Undoubtedly, football is the most popular game in the world, gathering thousandth stadiums and a millionth army of fans from TVs.
Over the history of football, there have been many athletes who have conquered us with their bewitching game and skill. And after the greatest masters of football hang up boots on a nail, a new generation of players appears who again win the hearts of fans with their game and talent, bring in new elements, and most importantly, score masterpiece goals. Here is the greatest football players in the world.
Criteria for evaluation
First, let us present the criteria by which a list of outstanding football players in the history of football was compiled. There are only five of these factors, but they allow you to fully appreciate the greatness of the player from all sides, and the maximum score for each is 10 points.
As a result of the analysis, we got such a tablet of the greatest football players in the world.
And now we’ll directly consider each of the analysis criteria, which allowed us to create such a rating. But immediately make a reservation that we will slightly go beyond the table.
✅ Talent / Abilities
Talent is exactly the criterion that distinguishes a good football player from a great ball magician. You can be talented, have excellent command of technology, but remain a mediocre player if you do not constantly demonstrate your skills on the field for a long time.
✅ Victories / Trophies
One of the important factors is the success and victory of the team in which you play, because football is a team game. It is important to be useful and prove by your game that at the moment your team, albeit not a stellar one, but the strongest one, but the trophies won confirm this.
✅ Longevity
Stability is a sign of mastery. But another important factor is the ability to play at a high level in elite clubs and championships for a long time. You can show off at the beginning of a career, and then remain promising all your life and play in mediocre championships and clubs.
✅ Fear factor
You can beat equal and weak opponents with a crushing score, but the talent is also in overcoming fear and defeating a stronger opponent. The Wales team, which reached the semifinals at the 2016 European Championships, is a vivid confirmation of this.
✅ Individuality
Becoming a team leader is also a great skill. The unique art of leading teammates around the game, being able to solve a difficult task alone. Individual brilliance has always been and remains the main indicator of a talented football player. Sometimes, bright personalities on the football field allow teams to win and get the coveted trophies.
The analysis criteria are presented, and now we will go directly to the heroes who worked and continue to work miracles on the football field.
List of the best football players
Pele
The greatest football player in the history of football is Edson Arantis do Nascimento. Or just Pele, recognized by FIFA as the best footballer of the 20th century.
With his Santos club, Pele won all the trophies of the Brazilian National League, scoring, according to unofficial data, 1,281 goals in his entire career. Pele is the only one who has become the three-time world champion in the Brazil national team.
Experts believe that the only drawback in the player’s career is that he did not have time to play in European clubs, which at that time were actively competing with Latin American teams.
By the way, about the best football clubs, according to thebiggest.ru, read an interesting article on our website.
Lionel Messi
At 13, a talented boy from the Argentine city of Rosario came to Barcelona, and at 17 he entered the field in the main team of this club.
It was in favor of Barca that Lionel became one of the best football players of all time. To date, he is the top scorer in the Spanish club and Argentina.
Among Messi's personal trophies there are four Golden Balls, three Golden Boots as the best scorer. Four times won the Champions League with Barcelona.
Silver medalist of the World Cup and Olympic champion in the Argentine national team.
Diego Maradona
You can have a different attitude to the personality of Maradona, but the fact that he is a great player is undeniable. It was his talent and determination that led the Argentine national team to the championship title at the championship in Mexico in 1986.
He is often compared to Pele, but Maradona’s individuality with its distinctive qualities, which allowed him to achieve great success. Unlike Pele, the Argentinean spent most of his career in Europe.
It was with European clubs that the main trophies and championship prizes were obtained in the life of the illustrious and unique Diego Maradona.
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine's career revealed in the Italian Juventus. With the Italian club, the Frenchman won the UEFA Super Cup, later this success was repeated already in Real Madrid.
The culmination of Zidane's career was the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, where the French national team scored a golden double, and Zenidin scored decisive goals.
His departure from the big sport was just as beautiful when he harshly but fairly answered the rudeness of the Italian defender Materazzi. Three times the owner of the Golden Ball continues a successful career as a coach.
France beckenbauer
One of the brightest players who not only shone on the field, but also brought innovations to the game. It was France who was the first to quickly bring the ball out of defense into the line of attack.
It was the talented and unlike manner of behavior on the field of the German athlete that allowed him to achieve great success, and the German team became the world football leader, winning both the European Championship and the World Championship in a row in 1972 and 1974, respectively.
Frans Beckenbauer was twice awarded the Golden Ball, and one of the few who became the World Champion, both as a player and as a coach.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Perhaps the most talented and brilliant player of our time. Millions of fans will be upset when Cristiano decides to end his career. But at 30, he continues to remain at the peak of fame, never ceasing to amaze with magnificent goals and ornate feints in every game.
Everyday training and determination, plus incredible talent allowed us to achieve impressive results.
An insulting injury in the final of the European Championship did not allow the repeated owner of the Golden Ball and Golden Boot, Cristiano to finish the golden match when his Portuguese team won the gold medals of the European championship for the first time.
Alfredo Di Stefano Laulier
Di Stefano played for Real Madrid and in the 50s brought this Spanish club to world leaders with his unique and talented game. For five consecutive years, the club won the European Cup, and in all five finals, decisive goals flew into the opponents' goal after strikes by di Stefano.
Speaking at the center forward position, Alfredo was the first of the players of this role to go back and help teammates in defense. In fact, this was the beginning of the rotation, when each player can play in any position.
The Argentinean game was highly appreciated by the international community. He was twice recognized as the best soccer player in the world, raising the Golden Ball above his head.
Javier Hernandez Creus
This player, better known in the world as Xavi, has secured leading positions in any sports and football ranking with his game. A pupil of Barcelona won the main trophies with this club in his sports career.
Midfielder with a good vision of the field and possession of the ball, one of the most clogged midfielders in the world. He discouraged the enemy with magnificent passages to the goal and a sharp blow.
The World Champion and twice the European Champion in Spain, at the age of 37, continues his career as a playing coach at the Qatari club Al Sadd.
Johan Cruyff
That's who truly was a revolutionary in the game. Cruyff (for a long time in the USSR and Russia he was called Cruyff) was one of the best midfielders of his time.
The Dutchman played for the most famous club in the Netherlands, Ajax, having won eight championship titles with him. Then there was Barcelona, and Johan ended his career in his homeland, playing for Feyenoord.
Eight times scored the most goals in Europe in a season and won the Golden Boot. FIFA three times recognized Cruyff as the best player in the world.
Michel Platini
During his career, the most talented French football player played in 583 matches, scoring 313 goals. And the French team, in which Michel was the captain, won the gold medals of the European Championship in 1984, and in 1986 became silver medalists of the World Championship.
For three consecutive years he became the owner of the Golden Ball, and in those same years, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, he became the top scorer of the Italian champion in the legendary Juventus.
He worked as a coach for the French national team, headed the national football federation, and from 2007 to 2015 he was president of UEFA.
Lev Yashin
You must admit that there are not enough goalkeepers in this top ten, because 11 players go on the field, and as you know, a good goalkeeper is half the team.
But Lev Yashin, who plays for Dynamo Moscow, was not just good, he was an unrivaled gatekeeper. The only goalkeeper who received the Golden Ball as the best soccer player in the world.
In the piggy bank of Lev Nikolayevich gold medals of the Olympics and the European Cup, numerous awards of domestic sports. In addition, the famous Soviet athlete was awarded the Star of the Hero of Socialist Labor.
By the way, you can read about the best goalkeepers in history in one of our articles.
Conclusion
The history of football undoubtedly knows other talented players, but this peculiar team of the world is written in gold letters in the pages of the history of the game of millions. And new fans and football fans, admiring the game of contemporaries, no, no, and they will compare their game with the masters of the past.
TheBiggest editors are asking you to write what other great football players in history should be on this list.
Article author: Valery Skiba