Cristiano Ronaldo, despite winning all there is to win as a professional footballer is not completely recognized as the number one on the list of the greatest footballers of all time.
The argument about who the greatest football player of all time is polarizes opinion around the world.
The names of the greatest players to ever lace up a pair of boots are frequently cited as being Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pele, and Diego Maradona.
However, a number of other players’ names are also mentioned, such as Zinedine Zidane, Brazilian Ronaldo, Gerd Muller, Johan Cruyff, and George Best.
What about other players currently playing?
Neymar, does he make the top 100? What about Luka Modric, a Real Madrid iconic midfielder?
The top 10 names from FourFourTwo will be discussed in-depth on FUTBALLNEWS, with the full list of the top 100 names appearing later down.
Below are the top ten Greatest Footballers of all time;
Lionel Messi
The legend of Argentina and Barcelona, Lionel Messi, is expected to be at the top of the list.
In 834 games, he has scored an absurd 691 club goals while also winning 10 LaLiga championships, four Champions Leagues, and a slew of other awards.
Messi earned a record-breaking seven Ballon d’Or awards and helped Argentina win the Copa America last year.
Diego Maradona
It’s surprising that Diego Maradona, who is ranked second on this list, isn’t even regarded as the best Argentinean player of all time.
The South American genius nearly single-handedly won the 1986 World Cup with some of the most incredible performances you will ever watch.
He also won two Serie A championships with Napoli in 1987 and 1990. He played 259 games with the Italian club, scoring 115 goals, and is remembered as their finest player.
Cristiano Ronaldo
On Sunday night, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th club goal, solidifying his status as the greatest player in history.
Five Champions Leagues, seven domestic league titles, and five Ballon d’Or awards have all been won by the Portuguese great.
He also won the championship with his nation at Euro 2016 and has scored 117 goals in 191 games for his country, which is a world record.
Pele
Pele is still the only player in history to have won the World Cup three times, in 1958, 1962, and 1970.
He played for Santos in Brazil for nearly all of his 18-year club career, scoring an astounding 643 goals in 659 games.
However, his 77 goals in 92 games for Brazil may be his most amazing feat, and his international career is unmatched.
Zinedine Zidane
In his time playing for Juventus, Real Madrid, and France, Zinedine Zidane etched out a lasting legacy.
The brilliant player is well known for his volley in the Champions League final in 2001.
But for French fans, he will be remembered as the one who led his country to victory at the 1998 World Cup and the Euro 2000.
Johan Cruyff
In the manner he played and then managed his way to success, Dutch superstar Johan Cruyff was a visionary.
But concentrating on him as a player, the forward led Ajax to three consecutive European Cup victories between 1971 and 1973, winning eight league titles with them.
He also won a league championship with Barcelona, but the Netherlands lost out on winning their first World Cup in 1974 when West Germany defeated them in the championship game.
George Best
Many people consider him to be the most talented player ever to come out of Britain.
In 470 games for Manchester United, George Best scored 179 goals and helped the team win the European Cup in 1968 as well as the league championship twice.
Football fans had only seldom seen his skill and ability with the ball before, and we haven’t seen it very often since.
Franz Beckenbauer
In the 1970s, German legend Franz Beckenbauer revolutionized the position of a defender by carrying the ball out from the back, which altered how spectators perceived the game.
In 1972, he won the European Championships with West Germany, and in 1974, he won the World Cup.
He also won four Bundesliga championships with Bayern Munich in five years.
Ferenc Puskas
Ferenc Puskas, the greatest player in the history of Hungary, was so outstanding that the “best goal of the year” award was named in his honor by Fifa.
In 262 games for Real Madrid, the renowned attacking midfielder scored 242 goals.
He also scored an absurd 84 goals in 85 games for the Hungarian national team, two of which came in the storied 6-3 victory over England in 1953.
Ronaldo
One of the deadliest, most destructive strikers to ever play the game is the Brazilian Ronaldo.
In 518 club games, he scored 352 goals for teams like Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and AC Milan.
However, he also scored an astounding 62 goals in 98 international matches, 15 of which came at the World Cup.
The 100 Greatest footballers of all time
The Big Book of Football Cliches states we must always refer to this “selection headache” as a “nice problem to have” when a manager must pick between two exceptional players in the same position.
Below is FourFourTwo’s top 100 Greatest footballers of all time;
- Lionel Messi
- Diego Maradona
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Pele
- Zinedine Zidane
- Johan Cruyff
- George Best
- Franz Beckenbauer
- Ferenc Puskas
- Ronaldo
- Gerd Muller
- Alfredo di Stefano
- Michel Platini
- Zico
- Garrincha
- Bobby Charlton
- Paolo Maldini
- Romario
- Giuseppe Meazza
- Andres Iniesta
- Franco Baresi
- Marco van Basten
- Eusebio
- Xavi
- Carlos Alberto
- Ronaldinho
- Ruud Gullit
- Manuel Neuer
- Socrates
- Raymond Kopa
- Lev Yashin
- Lothar Matthaus
- Stanley Matthews
- Valentino Mazzola
- Matthias Sindelar
- Luis Suarez (born 1935)
- Francisco Gento
- Bobby Moore
- Michael Laudrup
- Roberto Baggio
- Kenny Dalglish
- Paolo Rossi
- Nandor Hidegkuti
- Gunter Netzer
- Gianluigi Buffon
- Didi
- Rivellino
- Kevin Keegan
- Thierry Henry
- Nilton Santos
- Jose Manuel Moreno
- Oleg Blokhin
- Jairzinho
- Gaetano Scirea
- Dino Zoff
- Juan Alberto Schiaffino
- Fritz Walter
- Daniel Passarella
- Gordon Banks
- Gianni Rivera
- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
- John Charles
- Dixie Dean
- Gunnar Nordahl
- Johan Neeskens
- Denis Law
- Sandro Mazzola
- Dennis Bergkamp
- Jimmy Johnstone
- Ronald Koeman
- Omar Sivori
- Teofilo Cubillas
- Dani Alves
- Eric Cantona
- Jose Andrade
- Cafu
- Frank Rijkaard
- Florian Albert
- Luka Modric
- Just Fontaine
- Josef Masopust
- Jimmy Greaves
- Hugo Sanchez
- Wayne Rooney
- Philipp Lahm
- Alan Shearer
- Allan Simonsen
- Sergio Busquets
- Hristo Stoichkov
- Roberto Carlos
- Giacinto Facchetti
- Peter Schmeichel
- Sandor Kocsis
- Luis Figo
- Djalma Santos
- Javier Zanetti
- George Weah
- Kaka
- Mario Kempes
- Gheorghe Hagi
Above is the list of greatest 100 by FourFourTwo, what do you think about the list and Neymar missing out?
