coincidence that Barcelona’s only real blip between 2008 and 2011 came when Andres Iniesta was injured. Without the attacking midfielder’s innovative mind, Barca couldn’t manufacture the extra opening that would have seen them knock out Inter in 2010 and surely retain the Champions League. Indeed, it isn’t an exaggeration to argue that only Iniesta’s injury came between Barca and a historic three-in-a-row.

Because, although he may not be quite as central to the team’s style as Xavi or as outrageously talented as Leo Messi, he is the crucial link between the two. Alex Ferguson certainly concurred. On the eve of the 2009 Champions League final, the Manchester United manager claimed “I’m not obsessed with Messi. Iniesta is the danger. He’s fantastic. He makes the team work. He finds passes, his movement and ability to create space is incredible.”

Unfortunately for Ferguson, he would be proven emphatically accurate within 24 hours. Iniesta provided the perceptive through ball that opened – and eventually won – won the game, for Samuel Eto’o’s goal.

And it was only part of a continuum in terms of Iniesta’s influence on the elite level of the game. Having come on with Henrik Larsson to swing the 2006 final in Barca’s favour, he scored the equaliser against Chelsea in 2009 and played the through ball that allowed Pedro to kill of Real Madrid in 2011.

Most famously though, he rose to the World Cup’s most important matches just months after the injury against Inter and the first real doubts of his career. It was Iniesta’s passes that allowed David Villa to score against Portugal and Paraguay and Spain as a whole to spin Germany around.

Just like Ferguson, then, Holland realised who they had to target in the World Cup final itself. But in the most aggressive manner possible. Aptly, Iniesta illustrated true character to rise above it to score the winner.

As Eto’o enthused, “whenever Iniesta is on the pitch, he creates a spectacle”.

Ability 81
International 80
Club 80
Total 80.33

 

29. Tostao

Career span 1962-73
Country Brazil: 54 caps, 32 goals
Clubs America, Cruzeiro, Vasco da Gama
Position forward
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 Brazilian championship, 5 state championships

Because of the apparent freedom the Brazil 1970 side played with, as well as the philosophy of their coach Mario Zagallo, an image has arisen that they were a team for which tactics were a secondary concern. That Zagallo just let “great players play”.

And, to an extent, that might have been accurate. Except every team, no matter how talented the individuals, requires understanding and intelligence.

And Tostao – perhaps fittingly given that he became a doctor – certainly provided the latter. Although he was the same type of forward as Pele, he had the nous to know that he should drop back and allow the team’s number 10 to wreak havoc. The result was that Tostao only scored two goals in the competition but set up many more. As Brian Glanville wrote, “he had developed into a player of glorious technical skill, great subtlety and considerable courage”.

Because, although he was so much more than a goalscorer, he certainly proved a very productive one at Cruzeiro. Between 1963 and 1972, Tostao became the club’s all-time top scorer with 249 goals that helped them to five state championships.

It was perhaps a cruel quirk of fate that a detached retina had forced his retirement at the age of just 27. Because his vision had already helped him enjoy one of the most victorious.

Ability 86
International 80
Club 75
Total 80.33

 

28. Giacinto Facchetti

Career span 1960-78
Country Italy: 94 caps, 3 goals
Clubs Inter
Position left-back, centre-back
Medals 1 European Championship, 2 European Cups, 4 Italian titles, 1 Italian cup

Franz Beckenbauer was intrigued. While much of the football world had been putting off watching the counter-attacking football of Italy and Inter during the ’60s, the German captain realised there was something in it.

“Watching Giacinto Facchetti’s spectacular incursions from left-back and his thundering shots”, Brian Glanville wrote, “Beckenbauer asked himself why he, as a libero or sweeper, should not move into attack from a more central role. He did; and total football was born at Bayern Munich.”

Of course, in the football philosophy that preceded it, Helenio Herrera always pointed to Facchetti as evidence of why Catenaccio was not a defensive system. That may have been stretching the truth, of course. But the full-back was without doubt “the keystone” to the system for club and country. His pace, poise and technique allowed Inter to swiftly switch from rearguard to raid. Indeed, before being spotted by Herrera in 1960, he has very realistic dreams of becoming a 100m Olympic sprinter for Inter.

But his game was not all about speed. In 1965-66, for example, the nominal left-back scored a goal every three games. In that, he was a forerunner for Antonio Cabrini’s role at Juventus.

Facchetti, it must be said, was not the first attacking full-back. Nilton and Djalma Santos had already laid the path. But it was Facchetti who mapped it. Glanville described him as “the towering embodiment of the overlapping full-back” and Fifa’s official history as “the man who brought full-backs out of their shells”.

In that, he was ahead of his time. And, more often than not, ahead of the field. Facchetti was one of the influential players in Inter’s conquering of the continent in the club game over 1964 and 1965 and Italy’s in the international game in 1968.

Only illustrating the all-round nature of his game, he eventually moved to sweeper. But, for most of his career, Facchetti swept up all before him.

Ability 80
International 80
Club 81
Total 80.33

 

27. Lev Yashin

Career span 1950-70
Country USSR
Clubs Dynamo Moscow
Position goalkeeper
Medals 1 European Championship, 5 Soviet leagues, 3 Soviet cups

“What kind of goalkeeper is the one who is not tormented by the goal he has allowed?” Lev Yashin once pondered. “He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end.”

So much for the ideal archetype of a composed, confident goalkeeper capable of pulling off world-class saves when called upon.

But then Yashin was always able for the latter. He was just a little too forthright for the former. Yashin was never content to just contain himself within the parameters of his position. Like many of the best players on this list, he was a pioneer. He sought to redefine those parameters.

Among his many achievements, the Russian was the first goalkeeper to consistently come off his line and collect crosses and the first to start commanding and organising his defence – mostly through angry orders.

All of this, of course, was born from Yashin’s obsession with keeping clean sheets. And that drive underpinned Russia’s greatest ever team. In that sense, Yashin was not just among the most exceptional keepers. But also, crucially, the most influential. Between 1960 and 1966, the USSR won the European Championships and reached another final as well as the last four of the World Cup. And underpinning all of that was Yashin.

Most notably, he performed heroics to keep Yugoslavia at just 1-0 for the majority of the victorious 1960 final and then did the same against Hungary in 1996 to ease the USSR’s passage to the semi-finals.

The pity, perhaps, is that he played in an era when Soviet sides did not enter the European Cup. Although Yashin won four of his five league titles after the competition began, the Soviet Top League didn’t enter a team until 1966-67, when Torpedo Moscow were champions.

By then, however, Yashin had already illustrated that his ability went well beyond his continent.

Ability 84
International 80
Club 78
Total 80.6

 

26. Zico

Career span 1971-94
Country Brazil: 72 caps, 52 goals
Clubs Flamengo, Udinese, Flamengo, Kashima Antlers
Position playmaker
Medals 1 Copa Libertadores, 4 Brazilian championships, 6 state championships

“Zico never won the World Cup? The Brazilian journalist Juca Kfouri once asked. “Well, that’s the World Cup’s problem.”
Certainly, Zico caused a lot of opposition teams a lot more problems during a joyous career.

And Liverpool can testify to that. In 1981, with the Merseyside machine at the very height of its dominance, Zico utterly unravelled them apart in a 3-0 win for Flamengo that could have been many more.

At that point, the playmaker was regularly being compared to Pele. And, only strengthening the parallels, Zico ensured that Flamengo enjoyed the most successful period of their history by far. They also became the first Brazilian club to win the Copa Libertadores since Pele’s Santos in 1963.

And yet, a year later, Zico lead an even more spectacular team. The Brazilian side that competed in the 1982 World Cup was arguably the most outrageously talented, and offered the most truly memorable moments, since their 1970 predecessors. Zico himself seemed to embody an old Brazilian school of football as art.

With one difference. When it came right down to it, Brazil never brought their beauty to the next level. Zico was to remain empty-handed in international football.

And, although many may talk poetically about the true value of football, Zico has made his feelings clear.

“It’s always important to leave a legacy. But what matters to a professional is the title. I’m happy to have been part of a team like that, though, and people everywhere still remember us. But I’d have been even happier if we’d have won.”

He would also be even higher on this list.

Ability 90
International 72
Club 80
Total 80.66

 

25. Rivaldo

Career span 1991-
Country Brazil: 74 caps, 34 goals
Clubs Santa Cruz, Mogi Mirim (Corinthians), Palmeiras, Deportivo, Barcelona, Milan, Cruzeiro, Olympiakos, AEK Athens, Bunyodkor, Mogi Mirim, Sao Paulo
Position attacking midfielder, forward
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 Copa America, 1 Champions league, 9 domestic titles (3 Greek, 3 Uzbek, 2 Spanish, 1 Brazilian), 2 Brazilian state championships, 5 domestic cups (2 Greek, 2 Uzbek, 1 Spanish)

For a player who dominated – and decorated – two successive World Cups as well as a half-decade of Spanish football, there’s always been an odd discord about Rivaldo’s career.

In Brazil, they often grumbled that he must have been sending his inferior twin brother to home games. In Barcelona, vast swathes of the Camp Nou crowd used to complain he was a mercenary who didn’t care.

And all of this despite the fact he was the player who pushed Zinedine Zidane closest as the world’s greatest between 1997 and 2002. Indeed, there is an argument that Rivaldo was even more consistent. For a nominal attacking midfielder, he had a ratio of a goal every game. And, as Spanish football expert John Carlin argued, very few player players combine the two essential qualities of the ideal footballer so dazzlingly: artistry and efficiency.

A perfect example was his famous hat-trick against Valencia in 2001. Just consider the dimensions of his final goal. Not only did it come in the very last minute of a league season that went down to the wire, but he settled with arguably the most spectacular type of goal possible: a bicycle kick from outside the box. To a degree, you could call it the perfect goal.

Except, the very context of the game perhaps explains the eternal problem with Rivaldo. Scrambling into the Champions League via fourth was hardly befitting a club of Barca’s self-perceived profile.

And, in that, he was perhaps unfortunate to be at his peak during two peculiar eras for club and country.

Although Brazil would ultimately enjoy a glorious redemption in 2002 – in which Rivaldo would score five goals – it came after the most miserable period in the team’s history. That competition’s qualifiers represented the only time in which Brazil were in any danger of not qualifying – leading to even more negative focus on Rivaldo’s influence.

Along the same lines, Barca won two league titles between 1997 and 2002 but generally endured a miserable time in the Champions League and seemed to keep stumbling from conquest to crisis.

Another classic case in point was the 3-3 draw with Manchester United at Camp Nou in November 1998. In what was arguably Rivaldo’s finest individual display, he curled in an exquisite free, scored a bicycle kick and smashed the bar from 35 yards.

But, despite raising the bar, it couldn’t push Barca over the line. On account of the fact that Barca didn’t win that same game, they were knocked out of Europe.

As Louis van Gaal argued afterwards, “it is not always easy to play attractive football and win titles”.

Rivaldo, however, usually did his best to.

Ability 90
International 80
Club 72
Total 80.66

 

24. Marco van Basten

Career span 1982-95
Country Holland: 58 caps, 24 goals
Clubs Ajax, Milan
Position striker
Medals 1 European Championship, 2 European Cups, 1 Cup Winners Cups, 6 domestic titles (3 Holland, 3 Italy), 3 Dutch cups

The ultimate example of a career cruelly cut short by injury. Van Basten was only 27 when he was first afflicted by his notorious ankle-injury. And, although he persevered until the age of 30, it effectively meant we never got to see him in his prime.

But it’s testament to Van Basten’s ability that he still achieved so, so much. Because it is quite possible that he might have been the most complete number-nine of all time, Van Basten combined pace, power and an intimidating six-foot-two frame with an adhesive touch, all-round technique and deadly finishing. When on form, it made him near unplayable. As Gerry Muhren said of that goal against USSR in 1988, “Marco made a not very good pass look very good.”

Muhren may as well have been talking about Van Basten’s entire career as opposed to his greatest moment. But then even that is up for debate.

In 1987, Van Basten’s goals “raised Dutch football to its highest level in a decade” – according to David Winner – as a resurgent Ajax claimed the Cup Winners Cup. A year after that, he ensured they went even further as the country claimed their only international title. And Van Basten, again, was the dominant player. The striker scored the hat-trick against England that finally kick-started Holland’s Euro 88, the winner in the semis against West Germany and then the goal of the tournament. If not all time. (That’s a debate for another time.)

And, a year after that, he escalated again. Although Van Basten barely played 15 games in the 1988-89 season, two of them were the 5-0 win over Real Madrid and 4-0 win over Steaua Bucharest in which he scored three goals and won the European Cup.
To a degree, the decline had begun though. Van Basten struggled with the rest of the Dutch team in Italia 90 and never actually scored at the World Cup.

He would have been 29 in USA 94. At his very peak. Just a pity no-one got to see it.

Ability 87
International 75
Club 80
Total 80.66

 

23. Jairzinho

Career span 1959-82
Country Brazil: 81 caps, 35 goals
Clubs Botafogo, Marseille, Cruzeiro, Portuguesa, Noroeste, Fast Club, Jorge Wilstermann, Botafogo, 9 de Octubre
Position winger, forward
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 Copa Libertadores, 2 Brazilian titles, 2 state championships

In the perfect World Cup, Jairzinho had the perfect record. With seven goals in six games, the winger is the only player in tournament history to score in every match.

But, as with all of the true greats, that is much more than a mere stat.

For a start, there was the remarkable range of goals. Against Czechoslovakia, he expertly lifted the ball over the keeper before finishing and then later beat three players. Against England, he powered it over Gordon Banks first time. Against Romania, he flicked one in.

Secondly, there the was the all-round play that so improved Brazil’s overall game. While his pace did give them a potent outlet – and he spent hours with Gerson trying to perfect timed runs on the midfielder’s calibrated cross-field balls – his own superb passing also added to the side’s dazzling angles of attack.

It was Jairzinho’s exceptional at-pace cross, after all, that brought such a fine save from Banks for Pele’s header. And it was all the more remarkable given the manner in which he ran onto Carlos Alberto’s ball.

And Jairzinho was much more than the indulged, pacy forward who demands through-balls. In the final itself, he showed an under-acknowledged tactical acumen by continually moving into the centre to draw out Giacinto Facchetti and leave the right side free for Carlos Alberto to rampage down.

That peak was all the more impressive given that he had come back from two broken legs, injuries which arguably robbed his first club Botafogo of even more trophies.

Jairzinho would however, go on to claim the greatest South American club trophy of all. After an underwhelming 1974 World Cup and disappointing spell at Marseille, he expertly played the role of elder statesman as Cruzeiro lifted the Copa Libertadores in 1976.

Ability 86
International 81
Club 75
Total 80.6

 

22. Xavi

Career span 1997-
Country Spain: 103 caps, 10 goals
Clubs Barcelona
Position midfielder
Medals 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship, 3 Champions Leagues, 6 Spanish titles, 1 Spanish cup

When it comes to discussing the exact merits of Xavi’s career, a common complaint is that he’s always been allowed play in systems that perfectly suit his abilities.

In truth, though, this is looking at the issue from the wrong end.

Xavi hasn’t been placed in the systems. He’s defined them.

Both Barcelona and Spain have specifically adapted their approaches around his passing game. He’s the player that makes them tick, the one who sets the tempo. In what is probably the most apt use of the old football cliché, he is at the centre of everything. As Pep Guardiola once told Xavi, “I can’t imagine Barcelona without you.” And as Carlos Puyol once told the world, “he’s absolutely fundamental”.

In essence, he is the central fulcrum of two of the greatest sides of all time.

And that’s the kind of influence that demands inclusion at the top of any such lists.

But then, if you want to bring the debate back to pure ability, it’s highly probable that Xavi is the greatest passer the game has even seen. Xabi Alonso certainly thinks so: “He probably has the best passing ratio in history of you look at possession, participation and how rarely he loses the ball.”

That’s certainly the case since the stats started being recorded. Xavi has played more passes, and more passes successfully, than any other player. And every single one of them has had an effect, steadily building structure and momentum to attacks while opening space in the opposition.

But then this isn’t just about the ratios that fill screens any time Barcelona or Spain are playing. It’s also about the range.

In April 2010, it was Xavi’s two through-balls that decided the key Clasico. And, as far back as 2001, it was another brilliantly piercing ball from inside his own half – after a 30-pass move – that put Liverpool out of the Champions League.

Ultimately, Xavi may not be as consistently spectacular a player as Leo Messi. But very few are as spectacularly consistent as Xavi.

Ability 80
International 80
Club 82
Total 80.66

 

21. Nandor Hidegkuti

Career span 1942-58
Country Hungary: 69 caps,39 goals
Clubs Elktromos,MTK Hungaria, Budapesti Textiles,Budapesti Bastya, Voros Lobogo, MTK Hungaria
Position forward
Medals 3 Hungarian titles, 1 Hungarian cup

On the few occasions that England got a moment’s reprieve against Hungary in 1953, centre-half Harry Johnstone kept looking to Stanley Matthews in desperation.

“Do I stay or do I go Stan?! Do I stay or do I go?”

Matthews, however, remembers “not saying much at all”.

The fact was that he just didn’t know. No-one in England did. They were facing a formation they had never come across before. To them, the number-nine was the battering ram that played furthest forward. But, here, Hungary had practically withdrawn him to midfield. And the man in the shirt – Nandor Hidegkuti – was causing havoc.

As Jonathan Wilson wrote in Inverting the Pyramid, poor old Johnstone was caught between two stools. Stay with Hidegkuti and he left a massive hole at the back. Leave him and the playmaker was allowed to direct the game.

Because that is what Hidegkuti was – the first true playmaker.

“To me, the tragedy was the utter helplessness,” Johnstone later wrote in his autobiography, “being unable to do anything to alter the grim outlook.”

To a degree, evaluating Hidegkuti’s exact performances over that period presents the eternal problem when it comes to judging a player. How much of an advantage did he get from this new, unprecedented position?

Well, the fact is that, even though he was presented with the space, Hidegkuti still possessed – and applied – the ability to absolutely maximise it.

As if to prove that, Hidegkuti hadn’t initially been a regular in the victorious 1952 Olympic squad. His club teammate Peter Palotas filled an early version of the role. But hardly to the same effect. Just half an hour into a prestige friendly against Switzerland the following September, Hungary found themselves 2-0. Seeing the problems in both attack and cohesion, manager Gustav Sebes switched Hidegkuti there. But it wasn’t just the personnel or the game that Sebes changed. It was football history. Hungary promptly won that game 4-2 as well as 15 of their next 19.

Indeed, they were unbeaten for four years going into the 1954 World Cup. And, in the tournament itself, they were again exquisite with Hidegkuti plundering four goals.

It was just a pity that the one game they lost proved to be the most important. And that was largely down to the fact West Germany saw fit to employ a man-marker in Horst Eckel.

Hidegkuti still hit the post. But, thanks to the manner they disrupted Hungary’s fluency, it was the West Germans who were first past it.

Hidegkuti would go on to dazzle the European Cup with a fine Voros Lobogo team. But, with the onset of the Hungarian Revolution, he was never allowed influence that competition like he did football history.

Ability 87
International 80
Club 75
Total 80.6

 

Contents

Share your opinion

791 comments
Jejdjjd
Jejdjjd

Maldini 52?! Are you on crack? Greatest about this list is that CRonaldo isnt there. Finally someone who understands football.

The best 10 are Messi Ronaldinho Zidane Maldini Pele Maradona Baresi Xavi Iniesta Rivaldo

SKull
SKull

I'm so tired of the Pele nagging. He counts goals he scored in the Brazilian army and is a greedy sellout. More than enough reason to put Maradona above him. A true rebel and creative genius.


PS: Van Basten, Bergkamp, Ibrahimovic, Giggs, Voller, Socrates, Zico, Eder, Junior, Batistuta, Montero, Totti, CR7, Nesta, Roberto Carlos. I can list people who probably need to be on this list for quite some time here.

tk753
tk753

pele should be number 1 by far,the most complete player ever,this guy jumps like Michael Jordan,amazing speed,use both lengs, dribbling,passing shoot acurancy,the guy has it all.3 wc.,over 1000 goals the best by far.maradona dribble past 5 English players who are very slow and not so great,he maradona dint play with best players???hahaha, he had careca who score 91 goals in year,what special is maradona,because he play with week teams and win championships? big deal, messi and Ronaldo they can take the worst team or club of any country and they can win championships like maradona

andyzidane
andyzidane

@tk753 Did Pele really score over 1000 goals? Really?? 


"messi and Ronaldo they can take the worst team or club of any country and they can win championships" Again, really?? When did this happen?


It's debatable to name at least 2 Brazilians being 'better' than Pele. I don't think anyone could name 2 Argentinians being 'better' than Maradona.

tk753
tk753

@andyzidane @tk753  messi takes the argentina to the final in wc 2014,just like maradona in 1990,ronaldo take portogal to the final in euro 2016 and win the title,so how you say that this not happen?Ronaldo and messi prove that they can take the worst teams and win world titles,maradona dribbling past these England players so easy because they are not top class defenders and you can say that goal is the goal of the centrury?messi and pele dribbling past 5 or 6 players every time and far better dribblers tha maradona.also in Napoli maradona have players like careca di Napoli who are world class at the time,so how maradona wins everything of his own?

andyzidane
andyzidane

@tk753 @andyzidane

Messi didn't win though, did he? Maradona did.

C. Ronaldo won the Euros (and he wasn't on the pitch!), not a World Cup. The South American equivalent is the Copa America. Pele never won that.


"you can say that goal is the goal of the centrury?"

When did I say this?


I never said Napoli didn't have world class players? I'd probably put Ferrara and Zola ahead of Careca and Di Napoli, but never mind. Look at it in the context of the competition. Napoli had AC Milan, Juventus, Roma, and Inter to contend with. Messi and Ronaldo just have to worry about each other's teams (Barca / Madrid).

tk753
tk753

@andyzidane @tk753  ok,messi dint win the wc,but don't forget,he has a last chances to win the wc 2018,at the age of 31 like pele in  the 1970 wc.maybe I was wrong about the goal of the centrury,you dint say that,sorry.



maradona won some titles with Napoli, but he never won a champions league with Napoli,that say you something?


did maradona win the copa America? no



did maradona win the wc 1990? his performance was great like wc 86? no



maradonoa has played the same position like pele, did he scores more goals than pele? no



maradona is one of the best players ever, no doubt but because he take Napoli and argetina to the top, dosent mean that pele cant do that.its insane,pele was the most complete number 10

of all time.far more complete player than maradona and a better person than maradona

.

andyzidane
andyzidane

@tk753 @andyzidane hey Harry, thanks for the reply.


First things first, I think it's pointless comparing honours at international level.

Neither Pele nor Maradona won the Copa America. So what?

Messi does have more chances to win the World Cup, I hope he does. But even if he doesn't, he's still one of the greatest. I could accept people calling him the greatest when he retires.

Maradona didn't win the WC in 1990. So? I didn't say he did? The fact is, he dragged Argentina to the finals of '86 and '90. He won it when he was the best player in the world, and 4 years later, he was unfit, and didn't deserve to win it anyway.

Pele is credited with 3 World Cup victories, but let's not forget that he barely played in 1962.


Secondly, Maradona and Pele DID NOT play in the same position. Pele is a forward. A goalscorer. Maradona is a playmaker. He makes goals.


Everybody is entitled to their opinion, and that's what makes the game of football we all love. Pele was a great footballer and you believe he's the most complete player that ever lived. I respect that. I can agree that he has an abundance of physical attributes which make him more effective than Maradona. But technical ability? He's no better than Garrincha in his day, and he's certainly not got the technique of Diego Maradona or modern day Leo Messi.


Good night.

tk753
tk753

@andyzidane @tk753 ho is harry??? maybe you must be thinking about someone else, i see someone in the site with the name harry ho was a ''love'' with pele but dosent mean that i am that guy,i share you.



You are right, pele and maradona is a contest with no winner, everyone has there own opinion, some people say that Ronaldo, messi, zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo, cruyff are the greatest  and many more. But we can agree that all these players give us the  beauty of football and so many good moments.

rishiagrawal55
rishiagrawal55

top 10 should be 


1. ronaldhinio

2. messi

3. cruyff

4. maradona

5. pele

6. zidane

7. brasilian ronaldo

8. berkamp

9. maldini

10.peter schmicel                    

Aceace1133
Aceace1133

Ronaldinho first are you stupid? Given he was a fantastic player of course but people forget one important thing about ronaldinho he only was truly great for 3-4 seasons. How good was he at AC Milan. Truth is he wasn't great at Milan he was a shadow of his former self and failed at Milan while he not even 30. Someone like zidane won was great throughout his whole years for example he comes out of retirement at the age of 34 to guide his team o the world cup final the biggest stage of them all and even after headbutting someone he was still named the best player of the fifa world cup 2006. Ronaldinho was brilliant but only for a few years that's all.

SKull
SKull

@Aceace1133 He's a Barcelona fan. What do you expect from a pig but an oink? He's probably never watched another football team play.

AlexChulkin
AlexChulkin

Good list as of 2011. Today I'd like to replace the last 8 with Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Ramos, Robben, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez (the second one in this 100, lol), Lahm and Klose. But anyway this rating is adorable.

AlexChulkin
AlexChulkin

And Gerard Pique instead of Desailly of course. 

DaveScamper
DaveScamper

So If Messi wins 2 or 3 world cups he's gonna be the best ever. I'm sure about that.

AlexChulkin
AlexChulkin

@DaveScamper @AlexChulkin in Russia he'll be 31, in Qatar - 35. Are you sure that he'll still be the imperious figure in the Argentina team? Are you sure that the Albiceleste will be able to win 2 WCs in a row regarding the actual level of competition? 

xPhrime
xPhrime

Where THE FUCK is Hans Krankl?! He should at least be 50-30.... Also Papin should be in the list.

RizwanNazirAhmed
RizwanNazirAhmed

Are you serious???? Ronaldinho should be ATLEAST in the top 10! I can not believe that you put the most gifted player in history at 39, you put luis suarez ahead of him? You should be ashamed!!!

adamrhbrown
adamrhbrown

@RizwanNazirAhmed The Luis Suarez on this list is the Spanish one from the 1960s. And if Ronaldinho was 'the most gifted player in history', shouldn't his era as the best player in the world been a lot longer than 2 years?


In any case, the list is nearly 4 years old and needs updating, but it looks as though Miguel has abandoned the project, which is a shame.

baggio1994
baggio1994

Bobby Moore so far down and Platini? Really now...Laudrup(as good as he was) and Sandro Mazzola better than Baggio. Which wino picks these?


baggio1994
baggio1994

A flawed list....firstly: baggio can't be 60 odd and below some of those people ahead of him(trophies aren't skills) and Maradona can't be above Pele(how can Pele's international rating be 84.  to Maradona's 89 even if you do give him a 1% nod over Pele in ability). Plus remember ability is not just dribbling and control(areas I do rate Maradona above Pele in). Ability should mean total: Pele was two-footed and better in the area, equal or almost in passing and free-kicks etc. Pele first. Messi not in top ten(most over-rated ever). Baggio in top ten.

Davidoss08
Davidoss08

Can this list be updated? I'm curious to see if CR7 has made it and where he fits in.

RodrigoBasques
RodrigoBasques

guys pele has done everythinng right in his carreer you seem to forget the hand of god goal him smelling cocaine and giving it to children and maradona vs romario romario completely mugged him off he says he could get past anybody wouldnt even be able to get past my 3 year old cousin

andyzidane
andyzidane

@RodrigoBasques Pele was a great ambassador for the sport. A superb footballer. But why highlight factors about Maradona which have nothing to do with his ability? At least Diego had the balls / cojones to play in (and win) European football.


Interesting that you mention Romario, though. I would prefer him in my team ahead of Pele. And Ronaldo. And Garrincha.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

Well if you are an Englishmen then you cannot possibly understand why people love a rebel and hate an establishment.. Someone from a third world country can understand that very easily.. Someone from Latin America can precisely define it... but Europeans and Yankees cannot even imagine it... i will save the history lesson for another time..

 

Apart from having a very close relationship with Military dictators and FIFA's crooked bastards,, Pele did one thing for which many brazilians despise him-- HE FORGOT HIS ROOTS... he forgot where he came from,, he forgot the slum where he was brought up,, he forgot the shanties and hoodlums of Rio.. you say he is not evil.. Millions and Millions of people attended Garrincha's funeral in 1983...where was Pele??? Where was garrincha's great teammate??? Pele wasn't playing in 1983 oh no,, he retired in 1977..  Instead of attending his teammate's funeral,, Pele was busy in cuddling with his new buddies in FIFA..he was busy shaking hands with Reagan and the Queen ,Pele felt that it was more important to meet with these famous people rather than attending the funeral of his beloved teammate.. and you still DARE to say that Pele is not evil??????

 

Yes Pele did dedicate a goal to the poor childrens of brazil.. Hypocrites say very bright things at the beginning but in the end they give nothing... Pele did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the poverty of Brazil.. Pele was a lover of luxurious things.. he ran away to USA in 1974,, he starred a film with Stallione and launched his own video game in 1980.. he simply CHOSE to forgot about these poor childrens.. Once Pele climbed the ladder of fame,, he never even looked back at his native Brazil...

 

You can even see it today.. Millions of brazilians are in the streets protesting the corruption of this current government.. Millions of dollars are being invested for the World Cup but none in Healthcare.. Romario and Rivaldo understood the pulse of the people and they are already preparing to start a historic revolution in brazil to overthrow this crooked bastards.. but is PELE saying?? he is saying that People "should leave the streets and go back home and not create any chaos.The government is doing the right thing".. It INFURIATED the brazilians masses like wildfire.. Pele has become so distanced from his own people that he cannot even understand their pulse..

 

Di Stefano wasn't born in a slum like Garrincha,Pele,Maradona,Rivaldo,Romario.. Di Stefano had european descent and ultimately,, he fled to Europe to serve his forefathers.. He was born rich and he never cared for the poor.. In his playing days,, Di stefano didn't like Didi at all because he was from a very poor background.. that was reason why Real Madrid always kept Didi at bench while Stefano was running the show.. i never liked Di stefano but also i cannot disagree that he is one of the greatest in history..

 

Then you may ask that why do I Hate Pele So much???   I hate him so much because I LOVED him so much.. Before i knew about Pele's cuddling with FIFA and other bastards,, I loved Pele just like Garrincha, just like Maradona, just like Rivaldo, just Ronaldinho.. After all,, they all grew up in the dirtiest of slums.. i was six years old when Maradona was tearing apart the English in 1986 and from then on i started to dig the history to find players having a similar background to maradona.. i found Garrincha and Pele and while Pele was with FIFA,, i was not aware of that at that time.. Many years later when i did found out about Pele's real Face,, i was very shocked indeed.. Just like when Figo betrayed barca and went to Madrid,, Barca fans wrote in a banner-- "We Hate you so much because We loved you so much".. it was exactly my feeling with Pele..and while i continued to agree that he was one of the greatest in history along with Maradona and Garrincha,, i lost all the love for him..

 

Garrincha's tale is a sad one but he came to this planet to give joy to his people through the means of football and his people received the joy with open arms.. he only understood the language of football and he didn't even know the format of the 1958 and 62 World Cups.. the chilean newspaper rightfully said: "Which planet is Garrincha from??" We may not know that ever again but Brazil's love for him refuses to die........................................................................

snakehips
snakehips

Good time to remember Tom Finney.Very few would have seen him play.But not only brilliant - dazzling speed + goals + loyal to one club.But a gentleman off the pitch as well.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

30 years has passed since Garrincha died..  Yet the brazilians always says "We always label the rising stars as the Next Pele because we know there will always be ONE garrincha".. Many Latin American Poets were absolutely fascinated by the miracles feats that Garrincha conjured everyday.. the great Eduardo Galeano said these words:

"In the entire history of football no one made more people happy. When he was out there, the pitch was a circus ring, the ball a tamed animal, the match a party invitation. Garrincha nurtured his pet, the ball, and together they created such mischief that people almost died laughing. He jumped over it, it gambolled around him, hid itself away, skipped off and made him run after it. And on the way, his opponents ran into each other."

 

Manuel Francisco dos Santos aka GARRINCHA--the most beloved brazilian player of all time......

 

 

adamrhbrown
adamrhbrown

 @Tanvir 86 Pele and Garrincha provide an interesting personality contrast, but I still don't get why you feel people should automatically love the rebel and hate the establishment figure. Why wouldn't the vast majority of Brazilians love both of them? (Those who remember them at least.) It would be like Argentine fans loving Maradona and hating Messi or English fans loving Paul Gascoigne and hating Bobby Charlton.

adamrhbrown
adamrhbrown

 @snakehips  @Tanvir 86 Thanks. It's also worth mentioning that even if Pele could be said to have cuddled up to the military dictatorship, why does di Stefano never come in for the same vitriol from Mr. T? He was used by Franco's regime in much the same way, and he wasn't even Spanish!

 

As it happens, I watched the documentary Pele and Garrincha - Gods of Brazil a couple of days ago. It made the point that Garrincha wasn't always popular while he was actually alive, certainly in the latter part of his career.

 

Plus, there was the footage of Pele scoring his '1,000th goal'. Media myth or not, he took that moment to speak out - passionately - on behalf of starving children. Hardly the words of someone who had sold his soul entirely.

 

Don't get me wrong, Pele is a bit of a corporate whore (there's even a joke in The Simpsons about it), but he's not evil.

 

By the way, 'Menotti didn't pick Maradona because he was a Pele-lover'. What a bizarre statement. Clearly, he was very much a Didi man.

andyzidane
andyzidane

@adamrhbrown @snakehips the boy @Tanvir 86 's posts have been littered with bizarre comments for many many months now. I personally believe that Maradona is the greatest footballer of all time and prefer other Brazilians (such as Ronaldo) to Pele; but everyone is entitled to their own opinion without facing Tubby's abuse.

snakehips
snakehips

This is about the greatest 100 players of all time.

So why has the Pele v Maradona debate dominated virtually all comments so far?

It has become tedious + looks like the writers of these posts don't know any other players.

 

Sansho
Sansho

Pelé easily the greatest ever, ahead of the master of total football Cruyff. Maradona has benefited from myths and ignoring his faults and failures.

 

Before Pelé, Brazil had never won a world cup nor did they for 24 years without him. He was outstanding aged 17 in 58 world cup as well as in 1970. He made Santos the best club in the world, dominating Brazilian clubs with other great players and destroying the top European clubs, Benfica (hat-trick in Benfica), and Milan. He was top scorer in the Intercontinental Cup. In his time, South American clubs were easily a match for European. He had a magnificent scoring record in cup finals as well as overall, including against European clubs and countries. He was declared a national treasure by the Brazilian government, not allowed to play for as foreign club till the 70s

 

Maradona was sent off in one world cup, cheated in another and was disgraced in another, He had a poor scoring record in cup finals and for Napoli in Europe. He never won the top continental cup. Without him during his career Argentina won a world cup and the Copa America twice, but he never won the Copa America. He improved Argentina's win-loss record by only 0.8% compared with his absence during his career, whereas Pelé improved Brazil by 11.25%.

 

Pelé was a more complete player; great header, athletic, 2-footed, passer, shot, dribbler, vision; Maradona was mainly one-footed- so much for so-called technique. Pelé had a better temperament and Maradona was a cheat not only with infamous handball "goal" but also drugs.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @Sansho DID PELE EVER WIN COPA AMERICA???????? PELE WASN'T SENT OFF IN ANY GAME?????????? WAS MARADONA A STIRIKER LIKE PELE???????????

 

i don't have the patience to argue with another maradona-hater like you... i will only say that you have never watched GARRINCHA... Pele doesn't come even close..

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @Sansho do you even know the full of history of maradona??????????????

 

you talk like you are a great analyst but instead have a relentless grudge against maradona..

 

first, maradona was very unlucky to miss out on the 1978 WC.. he was the even younger than pele and he ripping everything in the argentine league.. but for some  reasons, menotti didn't chose him.. as menotti was an eternal Pele-lover, he feared that his darling's record of the youngest player to enter the WC will be broken if maradona is chosen.. at the final moment, menotti leaves out the blistering 16-year old maradona.... the whole argentina was shocked... but maradona didn't lose hope.. in came the 1979 youth WC, where maradona absolutely ripped everything by scoring 7 magnificent goals and winning it single-handedly.. just like pele in the late 50s, maradona was the greatest under-20 player in the late 70s..so to say maradona was a "ghost" in his youth is a pure indication of HATRED towards him..

 

maradona 82's appearance was bad because of that HAGGARD menotti's reluctance and egoistic passarella's ARROGANCE.. it was never maradona's fault.. he was a victim of those dirty "football" politics which was also why barca's president Nunez refused to play him in regular La liga matches..and let's not forget, maradona got injured by the WORST TACKLE OF ALL TIME by the butcher of bilbao which further increased doubts and rumors about maradona..

 

but maradona BURIED everything in 1986.. scored the GREATEST GOAL MANKIND HAS EVER WITNESSED on 22 June 1986, Azteca stadium.. not only did he dribble past half the english team, he controlled the ball superbly on the puddles of water on that pitch.. even more mind-boggling is that he accelerated at such a blistering pace on the right side of field, ordinary left-footers find it difficult to run in the right-side, but instead of slowing down, maradona accelerated with lightining pace and dribbled effortlessly past the english to score an absolutely legendary goal that took him to very pinnacle of football.. it was THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION of how far an individual player's impact goes on his team.. and throughout the whole 86 WC, maradona emphatically proved what a ONE-MAN team can do...

 

pele protagonist??????????? i assume you have never heard of Vava,garrincha,amarildo,tostao,carlos alberto, gerson,rivelino... pele's golden teammates who helped him SO MUCH... who did maradona play with????? burruchaga,careca,giordino,valdano.. maradona's average-ish teammates who couldn't even dribble past a player properly let alone helping maradona...

 

The list of footballers who said maradona is the greatest and infinity:

 

Zidane: the greatest ever

 

2: Careca: admiteas was far better than pele

 

3: Bobby Charlton: the greatest footballer

 

4: Gullit: he was from another world

 

5: Marco van Basten: The Greatest footballer ever

 

6: Former manager of england bobby robson: hate him or love him he was the greatest player of all time.

 

7: Zola: he was the god of football

 

8: Ronaldhino: hes was my idol and greatest

 

9: won player of the century at fifa 2000 awards

 

11: Ze Roberto and R. Carlos: Maradona was without doubt the greatest

 

12: Bearzot: Maradona is football

 

13: Sacchi on sky: Maradona is the best player in the world

 

14: Baggio: Maradona all players dream

 

15: gentile: Maradona better than Pelè

 

16: Boscov: Maradona can not be compared

 

17: Sivori: maradona the best in the world

 

18: Cantona: Maradona is greatest art.The

 

19: Eusebio: Maradona was the greatest

 

20: Maldini: Maradona is Maradona

 

– "Ruud Gullit: Diego Maradona is the best ever in my opinion". goal.com, 29 July 2012 – "Lionel Messi: Diego Maradona is the greatest of all-time". SoccerAnchor, 7 September 2011 – "Rummenigge: Maradona better than Pele". The Times of India, 12 November 2008 – "Paolo Maldini: Maradona best ever, Ronaldo close second" Paolo Maldini fan page, 21 July 2008 – "Gary Lineker: Diego has been the best player without a doubt, better than Pele" SoccerBlog, 25 March 2006 – "Glenn Hoddle: Diego Maradona is the greatest player of all time". SoccerBible, 22 July 2010. – "Ryan Giggs: Maradona is the best of all time". tribalfootball, 11 October 2011. – "Rio Ferdinand: In my eyes Maradona is the best footballer ever". fifa.com, 7 November 2008 – "Mario Kempes: Maradona is absolutely the best". ESPN soccernet, 18 April 2005. – "Aguero: It is disrespectful to compare me to Maradona". Mirro Football, 20 November 2011. – "Frank McGarvey: Diego Maradona was world's best player". Daily Record, 30 October 2008. – "Gordon Smith: Maradona was the best player I ever saw play the game". Daily Record, 30 October 2008. – "Trevor Edwards: Maradona is best" Central Telegraph, 11 April 2012 – "Maradona’s still number one". The Sun, 29 April 2011. – "Considered by many as the greatest football player to have ever walked the face of the earth". FIFA.com

 

 

berdutzalin
berdutzalin

@Tanvir 86 @Sansho was about to wrote smthing similar after reading lots of these pro pele comments.

Yes,pele has the numbers besides him,but you can't compare carlos alberto''s brazil golden team with maradona's underdogs argentina.

Maradona undercome the odds everywhere he went,carrying his team mostly in crucial matches. He had not so easy career as pele,cause of injuries,drug addiction,and lower teammates.

What maradona did overall,pure genius.

Personally,i admire zidane's plays the most,cause he was my childhood idol so it's not about taking sides or smthing.

Also i believe Gherghe Hagi should be at least me

ntioned here.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

Today is undoubtedly a sad day for football.. The greatest Portuguese player in history, the black Panther, a man who reinvented the art of scoring goals in the 1960s-- Eusebio has passed away from this world at the age of 71...

 

He stamped Portugal's name in the football map with his explosive goals in the 1966 WC... At that WC, much of the world was disappointed with Pele's epic failure but Eusebio exploded just at the right time to fill up the vacuum.. obviously, eusebio remained in Pele's shadows for the most of 60s,, but his domination in the European Cup was second to none.. and for that,, he remains an unfettering figure in the golden history of football..in my list of 100 greatest players,, he is no.12

 

May peace rest upon his Departed Soul............................................

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

with all the respect to maradona he is one of the greatest ever but  pele was better. if you look some old videos of pele was amazing,his dribbling,ball control and shoot was much better than maradona, who forgot the match against uruguay 1970 world cup pele performed the best skill ever.yes maradona win the biggest poll of fifa, but was voted by young fans who dont see pele play,in the other hand pele wins win the poll  by lengendery players who wins golden balls, if you dont believe watch here http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/best-x-players-of-y.html. its funny some compare the poll of maradona and the poll of pele WHY??? because  these footballers who are legends of these sport knows far more tons than football fans.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon i do remember the MISS OF THE CENTURY when the "Almighty Pele" did everything right against uruguay but then failed to score an OPEN goal.. When maradona dribbled against england,, nothing was open yet he still scored and that also against a 6'3 Shilton covering the goal..if pele scored on that night in 1970 then he MIGHT have reached the level of maradona but unfortunately that never happened..

 

why don't you see the even older videos of garrincha??? that will make pele look like a ball boy..

 

obviously,, "Legendary" players like Beckenbeur,Platini shared the same bed with pele in FIFA so it no surprise that FIFA would honour their favorite poster boy with that hilarious award.. Legendary players like Di Stefano,Bearzot,Baresi,Maldini who stayed far away from FIFA's A$$ said that Maradona was greater than pele.. so you decide which group of Legend's comments are you going to approve??? the fans already gave their verdict quite emphatically in three Worldwide polls.......

 

 

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86 Alfredo Di Stefano: "The best player ever? Pele. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pele was better."  your propaganda agaist pele is amazing,first off all you dont have proves that pele kiss  the ass of fifa. in a tv show, maradona and pele show there skills who has better heeding, pele beats maradona, if you dont bealave watch here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSRz3IZKhUg.all the legends like cruyff,Beckenbeur,di stefano voted pele and maradona voted by the fans.end of story

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @andyzidane  @Tanvir 86 maybe you dont understand my worlds, the video shows that pele has better ball control and proves his better that maradona,yes maradona is one of the best ever but pele is better, just  symple if you watch the video

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon HAHAHAHA.... what a pathetic video.. oh wow, a 73-year old pele has better ball control than a 53-year old Maradona,, so that makes him a greater player????????????!!!!!!!

 

Pele himself said DiStefano is the greatest player of all time... Messi?? Cristiano Ronaldo??? even a 10-year old boy having an average knowledge about football history will say that Pele is greater than these two.. But when it was asked to Distefano about Pele AND maradona,, He picked Maradona... Beckenbeur shares the bed with pele in FIFA and they also ran Viagra campaigns together.. so it is a no-brainer that beckenbeur would vote for his lifetime partner.. the legends who were not slaves to FIFA ,,they all said that maradona is the greatest..

 

You can now masturbate by watching that hilarious video.. Trolls like you have no place in this great site...

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86 this show was the year 2000 maradona was 40 and pele was 60, you  blame maradona every time,the video show that maradona lose the ball and again you said that maradona is greater than pele,you said that pele kiss the ass off fifa and all the biggest football organizations but you dont prove it,if you watch the brazilian ronaldo dribbble skills and technique is far more better than maradona,i think the only part that maradona is better than pele is the free kicks.

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon  you are that same troll by the name of Harry1996,,, changing names won't hide your retarded character..

 

as i've said many times before,, if you love pele so much then give him a call.. Make love with him using the cheapest viagras and then post the videos on youtube.. this site is for those people who can debate both subjectively and objectively using their vast knowledge about the rich history of football and not by posting pathetic rubbish youtube videos.. thus, you are not eligible to comment on this site by default..So stop wasting time and make that call to Pele before he runs to FIFA to sleep with Beckenbeur....

 

Tanvir 86
Tanvir 86

 @ronaldofenomenon  you are that same troll by the name of Harry1996,,, changing names won't hide your retarded character..

 

as i've said many times before,, if you love pele so much then give him a call.. Make love with him using the cheapest viagras and then post the videos on youtube.. this site is for those people who can debate both subjectively and objectively using their vast knowledge about the rich history of football and not by posting pathetic rubbish youtube videos.. thus, you are not eligible to comment on this site by default..So stop wasting time and make that call to Pele before he runs to FIFA to sleep with Beckenbeur....

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86  again and again you dont aswer in my question about pele kiss the ass of fifa and you fall to see in this symple video that maradona lose,you can talk trash every time but you dont proove nothing,1970 pele do the greatest skill ever, maranona never do something like that,in the era off pele, the ball was more harder to control than maradona era,who is harry1996, maybe someone who support pele?i dont give a shit.i just say my option,but there are more important thinks in life about pele and maradona

ronaldofenomenon
ronaldofenomenon

 @Tanvir 86 maybe my english is not so good  but  you cant avoid the truth,cruyff,beckebauer,platini,di stefano,zico said pele, all this players kiss the ass of fifa?hahahaha.you can say anything you want but you dont proove a thing.

nismoz
nismoz

 @ronaldofenomenon  @Tanvir 86 @ Ronaldofenomenon, instead of judging a players true strength based on other retired footballers comments, why dont u use ur brain and watch the standard of football in Pele's era? did u ever ask urself the question if gk even used gloves back in the 60s? did 4-2-4 formation play a major factor in helping the attacking team? did man marking even exist back then? have u even watched a game of the champs league in the 60s? how many subs were allowed in each game when pele was playing? how many games did Pele really played in 1962 wc? when u find out all the answers for that question i suggest u watch the serie a matches that Maradona played in Napoli in the late 80s and do a serious comparison on the defence both players faced! Real Madrid could win 5 champs league in the late 50s but no team has even come close to it since. what does that tell u? Football standards has gone up 3 notch since Pele's days!