Football is a ninety-minute game played by two teams of eleven players for each party. The players make the game more engaging. The passing, dribbling, and controlling of the ball attract many fans making football very popular.
Here are the best football players of all time, both retired and current players.
Pele
Pele, “The Greatest,” as described by FIFA, proves to be one of the best football players of all time. The FIFA World Cup three-time winner won an award as the Sportsman of the Century Award. The Brazillian all-time goal scorer won 77 goals in 92 games. He retired from his career as a top scorer in Sao Paulo League with 58 goals in the 1958 World Cup Tournament.
Diego Maradona
Maradona’s skills as a freekick scorer earned him the nickname “El Pibe de Oro,” translated as “The Golden Boy.”
Maradona scored a goal of the century for the Argentina National Team. The 2-1 win against England makes the most memorable goals for Maradona in history. He holds Argentina’s record for featuring twenty-five times in the World cup.
While playing for Napoli, Maradona facilitated the Serie A title win after a sixty-one years history. The victory led to a holiday to celebrate the victory.
Zinedine Zidane
The three-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Zinedine Zidane, is famous for his unique vision, ball passing, and control strategy. The attacking midfielder won a Ballon d’Or three times. He earned the crown of a French national hero after a 3-0 win against Brazil. In 2000, Zidane facilitated a 2-1 win against Italy in the European Championship. In 2004, he was named best European Soccer Player over the past fifty years by the UEFA Jubilee Poll. Currently, Zinedine Zidane serves as a coach for Real Madrid.
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi, the captain and forward striker for both Barcelona Football Club and the Argentina National Team, is one of the best football players of all time. The thirty-three-year-old started his career at thirteen years. He has played for the Argentina National Team and Barcelona Football Club for his entire professional career. He has won the Ballon d’Or award six times- the most won in football history! In addition to that, Messi has recorded 309 official assists. Messi has won six European shoes. Diego Maradona described Messi as his successor making him one of the best footballers of all times.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The 36-year-old forward striker has more than three hundred trophies and medals by 2021. He currently plays for Juventus, and he is the captain of the Portugal National Team. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has also won four European Golden Shoes. He is the first European to win a hundred international goals. Ronaldo is also Portugal’s all-time goalscorer with 170 caps with 770 senior goals.
Football players have proven to have competitive skills. Pele, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo, and Zidane are, however, outstanding.
