Debates have gone on for many years about who the best footballers are, to have played throughout the history of the sport. Debates will go on even after this, however, this list is based on logic, contribution to the team and making everything work for them. That is what makes a great footballer and we hope that this list can bare their all.
10. The Black Panther
The 1965 World and European footballer of the year as well as the winner of numerous Portuguese and European seasonal golden boots, Eusebio was an inspirational player in a country desperate for one. A true leader, Eusebio led his team at the club and international level in scoring goals and grabbing wins. He won the European Cup in 1962, playing for Benfica, where he effectively played for his entire successful career.
Despite being the Golden Boot winner in 1966, Portugal only won a third place, leaving Eusebio in 10th place on our list.
09. Michele Platini
He helped France win the 1984 European Championships and was also one of the greatest Frenchmen to play for his country. Under Platini, France reached the semi-finals of the tournament twice, however that was to be it. He won the Ballon d’Or three seasons in a row and was European Footballer of the year for four seasons in a row. Platini helped Juventus win every single trophy at the national and international level, and was easily one of the best players in the history of French football.
08. The Blonde Arrow
He was born to Italian immigrants, played for Argentina, then for Colombia and finally for Spain – and each time, Alfredo di Stefano was invincible. He won 8 league titles, 5 European titles, 1 Copa del Rey and 2 Latin Cups with Real Madrid, in 9 years. In fact, if there had been the number of tournaments then, as we have now, his list of titles and individual awards would have been unmatchable.
A man who signed with Real Madrid by chance, due to an infighting in the Barcelona camp that he had actually come to join, di Stefano went on to become one of the greatest players ever, in the history of football. His low standing, however, is only due to the lack of international titles, and nothing more.
07. The Black Pearl
With the highest number of goals in the world, Pele should have been higher on the list however his ranking has been affected by the teams he played in. While others on the list made their teams what they were, Pele was on a team that was great with or without him. However, he still scored 1281 goals in 1363 games and that is phenomenal to say the least.
His team won three world cups although Pele had a miniscule hand in each of them while his reluctance to play in Europe was also looked at, suspiciously, as an attempt to increase goal tally against weaker teams. That said, he was a part of phenomenal teams and was one of the best players out there.
06. The Major
The Mighty Magyars almost created history when they went into the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland. With Ferenc Puskas at the front, the Hungarians steamrolled their way to the finals! The team scored 27 goals in 5 games, out of which only 8 came in the two games he didn’t play. Leading 2-0 in the final, the team lost 3-2 to West Germany, a team they had beaten 8-3 in the tournament already.
However, it was at Real Madrid where Puskas teamed up with di Stefano to create one of the most formidable partnerships at club level. While it was hard to determine who was the better of the two, only based on international performance as the Major jumped two places above di Stefano.
05. Simply the Best
He wasn’t loaded with trophies and had just two league titles and a European Cup to his name. He was voted European Footballer of the year just once but yet, he makes it to our list at number 5. There is a very good reason for this!
When speaking of George Best, there is no doubt that when it comes to skill, ability and finesse, George Best was, well, the best.
Although he scored just 137 league goals in his 360-odd games for Manchester United, Best was phenomenal in his on-field performance. The effect he had on a team was incomprehensible and to consider it anything less was foolish and completely self-destructive. While he wasn’t the ideal role model for young footballers, there have hardly been better players than Best himself.
04. Dutch Maestro
He was likened to a ballerina, when on a football pitch and has had football moves and tricks named after him – however Johan Cruyff was more famous for being a fantastic footballer and executer of the Total Football format of football. As a player, Cruyff led a team and formed a unit, whether playing for Barcelona, Holland or Ajax that was ready to beat the world with an undoubtedly fantastic style of football. Cruyff, a wonderful goal scorer and creator, was perhaps one of the most complete players to never win the world cup.
03. Der Kaiser
He may have ended behind Johan Cruyff in the race for European Player of the Century but for purely success-based results, there were few better than Franz Beckenbauer in the world of football. A captain who had neither the flair nor the skill of some of the masters on this list, Beckenbauer was more about getting the job done. The fact that he makes it so high on this list is a sign of how good he was at that.
Beckenbauer has ended in all the top-three positions in the world cup, while also winning the European Championships. When it came to winning titles, there was nothing that Beckenbauer didn’t win, with a highly talented team that was guided along by his charisma, talent and powerful leadership.
02. The Little Bird
Not many lists contain his name but to our knowledge, there has been just one better footballer in the history of the sport. Only due to the teams he played on is Garrincha number two on our list. Despite playing in teams that had everyone who was anyone in the world of football, Garrincha stood out as the best. He was better than anybody Brazil could create and, at the time, it meant that he was better than the rest of the world.
There are two world cups that are said to have been won single-handedly – In 1962, it was Garrincha’s world cup. Despite suffering from polio since birth, the magician developed a skill with the ball that had never been seen before. A deformed spine, a bent right leg and a 6-centimetre shorter left leg meant little to an absolute wizard of a footballer. Unfortunately, Garrincha was too shy to hog media limelight and that meant that lesser players, like Pele, would eventually get into the act. However, as far as footballers go, Garrincha would have been God had it not been for a little man from Argentina.
01. El Pibe de Oro
The second world cup that was said to have been won single-handedly was the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico and the man was, you guessed it, Diego Armando Maradona. As far as titles go, Maradona never won anything close to people like Pele and even Platini. However, it was not about the titles that Maradona won, but who he won it with and how he won them, that mattered.
An average Argentina team was led to World Cup glory by one man who would step up to the occasion, without fail. They tried to hack him down, double-team him, foul him and even hit him illegally, but no one could stop this little man from Argentina.
He was a footballing God who played with mediocre teams and moved the world of football with his fantastic skill and ability. Whether it was about scoring goals, creating them or beating opponents, no one has been as brilliant and as inspirational as Diego Maradona. He is, truly, the number one footballer on the planet!