10 Best Football Players of All Time [Ranked]

The world has witnessed some of the greatest footballers of all time embrace the centre stage at the highest level ever since the origin of the sport. While some players were able to slowly rise to international fame, others looked imminent to be future superstars from the initial stages of their careers. Making the game a global spectacle for fans around the world these players managed to stitch their name in the hearts of their followers. Here we take a closer look at the top 10 greatest football players of all time.

 List of Greatest Footballers of All Time

Rank	Player	Country	Goals	Appearences
1	Cristiano Ronaldo*	Portugal	903*	1235*
2	Lionel Messi*	Argentina	849*	1097*
3	Zinedine Zidane	France	156	797
4	Ronaldinho Gaucho	Brazil	235	658
5	Ronaldo Nazario	Brazil	371	580
6	Pele	Brazil	757	831
7	Diego Maradona	Argentina	193	434
8	David Beckham	England	144	835
9	Wayne Rooney	England	366	884
10	Karim Benzema*	France	929*	477*

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the most celebrated footballers of all time. The veteran Portuguese number seven rose to fame after his initial spell at Manchester United. Since then Ronaldo has only grown bigger and bigger in terms of his stature in world football. He has been a consistent performer at both club and country levels in the last 15 years or so. Even at the age of 39, the forward is among the list of top scorers lately. He is the most decorated attacker in world football with the most goals to his name for both club and country.

Also Read: Ranking the Top 10 Best Defenders in Manchester United history

2. Lionel Messi

Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2022 winner, Lionel Messi is considered to be one of the closest rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo. The iconic number 10 rose through the ranks of Barcelona and made his name in world football. His game-awareness and knowledge of football propels his on-pitch intelligence. Leo is known for both his play-making as well as his finishing skills in front of the goal and is Barca’s all-time top scorer, assist provider and appearance maker. He currently plays for MLS side Inter Miami at the club level.

3. Zinedine Zidane

Former Real Madrid and France attacking midfielder Zinedine Zidane is one of the greatest footballers of all time. He was known for his ability to interlink the play at crucial junctures of a match. Despite playing behind the front line, Zidane was never afraid of taking the initiative to score for his team whenever the opportunity arose. His knowledge of the game remains quite supreme over the years and further aided him in transforming himself into one of the biggest managers in the world of football.

4. Ronaldinho Gaucho

The winner of two FIFA World Player of the Year awards the former Brazilian international Ronaldinho Gaucho is termed as one of the greatest footballers of all time. Ronaldinho was a versatile player and was capable of playing as both an attacking midfielder or a winger depending on the needs of his team. His major stints at the club level came with clubs like FC Barcelona in Spain and AC Milan in Italy’s Seria A.

Also Read: The 10 Best Strikers for Manchester United of all-time – Ranked

5. Ronaldo Nazario

The former player Ronaldo Nazario was one of the most consistent players for Brazil on the international stage. He played for some of the biggest clubs in world football like FC Barcelona and Inter Milan. Playing prominently as a striker in his career, his finishing skills in front of the goal were second to none. The 47-year-old always proved to be a menace to the defenders of his generation.

6. Pele

The former Brazil international Pele is regarded as a global icon and legend when it comes to the sport of football. He is still considered one of the most talented and gifted players ever to play at the highest level. The forward was known for his goal-scoring prowess. Pele remains one of the most celebrated and successful sports personalities of the twentieth century. He had achieved three World Cup feats with Brazil and his career made an ever-lasting impact on the world, hailed as one of the most influential sporting icons.

7. Diego Maradona

The former Argentina player Diego Maradona is regarded as a legend of football. The midfielder is admired for his skills, game intelligence, severe ability on the ball and his time with Serie A club Napoli in Naples, Italy. Maradona was listed as one of the joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Twentieth Century. The veteran player played a sum of about 91 matches for the Blues on the international stage. In these appearances apart from his contribution as a midfielder he managed to net a respectable tally of 34 goals for his country and also led Argentina to 1986 World Cup triumph.

Also Read: Top 10 Players With Most Headed Goals in Football History

8. David Beckham

David Beckham is lauded as one of the greatest English footballers ever to embrace the highest level of the sport. Beckham is considered a legend by the hierarchy of the English club Manchester United. The midfielder was known for his dynamic and versatile game-play. Some of his free-kicks hold an iconic stature in football’s greatest moments ever. Moreover, he is amongst the players with the most free-kick goals in the history of the game. He has played for the biggest clubs across the globe such as Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester United, AC Milan and LA Galaxy.

9. Wayne Rooney

Whenever one talks about the most iconic footballers of all time England and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney surely finds his name included in the list. Rooney turned out to be a goal-scoring machine for English giants United at the club level. He was a major part of the Red Devils’ team that took the Premier League by storm under Sir Alex Ferguson. He was the Three Lions all-time top goal-scorer with 53 goals for prolonged period of time until Harry Kane recently surpassed his figures to became countries all-time top scorer in history.

10. Karim Benzema

The former Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has slowly but steadily managed to incorporate himself as one of the most consistent goal-scorers and players in the football hierarchy. The French men have been in close quarters to levelling up on names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when it comes to the stand-out players in the last decade or so. Currently playing for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad at the club level, Benzema surely deserves to be named as one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Also Read: 10 most influential footballers of all time

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