Football, also known as soccer, is the most popular sport in the world with an estimated 4 billion fans worldwide. Over the years, we’ve seen some incredible football players who have revolutionized the game with their skills and talents. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the top 10 best football players ever to play the game. From Pelé to Messi, we’ll be discussing their achievements, contributions, and also impact on the game.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Pelé
- Lionel Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Diego Maradona
- Johan Cruyff
- Zinedine Zidane
- Ronaldo de Lima
- Franz Beckenbauer
- Michel Platini
- Ferenc Puskás
- Criteria for Selection
Introduction
Football has produced some of the most talented athletes the world has ever seen. These players have brought glory to their countries, and their names will forever be etched in the history books of football. The players on this list have won multiple awards, broken records, and also have set new standards for future generations.
Top 10 Best Football Players of All Time
1. Pelé
- Edson Arantes do Nascimento, also known as Pelé, is widely considered the greatest football player of all time.
- He won three World Cups with Brazil and scored a total of 1281 goals in his career.
- Pelé’s technique and skill were unparalleled, and also he was known for his incredible dribbling and finishing ability.
2. Lionel Messi
- Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional football player who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain.
- Messi is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, having won numerous awards, including seven Ballon d’Or titles.
- He has scored more than 700 goals in his career and is known for his incredible dribbling, passing, and finishing ability.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
- Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional football player who currently plays for Manchester United.
- Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or titles and has scored more than 780 goals in his career.
- He is known for his incredible speed, strength, and aerial ability.
4. Diego Maradona
- Diego Maradona was an Argentine professional football player who is considered one of the best players of all time.
- He led Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup and scored one of the most famous goals in football history.
- Maradona was known for his incredible dribbling ability and was often compared to Pelé.
5. Johan Cruyff
- Johan Cruyff was a Dutch professional football player who revolutionized the game with his innovative style of play.
- He won three Ballon d’Or titles and led Ajax and Barcelona to multiple European titles. Cruyff was known for his incredible dribbling, passing, and also vision.
6. Zinedine Zidane
- Zinedine Zidane is a retired French professional football player who is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.
- He won multiple titles with Real Madrid and the French national team, including the 1998 World Cup.
- Zidane was known for his incredible ball control, vision, and also finishing ability.
7. Ronaldo de Lima
- Ronaldo de Lima, also known as Ronaldo, is a retired Brazilian professional football player who is considered one of the greatest strikers of all time.
- He won two World Cups with Brazil and scored a total of 352 goals in his career.
- Ronaldo was known for his incredible speed, strength, and finishing ability.
8. Franz Beckenbauer
- Franz Beckenbauer is a retired German football (soccer) player and coach who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time. He was born on September 11, 1945, in Munich, Germany.
- During his playing career, Beckenbauer played for several clubs, including Bayern Munich and New York Cosmos. He also played for the German national team, where he served as team captain and helped lead Germany to victory in the 1974 World Cup.
- Beckenbauer was known for his versatility and tactical intelligence. He could play as a defender, midfielder, or even as a forward. He was also known for popularizing the sweeper (or libero) position, which he played for most of his career.
9. Michel Platini
- Michel Platini is a retired French football (soccer) player who is considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He was born on June 21, 1955, in Joeuf, France.
- During his playing career, Platini played for several clubs, including Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus. He also played for the French national team, where he served as team captain and helped lead France to victory in the 1984 European Championship.
- Platini was known for his incredible technical ability, vision, and passing skills. He won numerous awards and accolades throughout his career, including the Ballon d’Or three times (in 1983, 1984, and 1985) and the UEFA European Championship Golden Boot in 1984.
10. Ferenc Puskás
- Ferenc Puskás was a Hungarian football player who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Born in 1927, he started his career at Budapest Honvéd and helped his team win five Hungarian league titles. Puskás also led the Hungarian national team, known as the “Mighty Magyars,” to the final of the 1954 World Cup, where they were narrowly defeated by West Germany.
- In 1958, Puskás moved to Spain to play for Real Madrid, where he won numerous titles, including three European Cups. He scored over 500 goals in his career, and was known for his incredible shooting ability and accuracy. Puskás was also a captain of the Hungarian national team and was regarded as a leader on and off the pitch.
- After retiring from playing, Puskás became a successful coach, leading teams in Greece, Spain, and the United States. He passed away in 2006 at the age of 79, but his legacy in the football world lives on, with the FIFA Puskás Award being named in his honor for the most beautiful goal of the year.
Criteria for Selection
The criteria used to select the top 10 football players ever were skill, success, impact, and also longevity. Skill refers to the technical ability of the player, success to the number of trophies won, impact to the influence the player had on the game, and also longevity to the player’s career length.
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