Football's Greatest Players

This list of players is based totally on my opinion and as i some of these players were performing at their best before i was around to witness it i am slightly lacking in expert knowledge although these players were that incredible people need not have watched them to understand their brilliance, that is the legacy these people have left.

This man was a true legend of the game, at the age of 15 he made his football debut for Santos, 10 months later Pele made his debut for Brazil against Argentina, he made his first appearance in the 1958 world cup after missing the first two games he made his world cup debut against Russia, his first ever goal came against wales, as Brazil won 1-0, in the semi final Pele managed a hat trick against France, that game finished 5-2, the final would see Pele score 2 as as Brazil beat the host nation Sweden in a 5-2 match which also saw Pele become the youngest ever player to lift the world cup.

After his triumph in his first ever world cup Pele also managed more success for club and country,although the 1962 world cup was abruptly halted as Pele injured himself against Czechoslovakia and missed the remainder of the tournament.

1966 was the greatest year for any england fan, but this world cup which is always remembered for being very physical almost stopped Pele playing in another world cup as he was a victim of several violent tackles from Portuguese players he left the match as Brazil also left the tournament, although he was unhappy with what went on in this tournament he did become the first player to score in three world cups.

Pele played in his last ever world cup in 1970 after being recalled into the squad Brazil were incredibly dominant in this year and this team is recognised as one of the best football teams ever, they went on to win this world cup against Italy in the final after an incredible 4-1 victory, Tarcisio Burgnich the Italian defender set with the task of marking pele was quoted as saying after the match "I told myself before the game, he's made of skin and bones just like everyone else - but I was wrong".

Pele retired from international football on July 18th 1971, his last game was against Yugoslavia.

It would be an understatement to say that Diego Maradona was controversial, this man was without a doubt one of the most gifted, talented players that the world has ever seen but amongst all of this there were things that made Maradona the bad guy, for example failing a doping test and being found with cocaine in your system, the infamous 'Hand of God', but that match for me sums up Maradona as a player...
Im sure we are all familiar with the story its 0-0 in the world cup quarter final between England and Argentina 50 minutes in the Argentines have made the England penalty box a scrambled ball is hoofed up into the air by an England defender and Diego Maradona gets underneath it and slots it away with his hand, this was an intriguing moment as Maradona knowing what he did still had the audacity to celebrate it as though it was a wonderful goal, although what happened next would make history and forever be on peoples mind, on the 54th minute Maradona was passed the ball inside his own half and the he was away gliding as he did across the pitch with superb ball control skipping past 3 players then past the keeper and slides it into the back of the net, this was called the goal of the century on a FIFA online poll in 2002 and quite rightly it was sheer brilliance, Gary Lineker scored on the 80th minute making the final score 2-1 Argentina, this for me sums up Maradona a very controversial figure who was capable of magical things.
So love or hate Maradona you have to say this man was truly one of the greats.

Johna Cruyff was on of the most skillful players to ever play his ball control and wonderful dribbling ability made him every defenders worst nightmare,
Cruyff was part of the Ajax side of the 60's and 70's which adopted the style know as 'total football' this is where the every player on the field is able to play in any position and therefore no player is fixed in one position, Cruyff was a big fan of this style traditionally playing as a centre forward but was notorious for dropping off and playing in the centre of midfield or swapping onto the wing, this made marking this man a absolute nightmare, whilst on the wing Cruyff also showed of his wonderful ball control by faking a cross then dragging the ball behind him with his right foot turning onto the ball and accelerating past the bemused defender this piece of masterful trickery was known as the 'Cruyff Turn'.

Cruyff achieved many things in his career he was a European champion in 3 consecutive years in each of those years Cruyff was named 'European footballer of the year' 7 dutch championships with 5 Dutch Cups 1 Spanish Championship and 1 Spanish Cup, the only thing Cruyff never won was the World cup however he did lead Holland into their first ever world cup final in great style smashing all who opposed them however in the final it was not such a good day the final score 2-1 to west Germany, Cruyff may not have won but he had shown in this game and the whole tournament that he could play his best at the highest level.

George best is undoubtedly on of the best footballers who has ever lived this man was capable of performing wonders all over the pitch hes was two footed, had beautifully balanced and incredibly quick,but his talents were not limited to an attacking nature no George Best was able to tackle and was never afraid to show it. Best managed to achieve a lot in what was a short lived career he won the league division on trophy twice and was a European champion in 1968 being part of history being in the first ever united team to win the trophy and was the man that won it in extra time by bringing United to life, he received the ball with his back to the net he drifted past his marker and with a little shuffle he ghosts past the keeper and drops it into the back of the net, the game finished a resounding 4-1 and United were European champions, and Best was named European footballer of the year, Best was later reported to have said "I used to dream about taking the ball round the keeper, stopping it on the line and then getting on my hands and knees and heading it into the net," Best said later "When I scored against Benfica in the European Cup Final I nearly did it. I left the keeper for dead, but then I chickened out. I might have given the boss a heart attack." showing Bests cheeky character.

After this triumph it was clear Best was beginning to change as Sir Matt Busby retired new managers came and went and none were able 2 control Best his drinking habits had almost consumed him, although his ability had not deserted him as he showed in the FA cup fifth round tie with Northampton best was returning from suspension and showed unbelievable skill, grace and composure the game finished 8-2 and George Best set a new record of scoring 6 goals in one match, after the 1970 season best was finished at united at the age of 25 he did briefly reappeared in 1973 for United.

Bests decent was speedy from here on in as he traveled from club to club and at night from bar to bar, this obsession with drinking and publicity. was destroying Best and eventually ended his career.

The man that was described by Pele as "the best in the world" had destroyed himself. The biggest disappointments is that George Bests' career was over at the age of 25 if this man had been able to see past the bars and pubs what kind of player would we have had on our hands.

R9 easily one of the best strikers ever he was strong, fast, had incredible dribbling ability and ball control and he was incredibly deadly in front of the net, every keepers nightmare if this man was taking a shot you had very little chance of stopping him.

he was first at a major club when he played for PSV Eindhoven in 1994-1996 when he became the leagues top goal scorer, he was then transfered to Barcelona where he set an unbelievable record as he scored 47 in 49 games in all competitions and was named FIFA footballer of the year, he was then transfered to Inter Milan where he was performing at an consistently good basis and doing what he did best score goals, in 2002 he was again transfered to Real Madrid, and again did what he does best again, a very memorable moment i have from this man was in the 2002-2003 champions league final where he struck a beautiful hat trick against Manchester United this was such a brilliant performance by him words cannot describe it but when he struck a brilliant 25 yards strike everybody inside Old Trafford stood and applauded him this man just was so respected by all and the performance in this match showed why.

also Ronaldo was very productive in the world cup proving he can do it on the biggest stage available which is what separates good from outstanding, in his first appearance in 1998 he was slightly disappointing as he only scored 4 goals which, although in his next try he scored 8 in the tournament and claimed the 'golden boot' also this total of 12 goals equaled Pele's record in the world cup Ronaldo only played in the 2006 world cup and managed to score 3 goals this made him the altime world goal scorer as he scored 15 goals in 19 games in 3 world cups.

Zinedine Zidane has had a sparkling career and has been possibly one of the best midfielders ever he was skillful and had a deadly pass on him he could pick out any player on any part of the pitch, and if he couldn't pick the pass Zidane was not afraid to take a shot and what was wrong with that he had one of the most powerful and accurate shots around.

He stared his professional career at the club of Bordeaux or Cannes as they were then known in 1988 and stayed there until 1996 when he was transfered to Juventus for £3 million who were the chamions of Europe, he was part of the Juventus side which made the European Cup final however they would lose to Borussia Dortmund 3-1, the next year he and Juventus made it back to the final this time losing 1-0 to Real Madrid, Zidane would leave the club in 2001 and join Real Madrid and become the most expensive player in history as Real payed £44 million for his abilities.
Whilst at Real Madrid Zidane finally achieved his dream of winning the champions league which had eluded him for so long when his Real Madrid side came up against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002 this was Zidanes third attempt and Madrid came away with a 2-1 victory, the next year Zidane was named the FIFA world player of the year for the third time making him and Ronaldo the only player ever to achieve this.

Zidane was also part of the France side which won their first ever world cup he played a major part in this orchestrating the midfield and commanding each attack although he had been sent off early in the competition for violent conduct on a Saudi Arabia player after an alleged verbal abuse incident.

Zidane retired from international football after the 2006 world cup final he had already announced his retirement, his career ended in a bizarre way as Zidanes France side had reached the final against Italy it was 110th minute and 1-1 Zidane was then sent off for head butting Marco Materazzi who had also antagonized Zidane with verbal abuse, never the less Zidane was awarded the golden ball as the best player of the tournament.

Bobby Charlton a survivor of the Munich air disaster part of the re-birth, a world cup winner Bobby Charlton did it all he was a true legend of the game for club and country, although he only ever won one individual award which was the Ballon d'Or for the best footballer of the world cup, although he may never have been given an award he was always praised as the best and for good reason he was an incredibly talented man who commanded respect from all who played along side him without ever asking for it, he was just the essence of greatness.

the first major achievement for Charlton was with the england team of 1966 the first and currently only to win the world cup he opened England's world cup goal account against Mexico with a typical Bobby Charlton finish he swerving his body past a defender sending him the wrong way and the firing an unbelievably powerful shot into the top corner of the Mexico net this type of shot was wot Charlton was known for and what he did best he went on to score twice in the semi final win over Portugal the final with West Germany was a quiet game for Charlton as a young Beckenbauer was his marker and ultimately these to figure heads canceled each other out this game was later won by England 4-2, after the game Charlton showed his passion for the game as he and his brother (Jack) wept in joy and embraced as they had made history, Charltons next achievement the famous United side the "Busby Babes" he managed to lead the team into the 1968 Champions League final where he scored twice giving united a 4-1 extra time victory over their bitter rivals Benfica.

Charlton is still closely linked with United and has been a terrific ambassador for the English game as he is a true gentleman and was always the true footballer playing with passion style and natural ability.

Technique, style, ability a pure genius in front of the goal Marco Van Basten is widely recognised as on of the best strikers ever. he started his career at the Dutch club Ajax where he made his debut replacing a true legend Johan Cruyff a a big act to follow, in the 1982-83 season he had the European top goal scorer Wim Kieft as his main team rival although Kieft was later sold and Van Basten was the favored replacement, while at Ajax Van Basten demonstrated an astounding ability to score goals he was the top goal scorer of the league in 4 consecutive years (1984,1985,1986,1987) during this time he score an incredible 117 goals in 112 matches, most incredible of all was his 1985-86 season when he scored 37 goals in 26 matches including 6 against Sparta and 5 against Heracles, this performance that year won him the European golden boot, he was then transfered to AC Milan in 1987, in that season he did not appear much troubled by ankle injury, the season after 1988-1989 Van Basten scored 19 goals for Milan who also managed to win the European Cup that season thanks to some impressive Van Basten performances who won European footballer of the year and next year Van Basten and his team defended their title as European champions,
the 1990-91 season was very disappointing as Milan and the manager was sacked after a fall out with Van Basten the new manager Fabio Capello managed to get Milan back on top and the did not lose a single game all season and the season later Milan stretched their unbeaten record to 58 games before losing again.

Van Basten was also impressive on the international stage in his injury hampered 1988 season he managed 2 score 5 goals for Holland, these included a hat trick against England, the winning goal against against West Germany in the semi final and a spectacular volley against the Soviet Union, the Holland team won the tournament and Van Basten was the competitions top gaol scorer, in the world cup of 1990 the Holland team was extremely disappointing and they were knocked out in the second round against West Germany, in the Euro 92 Holland made the semi final where they lost to Denmark on penalties Van Basten having his penalty saved by Peter Schmeichel, Denmark later went on to win the competition.

Sadly in 1992-93 season Van Basten played his last football match after a recurring ankle injury caused Van Basten to call time on his illustrious career. The fact Van Basten had to quit his carer early was a great shame this was a man who was capable of great things and consistently did great things was cut out at his prime when he still had so much to offer this sport.

How rare it is for a defensive player to b praised for his abilities but Beckenbauer was a different class he was a fantastic leader of men he could inspire teams to play at their best, he was a very elegant player though he had great awareness and composure he had wonderful passing ability.

his club career started at Bayern Munich where in his first season they were promoted into the newly formed Bundesliga Bayern Munich soon became a new force in this league as they won the German Cup and a European Cup Winners Cup in 1968-1969 he became the teams captain and led them to their first league title, whilst Beckenbauer was captain Bayern Munich won 3 consecutive league titles from 1972-1974 and also 3 consecutive European Cups from 1974-1976 and earned the club the honour of permanently keeping the trophy.

Beckenbauers stared in his first world cup at the age of 20 in the 1966 world cup he and his West Germany team made the final where they were beatin by England 4-2 in extra time, despite this loss Beckenbauer had an impressive tournament finisheing tied third on the top scorer list. The following tournament saw the Germans make the semi finals they would face the Italians and Beckenbauer would play a heroic role after having his clavicle fractured he played on due to the fact Germany had used all their possible substitutes, he had his arm placed in a sling and in true Beckenbauer style played on the Germans eventually lost the match in extra time 4-3.
in 1974 West Germany hosted the tournament and Beckenbauer and his team won the new FIFA World Cup.
Beckenbauer is definitely a legend and is currently the only man who has lifted the world cup as a player and a manager no surprise really when you think no man could command and a team on the pitch like him now he is doing exactly the same off of it.

Michael Platini was a graceful playmaker and a great goal scorer for both France and for the Juventus side that bought him from Saint Etienne, whilst at Juventus Platini had record of 68 goals in 147 appearances is incredible,
Platini never achieved a lot trophies wise compared to other players he won one European Championship with France and won two European Cup Winners Cups one with Saint Etienne and one with Juventus, and he also managed to win the European Cup once with Juventus, maybe this lack of trophies just shows what a class act he was as he is not merely remembered for his winnings he is remembered for being a fantastic player and goal scorer and he is always raked up there with some of the best and was 3 times recognised as the European Player of the Year.

Who could not recognise this man, that beaming smile that just says I live to play the game, he is undeniably one of the best talents on the pitch, with amazing ball control, using this to his advantage manipulating the ball sending it one way and defenders another, his great spacial awareness has made him a lethal passer of the ball using the no look pass as a trademark to tease defenders and let his team mates run in on goal.
So where did this unbelievable talent emerge from, well he was born in Porto Alegre in Brazil, his father was a footballer for the local team Esporte Clube Cruzeiro (not Cruzeiro EC) although he suffered a fatal heart attack while Ronaldinho was only eight, the family though was of a big footballing tradition as Ronaldinho's brother Roberto signed for Gremio this allowed him and his family to move to a nice area of their home town in a much nicer house, however Roberto's career was tragically cut short by injury, Ronaldinho was soon flowing in the examples set by his brother and father, he showed his talent from a very young age and when playing for teams he gained his name Ronaldinho (Little Ronaldo) as he was smaller and younger than most in the teams, he was mainly interested in futsal (indoor football)and beach football, this later developed int o a desire to play organised football, at the age of 13 Ronaldinho was the centre of media attention as his team had beaten another local team where Ronaldinho had scored all 23 goals.
He was eventually signed by Gremio youth side thanks to pressure by the fans He made his first team debut during the 1998 Copa Libertadores.
In 2001 he signed for French side Paris Saint-Germaine (PSG) in the 2001-2002 campaign the PSG manager complain about Ronaldinho's attitude saying he was too focused on the night life and holidays back to Brazil were often extended, in 2003 Ronaldinho requested to be sold as they (PSG) had failed to qualify for any European competitions.
Barcelona had promised fans they would get David Beckham however the deal was later finalised between Real Madrid and Manchester United, but Barcelona got revenge on United as they outbid them for Ronaldinho, he made his debut against AC Milan in a friendly and scored, although early in the season he suffered injury which kept him out the majority of the season however in the second half of the season he was back and he helped Barcelona secure a 2nd spot just behind Madrid.
2004-2005 and thanks to Ronaldinho finding his feet in the league and becoming more comfortable with the players surrounding him he was in extraordinary form, Barcelona won the league this season thanks largely to his contribution,although in the Champions League they were knocked out by Chelsea in the first knock-out round. although Ronaldinho managed to gather up some nice personal accolades which included FIFPro World Player of the Year in September, European footballer of the year, and again World player of the year in November, he also gained himself a place in FIFA's World XI.
2005-06 and Ronaldinho had found his best form and this was definitely his best season he was producing magical moments from dead ball moments to juggling it past his opponents and basically making the best players look ordinary, this year Barcelona managed to retain their La Liga title and reaching the Final of the champions League locking horns with Arsenal, Barcelona ran out 2-1 winners and Ronaldinho had his first career double and managed to score 26 goals in all competitions a personal best and was named the Champions League 'player of the year'.
The next season compared to the one before was very quiet for Barcelona and many people began to doubt that they had it in him to produce the remarkable form that they showed last season, however Ronaldinho was as classy as ever as he scored his 50th career goal and then secured his 51st in the same match with what he called a boyhood dream of a goal, a superb overhead bicycle kick, this was the highlight of the season for Barcelona fans as they ended that season without any silverware.
The following season Ronaldinho was struggling with an ankle injury and when he returned could not find form, and doubts began to spread over him, at the end of the season they sold him to AC Milan lets hope this genius can reproduce the same skill we have seen him produce time after time the same skill that lit up the whole stadium and had every fan asking how does he do it.

Cristiano Ronaldo pace, power, his ability to turn defenders inside out, deadly accurate in front of goal this mans talents seem endless, perhaps the scariest thing is that they have developed at such an astounding rate, starting from his humble beginnings at the his home-town Portuguese side Nacional, that year they won the title that lead to him being offered a 3 day trial at Sporting CP and they snapped him up at the tender age of just 10 years old.

While here Ronaldo made history rising through the ranks at an amazing rate he played for the under-16 under-17 under-18 B team and the first team all in the same season this kind of rapid rise pretty much set the tone for his career, in his début Ronaldo managed a brace in a 3-0 win for Sporting CP. Early in his career Ronaldo came up against some real problems at the age of 15 he was diagnosed with a racing heart a problem which could have ended his career, thankfully Sporting CP took care of the problem after authorisation from his mother, he went in early in the morning and had the operation on his heart, by the end of the afternoon he had walked out of the hospital and returned to training only a few days later, this kind of commitment really shows how dedicated Ronaldo was to the game and how much he wanted to be the best.

In the 2002-03 Premier League season Ronaldo joined Manchester United after Sir Alex Ferguson was urged to sign him by his own players who were incredibly impressed with is performance when Sporting defeated Manchester United 3-1.
Sir Alex Ferguson instantly showed how high his hopes were for Ronaldo who requested to be given the number 28 jersey the same shirt he wore for Sporting, however Ferguson had other ideas giving Ronaldo no choice and telling him he would be the new number 7 putting him in the same category as United legends such as George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona and David Beckham.
His first 3 years were part of Uniteds rebuilding process, he scored his début goal with a free kick he won 2 trophies in these 3 years one FA Cup, and One League Cup, both in which he scored in both finals.
Come the 2006-07 season Cristiano Ronaldo really came into his own as a Manchester United player, he finally broke the 20 goal barrier after this impressive display he was rewarded with a Premier League Title, his individual awards included PFA Players' Player of the Year and PFA Young Player of the Year, and was also named in the team of the year along 7 other of his united counterparts.
The next season saw Ronaldo score 42 goals just four goals short of Denis Law's and win the Premier League European Champions League, again Ronaldo was being viewed highly as an individual coming second in the place for the Ballon d'Or.
The next season Ronaldo managed total of 26 goals and was once again influential in Uniteds campaign helping the into a Champions League Final with a 40 yard screaming goal which he later described as the greatest goal of his career. This season Ronaldo also reach one of his ultimate goals and was named FIFA World Player of the Year.
That summer united sold Ronaldo for £80 million pound so that Ronaldo could secure his dream move to Real Madrid, upon arriving Ronaldo was quick to shower praise on Sir Alex Ferguson stating "He's been my father in sport, one of the most important factors and most influential in my career."

Ronaldo wasted little time settling into life ate Real Madrid despite missing a month and a half of the season he still finished with 33 goals in 35 games, this was a huge personal success however Barcelona still dominated the league and Real went without for another season. The next season Ronaldo continued his amazing form in La Liga scoring 40 goals in the season becoming the first and only player ever to do this in La Liga (arguably Ronaldo scored 41 but one of his goals is up for debate). he also scored the winning goal for Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey Final against bitter rivals Barcelona.
Ronaldo finished his season overall in all competitions (both club and country) scoring 56 goals in 61games (started) pretty impressive for a man who still has plenty of years ahead.

The only thing missing from Cristiano Ronaldos sparkling career is a truly impressive world cup he is yet to really bring his club for to the grand stage and if he fails to do so his legendary status could be in doubt, one thing is for sure though he is one of the greatest players of this generation and the clubs he has been at will never forget the impact he made.

Thanks for Viewing my page i had fun making this please feel free to mention any players you feel i have left out and i shall add them to the list and create their own little profile, lets together find out who is the greatest footballer of all time.