List of association football players considered the greatest of all time

Last updated

This is a list of men's football players considered "the greatest of all time", so assessed by at least one expert or one group of experts. [lower-alpha 1] With the 20th century coming to an end, numerous lists were composed and votes held on the subject. [1]

Contents

Hyperbole and the influence of one's employer [2] [3] may have influenced some opinions. It has also been argued that due to the vast pool of talent, circumstantial differences, personal preferences, and the evolution of the game, it is difficult to compare players from different eras. [4] [5]

Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. In rhetoric, it is also sometimes known as auxesis. In poetry and oratory, it emphasizes, evokes strong feelings, and creates strong impressions. As a figure of speech, it is usually not meant to be taken literally.

List

Men

PlayerYearsClub(s)National team(s)№ of expert(s)
Roberto Baggio 1982–2004 Vicenza, Fiorentina, Juventus, Milan, Bologna, Inter Milan and Brescia Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Franz Beckenbauer 1964–1983 Bayern Munich, New York Cosmos and Hamburger SV Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
George Best 1963–1984Ulster Banner.svg  Northern Ireland
Bobby Charlton 1956–1980Flag of England.svg  England
Johan Cruyff 1964–1984 Ajax, Barcelona, Los Angeles Aztecs, Washington Diplomats, Levante and Feyenoord Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Alfredo Di Stéfano 1945–1966 River Plate, Huracán, Millonarios, Real Madrid and Espanyol Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina and Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
Eusébio 1957–1979Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Garrincha 1953–1972 Botafogo, Corinthians, Portuguesa Carioca, Atlético Junior, Flamengo, and Olaria Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Paolo Maldini 1985–2009 Milan Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Diego Maradona 1976–1997 Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina
Giuseppe Meazza 1927–1947 Inter Milan, Milan, Juventus, Varese and Atalanta Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Lionel Messi 2003–present Barcelona Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina
Gerd Müller 1963–1981 1861 Nördlingen, Bayern Munich and Fort Lauderdale Strikers Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
Pelé 1956–1977 Santos and New York Cosmos Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Michel Platini 1972–1987 Nancy, Saint-Étienne and Juventus Flag of France.svg  France
Ferenc Puskás 1943–1967 Budapest Honvéd and Real Madrid Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary and Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
Ronaldinho 1998–2015Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Ronaldo 1993–2011Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Cristiano Ronaldo 2002–present Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
Marco van Basten 1981–1995 Ajax and Milan Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
Zico 1971–1994 Flamengo, Udinese and Kashima Antlers Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Zinedine Zidane 1989–2006 Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid Flag of France.svg  France

Women

PlayerYearsClub(s)National team(s)№ of expert(s)
Michelle Akers 1985–2000Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Mia Hamm 1987–2004Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Marta 2000–Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
Sun Wen 1989–2006Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China PR

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ These include agents, club presidents/chief executive officers, clubs, coaches, football-related associations, members of the written media, sporting directors and other professional footballers
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The vote was conducted by France Football at the end of the 20th century. Stanley Matthews, Omar Sívori, George Best and Lev Yashin did not vote. [9]
  3. ↑ Lawton had his opinion published twice. In 2014, he opted for Maradona, [30] but chose Pelé on his revised assessment of the debate three years later. [31]
  4. ↑ Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is one of the first 34 players to win the Ballon d'Or.
  5. 1 2 Benzema has voiced contradictive opinions at least twice. In 2016, he told the official website of bwin: "When I was younger, the way the Brazilian Ronaldo played had an influence on me. For me he's the best striker and the best player of all-time", even though he had said: "[Cristiano Ronaldo] made me dream and he still makes me dream. For me, he is the best player of all time. I play with the best player in the world", in an interview with Téléfoot two years earlier.
  6. ↑ During the 2012–13 season, Mourinho lauded Cristiano Ronaldo as the greatest of all time, [169] [170] [171] but effectively retracted these statements in 2016 and 2018 by saying that he prefers Ronaldo Nazário, Pelé, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi to Cristiano. [172] [173]
  7. ↑ Arvind has also worked and written articles for Managing Madrid, SB Nation, SB Nation Radio and Outside of the Boot.

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References

  1. ↑ Marcelo Leme de Arruda (19 June 2009). "'The Best of The Best'". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Rawson, Dov (April 2018). "What a Real Madrid youngster has done after saying he prefers sahil shaikh Ronaldo". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 17 June 2018. It's widely understood that everyone employed by Real Madrid will say that [Cristiano] Ronaldo is the better of the two [Lionel Messi and Ronaldo].
  3. ↑ Shetty, Sanjeev (12 June 2017). "Who really is the best: Messi or Ronaldo?". GQ. Retrieved 17 June 2018. When he wasn't coach of the richest football team in the world, Zinedine Zidane was allowed opinions on things not pertaining to Real Madrid.
  4. ↑ Liew, Jonathan (4 June 2014). "How and why Pele's mystique and reputation as the world's greatest ever footballer has been overhyped". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  5. 1 2 Heta, Marco (2 September 2018). "Ronaldo, Messi, Pele: The GOAT debate is unending, and shouldn't matter". Football Paradise . Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  6. ↑ Giulia Crivelli. "Gianni Agnelli e "roi Michel", una passione infinita" (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore. Retrieved 6 November 2018. Baggio è il più grande giocatorino che abbia mai visto.
  7. ↑ "Ravanelli elogia Baggio: «Il più forte di sempre»" (in Italian). Il Corriere dello Sport. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2018. Faccio tanti auguri a Roberto, è un ragazzo straordinario, sa giocare a calcio come pochi, sicuramente il più forte col quale ho giocato. Non era alto, sembrava non fosse forte fisicamente ma lo era, ha avuto problemi gravi alle ginocchia ma non l'hanno fermato. Per il momento uno come lui non c'è in circolazione, negli ultimi 30 metri diventava cinico, non perdonava, sapeva far gol e mettere la palla perfetta al compagno.
  8. ↑ Brehme, Andreas (28 May 2018). "Andreas Brehme picks his all-time Germany XI". TheGuardian.com . Retrieved 28 June 2018. With all respect for players such as Pelé, Johan Cruyff, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, for me Franz Beckenbauer continues to be the best player in the world of all time.
  9. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel (23 December 2015). "France Football's Football Player of the Century". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Kilpatrick, Chris (13 March 2013). "Pele: Belfast boy George Best was Brazilian". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 26 June 2018. The legendary Brazilian footballer Pele famously named George Best as the world's greatest ever player.
  11. ↑ "What made Bobby Charlton the best footballer ever?". Radio Times . 8 October 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Il più grande di tutti i tempi" [The greatest of all time | Five commentators, five choices: that's why]. SportMediaset (in Italian). 29 October 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  13. ↑ Carney, Jimmi (31 May 2011). "The 100 Best Footballers of All Time". Bleacher Report . Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Spencer, Jamie (6 April 2018). "What Made Johan Cruyff, Hero of 1974, the Greatest of All Time". 90min.com . Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  15. ↑ Dove, Ed. "'Di Stefano was the best of all time' - Perez". Goal . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  16. ↑ ESPN staff (7 July 2014). "Alfredo Di Stefano greatest of all time". ESPN.com . Retrieved 23 September 2018.
  17. ↑ "Alfredo Di Stéfano, the best player of all time". Realmadrid.com. Madrid, Spain: Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  18. ↑ Haugstad, Thore (17 December 2015). "The incomparable legacy of Helenio Herrera". These Football Times . Retrieved 18 June 2018. 'Di Stéfano’s the greatest player in history,' Herrera would later say.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kane, Desmond (25 March 2016). "The top five players of all time - where does Johan Cruyff rank on our list of greats?". Official website of Eurosport . Retrieved 19 June 2018. After the sad death of Dutch icon Johan Cruyff at the age of 68 on Thursday, we ask 10 Eurosport writers in the UK and Ireland and around mainland Europe to name their greatest five players in the history of the game and why they merit their place in the top five.
  20. ↑ "Bobby Charlton: 'Di Stefano was a titan of the game, the best ever'". 7 July 2014.
  21. ↑ "Eusebio: 'Garrincha was ahead of Pele, but Di Stefano is the best in history'". 3 March 2008.
  22. ↑ Gonçalves, Pedro (15 June 2015). "The greatest teams of all time: Benfica 1960-62". Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Retrieved 1 August 2018. Eusébio: 'He was the best player of all time,' said Alfredo Di Stéfano after Eusébio's death in January 2014.
  23. ↑ Quique Rubio Seguir (2 June 2017). "Formoso: 'El mejor fue Garrincha por delante de Pelé y Cruyff'". AS.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 July 2018.
  24. ↑ "21 of the best quotes on Paolo Maldini: 'His soul belongs to Milan'". www.planetfootball.com. 29 September 2017. Paolo Maldini is the best I’ve played against.
  25. ↑ "Camacho: 'Maradona was, is and always will be the best in the world'". Marca English. 3 December 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2018. Former Spain coach José Antonio Camacho has talked about how he thinks the Argentine hero Diego Armando Maradona is the 'best player in the history of the game'.
  26. ↑ "Glenn Hoddle Exclusive Interview - Hummel Football Boots". SoccerBible. 20 March 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2018. SB: Who in your opinion is the greatest player of all time? GH: Diego Maradona.
  27. ↑ "Maradona special: 'Diego was my room-mate' - Mauricio". Official website of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018. 'It was so emotional because in more than 20 years I didn't see him, to meet again, that's fantastic. For me he's the best player ever in football and he's massive. He remembered every single moment that we shared when we played at Newell's Old Boys. That is why he's Diego Maradona. He's fantastic not only on the pitch, but off the pitch he's a great personality.'
  28. ↑ "Maradona greatest footballer — destroyed opposition alone: Luca Caioli". The Times of India. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  29. ↑ Haugstad, Thore (28 July 2017). "FourFourTwo's 100 Greatest Footballers EVER: No.1, Diego Maradona". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  30. ↑ Lawton, James (14 January 2014). "James Lawton's 10 greatest players of all-time includes Ballon d-Or winner but he's well down the list". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  31. ↑ Lawton, James (5 May 2017). "James Lawton: Ronaldo is great, but he's not the greatest... here's my top 10 best of all time". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  32. ↑ Uusitalo, Heikki (11 June 2014). "Tässä ovat sata kaikkien aikojen parasta jalkapalloilijaa - kerro mielipiteesi". Kaleva.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  33. ↑ Bailey, Richard (23 March 2018). "Messi lacks Maradona's charisma, claims Batistuta". Diario AS. Retrieved 10 October 2018. Diego Maradona 'is and will remain' the greatest ever, says Gabriel Batistuta, who believes Lionel Messi lacks the charisma to match him. [...] 'For me, [Maradona] was the greatest of all,' Batistuta told Corriere dello Sport.
  34. ↑ Bailey, Richard (7 November 2008). "Maradona makes Rio's day". Sky Sports . Retrieved 18 June 2018. [Rio Ferdinand] said: 'We were like school kids around a star coming to school. In my eyes he is the best footballer ever. He is one of my heroes if not the shining beacon when I was a kid.'
  35. ↑ "Maradona better than Pele: Rummenigge". The Times of India. Kolkata, West Bengal, India. 12 November 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2018. 'Maradona was the real best footballer ever seen in the world. Telling you the truth, I always liked Maradona. Both (Pele and Maradona) have been fantastic players.' Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.
  36. ↑ "Marco Van Basten: 'Best player ever? Maradona'". 2015.
  37. ↑ "Carlos Valderrama: 'Maradona is the greatest player ever'". 8 September 2017.
  38. ↑ "Lionel Messi: 'Maradona Is The Greatest There's Ever Been'". 14 June 2018.
  39. ↑ Whittaker, Mike (24 December 2012). "Giuseppe Meazza: A legend ahead of his time". ESPN.com . Retrieved 1 August 2018. The late great Peppino Prisco considered him to be the best of all time: 'Meazza was great, unbeatable, even if he would occasionally run into a frightful crisis, caused by his intense sexual activity and his passion for the game. When he took over on the field, he did things that left the mouth ajar.'
  40. ↑ "Peppin Meazza, il demonio che infiammò Milano" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 8 June 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2018. Secondo Brera, e dunque secondo la storia, è stato il più grande di tutti.
  41. ↑ Smith, Adam (27 December 2015). "Barcelona supremo Josep Maria Bartomeu: Lionel Messi the best throughout the history of football... we can't live without him". MailOnline . Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  42. ↑ "Messi the greatest ever, says Galliani". Football Italia. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  43. ↑ Press Association (22 March 2010). "Lionel Messi is the best player ever, claims Barcelona president". TheGuardian.com . Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  44. ↑ "Messi 'the best ever' says Barcelona chief". CNN.com . 22 March 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  45. ↑ Sundaresan, Keeshaanan. ""Messi is better than Pele and Maradona," says Argentina's coach Carlos Bianchi". SportsKeeda. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  46. ↑ Marsden, Rory (24 April 2017). "Lionel Messi Hailed as 'The Best of All Time' by Luis Enrique After Clasico Win". Bleacher Report . Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  47. ↑ Marsden, Sam (24 April 2017). "Barcelona's Lionel Messi 'best player in the history of the game' - Luis Enrique". ESPN.com . Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  48. ↑ John Owen Nwachukwu (24 April 2017). "Messi best player in football history – Luis Enrique". Daily Post . Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  49. ↑ "Luis Enrique: Messi is the best ever". Marca. 23 April 2017.
  50. ↑ Grohmann, Karolos (13 May 2015). "Messi is the best player of all time - Bayern's Guardiola". Reuters . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  51. ↑ "Hoyos: There's no one like Messi". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 19 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2018. Days before The Best Awards [Hoyos] says: 'He is the best ever'. [...] *Pep Guardiola said a little while ago that he’s the greatest player of all time, by a distance. What’s your view? *That’s the way I see it too, and I say that with the utmost respect for everyone else.
  52. ↑ "Koeman, en El Partido de las 12: 'Lo de Piqué no es una falta de respeto. Después de un triplete se puede decir eso. Es humor'". Official website of Cadena COPE (in Spanish). 9 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2018. El entrenador del Southampton aseguró que 'Messi es el mejor jugador de todos los tiempos' y alabó el trabajo de Luis Enrique en el Barcelona, 'responsable de buena parte del éxito' del conjunto azulgrana esta temporada.
  53. ↑ "Lopetegui: 'Messi es el mejor de la historia'". Goal (in Spanish). 30 November 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  54. ↑ Whaling, James. "Graeme Souness: Lionel Messi is the best player ever - and it's not even close". Mirror. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  55. ↑ Pisani, Sacha. "Valverde: Messi is the best player there is and there ever will be". Goal . Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  56. ↑ Chakraborty, Sushan (22 January 2018). "'Lionel Messi the Greatest Player Ever,' Claims Barcelona Boss Ernesto Valverde". 90min.com . Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  57. ↑ "Ernesto Valverde lauds Lionel Messi as the 'best ever' after Barcelona beat Real Betis". Sky Sports. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  58. ↑ "Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger chooses between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo". Fox Sports . Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  59. ↑ Malam, Charlie. "Lionel Messi: Why Barcelona star is greatest ever player - Balague". Express. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  60. ↑ Bull, JJ (7 May 2015). "Lionel Messi: the best footballer the world has ever seen". Telegraph.co.uk . Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  61. ↑ "The greatest footballer we have seen - our experts' verdicts | Jason Burt - Lionel Messi". Telegraph.co.uk . Retrieved 14 August 2018. It has to be Lionel Messi who I am convinced is not only the best player I have ever seen but the best player ever.
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  63. ↑ Soler, Gemma (4 June 2018). "Leo Messi Is the G.O.A.T." Paper. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  64. ↑ Redmond, Robert. "Lionel Messi proved he's the best ever, in the biggest sport, at a time when the standards have never been higher". SportsJOE.ie . Retrieved 14 August 2018.
  65. ↑ "Playing with best ever Messi is a luxury – Alba". FourFourTwo. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  66. ↑ "Ronaldo the best I've faced but Messi the greatest ever - Dani Alves". FourFourTwo. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  67. ↑ "Lionel Messi: 'No he didn't...what have my eyes just witnessed' - Wilfried Zaha, Joey Barton and Gary Lineker react to Barcelona win". Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  68. 1 2 Moore, Joe (4 October 2018). "'Lionel Messi is the best footballer in history' – Alan Brazil and Dean Saunders reopen GOAT debate". Talksport. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  69. ↑ Pardo, Pierluigi (17 July 2018). "Antonio Cassano: "Se solo avessi avuto la testa di Ronaldo"" [Antonio Cassano: «If only I had the head of Ronaldo»]. Vanity Fair (in Italian). Retrieved 21 October 2018. Insomma, Cristiano è un fenomeno. Ma lei ha un debole soprattutto per Leo Messi. Come mai? «Amo Messi non in contrapposizione a Cristiano, ma perché per me è il più grande della storia, perché l’emozione che riesce a darmi è unica [...]».
  70. ↑ IANS (13 June 2018). "World Cup: Messi greatest but Argentina not on Chhetri's list of contenders". The News Minute . Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  71. ↑ "Messi the greatest ever despite no World Cup win, insists Di Maria". Goal . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  72. ↑ Buckerfield, Kurt (31 May 2018). "Dybala: Messi Is The Best Player In History". Soccer Laduma. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  73. ↑ Football Italia staff (29 May 2018). "Dybala: Incredible to play with Messi". Football Italia . Retrieved 30 July 2018. Juventus’ Paulo Dybala admits Lionel Messi is ‘the best player in the history of football’ and that merely training with him for Argentina is ‘incredible’.
  74. ↑ Burton, Chris. "Messi vs Ronaldo: Fabregas considers 'complete' Barcelona star to be 'best ever'". Goal . Retrieved 10 October 2018.
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  153. ↑ "Dino Sani: o segredo é não inventar". impedimento.net. 24 September 2013. Eu marcava mais o meia, que ficava mais atrás, o Mengálvio. Pelé era um ponta de lança, o maior que já existiu, era um inferno jogar contra ele, um inferno. Pelé é absolutamente incomparável, rapidez mental única. Te dava um drible sem você perceber. O que fazíamos era tentar antecipar, porque um jogador como ele era imarcável...Depois de Pelé e Di Stéfano é ele[Maradona], sem dúvida.
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  155. ↑ Puterflam, Michael (25 January 2016). "Luis Garcia's best XI includes only former Liverpool and Barcelona players". Fox Sports. Retrieved 23 July 2018. Up front Garcia named a striker that he said was the best ever. 'At striker I will go for the best player that’s ever played... Ronaldinho,' said Garcia.
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  201. ↑ "David Beckham Claims Zinedine Zidane is Greatest Player of All Time". Sports Illustrated. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
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  205. ↑ "Matildas ready for Brazil's Marta, the undisputed queen of women's football". ABC News (Australia). 15 September 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2019. While there's debate in the men's game for the title of the best of all time — Pele, Maradona, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo among the contenders — coach Alen Stajcic said there was no debate in the women's game. "That's not even an opinion, it's a fact," he said.
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