The greatest football players in the history of football

And a million-strong army of fans watching TV.

Throughout the history of football, there have been many athletes who have captivated us with their mesmerizing play and skill. And after the greatest masters of football hang up their boots, a new generation of players appears who again win the hearts of fans with their play and talent, bringing new elements, and most importantly, scoring masterpiece goals.

Criteria for evaluation

To begin with, let us present the criteria by which the list of outstanding football players in the history of football was compiled. There are only five of these factors, but they allow you to fully appreciate the greatness of a player from all sides, and the maximum score for each is 10 points.

As a result of the analysis, this is the list of the greatest football players in the world.

Now let’s directly look at each of the analysis criteria that allowed us to create such a rating. But let’s immediately make a reservation that we will go a little beyond the table.

Talent/Abilities

Talent is precisely the criterion that distinguishes a good football player from a great ball wizard. You can be talented, have excellent technical skills, but remain a mediocre player if you do not consistently demonstrate your skills on the field over a long period of time.

Victories/Trophies

One of the important factors is the success and victory of the team in which you play, because football is a team game. It is important to be useful and prove with your play that at the moment your team, although not stellar, is the strongest, and the trophies won are proof of this.

Longevity

Stability is a sign of mastery. But another important factor is the ability to play at a high level in elite clubs and championships for a long time. You can shine at the beginning of your career, and then remain promising all your life and play in mediocre championships and clubs.

You can beat equal and weak opponents with a crushing score, but talent also lies in overcoming fear and beating a stronger opponent. The Welsh team, which reached the semi-finals at the 2016 European Championship, is a clear confirmation of this.

Individuality

Becoming a leader in a team is also a great skill. The unique art of leading your playmates and being able to solve a complex problem alone. Individual brilliance has always been and remains the main indicator of a talented football player. Sometimes, bright individuals on the football field allow teams to win and get the coveted trophies.

The analysis criteria have been presented, and now let's move directly to the heroes who have worked and continue to work miracles on the football field.

List of the best football players

The greatest footballer in the history of football is Edson Arantes do Nascimento. Or simply Pele, recognized by FIFA as the best football player of the 20th century.

With his club Santos, Pelé won all the trophies of the Brazilian National League, scoring, according to unofficial data, 1,281 goals throughout his career. Pele is the only one who became a three-time world champion as part of the Brazilian national team.

Experts believe that the only drawback in the player’s career is that he did not have time to play in European clubs, which at that time were actively competing with Latin American teams.

Lionel Messi

At the age of 13, a talented boy from the Argentine city of Rosario came to Barcelona, ​​and at the age of 17 he entered the field in the first team of this club.

It was while playing for Barça that Lionel became one of the best football players of all time. Today he is the top scorer in the Spanish club and the Argentina national team.

Messi's personal trophies include four Golden Balls, three Golden Boots, as the top scorer. He won the Champions League four times with Barcelona.

Silver medalist of the World Championship and Olympic champion as part of the Argentine national team.

You can have different attitudes towards Maradona's personality, but the fact that he is a great player is undeniable. It was his talent and determination that led the Argentina national team to the championship title at the championship in Mexico in 1986.

He is often compared to Pele, but Maradona is an individual with his own distinctive qualities that allowed him to achieve great success. Unlike Pele, the Argentine spent most of his career in Europe.

It was with European clubs that the main trophies and championship prizes were won in the life of the famous and unique Diego Maradona.

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine's career blossomed in the Italian Juventus. With the Italian club, the Frenchman won the UEFA Super Cup, and later this success was repeated in Real Madrid.

The culmination of Zidane's career was the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, where the French team scored a golden double, and Zenidin scored the decisive goals.

His departure from the sport was equally beautiful when he responded harshly but fairly to the rudeness of Italian defender Materazzi. The three-time Ballon d'Or winner continues his successful career as a coach.

Frans Beckenbauer

One of the brightest football players who not only shone on the field, but also brought innovation to the game. It was France who was the first to quickly move the ball from defense to the attack line.

It was the talented, unique manner of behavior on the field of the German athlete that allowed him to achieve great success, and the German national team became the leader of world football, winning both the European Championship and the World Championship in a row, in 1972 and 1974, respectively.

Frans Beckenbauer was awarded the Ballon d'Or twice, and is one of the few who became World Champion, both as a player and as a coach.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Perhaps the most talented and brilliant player of our time. Millions of fans will be sad when Cristiano decides to retire. But at 30, he continues to remain at the pinnacle of fame, never ceasing to amaze with magnificent goals and ornate feints in every game.

Everyday training and determination, plus incredible talent, allowed us to achieve impressive results.

An offensive injury in the final of the European Championship did not allow the multiple winner of the Golden Ball and Golden Boot, Cristiano, to finish that golden match when his Portuguese team won the gold medals of the European Championship for the first time.

Alfredo Di Stefano Laulier

Di Stefano played for Real Madrid and in the 50s, with his unique and talented play, brought this Spanish club to world leaders. For five years in a row, the club won the European Cup, and in all five finals the decisive goals were scored by Di Stefano.

Playing as a center forward, Alfredo became the first of the players in this role to go back and help his teammates in defense. In essence, this became the beginning of a rotation where each player can play in any position.

The Argentinean's game was highly appreciated by the world community. He was twice recognized as the best football player in the world, raising the Golden Ball over his head.

Javier Hernandez Creus

This player, better known in the world as Xavi, has secured a leading place in any sports and football ranking with his play. The Barcelona graduate won the main trophies in his sports career with this club.

A midfielder with good vision and possession, one of the most goalscoring midfielders in the world. He discouraged his opponents with his magnificent runs to the goal and his sharp kick.

World champion and twice European champion with Spain, at the age of 37, continues his career as a player-coach in the Qatari club Al-Sadd.

Johan Cruyff

During his career, the talented French footballer played in 583 matches, scoring 313 goals. And the French team, of which Michel was captain, won gold medals at the European Championship in 1984, and in 1986 they became silver medalists at the World Championship.

For three years in a row he won the Ballon d'Or, and in the same years, in 1983, 1984 and 1985, he became the top scorer of the Italian champion as part of the legendary Juventus.

He worked briefly as a coach for the French national team, headed the national football federation, and from 2007 to 2015 was president of UEFA.

Agree, this top ten lacks a goalkeeper, because there are 11 players on the field, and a good goalkeeper, as you know, is half the team.

But Lev Yashin, who plays for Dynamo Moscow, was not just good, he was an unsurpassed goalkeeper. The only goalkeeper who received the Golden Ball as the best football player in the world.

Lev Nikolayevich has Olympic and European Cup gold medals and numerous awards in domestic sports. In addition, the famous Soviet athlete was awarded the Star of the Hero of Socialist Labor.

Conclusion

The history of football undoubtedly knows other talented players, but this unique team of the world is inscribed in golden letters in the pages of the history of the game of millions. And new fans and football fans, admiring the play of their contemporaries, will even compare their play with the masters of the past.