Who is the best football player? The best football players of all time

Famous British magazine FourFourTwo published his list of the hundred best football players of 2016. There are no Russian players on it, but this does not make the list any less interesting.

Top 10 players of 2016

1. (Real Madrid, Portugal team)

The intrigue of all football ratings in recent years actually comes down to which of the two names will be given first place and which will be given second place. And at the end of 2016 FourFourTwo gave gold to European champion and winner Cristiano Ronaldo. The publication emphasizes that despite the opinion of many fans that the Portuguese is gradually losing ground in world football, they are still quite strong.

2. (“Barcelona”, Argentina national team)

In the past year, Leo Messi took second place in the ranking. The Argentine was reminded of his failure in the Copa America final, but they still note the progress of the already star football player. The publication writes that his free kick technique has improved, but more importantly, Messi has finally turned into a real strategist, able to correctly determine when it is better to try to score himself and when to assist his partners.

3. (Barcelona, ​​Uruguay team)

Following Messi is his loyal partner Luis Suarez, another member of the famous attacking trident. And, as noted FourFourTwo, it is thanks to him that we can consider that Cristiano and Leo no longer have a monopoly in big football. In addition, Suarez is very hardworking and not greedy, which makes him even greater.

4. (“Atlético”, French national team)

It would seem that Neymar should follow Messi and Suarez, but European vice-champion Antoine Griezmann stepped in front of the Brazilian. FourFourTwo notes that the Frenchman became a world-class star, and even though in 2016 Cristiano and his both teams stole victory from Griezmann, first in the Champions League, and then in , the year for one of the leaders and top scorer of Euro 2016 still turned out to be - truly outstanding.

5. (Barcelona, ​​Brazil team)

Giving Neymar 5th place in his ranking, FourFourTwo writes that in Barcelona the player had two tasks: to find his place among other superstars, and also to prepare for the role of Messi’s heir, because sooner or later he will definitely be needed. The editors believe that the Brazilian has coped with the first task and is on the way to solving the second. It also highlights his progress over the past year and that Neymar has truly found and embraced his place in the team. If necessary, he is able to help in defense and at the same time will not be greedy in attack. Well, and on top of everything else, in 2016, Neymar, as you know, also became an Olympic champion.

6. (Real Madrid, Wales team)

There was a moment in Gareth Bale's career when it seemed that he was about to leave - it was a rather sad story of a serious conflict in the Madrid camp. But it seems that all the troubles are behind us, and the footballer continues to progress. The publication notes his outstanding physical characteristics and desire to control the game. And, of course, how much he did for, which became one of the brightest teams at Euro 2016. And if Neymar can replace Messi in the future, it is Bale who is called a potential successor to Ronaldo.

7. (“Bayern”, Polish national team)

The most difficult thing for Robert Lewandowski in 2016 was to improve his performance in 2015, which was an incredibly successful year for the Pole. As a result, the magazine gave the footballer 7th place, and at the same time recalled the words of , who believes that in the game Lewandowski should rely not so much on tactical literacy, but on his killer instinct.

8. (Manchester City, Belgium team)

The publication believes that Kevin de Bruyne has finally become a real star, and gives him 8th place in the ranking. It is noted that he once did not give him the opportunity to prove himself simply because the football player was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now the Belgian has truly revealed himself, partly because he was finally in the right place at the right time.

9. (Manchester City, Argentina national team)

FourFourTwo believes that for Sergio Aguero, 2016 has become a year of professional growth. The magazine writes that the footballer has good statistics, and the combination of brilliant mental work and performance skills makes him increasingly dangerous for his opponents.

10. (“Bayern”, German national team)

Manuel Neuer became the only goalkeeper included in the top ten according to the publication. FourFourTwo reminds that the German’s game led to a great evolution of goalkeeping skills and forced all goalkeepers in the world to look up to him. Also noted is the crazy “superhuman” concentration that Neuer has, and, of course, his great contribution to the game, including at Euro 2016.

Who else was in the top 100 football players of the year

11. Thomas Müller (Bayern, Germany)

12. Luka Modric (Real Madrid, Croatian national team)

13. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia, Gabon national team)

14. Paul Pogba (Juventus/Manchester United, French national team)

15. Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli/Juventus, Argentina)

16. Jerome Boateng (Bayern, Germany)

17. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal, Chile)

18. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain/Manchester United, Sweden)

19. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona, ​​Spain national team)

20. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal, Germany)

21. Diego Godin (Atlético Madrid, Uruguay national team)

22. Sergio Busquets (Barcelona, ​​Spain national team)

23. Toni Kroos (Real Madrid, Germany)

24. Philipp Lahm (Bayern)

25. Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus, Italy)

26. Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona, ​​Croatian national team)

27. Eden Hazard (Chelsea, Belgium national team)

28. David Alaba (Bayern, Austrian national team)

29. Gerard Pique (Barcelona, ​​Spain national team)

30. N'Golo Kante (Leicester/Chelsea, France)

31. David de Gea (Manchester United, Spain national team)

32. David Silva (Manchester City, Spain national team)

33. Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham, Belgium)

34. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus, Italy)

35. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid, Spain national team)

36. Arturo Vidal (Bayern, Chile)

37. Riyad Mahrez (Leicester, Algeria)

38. Jan Oblak (Atlético Madrid, Slovenian national team)

39. Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus, Italy)

40. Dimitri Payet (West Ham, France)

41. Diego Costa (Chelsea, Spain national team)

42. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, France)

43. Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain, Uruguay)

44. Douglas Costa (Bayern, Brazil)

45. Pepe (Real Madrid, Portugal national team)

46. ​​Thiago Alcantara (Bayern, Spain)

47. Paulo Dybala (Juventus, Argentina national team)

48. Raphael Guerreiro (Lorient/Borussia, Portugal national team)

49. Koke (Atlético Madrid, Spain team)

50. Mats Hummels (Borussia/Bayern, Germany)

51. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool, Brazil)

52. Angel Di Maria (Paris Saint-Germain, Argentina national team)

53. Javier Mascherano (Barcelona, ​​Argentina national team)

54. James Rodriguez (Real Madrid, Colombia national team)

55. Miralem Pjanic (Roma/Juventus, Bosnia and Herzegovina national team)

56. Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon, France)

57. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City, England)

58. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern, Germany)

59. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, France)

60. Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Borussia/Manchester United, Armenian national team)

61. Xabi Alonso (Bayern)

62. Thiago Silva (Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil team)

63. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea, Belgium national team)

64. Marek Hamsik (Napoli, Slovakia national team)

65. Julian Weigl (Borussia, German national team)

66. Arjen Robben (Bayern, Netherlands)

67. Franck Ribery (Bayern)

68. Radja Nainggolan (Roma, Belgium national team)

69. Renato Sanches (Benfica/Bayern, Portugal national team)

70. Marco Reus (Borussia, Germany)

71. Mauro Icardi (Inter, Argentina national team)

72. Harry Kane (Tottenham, England)

73. Claudio Marchisio (Juventus, Italy)

74. Roberto Firmino (Liverpool, Brazil national team)

75. Bamidele Alli (Tottenham, England)

76. Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazil national team)

77. Samuel Umtiti (Lyon/Barcelona, ​​France)

78. Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla/Atlético Madrid, France)

79. Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia/Manchester City, Germany)

80. Carlos Bacca (Milan, Colombia national team)

81. Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, France)

82. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City, England)

83. Keylor Navas (Real Madrid, Costa Rica)

84. Javier Hernandez (Leverkusen, Mexico)

85. Andrea Barzagli (Juventus, Italy)

86. Santi Cazorla (Arsenal, Spain)

87. Filipe Luiz (Atlético Madrid, Brazil national team)

88. Adrien Rabiot (Paris Saint-Germain, French team)

89. Kalido Koulibaly (Napoli, Senegal national team)

90. Romelu Lukaku (Everton, Belgium)

91. Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen, German youth team)

92. Juan Mata (Manchester United, Spain national team)

93. Jonas (Benfica, Brazil national team)

94. Ever Banega (Sevilla/Inter, Argentina)

95. Mohamed Salah (Roma, Egypt)

96. Joao Mario (Sporting/Inter, Portugal national team)

97. Hakim Ziyech (Twente/Ajax, Moroccan national team)

98. Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain, French team)

99. Petr Cech (Arsenal, Czech national team)

100. Ousmane Dembele (Rennes/Borussia, France)

There are a lot of ratings of the best football players. Even the Guardian newspaper has its own. They also highlight lists of the best goalkeepers, the 100 best football players according to FIFA, the top 100 football players of the World Cup, Europe, or simply the top 100 of the year. The absolute list can be considered the list of “Best Football Players of the Century” from the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFHIIS).

In English this list is called Football player of the Century and over the last century only 66 people got there. This is probably where we should start.

Best players of the century (Football player of the Century)

It is unlikely that even people well versed in football will remember who Abdullah Majed or even Ferenc Puskan (66th and 6th place in the ranking, respectively) are. But the names of Pele, Maradona, Oleg Blokhin, Roger Milla, Garrincha are still heard. So, here is the absolute football TOP for today:
1. Pele (Brazil) - 1705
2. Johan Cruyff (Netherlands) - 1303
3. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany) - 1228
4. Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina, Spain) - 1215
5. Diego Maradona (Argentina) - 1214
6. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary) - 810
7. Michel Platini (France) - 722
8. Garrincha (Brazil) - 624
9. Eusebio (Portugal) - 544
10. Bobby Charlton (England) - 508
11. Stanley Matthews (England) - 368
12. Marco Van Basten (Netherlands) - 315
13. Gerd Müller (Germany) - 265
14. Zico (Brazil) - 207
15. Lothar Matthäus (Germany) - 202
16. George Best (Northern Ireland) - 187
17. Juan Alberto Schiaffino (Uruguay) - 158
18. Ruud Gullit (Netherlands) - 119
19. Valdir Pereira Didi (Brazil) - 116
20. Gianni Rivera (Italy) - 116
21. Giuseppe Meazza (Italy) - 108
22. Matthias Sindelar (Austria) - 106
23. Fritz Walter (Germany) - 103
24. Robert Moore (England) - 98
25. Jose Manuel Moreno (Argentina) - 96
26. Hugo Sanchez (Mexico) - 85
27. George Weah (Liberia) - 79
28. Roger Milla (Cameroon) - 78
29. Jose Leandro Andrade (Uruguay) - 74
30. Juste Fontaine (France) – 73
31. Francisco Gento (Spain) - 73
32. Ladislao Kubala (Hungary, Spain) - 71
33. Franco Baresi (Italy) - 70
34. Josef Bican (Czechoslovakia) - 63
35. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany) - 59
36. Omar Sivori (Argentina) - 56
37. Elias Figueroa (Chile) - 55
38. Kevin Keegan (England) - 53
39. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) - 52
40. Hector Scarone (Uruguay) - 51
41. Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia) - 46
42. Giacinto Facchetti (Italy) – 44
43. Raymond Kopa (France) - 41
44. Alessandro Mazzola (Italy) – 41
45. Uwe Seeler (Germany) – 40
46. ​​Gunnar Nordahl (Sweden) - 36
47. Zizinho (Brazil) - 35
48. Teofilo Cubillas (Peru) - 34

49. Arsenio Erico (Paraguay) - 30
50. Denis Law (Scotland) - 29
51. Silvio Piola (Italy) - 28
52. Adolfo Pedernera (Argentina) - 27
53. Obdulio Jacinto Varela (Uruguay) - 24
54. Arthur Friedenreich (Brazil) - 23
55. Mikael Laudrup (Denmark) - 22
56. Alberto Spencer (Ecuador) - 21
57. Jozsef Bozsik (Hungary) - 21
58. Tostao (Brazil) - 19
59. Ernst Otzvirk (Austria) – 18
60. Paul Van Himst (Belgium) – 11
61. Cha Beom Geun (South Korea) – 11
62. Rabah Majer (Algeria) - 10
63. Lakhdar Bellamy (Algeria) - 10
64. Oleg Blokhin (USSR) - 9
65. Luis Cubilla (Uruguay) - 9
66. Abdullah Majed (Saudi Arabia) - 9

Since the best goalkeepers are counted separately, their list consists of 40 people. Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin (Dynamo Moscow) was recognized as the best goalkeeper of all time. Also on the list is Rinat Dasaev (17th place), who played for Spartak Moscow from 1978 to 1988.

Video

FIFA TOP 100

Since 2004, FIFA decided to establish its own list of the 100 best football players. The fact is that the organization itself turned 100 that year, so the occasion was more than suitable. This is how the FIFA 100 rating was born.

Footballer No. 1 Pele chose the candidates. 50 candidates were selected from active players, 50 from those who have already completed their careers. With the latter, Pele was unable to keep within fifty, and “” proposed 75 candidates. The total came out to 125.

Franz Beckenbauer was nicknamed Kaiser for his excellent acting

The list is divided by parts of the world, and Europe is divided into Eastern (with Turkey and the former USSR) and Western.

The best FIFA players in Eastern Europe:

• Belezoglu, Emre - Türkiye
• Boniek, Zbigniew – Poland
• Dasaev, Rinat - USSR
• Masopust, Josef – Czech Republic
• Nedved, Pavel - Czech Republic
• Puskas, Ferenc - Hungary
• Recber, Rüştu – Türkiye
• Stoichkov, Hristo – Bulgaria
• Hadji, Gheorghe - Romania
• Shevchenko, Andrey – Ukraine
• Suker, Davor – Croatia

Please note, Rinat Dasaev is already “the best” twice!

Rinat Dasaev

Difference between Soviet and Russian football:

• Rinat Dasaev is included in all lists of the best football players and goalkeepers;
• Igor Akinfeev could only become the worst goalkeeper of the 2014 World Cup.

Best Footballer in Europe (West):
1. Thierry Henry, turned sports journalist, number 1 in Europe!
2. Baggio, Roberto - Italy
3. Ballack, Michael - Germany
4. Baresi, Franco - Italy
5. Beckenbauer, Franz - Germany
6. David Beckham, whose face was smashed by Sir Old Ferguson with his boot.
7. Bergkamp, ​​Dennis - Netherlands
8. Bergomi, Giuseppe - Italy
9. Best, George - Northern Ireland
10. Boniperti, Giampiero - Italy
11. Breitner, Paul - Germany
12. Butragueno, Emilio - Spain
13. Buffon, Gianluigi - Italy
14. Banks, Gordon - England
15. Van Basten, Marco - Netherlands
16. Van de Kerkhof, Willy - Netherlands
17. Van de Kerkhof, René - Netherlands
18. Van der Elst, Franks - Belgium
19. Van Nistelrooy, Rood - Netherlands
20. Vieira, Patrick - France
21. Vieri, Christian - Italy

Jurgen Klinsmann (left) and Joachim Löw at a training session with the German national team

This list is perhaps the most “famous”. Beckham, Platini, Thierry, Figo, Raul, Klinsmann, van Basten, Zidane - everyone knows them and remembers them even after retiring from their careers or becoming coaches.

FIFA Americas Footballer of the Year (South and North):
1. Batistuta, Gabriel - Argentina
2. Valderrama, Carlos - Colombia
3. Veron, Juan Sebastian - Argentina
4. Zanetti, Javier - Argentina
5. Di Stefano, Alfredo - Argentina
6. Zico - Brazil
7. Junior - Brazil
8. Carlos Alberto - Brazil
9. Roberto Carlos - Brazil
10. Cafu - Brazil
11. Kempes, Mario - Argentina
12. Crespo, Hernan - Argentina
13. Cubillas, Teofilo - Peru
14. Maradona, Diego - Argentina
15. Passarella, Daniel - Argentina
16. Pele - Brazil
17. Rivaldo - Brazil
18. Rivelino - Brazil
19. Romerito - Paraguay
20. Romario - Brazil
21. Ronaldinho - Brazil
22. - Brazil
23. Saviola, Javier - Argentina
24. Zamorano, Ivan - Chile
25. Santos, Djalma - Brazil
26. Santos, Nilton - Brazil
27. Sanchez, Hugo - Mexico
28. Sivori, Omar - Argentina
29. Socrates - Brazil
30. Falcao - Brazil
31. Figueroa, Elias - Chile
32. Francescoli, Enzo - Uruguay
33. Hamm, Mia - USA
34. Akers, Michelle - USA

Gabriel Batistuta

Gabriel Batistuta is the best here. Pele stands modestly in 16th place, and Maradona is not even included. Perhaps because of the famous Argentine football player’s addiction to drugs, or maybe because of something else. Garrincha, who had big problems with alcohol at the end of his career, is also not among the best football players in America. FIFA stands for a healthy lifestyle, even at the expense of football history.

Brazilians dominate the list, but maybe that will change. After the last World Cup in the homeland of Pele, Zico and Cafu, many started talking about a serious crisis in Brazilian football.

Asia and Africa in FIFA 100

There are only two Asian players on the list: Hidetoshi Nakata from Japan and Hong Myung Bo from South Korea. The first one left football back in 2006 and preferred to do business; Hong Myung Bo also ended his playing career, but did not leave the sport. He has been coaching the South Korean national team since 2005. At the 2014 World Cup, the Koreans did not leave Group H, like the Russian team.

There are more Africans on the list, as many as five. In first place is Pele, but another one, Abedi from Ghana. He was accompanied by George Weah (Liberia), El Hadji Diouf (Sinegal), Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria) and Cameroonian Roger Milla, who, like Rinat Dasaev, is among the TOP 66 best players of the century.

Cameroon national team forward Roger Milla

The appearance of FIFA 100 (actually 125) was met with hostility and is still criticized to this day. FIFA was accused of bias, and also of the fact that it was not Pele who actually chose, but the organization’s president, Sepp Blatter. And someone saw a political order in this whole matter. Brazil midfielder Geston even tore up the first FIFA 100 list, and Marco van Basten and Uwe Seeler refused to be photographed for the booklet.

And this is the symbolic world team of the wives and girlfriends of football players.

That’s why Russia is not represented here, it’s completely unclear!

Football TOP 100 Guardian

On May 30, 2014, the British Guardian newspaper conducted a large-scale study and survey of fans and experts from different countries to compile its list of the 100 best football players on the planet.

For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that Akinfeev was included in the symbolic European team

Experts, including Lothar Matthäus, John Barnes, Zico, named the 40 best players each. For first place, the candidate was given 40 points, for last place - 1. The points were summed up, multiplied by group coefficients, and as a result the following table was obtained:

Lev Yashin and Rinat Dasaev, together with Igor Belanov, represent Soviet football. Russia has nothing to boast about yet. The top three football players of all time will hardly come as a surprise: the great Pele, the legendary Maradona, the first. We will find out in 2114 whether any of the football players of the 21st century will be able to displace the titans on the podium!

Popular football portal "FourFourTwo"formed the hundred best football players of all time. “Sokker.ru” introduces readers to an interesting rating.

Places 100 to 91:

100. Gheorghe Hagi (Romania)

99. Mario Coluna (Portugal)

98. Mario Kempes (Argentina)

97. Neymar (Brazil)

96. Obdulio Varela (Uruguay)

95. Jalma Santos (Brazil)

94. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)

93. Philipp Lahm (Germany)

92. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)

91. Sepp Mayer (Germany)

Getting into the top 100 players in the history of the Game is a huge honor, so if someone's position seems unfairly low to you, remember how many thousands of players remained outside the top 100. Therefore, we take the “FourFourTwo” rating as a given, because we can argue on this topic ad infinitum, especially when it comes to the distribution of positions at the very top. In the top ten from the end we see the “Carpathian Maradona” Hadji and the Swedish star of all times Ibrahimovic. There are four world champions here: Brazilian Jalma Santos, German Philipp Lahm, Uruguayan Obdulio Varela and Argentinean Mario Kempes. The great German goalkeeper Mayer, the Hungarian goalscorer Kocsis, the Benfica legend Coluna are here, as is Neymar, who has the best years of his career ahead of him.

Places 90 to 81:

90. Roberto Carlos (Brazil)

89. Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)

88. Allan Simonsen (Denmark)

87. Javier Zanetti (Argentina)

86. Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

85. Uwe Seeler (Germany)

84. Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)

83. Ryan Giggs (Wales)

82. Hugo Sanchez (Mexico)

81. Dragan Dzajic (Yugoslavia)

Of the world champions, only Roberto Carlos is here, but we see two Golden Ball winners - Stoichkov and Simonsen. Giggs and Batistuta don’t need additional introductions; Hugo Sanchez’s goals for Atlético and Real Madrid will tell the story. We note the presence of two legends of Inter Milan from different eras - Facchetti and Zanetti. Uwe Seeler, nicknamed “Furious”, was the brightest German player in the interval between the first two world championships. Well, Dragan Dzhajic in general is perhaps the greatest Serbian player in history.

Places 80 to 71:

80. Thierry Henry (France)

79. Gigi Riva (Italy)

78. Juste Fontaine (France)

77. Frank Rijkaard (Netherlands)

76. Dennis Lowe (Scotland)

75. Cafu (Brazil)

74. Josef Masopust (Czechoslovakia)

73. Omar Sivori (Argentina)

72. Jose Andrade (Uruguay)

71. John Charles (Wales)

Masopust, Sivori and Low won the Ballon d'Or in the first half of the 60s, with only Lev Yashin wedged between them. Jose Andrade, Cafu and Henry are world champions. John Charles is one of the top 20 Welsh heroes in the history of Wales, and Juste Fontaine holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup (13 goals scored, 1958 World Cup). Riva and Rijkaard were each stars in their respective eras, and Gigi spent almost his entire career at Cagliari, he is the main symbol of this club.

Places 70 to 61:

70. Paul Breitner (Germany)

69. Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands)

68. Sandro Mazzola (Italy)

67. Florian Albert (Hungary)

66. Teofilo Cubillas (Peru)

65. Jimmy Johnston (Scotland)

64. Johan Neeskens (Netherlands)

63. Gordon Banks (England)

62. Dixie Dean (England)

61. Peter Schmeichel (Denmark)

Three Britons at once: the cult Celtic player Jimmy Johnston, the great goalkeeper and world champion Banks, and the hero of the early 20th century Dixie Dean. The Dutch Bergkamp and Neeskens worked magic, although they never became world champions, Johan even scored in one of his finals, but Paul Breitner responded in kind and eventually celebrated the victory as part of the West German team. Mazzola is another Inter legend and the idol of future generations, Florian Albert can boast of the Ballon d'Or, and Theo Cubillas is the best player in the history of Peru. You probably already recognized Peter Schmeichel: the famous goalkeeper of Manchester United and accomplice of the “Danish Fairy Tale 1992”.

Places 60 to 51:

60. Kevin Keegan (England)

59. Andres Iniesta (Spain)

58. Adolfo Pedernera (Argentina)

57. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Germany)

56. Daniel Passarella (Argentina)

55. Dino Zoff (Italy)

54. Gunnar Nordahl (Sweden)

53. Gaetano Scirea (Italy)

52. Roberto Baggio (Italy)

51. Jairzinho (Brazil)

There are three Italians at once - the winners of the 1982 World Cup Zoff and Scirea, as well as Roberto Baggio, who missed the decisive penalty in 1994 and was left with silver. But Andres Iniesta scored the only goal in the 2010 World Cup final, for which he has since been applauded in all stadiums in Spain. Jairzinho and Passarella are also world champions, but Karl-Heinz Rummenigge did not win the world championship with Germany, but he has two Golden Balls to his name, like Kevin Keegan. Nordahl rocked Serie A in the mid-20th century, where he played for Milan and Roma, but the Argentine Pedernera is the most mysterious figure in this top ten. It is known that his names were Genius, Maestro and Football Napoleon, but Adolfo’s career took place in South America in the 30s, 40s and 50s of the last century, so there is not much evidence of his greatness.

Places 50 to 41:

50. Xavi (Spain)

49. Nilton Santos (Brazil)

48. Mikael Laudrup (Denmark)

47. Roberto Rivellino (Brazil)

46. ​​Juan Alberto Schiaffino (Uruguay)

45. Oleg Blokhin (USSR/Ukraine)

44. Didi (Brazil)

43. Fritz Walter (Germany)

42. Matthias Sindelar (Austria)

41. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)

This ten has a diverse composition. Here are a bunch of world champions from different countries and different eras, and the famous scorer of Dynamo Kiev, winner of the Golden Ball Oleg Blokhin, and the Austrian Sindelar with a tragic fate, and Buffon, who is still performing at a high level, and the iconic German captain Fritz Walter, who was in Soviet captivity during World War II. And also the ex-coach of Moscow “Spartak” Mikael Laudrup and Didi, who did not give in to Di Stefano and Puskas at Real, who did not want to share the glory.

Places 40 to 31:

40. Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)

39. Nandor Hidegkuti (Hungary)

38. Gianni Rivera (Italy)

37. Ruud Gullit (Netherlands)

36. Paco Gento (Spain)

35. Luis Suarez Miramontes (Spain)

34. Stanley Matthews (England)

33. Gunter Netzer (Germany)

32. Paolo Rossi (Italy)

31. Jose Manuel Moreno (Argentina)

There is not a single active player in this top ten, although all these names are well-known to this day. For example, Paco Gento is the record holder for the number of European Cups; the Spaniard won this trophy six times. Paolo Rossi scored in the World Cup final and won the Ballon d'Or, and Nandor Hidegkuti was part of the Hungarian Golden Squad. A special place here goes to Sir Stanley Matthews, who played football until he was 50, was a model gentleman and won the first ever Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year. A few years later, this award went to Luis Suarez Miramontes, who at the time of the award played for Barcelona, ​​and then moved to Inter, where he spent nine years.

Places 30 to 21:

30. Lothar Matthäus (Germany)

29. Raymond Kopa (France)

28. Socrates (Brazil)

27. Bobby Moore (England)

26. Valentino Mazzola (Italy)

25. Carlos Alberto (Brazil)

24. Ronaldinho (Brazil)

23. Eusebio (Portugal)

22. Lev Yashin (USSR/Russia)

21. Romario (Brazil)

We note the high position of Lev Ivanovich Yashin: he is the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball in 22nd place in the ranking. There are four Brazilians in the top ten with him, and Romario is higher than Ronaldinho, Carlos Alberto and Socrates. Why, Shorty even bypassed Eusebio, who, symbolically, took the next place with his friend Yashin. Bobby Moore and Lottar Matthäus are the captains of their teams at the victorious world championships and cult football players of their countries. Special attention should be paid to Valentino Mazzola, who is seriously ahead of his son. Valentino and Sandro are the only father and son to be in the top 100 strongest football players of all time. A unique achievement.

Places 20 to 11:

20. Paolo Maldini (Italy)

19. Bobby Charlton (England)

18. Giuseppe Meazza (Italy)

17. Gerd Müller (Germany)

16. Zico (Brazil)

15. Franco Baresi (Italy)

14. George Best (Northern Ireland)

13. Marco van Basten (Netherlands)

12. Michel Platini (France)

11. Garrincha (Brazil)

Everyone is a world football star, although it is clear that it is impossible to create an “all-time” ranking based on objective indicators, because such indicators do not exist. How can we compare, say, Giuseppe Meazza and Paolo Maldini? It turns out that the basis is a certain historical “media rating”: the names of the big stars of the past still ring loudly, although decades have passed. Thanks to this, Garrincha and Muller, Charlton and van Basten, Best and Maldini, Meazza and Platini, Zico and Baresi can be located in neighboring positions. But who is cooler than them and who got No. 1, the end is near!

Places 10 to 1:

10. Ronaldo (Brazil)

9. Ferenc Puskás (Hungary)

8. Zinedine Zidane (France)

7. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

6. Alfredo Di Stefano (Argentina)

5. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

4. Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)

3. Pele (Brazil)

2. Lionel Messi (Argentina)

1. Diego Maradona (Argentina)

Led by two Argentines, the King of Football Pele has dropped to third place, and Cristiano Ronaldo is only fifth. Eight of the top ten players, besides Pelé and Beckenbauer, played for Real Madrid or Barcelona in their careers. This is how “FourFourTwo” got a hundred. How do you like it?

Maximum subjective: the 10 best football players in the history of the World Cup.

Zinedine Zidane

The main creator of the greatest transformation in the history of the world championships. Before the playoffs of the 2006 World Cup, the French team looked pathetic: with great difficulty they went through the qualifying stage, where Switzerland was the strongest opponent, then they suffered through three games in the group - with the same Switzerland, South Korea and Togo. Almost no one believed in that team of no longer young stars. Especially against the backdrop of a blossoming Spain with Torres, Xavi, Fabregas.

Zidane himself returned to the national team only under public pressure, when France failed to defeat Israel, Switzerland and Ireland at home in the qualifying round (all matches – 0:0). Head coach Raymond Domenech was successful at the youth team level, but nothing worked for him in the first team.

Hardly anyone knows exactly what happened in the playoffs. Maybe it was influenced by the fact that after leaving the group, Zidane learned about the death of Jean Varrot, a scout who believed in Zinedine and took him away from the criminal area of ​​​​Marseille, or maybe the French stars were simply angry at their helplessness. In any case, in the 1/8 finals with Spain it was already a different team. France played better, sharper, faster, and Zidane again began to resemble his former self. The captain will hit the last ball into Casillas's goal with a mockingly beautiful shot.

In the quarter finals against Brazil, the peak of magic will happen - Zidane will feint better than Ronaldinho, deliver deadly free kicks (Henri will score after one of them) and play the game in such a way that France will confidently and effectively beat one of the World Cup favorites.

Everyone knows the ending of the story. First, the French leader will score a penalty against the one who reflects these penalties best - Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo. It was he who knocked out the miracle generation of the English for two tournaments in a row (plus Euro 2004), giving them a complex of post-match blows. And then Zidane will perform heaven and hell in miniature in one match - a scoop to Buffon and a blow to the chest of Materazzi. What makes that tournament even more epoch-making is that it was Zidane's last match in his career. His gaze lowered to the ground, and the World Cup against the background of the back of the departing legend - this is forever.

Diego Maradona

For the Argentinean, the campaign for the World Cup could have ended yet. The fans greeted the Argentine team harshly, and one even broke through the ranks of the police and hit Maradona in the right knee. If he had hit his left leg, everything could have ended completely. Because two years earlier, Andoni Goicoechea, nicknamed “the butcher from Bilbao,” roughly broke Maradona in the Spanish Championship. The leg probably wouldn’t have been able to withstand the second blow.

At the 1986 World Cup, Diego showed what distinguishes a brilliant player from a great one. A genius is capable of solving individual episodes and even matches under circumstances, but he cannot solve entire tournaments. Maradona could. That Argentine national team was not outstanding - neither in composition nor in football, but it was played by a person who was able to change everything. In any way - be it pass through the entire field or hand goal in front of several tens of thousands of fans.

Pele

The most titled football player at the world championships (three wins with four participations). The man who, despite the fierce competition in Brazil, became the undisputed number one. After the 1966 World Cup, where they played against Pele so rudely that law enforcement agencies should have become interested in it, the Brazilian wanted to end his career in the national team. But he returned for the 1970 World Cup, becoming part of probably the best team in the history of the tournament. It’s amazing that it was created by journalist Joan Saldanha, who did not want to take Pele to the World Cup.

Johan Cruyff

The man who personified the unique style of the Dutch national team in the 70s. The total football of Rinus Michels then destroyed everyone at the club level - his Ajax won three European Cups in a row (then the Champions League). And the most important part of this style was Johan Cruyff. And at the 1974 World Cup, Holland was the best team, but lost to the pragmatic Germans in the final.

Cruyff changed not only football directly on the field, but also off it. He was the first to demand monetary compensation for his performances in the national team. And when I learned that officials from the federation were insuring their health during trips to the World Cup, he demanded the same for the football players. This was not a desire to get more money, no, Cruyff very clearly explained why he was doing all this: “When my career is over, I won’t be able to go into a bakery and say: I’m Johan Cruyff, give me some bread.” Partly due to sponsorship disagreements with the federation, Cruyff will not go to the 1978 World Cup and will end his career with the national team.

Cruyff is not just a brilliant player, he is a great football thinker. Even in his youth, Johan began to show even experienced football players where and why they should run on the field. Having become more experienced, he practically turned into a player-coach. And total football, of which he and Rinus Michels were the most important parts, would later become the basis for the legendary football of modern Barcelona.

Ronaldo

The second scorer in the history of the World Cup - after Miroslav Klose. Ronaldo became the champion back in 1994, but the 17-year-old forward did not play a single minute at that tournament. In 1998, the Brazilian already arrived as the main star of the entire championship - he was recognized as the best football player in the world according to FIFA for two years in a row, and won the Golden Ball in 1997. The Brazilian national team powerfully reached the final, but before the decisive match Ronaldo became ill. The doctors doubted it for a long time, but still allowed the striker to play in the final. In the end, this had an effect - Zidane scored two great goals, and France wanted to see him as a new president.

The next World Cup, in 2002, became the tournament of life for Ronaldo. He suffered for a year and a half due to injuries before the tournament, but scored 8 goals in South Korea and Japan, and the Brazilian national team won all the matches. Particularly memorable was the double in the final against Oliver Kahn, the best goalkeeper in the world at that time.

Gerd Müller

The main scorer in the history of German football. A forward whose number of goals almost always equaled his number of appearances. At the World Championships he played 13 games and scored 14 goals. It was his goal in the 1974 World Cup final that brought the Germans victory over the great Dutch team of Cruyff. After this, Müller, at the age of 28, announced his retirement from the national team. I wanted to spend more time with my family.

Sandor Kocsis

The main star of the powerful Hungarian team, which blew everyone away in the mid-50s, was, of course, Ferenc Puskás. But at the 1954 World Cup it was Sandor Kocsis who looked brighter than others. In five games, he scored 11 goals, which is not surprising when you look at the attack of that team. At the group stage, the Hungarians defeated the South Korean team 9:0, and the future finalists, the Germans, 8:3. In the quarter-finals and semi-finals, the Brazilians and Uruguayans got it – twice, 4:2.

The game against Brazil generally went down in the annals as the “Battle of Berne” - the match ended in the largest brawl in the history of the World Cup. And the whole world has seen a photo of Brazilian goalkeeper Zeze Moreira, with a boot in his hands attacking the Hungarians.

This was truly the best team in the world at that time. But in the finals, Puskás’ injury crippled her. Substitutions were not provided then, and from the middle of the first half the Hungarians essentially played out the game in the minority. The Germans turned 0:2 into strong-willed 3:2.

Franz Beckenbauer

The perfect combination of power, grace and intelligence in football. Beckenbauer won gold, silver and bronze in three tournaments with the team. Together with Gerd Müller, he was a vital part of the German team at the 1974 World Cup. And in 1990 he would take first place as a coach.

They say about Beckenbauer that he manages to combine sporting arrogance and modesty at the same time. I remember how Franz flew to Moscow to see Lev Yashin, among other things, to help him pay for a new prosthetic leg. The German was sincerely surprised that such a legendary goalkeeper lived in such a modest environment.

Lev Yashin

After the 1962 World Cup, Yashin was simply destroyed. People who admired the legendary goalkeeper turned into a hateful mass after one mistake. It’s surprising that that tournament was not shown in the USSR and most learned about the team’s relegation from the newspapers. In them, Yashin was blamed for two missed goals and the relegation in general.

Then there was darkness. Broken windows, inscriptions on the car, the whistle of a full stadium when Yashin's name was announced. The best goalkeeper in the history of the country was one step away from retiring. And why? Because of the hatred of our own people that came from out of nowhere.

Yashin was saved by a call to the world team match against England in 1963. He only played a half then (without conceding), but he delighted everyone with his performance so much that he eventually received the Golden Ball. Never before or since has a goalkeeper been awarded this award.

At the 1966 World Cup, Yashin played excellently, and the USSR national team achieved the main achievement in its history - reaching the semi-finals.

Andreas Iniesta

The most underrated player in the world. He didn’t give out bunches of assists and didn’t become the top scorer in all tournaments, but he influenced the game of both Barcelona and the Spanish national team the most. The person who makes the team feel the pace, fills the zones correctly and moves the ball. Some call it team balance and are in search of it most of the time, while others have Iniesta.

Before the 2010 World Cup, Iniesta experienced deep depression - his close friend, Espanyol captain Dani Jarque, died. Andreas even thought about skipping the World Cup because he couldn’t get into the right shape due to psychological difficulties. Thanks to the support of the players and coaches, Iniesta still went to South Africa to score the most important goal in the history of Spanish football. And then take off his T-shirt, under which were the main words for him at that moment: “Dani Jarque is always with us.”

Photo: globallookpress.com, Gettyimages/Fotobank.ru, RIA Novosti/Alexey Khomich, Alexander Hassenstein / Staff / Bongarts / Gettyimages.ru, Keystone / Staff / Hulton Archive / Gettyimages.ru

Over the years, fans, experts and players have been trying to determine the 10 best football players in the world of all time. This is not easy to do, because professional football has been played for a very long time, and in the early stages there was no video technology, so there are simply no video recordings of matches, for example, from the 1920s and 1930s, and there is no way to see how they played at that time.

In order to determine the best, it is necessary to take into account the participation and achievements of players not only in domestic leagues, but also in World and European Championships, continental cups, performances for the national team and other major tournaments. Particular attention should be paid to individual awards for football players, such as the “Golden Boot”, “Golden Ball”, etc.

TOP 10 best players in the history of football

Diego Maradona

For many, Maradona is No. 1 in football. He was a very good player who played for many years in Serie A, where teams pay special attention to defense. But for the Argentine striker there was no impassable path. He alone could beat the entire defense and beautifully hammer the ball into the net. While playing for Napoli, Diego won two Serie A titles. The footballer reached great heights with the Argentina national team, winning the World Cup in 1986. At this championship, in addition to winning, Maradona became famous as a football player who scored a goal with his hand. This goal was later called the “Hand of God.”

Müller is one of the best players in the history of German football. This player was famous for his scoring abilities and scored in almost every game. Gerd became the top scorer of the European Cup 4 times, won the Bundesliga 4 times, won the Champions Cup 3 times, and also won the Golden Boot in 1970 and 1972.

The football player received the nickname “black panther” for his ability to take difficult balls flying at different heights and his lightning speed. Eusebio is a true legend of all Portuguese football. He became a hero for Benfica, a club for which he played 15 seasons and scored 476 goals in 445 matches.

In those days (60s-70s) the forward was one of the most productive players in the world. He won the Golden Boot three times in 65, 68 and 73, and also became the top scorer of the Portuguese championship 7 times. Eusebio also won the Ballon d'Or in 1965.

Zinedine Zidane

Even in the early stages of his career, Zidane showed the makings of a champion. He won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship with the French national team. Zidane also remained the most expensive football player in the world for a long time after Real bought him from Juventus for € 75 million.

At club level, the Frenchman has won Serie A, La Liga and the Champions League twice. In 1998, he received the Ballon d'Or award, a prize given annually to the best football player in Europe. In 2006, Zidane had the opportunity to win the World Cup for the second time in his career, but the French lost to the Italians in the final, and Zinedine himself left that World Cup with a scandal.

Alfredo di Stefano

Di Stefano's game was imitated and amazed by millions. He was an excellent striker. His high point came in the 50s of the 20th century after he moved to Real Madrid. Alfredo helped Los Blancos win the European Cup 5 times in a row, which no club has ever achieved.

In the football world, Di Stefano's merits and achievements are highly appreciated. He was recognized as one of the best goalscorers in the history of football, as well as the greatest Spanish player of the 20th century.

Cristiano Ronaldo

"Phenomenon" of the 21st century. This is how the Portuguese Ronaldo is sometimes called in modern football, who has amazing technique and scores incredibly beautiful goals with both feet. In 2017, the forward managed to win 4 Golden Balls and 4 Golden Boots.” The Portuguese is also a 4-time winner of the UEFA Champions League. He is on the list of top scorers for Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team. This is a real phenomenon and talent. He has not yet completed his football career, but has already entered the list of the best football players in the world in history.

Michelle Platini

Platini spent his best years at Juventus Turin. With this club, the Frenchman won two Serie A, a European Cup, a Cup Winners' Cup, and a UEFA Super Cup. Michel's role was a midfielder, but this did not stop him from becoming the top scorer of the Italian championship three times. Platini won the Golden Boot 3 more times. In the French national team, he also showed himself well, becoming the European champion in 1984. At this European Championship, Michel Platini scored 9 goals, and to date, his achievement has not been surpassed by a single football player, and to this day he remains the top scorer in the history of this tournament.

Platini ended his playing career at the age of 32, and after some time he took the post of UEFA president.

Pele

King of Football. This is exactly what you can call Pele, who for many years delighted millions of football fans around the world with his brilliant play. The Brazilian was extremely agile, had good speed, technique and dribbling. All this together helped the forward play at a high level and score goals. By the way, during his career in all competitions he scored 1279 goals in 1363 games.

“The King” spent most of his career in the Brazilian Santos, with whom he won 10 Brazilian championships. He became the top scorer of the Brazilian championship 11 times, and is also the only football player to win the World Cup 3 times.

Johan Cruyff

Cruyff stood out among other football players. He used close control of the ball, which, combined with his quick bursts and movements, simply tore apart the opposition's defense. The Dutchman was a nominal forward, but during the match he could often change his position, moving either to the flank or to the center of midfield.

Johan Cruyff played for Ajax Amsterdam and with this club he won 8 Eredivise titles and three European Cups in a row. The Dutchman also won the Golden Ball 3 times in a row.

Lionel Messi

Modern football cannot be imagined without Lionel Messi. This Argentinean was dubbed Maradona's heir, although according to many, Leo has long surpassed his compatriot. On the football field, the Argentine stands out for his incredible speed, dribbling, passing, and shooting. In general, this is exactly the player who can do almost everything. And it’s not for nothing that he was nicknamed “the alien.”

While playing for Barcelona, ​​Messi managed to collect many different titles, both team and individual. He has won La Liga 8 times, the Copa del Rey 5 times, the Champions League 4 times, the UEFA Super Cup 3 times and the Club World Cup 3 times. In addition, Lionel was awarded 5 Golden Balls, which is an absolute record. Messi also received the Golden Boot prize 4 times. The only trophy that the Argentine has not yet won is the World Cup. But even without this trophy, Leo was among the top ten best football players in the world in the history of football.

Results

This is the top 10 football players compiled by the editors of the website Footbnews.ru. Of course, the legendary Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin, the Brazilians Zico and Garrincha, the legendary Bobby Charlton could also be included in this rating, but it’s impossible to fit everyone into one list, so you can soon see these players in our article entitled “The 100 best football players in the world for the whole story."