Top 10 Soccer Players of All Time - Best Players Ranked

Top 10 Soccer Players of All Time

The debate about who is the greatest soccer player of all time is never-ending. Messi vs. Ronaldo, or Pele vs. Maradona, the list will go on. What’s clear is that each of these players has been considered the best in the world at some point.

Most of the discussion will come down to the era each player was in, their different advantages, and other factors. Talking about the best soccer players ever or even the top players right now usually boils down to stats and personal opinions.

Here are the top 10 soccer players of all time.

About the Soccer Players

Here are the details about the top 10 soccer players of all time.

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi is an Argentine football player who plays as a forward and is the captain of both Inter Miami in Major League Soccer and the Argentina national team. He is considered one of the greatest players ever. Messi has won eight Ballon d'Or awards, six European Golden Shoes, and has been named the world’s best player by FIFA eight times.

He has won 44 team trophies, the most by any football player. Most of his career was with Barcelona, where he won 34 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles, and four UEFA Champions League titles. With Argentina, he won two Copa América titles and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Messi holds many records: most goals, hat-tricks, and assists in La Liga, most appearances and assists in Copa América, and the most international goals and appearances by a South American male. He has scored over 800 goals in his career, with 672 of those for a single club.

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Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is a famous Portuguese soccer player. He plays as a forward for both Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia and the Portugal national team. Many consider him one of the greatest players ever.

Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Or awards, three UEFA Men's Player of the Year awards, and four European Golden Shoes, which is the most by any European player. He has also won 33 trophies, including seven league titles, five UEFA Champions League titles, the UEFA European Championship, and the UEFA Nations League.

He holds several records, such as the most appearances (183), goals (140), and assists (42) in the Champions League, and the most goals (14) and assists (8) in the European Championship. Ronaldo has scored over 890 official goals in his career and has made more than 1,200 professional appearances, making him the top goalscorer of all time.

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Pele

Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, was a famous Brazilian soccer player born on October 23, 1940, and passed away on December 29, 2022. He played as a forward and is considered one of the greatest soccer players ever. Pelé was extremely successful and popular throughout the 20th century. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was listed as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century by Time magazine.

In 2000, he was also voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and shared the FIFA Player of the Century award. Pelé scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, including friendlies, which is a Guinness World Record.

Diego Maradona

Diego Armando Maradona (October 30, 1960 – November 25, 2020) was an Argentine soccer player and manager, known as one of the greatest in the sport's history. He was one of the two winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.

Maradona was a top playmaker who played in the classic number 10 role. His skills included great vision, passing, ball control, and dribbling. His small size gave him a low center of gravity, helping him move quickly and easily. His leadership and presence on the field greatly impacted his team's performance, and he was often a key target for opponents. Besides being creative, he had a sharp eye for scoring and was skilled at free kicks. He was called "El Pibe de Oro," meaning "The Golden Boy," a nickname he carried throughout his career.

Johan Cruyff

Johan Cruyff (April 25, 1947 – March 24, 2016) was a famous Dutch soccer player and coach. He is considered one of the greatest soccer players ever and the best Dutch player of all time.

Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or three times (in 1971, 1973, and 1974). He was known for his role in "Total Football," a playing style developed by Rinus Michels, which Cruyff also used as a coach. His impact on soccer as both a player and a coach makes him one of the most influential figures in the sport.

Ferenc Puskas

Ferenc Puskás was a famous Hungarian soccer player and manager, known as one of the greatest players ever and the sport's first international superstar. Born on April 1, 1927, and passing away on November 17, 2006, he was a forward and attacking midfielder.

He scored 84 goals in 85 international games for Hungary and also played four games for Spain. He won the Olympic gold medal in 1952 and led Hungary to the 1954 World Cup final. Puskás won three European Cups and ten national championships, including five in Hungary and five in Spain.

He was called the "Galloping Major" and was named the top division scorer of the 20th century in 1995. With 806 goals in 793 official games, he is one of the top goal scorers of all time.

Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer (September 11, 1945 – January 7, 2024) was a famous German soccer player, coach, and official. Known as "the Emperor," he's considered one of the greatest players ever.

Beckenbauer won the World Cup, the European Champions Cup, and the Ballon d'Or. He began as a midfielder but became famous as a central defender. He's also known for creating the role of the modern sweeper (libero).

Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane, often called Zizou, was born on June 23, 1972. He is a French football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder. Zidane is known for his exceptional skills and style on the field. He coached Real Madrid and is considered one of the greatest players ever. During his career, he won many awards, including FIFA World Player of the Year three times (1998, 2000, 2003) and the Ballon d'Or in 1998.

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Ronaldo

Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, commonly known as Ronaldo, was born on September 18, 1976. He is a retired Brazilian soccer player who played as a striker. Ronaldo is now the owner of the Brazilian club Cruzeiro and the Spanish club Real Valladolid, where he is also the president.

Known as "O Fenômeno" (The Phenomenon) and R9, he is regarded as one of the greatest soccer players ever. Ronaldo was known for his versatile attacking skills and inspired many strikers who came after him. He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times and the Ballon d'Or twice.

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Alfredo Di Stefano

Alfredo Di Stéfano (4 July 1926 – 7 July 2014) was a famous footballer and coach known for his skill as a forward. He is considered one of the greatest players ever. Nicknamed "Saeta Rubia" (Blond Arrow), he is best known for his success with Real Madrid, where he helped the team win many European Cups and La Liga titles in the 1950s and 1960s.

Di Stéfano was one of only three players to be part of all five European Cup wins, scoring in each final. He played international football mainly for Spain, but also represented Argentina and Colombia.