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Through my research methods and formula, these are the Top 50 players to ever play the game.
You can view Ratings & Explanation for more information.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
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Schiaffino is typically considered the greatest Uruguayan player of the 20th century by many sources. He made his international debut in 1946 before he had even broken into Penarol's first team, winning several titles before he signed for Milan for a world record fee in 1954. His profile and style suggests one of the most complete and well-rounded offensive midfielders in history. He is mostly appreciated as one of the best due to his outstanding passing, vision and elegance on the ball (which is also backed up well by footage), but he is also often described as possessing unique levels of tactical intelligence, anticipation and leadership qualities, (notably by Milan teammates Cesar Maldini and Gianni Rivera), even ending his career with Roma as a sweeper. He famously scored in Uruguay’s victorious 1950 World Cup final, but an yet unexplained international hiatus following this victory prevents him from being placed even higher.
Writer Eduardo Galeano - "With his masterful passes, he organized the team's play as if observing the pitch from the highest point of the stadium tower." |
Best known as the captain of the 1954 West Germany side that beat Hungary’s ‘Mighty Magyars’ to win the World Cup. At this time, he was considered to be Germany’s greatest ever player, including by his manager Sepp Herberger. However, due to this being the country’s first major trophy, his inclusion is best justified by how he has retrospectively continued to be ranked alongside German legends of the 70’s-90's, by writers such as Ulfert Schroeder, ranking systems such as IFFHS (based on polls of former players and journalists), and many other football historians. Some may perceive his legend to have outgrown him in this sense, but there is still evidence of his quality from the time beyond his symbolic importance. Archival records often describe him in detail as a conductor with unparalleled technical qualities, as evidenced by his ability to perform well in bad conditions compared to others, while his goal record in the Oberliga Sudwest is also outstanding. Still, with many players of or before this time, particularly during WW2, there is less certainty and a limit to how high they can be ranked.
Franz Beckenbauer: "The most important German footballer of the century." |
Moore is best known for being England’s World Cup winning captain in 1966. He also featured in the European Championship Team of the Tournament in 1968, and had what is often referred to as one of the greatest defensive performances of all-time against the great Brazilian team of the 1970 World Cup, the same year he came 2nd in the Ballon D’Or. He is known as a high-level big game performer, and is evidently one of England’s greatest ever international players. He is only held back from being ranked slightly higher by declining fairly early in his early 30's, and by his lack of trophies at club level, with just an FA Cup and Cup Winners' Cup to his name. Having said this, he would still likely be regarded as the greatest English defender ever based solely on domestic performance, so these are only fine margins. He is defined as one of the greatest defenders of all-time by virtually every reputable and respected source. In terms of style, he lacked pace and aerial ability, but it was his intelligence, anticipation, timing and reading of the game that is lauded as much as any defender before Beckenbauer, and cements his reputation as one of the best defenders of all-time.
. Sir Alex Ferguson: "Moore was the best defender I have ever seen." |
Rated as the greatest goalkeeper of all-time by almost every reputable source. He won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1956, the European Championship in 1960, and on an individual level, the Ballon D’Or in 1963. He is considered a pioneer for “sweeper-keepers”, in terms of positioning himself as an extra outfield player, confronting oncoming attackers early, and commanding his box. He is certainly the best of his era, but it is fair to question to what level Yashin’s revolutionary style has impacted his widespread reputation as the best ever. Personally, I believe that influence on future generations is a strong factor, but shouldn't be too decisive. The reality is that these potential question marks are difficult to answer, and I see no evidence definitive enough to disregard the wide consensus that he is the number one. To perfect such a unique role at the time clearly shows a high level of quality, while contemporary reports and footage, aside from his innovative traits, show him to be a reliable goalkeeper with a strong presence, excellent positioning and the ability to make spectacular reflex saves. His clean sheet record is also outstanding. His main career flaw is his performance in the '62 World Cup, the first year he was not nominated for the Ballon D’Or.
Eusebio: "He was the greatest goalkeeper of all time and of all nations." |
Widely regarded as one of the greatest strikers of all-time, Lewandowski is the second all-time top scorer of the Bundesliga behind Gerd Muller. He and Muller have a significantly higher goals per game record than anyone else with 100+ goals in the Bundesliga. He is also the third highest goalscorer in Champions League/European Cup history, behind only Messi and Ronaldo. He won the trophy with Bayern in 2020, a year where he was expected to win the Ballon D’Or if it wasn’t for Covid-19. He officially came 2nd in 2021. Not only was he the best striker in the world at his peak, but has scored 100+ goals for three clubs, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. This longevity at the top is testament to his all-round quality as a striker. He has strong link-up play, intelligent movement, physical qualities and phenomenal finishing ability with both feet. It is clear statistically why he made this list, but in comparison with rival attackers ranked higher, they mostly have a little extra in terms of ball carrying and the ability to create chances for themselves, and in some cases are stronger international performers. He has few goals against high ranked teams and could have done better in tournaments, but is still at a disadvantage with Poland overall. However, I don't think it would be correct to hypothesize what a player could have achieved with a stronger nation, in order to equalize with a player who has done it, a similar case to George Best in this list.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge - "Robert is in the same category as Gerd Muller." |
Widely regarded by several sources to be one of the greatest players in English football history. Since the 1920s-30s, when the offside law change led to many more goals for a period of time, he has the best goals per game ratio of any player in the top 50 goalscorers of English football. Visual evidence show his technical qualities to be some of the most well-rounded of all-time. He has notably won French Player of the year 5 times, more than any other player, with the ‘00 and ‘06 wins being impressively awarded for years that included two of Zidane’s best international tournaments. Like Zidane, Henry was in the Team of the Tournament for both of these, with his contributions including a vital goal in the Euro 2000 semi-final and Man of the Match award in the victorious final, along with a quarter final winner against Brazil for the 2006 World Cup finalists. The idea that he wasn’t a big game player for the national team is overstated. I find it often mistakenly interwoven with ‘98, ‘02 and ‘04. Despite not playing a major role in the '98 World Cup win, he was 20 years old and still the country’s top goalscorer following his group stage appearances. The latter two were a difficult period for the team overall, where they did not go far enough to play any of the giant nations. In the Champions League however, he certainly lacks key moments for a player of his quality, which holds back the 05-06 season with Arsenal and 08-09 victory with Barcelona from being a big factor in this ranking.
Alan Smith - "I think he's the best player to have played in this country." |
With even the best all-round defensive-midfielders, it is possible to assess their strongest traits and label them as either a destroyer, or a deep lying playmaker in front of the back four. The difference with Rijkaard is that he cannot be defined solely as either, because he had the level of attributes required to play both roles, and did just that. Made clear by reports and footage, he was physical, hard-working, an excellent tackler, could anticipate the opposition, and had outstanding tactical intelligence, but was also revered for his elegant passing and technique, was able to dictate the tempo, receive the ball under pressure, dribble past players and score spectacular goals. This rare combination justifies his status as one of the greatest and most complete midfielders of all-time by most reputable sources. His DBS Calcio average during his 5 years in Milan is notably bettered only by Baresi, Maldini and Gullit from this great team, where he was often considered the lynchpin of the side. He has won the European Championship, Champions League, and twice finished third in the Ballon D’Or.
Ronald Koeman - "Frank is the best holding player ever." |
At the age of 27, Mbappe became the all-time top goalscorer of the World Cup, averaging a goal a game, including a hat-trick in the 2022 final. He won the trophy in 2018, and is evidently one of the greatest players in the tournament's history. His performances at club level have also been of a high and consistent enough standard to the point where, in a general sense, he has been the best footballer in the world for at least a period of 4 years. Other than his first season at Monaco where he made 11 league appearances, he has notably appeared in the relevant domestic team of the year in every season of his career, and is already among the top 5 Champions League/European Cup goalscorers of all-time. He does however currently lack the very biggest trophies at club level, even facing questions regarding his overall team contribution for his last two clubs. But with his strong combination of the most important offensive attributes, he will likely overcome this over time, and I expect him to move even further up this list.
Jean Pierre-Papin: "I think that today, he is the greatest striker in the history of the French team, yes. And you know what? I think he’s going to be even greater.” |
From 13/14 to 15/16, Suarez had one of the greatest peak performances of any striker in history. He won one Pichichi trophy and two European Golden Shoes (one with 0 penalties) - the only player other than Messi and Ronaldo to win either award during the 2010’s. He was also twice the top assist maker of his league during this time, again only behind Messi and Ronaldo for the other year. Aside from footage or simply watching him in this period, these records, which were achieved during the peaks of two of the greatest players of all-time, are the best evidence of his skill and phenomenal performance level. In 2015, he won the treble with Barcelona, scoring several important Champions League knockout goals along the way. In the years before and after this period, he was mostly not at the level of an all-time great striker, which limits his ranking here a little. His Champions League goalscoring record suffered after 2016, and his overall career statistics in the competition are ultimately not on the level of other all-time great strikers. However, the fact that he was still one of the best strikers in the world for several other years can often be overlooked due to the strength of his peak. He notably won the 2011 Copa America with Uruguay as the tournament’s best player, and the 20/21 La Liga with Atletico Madrid as their top scorer, breaking the Barcelona and Real Madrid dominance for only the second time in 17 years.
Steven Gerrard - "I've been privileged to play alongside some great players at Liverpool but nobody comes close to Luis...he's the best by some distance." |
Best known as the star player for Helenio Herrera’s ‘Grande Inter’ that won back to back European Cups. He had an excellent goal record at Barcelona for an offensive midfielder, but adapted his game when Inter broke the world transfer record to sign him, where he became a deep lying playmaker, showing his vision and passing range. This validates his reputation as an exceptionally intelligent and technical player. There are ex-players and journalists that still consider him to be the greatest Spanish player in history. He won the Ballon D’Or in 1960, was runner-up twice, and third once. In ‘64, when he won the European Cup and European Championship, it was expected that he would have won the award if not for France Football trying to avoid repeat winners during this time. While it is often noted that the likes of Pele and Garrincha may have displaced him in these award rankings had they been worldwide, there are still only 4 players who have finished in the top 3 more times than him - Messi, Ronaldo, Beckenbauer and Platini, and the latter two certainly would have had South American competitors of their own. He performed on nearly every stage, winning individual awards during his time in Spain and Italy, being in the official Team and the Tournament at the Euros, and claiming himself that his Ballon D’Or win was mostly due to his European Cup performances. However, the World Cup is the competition that lets him down, with Spain knocked out in the group stage in ‘62 and ‘66.
Alfredo Di Stefano - “Suarez was a stupendous player, among the best Spaniards ever in history, along with Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.” |
Baresi is widely considered to be one of the greatest defenders of all-time by most sources. Many Milan fans, along with ex-players such as Capello and Desailly, label him as the number one ahead of the likes of Beckenbauer and Maldini, even if the former was especially known for more than his defending. It is evident though that based on purely defensive skills, he is in the conversation as the greatest ever. Despite his height, he is known for revolutionising the role of the libero through his intelligent positioning, anticipation, timing and decision making, and was also an outstanding tackler. This is all backed up well by footage and credible tactical breakdowns. He was known as the absolute leader of one of the greatest defences and club sides of all-time, winning three European Cups between 1988 and 1994, two of which were during the famous Arrigo Sacchi era. He was interestingly the highest rated Milan player domestically by DBS Calcio in 4 of these 6 seasons, ahead of the likes of Rijkaard, Gullit, Van Basten and a younger Maldini. During this time, he would finish 2nd in the Ballon D’Or in 1989, with France Football also going on to name him as the second greatest centre-back of all-time in 2020. He wasn’t a regular for the national team until his mid twenties, as before then, Italian manager Enzo Bearzot often chose Scirea ahead of him and preferred Baresi in midfield. He was not picked for Italy for almost 2 years between '84 and '86. I don’t hold this against Baresi, as Scirea was 7 years older and a great player himself, and there were clearly tensions between the manager and Baresi. He would later go on to be named in the official Team of the Tournament for the 1990 World Cup, and after returning from injury for the ‘94 final, would play a match described by his Milan teammate Costacurta as “the best performance I have ever witnessed”. He was a reserve in ‘82, so never won the tournament as a regular starter as many other all-time great defenders did.
Paolo Maldini: "The greatest footballer I've ever had the honor of playing with." |
Neymar has regularly been described as one of the greatest players or Brazilian players of all-time by several sources. There is even contemporary evidence that suggests he was the world’s second best player during periods of 2015, 2018 and 2020 - ahead of Ronaldo and later Lewandowski. This comes from several claims of journalists, pundits, players and ex-players, mostly during the time periods specified, as well as from in depth statistical analysis from the likes of CIES Football Observatory and WhoScored. Their metrics in my opinion also evidence him as one of the strongest all round offensive players in history when at his best, as does the visual evidence of simply watching him play. He twice finished third in the Ballon D’Or in and around this time, including in 2015 following the treble win with Barcelona. He was the top scorer in the Champions League that season, and is notably the only player from 2008 to 2019 other than Ronaldo and Messi to achieve this feat. However, he would never finish in the Ballon D’Or top 10 following any full seasons with PSG, and is not particularly appreciated by their fanbase. This was mostly due to injury problems, which lead to crucial games missed and a consequent lack of overall achievement during this part of his career. This is a factor against Neymar's ranking here, and by some can also lead to him being perceived as a player with a short peak, despite the criticism during this time in Paris not actually reflecting his performance levels, as evidenced above. He was in fact one of the world’s best for a sustained period of at least 7 years, but as alluded to, still could have won more overall, both individually and collectively. He never won a major trophy with Brazil, even if he was an excellent player in a weaker period for them. He was in the 2014 World Cup Team of the Tournament, won the Golden Ball for the best player at the 2021 Copa America (joint with Messi), and is the country’s all-time top goalscorer.
Buffon: "I’ve played against 3 generations: Zidane, Ronaldo, Messi, Cristiano…Choose one? Neymar. For the player he is...he should have 5 Ballon d’Ors.” |
Rivaldo has been praised as one of the all-time great Brazilian footballers by the likes of Zico, Cafu and Tostao. He is often regarded as Brazil’s best performer of the '99 Copa America and '02 World Cup victories, and by some the best of the '98 World Cup finalists. He is evidently one of the greatest international footballers in history. He scored two goals in the '99 final and was named the tournament’s official best player, winning the Ballon D’Or in the same year following a strong season individually with Barcelona. He would also win the Bronze FIFA World Player of the Year in 2000, a year where he was the top scorer of the Champions League. For someone who often played as an attacking midfielder, or even on the left, his goal record is outstanding for both club and country. His unique and excellent technical ability is visually evident from footage. Some contemporary journalists and ex-players criticised his perceived selfishness and lack of football intelligence, although he was clearly excessively scrutinized for a player of his ability, which I mostly put down to his lack of media presence, exuberance and effort to endear himself to fans. He is certainly more appreciated now. He suddenly declined once he moved to Milan, but his peak as one of the world’s best and his big stage performances are still spectacular enough to merit inclusion.
Writer Rob Smyth - “If you took everyone playing at the absolute peak of their game, Rivaldo was the best and most unstoppable footballer since Maradona.” |
Sarosi is statistically the most impressive goalscorer of his generation. He is the all-time top scorer of the Mitropa Cup and European International Cup of Nations, competitions considered predecessors to the European Cup and European Championships respectively. In the Mitropa Cup, which he won in 1937, he has a notable 21 goals more than Giuseppe Meazza, who is in second place in the all-time goalscoring rankings, and 26 ahead of Matthias Sindelar in joint third, with a better goal ratio than both. In these competitions, being ahead of those who are often described as the greatest of their generation is a strong factor in itself, but the fact that he often played in several positions throughout his career makes this feat even more impressive. He has received acclaim as a defender, midfielder and forward from many contemporary sources, and has been specifically praised for all three together by archived match programme notes, opposition players, and publications picking European XI’s. There is strong evidence to suggest that he is one of the most complete footballers of all-time. He only lacks the more extravagant levels of praise and admiration given to some of his contemporaries, including those mentioned in Meazza and Sindelar.
Silvio Piola - “Probably the best defender in the world, the best midfielder and the best striker.” |
Kubala was voted as Barcelona’s greatest ever player in 1999 ahead of several great names. This award and the overall adoration from Barcelona fans is sometimes put down to his iconic status within the club’s history more so than his talent. This is because, during his time, it was the fame and ‘Kubalamania’ surrounding him that is often credited as the main reason for the construction of Camp Nou, due the demand to watch him. While there could be some truth to the idea of his symbolic importance playing a factor towards some of his acclaim, I see no reason to discount his overall ability when he has been often described as one of the greatest of all-time by several ex-players. This includes Madrid rivals Puskas and Di Stefano. These quotes were often more than throwaway comments, as he was directly compared with other all-time greats in detail and lavished with praise that is comparable to players ranked much higher than him in this list. He is ranked as the 32nd best player of the century by IFFHS, and was nominated for the Ballon D'Or Dream Team, a prize he likely would have won before the award began, particularly in '52. His overall career must be taken into account though. He had injury issues throughout his time with Barcelona following his recovery from tuberculosis. For mostly political reasons, he never played at the finals of a major international tournament. This means that he lacks the global acclaim of other Hungarians or European greats outside of Spain.
Eduardo Manchon - “He was the best of his era and, for me, the best of all time." |
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Rummenigge is one of the most complete forwards of all-time, with the ability to perform anywhere across the front line due to his combination of physical and technical qualities, which are very apparent when watching footage. He was fast, powerful, a strong dribbler, and an outstanding finisher in varied situations. He is consistently ranked as one of the strongest players of the 20th Century by most reputable publications and historians. He won the Ballon D’Or twice, with the first in 1980 won by an incredible margin of votes, during an era where the standard of individuals in Europe was growing stronger following a slight dip in the late 70's. He won the European Cup twice for Bayern Munich at a young age, contributing as an important player towards the second title. For West Germany, Rummenigge made the official Team of the Tournament for the 1980 European Championship and the 1982 World Cup, winning the former, and reaching the final in the latter, while also being named as the third best player of the tournament. He would however decline fairly early in the mid 80’s, with injury issues disrupting his time in Italy and preventing him from having any more high level performances in international tournaments. This is a limiting factor in his ranking, with Kicker only rating him as ‘world-class’ on 8 occasions overall across his career. However, he was still included in their Team of the Season seven times in a row, a joint record, highlighting the outstanding level of his best years. Only Gerd Muller and Robert Lewandowski have won the Bundesliga Top Goalscorer award more times than him, yet the 3 occasions Rummenigge did win it were the only three full seasons he was defined by the magazine as playing in the centre-forward role, making this feat all the more impressive.
Lothar Matthaus - "Now I've played against both of them, Maradona and Zico. Neither of them is as good as Kalle Rummenigge." |
Many witnesses of Sindelar, including ex-players, journalists, authors, and even FIFA president Jules Rimet, regarded him as one of the greatest players in history at the time of his playing career and retirement. In an era of players such as Meazza and Sarosi, this widespread high praise across many sources is ultimately the best case for his inclusion in this list. It is backed up well by his tournament contributions. At club level, he won two Mitropa Cups during the competition’s strongest period, a tournament that is considered a predecessor to the European Cup. He notably scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the '33 final to win the trophy for Austria Wien against Ambrosiana Inter (Inter Milan). For Austria, he would also win the European International Cup of Nations in '32, a competition considered a predecessor to the European Championship. He scored vital goals along the way, including a famous double against Meazza’s Italy. In the same year, his performance against England led to Arsenal wanting to double the world transfer record to sign him. He was known as the star player of this revolutionary Austria ‘Wunderteam’. According to author Jo Araf, the best era of the famous side coincided with the reintroduction of Sindelar in the starting eleven, and he was considered perhaps the world’s best player leading up to the 1934 World Cup. I consider these all to be important granular level factors that justify his status. While he won huge trophies and made vital contributions to them, a World Cup win for the famous Austrian side could have seen him ranked higher. Even if there were superior players statistically, I don’t consider this a major factor due to his profile, which was that of an all-round technical footballer and unparalleled dribbler, who could have scored more if needed.
Historian Wolfgang Maderthaner - "Sindelar is to the Austrians what Pelé is to the Brazilians, something more than a footballer." |
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Maldini’s levels of adaptability over many years, both to the evolution of the game itself and his own physical changes, would lead him to be a world-class player for a significant period of time. This is a key factor in his ranking here, and cements his reputation as one of the greatest pure defenders of all-time, beyond solely his outstanding peak performance level. He is best known for his tactical intelligence, positioning, anticipation and leadership qualities, and was an outstanding tackler when required, even his other traits often negated the need. He played his best football as a left-back in the 1990s, including in a Milan side often regarded as one of the greatest of all-time. It is well known that he is regarded as the number one of all-time in this position by most sources. Along with the previously mentioned defensive qualities he showed in this role, he is also considered to be, and is visually, an excellent offensive and technical player, even if he is not at the level of other all-time greats in this area, such as Giacinto Facchetti and Roberto Carlos. As a centre-back, he was one of the best in the world in this position for a sustained period in the early to mid 2000’s, which won him several respectable Team of the Decade awards. He was also one of the best players in this role during the ‘94 World Cup. In the same year, he would win the World Soccer Player of the Year and El Pais European Player of the Year, while also finishing third in the Ballon D’Or. In terms of further awards, he would go on to finish 2nd in the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1995 as a left-back, and 3rd in the Ballon D’Or 8 years later in 2003 as a centre-back. He has been nominated for the Ballon D’Or 13 times, more than any other player never to win the award, and more than anyone outside of Messi and Ronaldo. It is an award that Ronaldo Nazario claimed he deserved to win several times. It is this longevity in particular that is the primary reason for placing him above Baresi, another legend of Milan often lauded in equal measure, and one sometimes even more highly valued by the club’s fans based on peak performance. Maldini’s time at the top throughout his career however, beyond simply showcasing his level of quality as referenced above, would lead to more trophy contributions at club level and more high level international tournament performances. He is Serie A's all-time record appearance maker, winning 5 Champions League titles with Milan and appearing in a joint record number of finals. Internationally, he was named in the European Championship Team of the Tournament 3 times, as many as any other player, as well as the World Cup Team of the Tournament in '94. He was also considered an excellent performer in the 1990 tournament, where there was no official award. A trophy with Italy would have seen him ranked even higher.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - “Maldini was the best and toughest defender I ever faced. He had everything: he was a complete defender.” |
To some, he is the greatest Italian player of all-time. Reputable publications and organisations that place fair value on historical importance, such as Gazzetta Dello Sport and IFFHS, rank him ahead of Meazza. Many journalists and players consider him among or above the best Italians. His reputation goes a long way to justify his rank here. He was known as an outstanding passer of the ball, “one of the greatest of all time” according to Michel Platini, as well as a skillful and elegant dribbler who could unlock defences. This is backed up well by footage. His longevity is good a factor in his ranking. He came 2nd in the Ballon D’Or in 1963, and won the award in 1969, both European Cup winning years with Milan. The former award is evidence of his status as one of the great young players in history (only Lamine Yamal has finished top 2 at a younger age), while he continued to be a leading figure for Milan until his early 30’s, with his best rated season by DBS Calcio being 72-73. His ratings here overall are interestingly not that of an 'Elite Player', but this is only a minor issue from a source that can be unreliable. What ultimately limits him in this list is contemporary criticism regarding his physical qualities and defensive contribution, with these limitations leading to Sandro Mazzola starting ahead of him throughout the 1970 World Cup. This is not a huge factor, as Mazzola was a great player, and the decision was heavily criticised by the Italian public in the final against Brazil, and was to the delight of Pele when he looked back at the game. But his overall international career still could have been better for a player of his calibre.
Fulvio Collovati - "The greatest Italian player of all-time." |
At club level, Rivellino is Corinthians’ greatest ever player, and there is debate as to whether he is Fluminense’s greatest ahead of Didi, despite only playing at the club for 3 years. At international level, he was one of the best players in the tournament for arguably the greatest team of all-time, Brazil in 1970, and performed at a similar level in 1974. These factors broken down are evidence of an extremely high level player, while on a more general level, he regularly ranks alongside all-time great Brazilian players by reputable publications and researchers. He is a notable idol of Diego Maradona, who considers him to be one of the greatest players of all-time. In terms of style, he was best known for his all-round technical quality, including passing, dribbling, and a powerful and accurate shot from long range, including free-kicks. This is backed up well by footage. Surprisingly, Rivellino was only included in the Bola de Prata once, but I don’t see this as a limiting factor. Awards based on weekly average ratings can be inaccurate and lose some context, and there is too much evidence and praise from media outlets to not say that he was one of the world’s best players in the 70’s. The main factor towards him not being higher is that he never played in the Copa Libertadores, mostly due to the struggles of Corinthians during his time there. While he has finished second in the South American Footballer of the Year Award (El Mundo), and third twice, he could have certainly won the award had he played in the competition, which Corinthians did not qualify for until he left.
Pele - "He's on the list of the five best players in history...every time we played against him, there was a player specifically assigned to mark him." |
Didi is often regarded by contemporary newspapers as being the best player at the 1958 World Cup, Brazil’s first tournament win, and one of the world’s very best at the time. He is retrospectively known as one of the 20th century’s strongest players, finishing notably high in rankings by Placar and IFFHS at 13 and 19 respectively, ahead of several big names. After ‘58, he would also be a starter in the 1962 World Cup winning side, while at club level, he is firmly regarded as one of the greatest ever players of Botafogo and Fluminense. On top of his reputation, I found him to be one of the most impressive players visually when observing matches from this era. His touch, and ability to turn and keep the ball under pressure is outstanding and stands out among his peers. He is also well known for his ability to control a game through his outstanding passing ability, along with his revolutionary free kick technique. This adds up to him being one of the all-time great midfielders, but he would still underperform in Europe with Real Madrid, not because of the standard of football, but the style. It is often reported that he did not adapt well to the pace and physicality, including by himself, although his struggles are also often put down to the 4-2-4 formation Madrid played at the time, with tensions between Didi and Di Stefano.
Amarildo - "He can be identified as one of the best players I played with and one of the best I've ever seen." |
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Zizinho
Attacking-Midfielder Brazil Gold I |
26
Ruud Gullit
Attacking-Midfielder Netherlands Platinum V |
25
Roberto Baggio
Second Striker Italy Platinum V |
24
Romario
Striker Brazil Platinum V |
23
Raymond Kopa
Attacking-Midfielder France Platinum V |
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Lothar Matthaus
Central Midfielder Germany Platinum V |
21
Ronaldinho
Winger Brazil Platinum V |
20
Giuseppe Meazza
Second Striker Italy Platinum V |
19
Bobby Charlton
Attacking-Midfielder England Platinum V |
18
George Best
Winger Northern Ireland Platinum V |
17
Jose Manuel Moreno
Second Striker Argentina Platinum V |
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Gerd Muller
Striker Germany Platinum V |
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Marco Van Basten
Striker Netherlands Platinum IV |
14
Eusebio
Striker Portugal Platinum IV |
13
Zico
Attacking-Midfielder Brazil Platinum IV |
12
Zinedine Zidane
Attacking-Midfielder France Platinum IV |
11
Garrincha
Winger Brazil Platinum IV |
10
Michel Platini
Attacking-Midfielder France Platinum IV |
9
Ferenc Puskas
Second Striker Hungary Platinum IV |
8
Franz Beckenbauer
Centre-Back Germany Platinum IV |
7
Ronaldo Nazario
Striker Brazil Platinum III |
6
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Lionel Messi Second Striker Argentina Platinum I La Liga *10 Ligue 1 *2 Champions League *4 World Cup *1 Copa America *2 Balon D'Or *8 |
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