[NOTE: The term "football" in this post refers to Soccer, not American Football.] There has been much debate over the best footballers and rightly so, considering the sheer amount of players and the vastness of ‘the beautiful game’. It is astonishing how FIFA has more members than the UN. Played simply everywhere, today I would like to introduce this list which will, I expect, gather criticism, but constructive criticism is appreciated as always – so please feel free to speak up!
One of the best defenders of all time from France, he is famous for his 2 goals in the 1998 world cup semi final against Croatia when France came from behind to win 2-1. France eventually won the world cup beating Brazil 3-0. At club level, he has played in AS Monaco, Juventus and FC Barcelona.
He has played for Spanish club Real Madrid for eleven years, winning four leagues, three UEFA Champions League trophies, and two Intercontinental Cups. He is also one of only six players to have played more than one hundred matches in the Champions League. He is especially famous for a free kick against France on June 3, 1997, where he shot from 35 m (110 ft) from the centre-right channel, and scored.
David Beckham is a leading English footballer whose popularity extends beyond the field and into international celebrity. Beckham was already a crowd-pleasing star for Manchester United when he married Spice Girls star Victoria Adams in July of 1999; the combination proved irresistible to the press and public, and they became one of Britain’s most famous couples. As a player Beckham is particularly known for his free kick expertise and spectacular long-range shots while his right foot is the national treasure of England.
One of the most successful German players in recent history, having won eight German championships, six German cups, the UEFA Cup (1996), the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup (both 2001). His individual contributions have earned him four consecutive UEFA Best European Goalkeeper awards, three IFFHS World’s Best Goalkeeper of the Year awards and two German “Footballer of the Year” trophies.
Often called the White Pelé, he is commonly considered one of the most skilled dribblers and finishers ever and possibly the world’s best player of the early 80′s. He was also known as one of history’s greatest free kick specialists, able to bend the ball with pace and accuracy as well as having an extremely powerful shot.
A superb goalkeeper, perhaps the best in the history of the game, he was a Soviet sports hero. Yashin spent his playing career with the Moscow Dynamo club, and after retirement was a coach there. Dynamo won five league championships and three cups due in large part to Yashin’s domination of the goal. Yashin’s playing was an important element in the Soviet national team’s gold medal win at the 1956 Olympics, and he tended goal for the team in three World Cups. He became the only goalkeeper to be named European footballer of the year, and was awarded the title of world goalkeeper of the 20th cent. Fondly known as the black spider (after his Black Goal keeper uniform..
Besides being a defender at the centre back position, Koeman was also known for his powerful right-footed free kicks and dead ball ability where he scored many vital goals for the team, and it was from a free-kick that he scored FC Barcelona’s winning goal in the 1992 European Cup final. Ronald Koeman scored 193 league goals in 503 matches (ahead of Daniel Passarella who netted 182 goals in 556 matches) during his career, more than any other defender in the history of football.
Figo is a football hero who began his professional career in Portugal, his native land, then made his name in Spain playing for powerhouse teams FC Barcelona and Real Madrid before switching to Inter Milan in 2005. With his deft stop-and-go dribbling and aggressive style, the midfielder is known more as a playmaker than as a pure scorer. His breakthrough year was 2000, when he led Portugal to the semifinals of Euro 2000 and was named European Footballer of the Year. The same year he moved from FC Barcelona to rival Real Madrid for a then-record fee of $56 million.
Recoba’s strengths are his dribbling, technique, pace and a strong, accurate left-foot shot. He is a free-kick specialist, and has scored goals of great quality, examples of which were his two goals during his debut with Inter, and basically all the goals scored during his time at Venezia. It is said that few, if any, have been born with Recoba’s ability; however, his mentality continues to fail him at the most crucial moments.
Nicknamed Saeta rubia (Blond arrow), was a powerful forward with great stamina and tactical versatility. He could also play anywhere on the pitch and despite being well-known as a forward, was great in defense. He is currently the 3rd highest scorer in the history of Spain’s top division, with 228 goals in 329 games. Di Stéfano is also Real Madrid’s highest league goalscorer of all time, with 216 goals in 282 league matches.
Called the ‘Angel of Madrid’ and simply known as Raúl, he is a Spanish football striker who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid. Also the three-time winner of the UEFA Champions League and is the second all-time leading scorer in official UEFA competitions after Filippo Inzaghi with 64 goals. He took over the captaincy of Real Madrid when Fernando Hierro departed in 2003, and has since shown himself to be a natural and respected leader.
Platini was a member of the French national team that won the 1984 European Championship, a tournament in which he was voted the best player and top goalscorer. Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana together made up the “carré magique” (magic square), the group of midfield players that formed the heart of the French national team throughout the 1980s. He is also widely regarded as one the best passers in football history as well as one of history’s greatest free kick specialists and finishers. He holds the record for most goals scored in European Championship final.
is a former Brazilian footballer, one of the most highly regarded defenders of all time. He captained Brazil to victory in the 1970 World Cup and is a member of the World Team of the 20th Century, as well as the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. Carlos Alberto’s goal against Italy in the final of the Football World Cup 1970 is considered one of the greatest goals ever scored in the history of the tournament.
A brilliant and fluid forward, Ronaldo became one of international soccer’s great stars of the 1990s and Brazil’s biggest soccer hero since Pele. Nicknamed “The Phenomenon,” the talented forward has played for Cruzeiro, Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, amassing numerous records, championships, and cups. An international superstar, Ronaldo has been on the Brazilian national team since 1994 and was part of World Cup–winning teams in 1998 and in 2002, when he was the tournament’s top scorer
Müller was short, squat, awkward-looking and not notably fast; he never fit the conventional idea of a great footballer, but he had lethal acceleration over short distances, a remarkable aerial game, and uncanny goalscoring instincts. He could turn quickly and with perfect balance in small spaces at speeds that would cause other players to fall over. He also had a knack of scoring in unlikely situations. With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was by far the most successful striker of his day.
Cruyff is a former Dutch football player and manager/coach. He was named European Footballer of the Year three times. In 1999, Cruyff was voted European Player of the Century in an election held by the IFFHS, and came second, behind Pelé in their World Player of the Century poll. Cruyff was known for his technical ability, speed and acceleration, but his greatest quality was vision, based on an acute sense of his team-mates’ positions as an attack unfolded. He is believed Cruyff superior to any previous player in his ability to extract the most from others.
German football (soccer) player. He is credited with inventing the modern attacking sweeper position. Nicknamed “Der Kaiser,” Beckenbauer is the only man to both captain and manage World Cup-winning teams (1974 and 1990, respectively). He spent most of his career with Bayern Munich, leading the team to three European Cup championships and four national titles. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1972 and 1976. He is generally regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time and also as one of the greatest footballers in the history of the game.
Maradona is an icon in Argentina. As a soccer player, he took his team to new heights and became a hero to sports fans – many of whom referred to him as “San Diego.” He also took sports paychecks to new heights, claiming unheard of salaries in trade after trade. Maradona was plagued by cocaine addiction, though, and his career came to an early end. His performance included two memorable goals against England, one scored with his hand (the referee mistakenly thought the ball struck his head) and now remembered as the “Hand of God,” and another that saw him dribble through a pack of defenders.
Pele – called “the Black Pearl,” was the greatest soccer player in the history of the game. With a career total of 1280 goals, he may have been the world’s most popular athlete after he was named Athlete of the Century by the world’s combined National Olympic Committees in 1999, though he never played in the Olympics himself. In March of 2002, the jersey Pelé wore in the 1970 World Cup final sold at auction for $220,850. Pelé became Brazil’s minister of sports in 1995, serving until 1998.
Popularly nicknamed Zizou, he is a French former football midfielder. His career accomplishments include winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000, in addition to the 2002 UEFA Champions League. He is also one of only two three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winners. Zidane won the Golden Ball as the MVP in the World Cups of 1998 and 2006. Zidane played his first professional First Division game for Cannes and quickly rose through the professional ranks. He sealed his reputation by scoring two goals in the World Cup finals of 1998, helping France defeat Brazil to claim its first-ever World Cup championship. Extremely passionate and a leader by example, he came first in an online poll conducted by UEFA.
Considered by many as football’s greatest ever man marker, Gentile’s finest hour came on 11 July 1982 when he produced an immaculate defensive display alongside fellow defender Gaetano Scirea, as Italy defeated West Germany 3-1 to lift the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. Gentile came to international acclaim in the 2nd phase match against the title-holders Argentina, when he man-marked Diego Maradona out of the game by kicking and flooring him constantly throughout the game. In Italy’s next match against the favorites, Brazil, he first performed a violent tackle from behind on Zico and later ripped the Brazilian’s shirt in half during a tussle
This article is licensed under the GFDL because it contains quotations from Wikipedia.
Contributor: 7raul7
In America, we call this soccer.
But… this was invented first… so the real name is Football… there is no Soccer… and ´your´ Football should have another name.
The word ‘soccer’ is actually a British term… it comes from asSOCiation football. It started as a slang term – Football was referred to as ‘soccer’, rugby was ‘rugger’.
thats weird cz people in England never use the word soccer, it’s football and american football is only played in the US, they can keep their game, we have ours.
great selection of players OP
omg this list sucks no good players
you obviously havent got a clue about football,Zidane is the best player in the last 20 years easily and theres alot of great players on the list. Missing Maldini tho and Beckham wouldnt make a top million players of all time in my view,Recoba had alot of ability but never really produced.Batigol has to be on the list one the greatest forwards ever.Ronaldinho is top 3 players of the last 20 years after Zidane and maybe the REAL Ronaldo
Zindane is definately not the best player in the last 20 years. Messi should be above Zidane, Ronaldo, Christiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Pele and Maradona, Beckenbauer and Cruyff should be pushed up followed by Messi and then Zidane. Christaino Ronaldo would also have to be up there (although hes a bit of a douche), and agreed Beckham should be completely left off
lol messi? when messi performs on the international level like zidane than you can say he is better. Messi fails to impress in all of his international games.
plus zidane was great in the italian, french and spanish leagues, whereas messi only played in spain which xavi and iniesta behind him…
my friend, These are the players whos careers are over. MESSI COMPARING WITH ZIDANE ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Zidane was a hit in France, Italy and Spain.. He won the WORLD CUP, he was the scorer..lol its like comparing son and father
Pele is the best because he scored 1280 goals when zidane does that he can come and talk to him.
1: Pele
2: George Best
3: Maradonna
4: Messi (he could top a list like this in 10 years)
5: Zidane
Though he doesn’t make many lists like this, Roy Keane would be the first choice of most managers in an all time team. It’s also interesting that no one from the Liverpool dominated decades of the 70s and 80s gets a mention either.
***** you zidane is the best
Yep, 5th best. (IMO)
nah cos pele ain’t the greatest player ever
u think pele is bad? idiot
Who ever made this list it is a complete joke. David beckham is never one of the 20 best footballers ever , he is one of the biggest becasue of his image but not one of the best. Personally I think George Best is the greatest ever player look what he done to Unitied , and half the time he was hungover or halfcut , the fame got to his head bu he beat player s with such ease , he was a great player and deserves to be in this list. Beckham does not .
Nor does recoba what has he ever done ? Batistuta and Vieri done more in that league. Zidane is the only player of recent to deserve to ghet in here. I am a Rnagers fan and thinking of some of the greats that have played with them are better than some of these players eg Brian Laudrop , Paul Gascoigne to name but a few , this list should be severally reviewed or split into different decades. Because we can't forget the Brazillian greats such as Jarzinho etc , and Maldini from Italy should be in it , especially if you have Beckham , Yes Beckham was a great playmaker but look at Xavi and Iniesta they are easily the best playmakers in the world just now yet not included in this list , sorry for this rant but I think some of it should be taken into consideration !
Totally agree… Beckham is not even one of the best 20 English players of all time.
Some notable omissions from the list – Can’t believe the great John Charles was left out.
what i think is that the best players are
zinerdiene zidane 10
ronaldo 9
maradona 8
rivaldo 7
ronaldiniho 6
cristiano ronaldo 5
raul 4
ibrahimavic 3
pele 2
messi 1
LOL nice joke bro.
Ibra fails miserably to impress on any stage. Yet you put him 3rd, in front of Maradona and Cruyff? Oh wait you didn’t even include Cruyff (who is the reason Messi is this good right now).
Clueless dumfam is clueless.
messi is last
\
in the rest of the world we called football.
its FOOTBALL ''get it right''?
in the rest of the world we call americas stupids!
In the World we call this Football.
Yeah you americans obviously know nothing about soccer. Thats why you put players like Beckam who where never nominated in any player of the year awads in this list.
actually beckham is in second place behind Luis Figo in footballer awards.
in Mexico and in the 99% of the world we call it FUTBOL!!!!
In America, there are more than 1 country, but only 1 country call it soccer
Canada AND the US call it soccer. So it’s not just one country that calls it that. Nice try though. It is funny watching the pseudo intellectuals run around.
In “soccer” the game is played with the feet and a ball i.e football, In American Football it is played with your hands and a weird egg shaped thing i think on this logic Football should be the universal name for “Soccer” plus its the most popular sport in the world and i strongly disagreed with a lot of this list BECKHAM!?! I mean he’s not even in man uniteds greatest ever XI, and No Eusabio or even Ronaldihnio the list is deeply flawed with a lot of former galaticos who weren’t all that good except zidane and ronaldo
Why no mention of George BEST..He was the BEST
way overrated
One of the difficulties is that even the truly great players differ in their ability; Pele was probably the best team player with Cruyff a close second on that skill (as well as both being outstanding players as individuals); George Best on the other hand wasn’t a particularly great team player (too individual), but he was without doubt the greatest player on the ball the world has ever seen, and certainly should be in the top 4 in general terms. It depends what you’re looking for, but my personal top four would be 1 Best, 2, Pele, 3, Maradonna, 4 Cruyff. It’s too early to make such a judgement about Zidane, Messi, Ronaldo etc.
yeah, dude, wrong Ronaldo in the picture
***** you and ***** cristiano ronaldo
thats da brazilian ronaldo dude!
Hey there Daniel – gotta agree with Eusebio and George Best (even though the latter was a bit of a *****) – and being a passionate Liverpool supporter I certainly cannot disagree with Stevie Gerrard's inclusion on YOUR list.
However – points of disagreement – Critiano Ronaldo has just been voted World Player of the Year by FIFA and he's still just a kid – the boy will only gert bigger and better. Beckham must be included if only for his ability to turn a game from a dead ball. He is still one of only (probably) 2 or 3 players who can inspire fear in ANY 'keeper if he is lining up a spot-kick from anything less than 30 yards – and even outside that – he's bloody dangerous. Until the last couple of years there was still nobody on the planet who could control a ball through the air with such pinpoint accuracy and power – and it's not that someone else has got better than him; he has simply slipped as age erodes his power (if not his accuracy).
Baggio is VERY good; but I still think Totti is better – and very very very under-rated. As for Buffon – he's certainly one of the greatest, but in their day, Gordon Banks and Peter Bonetti were as good if not better (Bonetti was known simply as 'the cat' due to his lightning fast reflexes). Then you have to look at Peter Schmiechel, Petr Czec, Pepe Reiner, Jersey Dudek and a 'keeper who exceptionally respected – especially facing penalties – is Australia's Mark Schwartzer: between them any one of Shwartzer, Reiner and Dudek – along with Buffon are probably the four 'keepers you would WANT in your goal in a penalty shoot-out.
However field players who probably could have been more than justifiably included are:
Sir Stanley Matthews – ?Stoke City: he reinvented the
art of dribbling and was
virtually untouchable with the
ball at his feet and minimal room
to move in.
Sir Bobby Charlton – Man U
Denis Law – also of Man U
Henrik Larssen – Glasgow Celtic and Sweden
Ronaldinho – FC Barcelona and Brazil
Kaka – Brazil and ?AC Milan
Hell, man you may as well include most of the Brazilians who played in the last few World Cup campaigns – if not all Brazilians who played in World Cup campaigns!!!!!!
only MHO – feel free to cut it to pieces!
of course cristiano ronaldo
Zidane, Pele, Maradona, Best, Ronaldo(brazil), Zico, Ronaldinho(a stretch i know). Ok so this may be a best of era type of list but these names come to mind when dominating their eras
Ronaldhino?!
Petr Cech!?
Oh, the shame
Good list though, great game!!
PETR CECH????? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!?!?!?! and no this is a terrible list. how can you justify alvaro recoba and david beckham being in the top 20 footballers of all time?
George Best, mother*****erz
Eusebio, Best, …..
Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, … if you want new ones.
This list sucks!
Eusebio, great shout! He was amazing. Petr Cech is an awful keeper can’t believe he was suggested, hes not even in the top 5 premiership goalkeepers let alone top20 ever
As an American I haven’t watched a lot of football, but this was a really great list
HUH? you're kidding me right!! I can tell you havn't watched alot of football…. this is meant to be a list of the top 20 players whoever played the game. Recoba??? roberto carlos??? lillian Thuram???? they didnt even make the top ten in the world when the were in their primes, let alone being in the top 20 players of ALL time!! Raul is one of the most overrated players to play the game and putting zidane number 1 is a disgrace… also i am aware that being american you probably think david beckham is a very good footballer because he is famous, trust me he is good footballer at best but wouldnt make the top 10 english footballers of all time let alone the world!!
Lillian Thuram was an incredible player
OMG… WTF!!!!!!!!!
that’s all i can really say right now. give4 me a chance and i’ll make this list right, like it should…
man… really… how badly it does suck indeed….
@7raul7:Do you really watch football?
You have put Cristiano Ronaldo’s photo instead of Brazilian Ronaldo.
Portugal Ronaldo is better than the Brazilian Ronaldo….what are you nuts????? I will answer for you "Yes, yes I am" LOL
Cristiano still has years so maybe in the future you can….but not right now.
Cristiano has not dominated World Cup play like Ronaldo from Brazil and thats the biggest stage, the biggest players NEED to make their mark there as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2hgusyRDis
watch this, ronaldo best attacker in the whole history of football
couldnt agree more m8 brazilian ronaldo is *****ing miles better and what the ***** that list is a bit ***** to be fair. messi should be in their althogh he has so much more to offer, i agree with a few on the list like zidane, ronaldo and maradona and to be honest peter schmeical was a better goalkeeper then oliver kahn.
WTF!!! OLIVER KAHN IS THE GERMAN… THE GREATEST GOALKEEPER EVER!!!
f@@@ u! ronallo of brazil is much much better of c. ronaldo!!what are u a retard?
u reatrded? cristiano ronaldo is nothing..has he ever won worldcup? i dont thinks so..real ronaldo from brazil actually achieved many things
get fuked brazilian ronaldo *****s on c.ronaldo in fact he *****s on every1 in that list!
Brazillian Ronaldo was absolutely amazing in his day definately should be on the list
Pele … no.2?? CMON!?!?
and Lillian Thuram? Who? Although I’m sure his mother agrees.
Possible Ommisions:
Steven Gerrard
Eusebio
Garrincha
Ronaldo
George Best
Gerrard
Not in top 20 ! But u have to put in Eusebio , George Best , Lothar Matheus … !! And Recoba ? 
Not !! And my top 5 would be ! 1. Pele 2. Maradona 3. Beckenbauer 4. Cruyff 5. Zidane !!
Skater777 couldn’t agree more! Thuram was incredible, he deserves to be on this list
zizou before pele???????? SACRILEGE!!!!!!!!
Wrong ronaldo in the picture
no chance brazilian ronaldo is miles better, that cristiano ronaldo is a bellend and is never guna reach his standards
^ gotta love comments like Leinad’s…
interesting that “the greatest soccer player in the history of the game” is not on #1 spot
and David Beckham isn’t that good a player, England had (and has) far better ones… George Best or Kevin Keegan, eg
George Best wasnt English.
List is made of fail.
CR shouldn’t be in that list, at least not for a few years if he keeps up his improvement.
Zizou is a legend, but Pele, Maradona were better.
And where is Georgie Best, Eusebio, Paulo Maldini, Van Basten?
Raul shouldn’t be on the list, nor should Thuram or Carlos.
Peter Schmeichel was also a better keeper than Kahn.
Ommitting Georgie Best and Eusebio though is unacceptable.
n y u guyz forgettin roberto baggio??? hes the best italy has ever had
i think the reak ronaldo should b in the top 5 coz until now theres no player who has reached his estimates
Raul shouldnt be ?
He has wont the UEFA’s most valuable player more times than even Ronaldo.And has got every possible club honour.And staying 17 years with any club and adpting to squad and personnel changes is a big thing in any club,leave alone Real madrid.
MARADONA IS NOT EVEN BETTER THAN THE BRAZILIAN RONALDO… PEOPLE JUST KNOW HIM BY HIS GREAT GOAL.. BUT MARADONA IS S***..
Nice compilation! Ruud Gullit of Holland could have been in the notables list. Number one spot could be disputed since as far as sheer talent is concerned I would say Maradona was amongst the most talented.
George Best?
I know he packed his liver in but he was a good player.
Good list though
Gearoge Best? Steven Gerrad?
George I mean….
AND you have the wrong ronaldo on the pic….
what the *****
u say that wrong ronaldo..?
ur mom must be a *****of cristiano ronaldo
Thuram?! Ha!
As for Roberto Carlos – everyone thought he was fantastic because he was ‘so good’ at free kicks. He got that one decent one against France, but other than that, his goal percentage from direct free kicks really wasn’t that great. And he was terrible defender. Which is a bit of a drawback for a left back!
Definitely agree with Lev Yashin; he was probably the greatest keeper of all the time. But in second place is Peter Schmeichel, not Oliver Kahn!
There should surely be room for George Best and Bobby Charlton too?
(I think this was always going to be a pretty controversial list!)
Rocco – you have a good point – but – George Best played for Northern Ireland internationally.
This is the first disappointing list in a long time. No way Zidane was better than Pele or Maradona. Also, the list is very biased towards current players.
I suggest you make a list for every decade – The best footballers of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s – that will be less controversial but more useful
Dixie Dean. Where the hell is Dixie Dean? Top English goalscorer of all time with his record unlikely to ever be broken.
I great list..though I would put Pele first. Why? Mainly b/c he was probably the first player to bring attention to the sport in countries where it wasn’t popular, allowing the players of today to be soo popular
With his 2 two goals last wednesday in the champions league match Real Madrid vs Zenith (3-0), Raul has become the top scorer ever in UEFA competitions, beating Inzaghi (66 goals for 64 of the italian).
Some names I’m missing in that list: Messi, Gento (6 european cups with Real Madrid, a record), Laudrup, Kubala, Gerrard, Casillas…
You still have a picture of the wrong Ronaldo.
This is the Ronaldo you want: http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/05_01/ronaldoAI_468x432.jpg
Not that poncey, over-acting, cheating, diving scum that you have a picture of at the moment.
dude,1st of all wrong ronaldo in the picture…
and…
u didnt put
1)Cristiano Ronaldo
2)Wayne Rooney
3)Ronaldinho
4)Stevie G
5)John Terry
6)Nemanja Vidic
7)Rio Ferdinand
8)Edwin Van Der Sar
9)Petr Cech
10)George Best
and one more thing…
HOW COME YOU PUT ZIZOU AFTER PELE?!
With the exception of number 10 none of them are anywhere near the top 20 of all time
***** u mate 1 messi
roado 2 u fat *****ing ***** i had ***** with your mum today and u ***** head
dude do u actually watch football??? out of that list there is only george best who should be on the list and maybe ronaldinho. you must be very young or not have been following football long if you think that any of the others like gerrard and rooney can compare to the likes of ronaldo (brazil), zidane, cruyff, zico or yashin. these players are all time greats whereas the players you mentioned are good nowadays and i think most of them would get into the top 100 players of all time except van der sar and cech.
Really, Jaz. Only one of those players has won a world cup. Plus you include all the overrated EPL stars that do nothing internationally. Out of the ten only Best and Dinho are close to the list. Ronaldo/Rooney maybe later on but certainly not in there early 20's and Messi is likely to be better than them yet you exclude him . Why do people keep mentioning Gerrard? There would be so many English players ahead of him like Gazza and Charlton. Terry- PK miss, inconsistent, scandalous. Vidic- One great year makes him top 20 of all-time? Rio- Good defender but if Maldini and Baresi aren't making it he does not have a shot. Van der Sar- Never was as good as Buffon and Casillas who fail to make it. Cech- Same as Van der Sar.
yeah spot on their mate your probably 1 out of about 2 or 3 people that actually knows what their talking about on this comments list.
You look a Manchester United fan.
You dont win any trophies and go about saying your players are the best ?
Rooney ? Did he touch the ball this WC ?
Ferdinand ? Van Der Sar ? They may make it to best 20 in EPL ? But of all time … who are you kidding mate ?
yea dude i don’t even like soccer and i know you have the wrong Ronaldo. Just kidding. I feel sorry for you having to make this list. Any one who makes a list about sports or religon up here is going to be riped a new one. You have large testicles my friend for doing this
its futbol *****
@jfrater: wrong ronaldo in picture… u r talking about brazils ronaldo… picturised is cristiano ronaldo…
btw… awesome list…
Re Jaz_3: The players you listed are all great players, but do you really believe they can be counted in the top 20 players of all time, alongside the likes of Pele and Cruyff? I wouldn’t even say Rio Ferdinand is one of the best 20 players of this decade, let alone of all time!
Worst list I’ve ever seen on this site. George Best, Van Basten, Eusibo, Puskas, Bobby Charlton, Bobby Moore, Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp, Dino Zoff, the list goes on. The inclusion of the vastly overrated Beckham is a joke. He wouldn’t get in a list of top 20 current best players, top 20 man united players or top 20 England players of all time. Ridiculous.
gianfranco zola????..you are a joke
Ummm, no (north) Americans?
Seriously, Pele at no 2???? (I know people have said that already, but it needs to be said several times more)
Too slanted towards recent players, but how do you measure players from different eras anyway?
As Sir Humphrey might say “Courageous decision, minister”. Prepare for flak over this one!
north americans suck at futbol
BECAUSE THERE CRAP
Maradona Good, Pele Great, George BEST
George Best ” Pele said I was the greatest player he ever saw and that’s good enough for me”
Also I agree with Rob Yorkshire about the Beckham comments.
I am a Manutd fan but wouldn’t have him on my list of top 20 players, well maybe just but he is too 1 dimensional to be discussed in the same breath as some of these legends.
What about Eusebio? Often considered the european pele, huge oversee on this one..
Great list, especially for an American
Two Dutch soccer players (Koeman, Cruyff), but where is Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp?
Most famous Koeman goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBvgmCP6FcY&feature=related
Most famous Cruyff penalty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjGbB0_fUXA
Most famous Van Basten goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j1Z-0ZMM5Q
Most famous Bergkamp goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exlBHTyB1R0 (with insane Dutch commentator)
Whoever said Gerard is having a laugh? He wouldn’t make a top ten players today let alone ever.
Thank you, Don’t get me wrong, I like Beckham as a bloke to be honest, But he can’t head or tackle, he doesn’t score very often from open play, he has no left foot and most damning of all he is a winger who can’t beat a man.
Beckham as a top footballer?? Top money maker yes, footballer no.
Recoba? Spent more time injured and playing lackluster ga,es than anyone at Inter Milan. Always hyped to be the next best thing but always below expectations except for some moments of sheer class.
Ronaldo? Wrong picture first of all.
Lilian Thuram? Good defender but not much else.
What about Roberto Baggio, Franco Baresi, Alex Del Piero?
there is no way that you put alvaro recoba roberto carlos and oliver khan and not put roberto baggio
Zidane before Pele and Maradona!!! come oooon thats embarassing. And having Raul on the list who sucks. Where is Garrincha, Eusebio, Romario. Putting Beckham on the list just made me cry, he is one of the most overrated players in the game.
RE~Znoober=o yea i totally 4got about the ALL TIME things…hehe
xP
1. Wrong Ronaldo picture. Cristiano Ronaldo can never ever become a world best player. An arrogant player he is, he cannot compare himself with Messi…a brilliant player with few words and much humility.
2. David Beckham’s presence is a joke. You were not able to say much about him other than his hype and hollywood-style charisma. Fame and fortune isn’t football (or soccer).
3. Zizou is a good player, no doubt about that. But to put him ahead of the perenial rivals (Pele and Maradona) is like saying gold is harder than diamond. He could be on this list but not necessarily ahead of these two.
4. Lillian Thuram’s presence here marvels me. i don’t think he deserves a place here.
All the same you have done your best and we can add the rest.
Jaz_3: Yours is only a bias toward Premier League. No player on the list can make it on a top 30 ever. Nemanja Vidic’s inclusion is absurd. In fact, outside of England and perhaps his hometown no one knows him. C Ronaldo is a diver, and does not play it fair. Always on the look out for penalty, fouls and red cards against the opponent. He is in addition arrogant.
come out with a better list.
I think you better change the picture of C. Ronaldo and put the REAL Ronaldo!
… I’m curious, where’s Romario? Bebeto
Where is Jim Brown? Johnny Unitas? Dan Marino? Who are these people?
Still no action on the Ronaldo picture front….
I love the actual topic of the list, but I really don’t agree with the list. At the very least Zidane’s World Cup brain-fade-headbutt-incident should drop him well down the list. But even without that, he’s definitely nowhere near #1, despite what some FIFA online poll may have indicated.
So many quality players missing… and so many like Beckham and Thuram that wouldn’t even make a top 50.
Jaz_3 – I can’t agree with your list either. Very biased towards the EPL. Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the footballer with the most raw talent of anyone I’ve ever seen but he still has a long way to go to be the best ever. The inclusion of Vidic on your list tells us all who you support, since no other follower of football would have him anywhere near the top 100, let alone top 20 or 30.
Great list. I think this is one of those subjects that we can debate endlessly… and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I would argue the case against Zizou being the best player of all time, not just because he simply isn’t as skilled as many others (including current players – John Terry anyone?), but also because his shameful performance against Italy cost France the 2006 world cup. Singlehandedly losing his country sport’s greatest honour on what should have been the greatest day of his life? I would say he forfeited his place.
“Ummm, no (north) Americans?”
Please, PLEASE tell me that that was a joke!
George Best and Paul Gasgoine should be on the list and at the top and Pat Jennings or Roberto Baggio or even Roy Keane.
I love these lists of peoples opinions because as the saying goes ‘Opinions are like arseholes………..everybody has one’.
Where is Jim Brown? Johnny Unitas? Dan Marino? Who are these people?
Those people only played rugby but with the benefit of massive amounts of body armour. Proper football is played with the feet, hence the name.
Baxter @ 46: It was a joke!
To be truly great you must also acheive. And sadly George Best never played in the world cup so is incomparable to Beckenbauer, Platini, Maradonna and Pele.
Nice to try and include defenders.
I’d like to suggest Baggio, an amazing club player and a man who dragged Italy (as a substitute) to the world cup final only to miss the penalty.
And lets leave the silly suggestions (Rooney, C Ronaldo, Messi) of current players out of it.
The guy in Ronaldo’s pick is Cristiano Ronaldo, a portuguese superstar. Brazil’s Ronaldo is alltogether a different guy…
plain stupid to be honest.
no credit to the idiot author – how was this load of junk published?
I don’t know much about this communist football that the rest of the world plays; but I do know that David Beckham is over-rated.
I`ll try to explain something here.
I see u people are screaming for more old names,most of u never seen their games…
Also interesting thing,i see that u ask only for popular players of their time and that would mean Attackers and Attacking-Midfield.
Lillian Thuram is one of the best Defenders if not the best in whole football history+ he is only football player that is memeber of MENSA
.
I agree that ZiZu should be no.1,u that say what he did against italy 2006 puts him lower on list is pure rubbish,look what Maradona did trough his entire carrier and…wow he is still the man,and i agree with that.
Others that say there are people who played better then ZiZu,well i say more research. xD
Hello,
what do you think about leaving out Roberto Baggio and Gigi Buffon, respectively best Italian player of all time and best GK of Italy and maybe of the world?
I do not mean to offend anyone, but all matters concerning football (aargghh soccer)can hardly be discussed by an American…
Same an european talking about baseball…
Anyway, my list would include
- Roberto Baggio
- Gigi Buffon
- George Best
- Marco Van Basten
- Ferenc Puskas (how could you forget it!!!)
- Eusebio
- Garrincha
- Steve Gerrard
- Paolo Maldini
cristiano ronaldo and beckham are defintely overvaluated..extraordinary skills and talent but need far more to be immortal champions
ah, forgot: the best above all are Oliver Hatton and Benjii Price….
gerrard rofl i hope that one was a joke
u also a joke!!!gerald??? how? cmon rem during bagios tym there ws this guy brazilian RONALDO who happens t be the best scorer of all time hw can u leave him out!!!surely!!
I have no idea how David Beckham, Raul and Recoba can make a list that doesn’t have room Puskas, Van Basten or Baggio.
Rob Yorkshire is spot on with his comment.
I’m not sure if it was mentioned yet, but wrong Ronaldo in picture.
/;-)
Nice cut & paste job.
Cut & pasted quotation: “Pele was the greatest soccer player in the history of the game”
Actual rank – number 2.
Nice editing, there, Lou.
As an Internazionale F.C. supporter I would ban Recoba from football memory..
I saw him live when he first came to Italy, unknown and very young, more than 10 years ago, and I was shocked by the beauty of his left foot: never seen anything like that. During his career in Internazionale he did single wonderful magics, but mostly it was a frustrating agony to wait for him to become mature and a leader capable of deciding matches.
He missed every single occasion he had to prove his value…
Every year, at the beginning of the season he was the most awaited player, and every year he was a complete failure..
After 15 years of burning deceptions and multimillionaire contracts, shame on you Alvaro, out of my sight!
If he only had had 1/100 of the mental strength of guys like Gerrard, he would have been in the top 10 of all time..
A deceived Inter supporter