Ranking the 10 greatest football players of all time
With less than a decade to go before the FIFA World Cup celebrates its centenary year, the game continues to evolve and entertain. The very first edition of the tournament back in 1930 saw just 13 teams compete in Uruguay. Today, FIFA has 211 member associations, and football has consolidated its status as the most popular sport in the world.
From Maradona to Messi: ranking football's greatest players
Ranking the greatest footballers of all time is no easy matter, and there are a lot of factors to consider. Goals are obviously the most important aspect of the game. But there are other metrics such as influence and competitiveness across different eras, which cannot be measured through numbers.
🧙♂️ Maradona Magic 💫
🗓 #OnThisDay in 1986, Diego Maradona scored one of the greatest goals of all time
👀 Let's take a closer look at "El Pibe de Oro's" immortal 11-second dash
#WorldCup | 🇦🇷 @Argentina https://t.co/6pnlBiPYC4
With Lionel Messi winning a record-breaking seventh Ballon d'Or award on Monday, it's time to revisit a familiar question: who is the greatest footballer of all time? While some stars such as Ronaldinho burned brightly but briefly, others like Lev Yashin were only truly appreciated after their retirement from the game.
Honourable mentions: Paolo Maldini (Italy), Ferenc Puskas (Hungary), Garrincha (Brazil), Bobby Charlton (England), Gerd Muller (Germany)
Without further ado, here are our ten greatest footballers of all time.
#10 Michel Platini (France) - three-time Ballon d'Or winner
Michel Platini has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent years, in what has been a sad downfall for France's Player of the Century. For all his reported off-field wrongs with UEFA, Platini remains arguably the greatest goalscoring midfielder in the game's history.
He scored nine goals in five games to lead France to Euro' 84 glory, their first-ever triumph at an international football tournament. Platini was named the Player of the Tournament. That triumph came during a wonderful run that also saw Platini win three consecutive Ballon d'Or titles (1983-85).
9 – Michel Platini holds the record for the most goals scored in a UEFA EURO finals competition, helping France to the 1984 title with nine goals. King. #100DaysToGo #EURO2020 https://t.co/K6tM5AeNYo
The two-time French Player of the Year's club career was just as successful as his stint with Les Bleus. Platini's scoring record of 104 goals in 223 appearances with Juventus put many strikers of his era to shame.
He remarkably won three straight Capocannoniere awards with Juventus,at a time when the Italian top flight boasted the toughest defenders in the game. If that wasn't enough, Platini scored the winner in the 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool. He drew the curtains on his club career with two Serie A titles, a Ligue 1 triumph with St-Etienne and an Intercontinental Cup win.
Zinedine Zidane, who finished just behind Michel Platini in the voting for France's Player of the Century, had this to say about the Juventus legend:
"When I was a kid and played with my friends, I always chose to be Platini. I let my friends share the names of my other idols between themselves."
#9 Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil) - two-time Ballon d'Or winner
Ronaldo Nazario's career is one of football's biggest 'what ifs'. If not for knee injuries and hypothyroidism, the Brazilian striker could very well have established himself as the undisputed greatest player of all time.
Ronaldo's CV is stacked with trophies. He is a two-time FIFA World Cup winner with Brazil. He also has two Copa America wins, two La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey and a UEFA Cup. However, the UEFA Champions League is conspicuous by its absence from his glittering trophy cabinet.
25 years ago today, Ronaldo Nazario scored one of the greatest LaLiga goals of all time 🤩
El Fenomeno 🙌
(via @LaLiga)
https://t.co/21UqP90jRn
His personal accolades are even more impressive. In his career, Ronaldo clinched two Ballon d'Or titles (1997 and 2002), three FIFA World Player of the Year titles, the Golden Ball at the 1998 World Cup, the Golden Boot at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 1996-97 European Golden Boot, Serie A Footballer of the Year in 1998 and two Pichichi trophies.
Il Fenomeno, as Ronaldo was known, received high praise from Lionel Messi, who said:
"Ronaldo was my hero. He was the best striker I’ve ever seen. He was so fast he could score from nothing, and could shoot the ball better than anyone."
Ronaldo also scored 15 FIFA World Cup goals in 19 games, only one behind all-time top scorer Miroslav Klose. His best season in club football was his solitary year with Barcelona in 1996-97. Ronaldo scored a stunning 47 goals, and provided 12 assists in just 51 appearances. He is third in Brazil's all-time scoring list with 62 goals, behind Pele and Neymar.
Despite bridging bitter club rivalries while playing for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan and AC Milan, Ronaldo remains one of football's most beloved figures.