My first WC was 82...and that Brazilian side was magical - ironically perhaps the most famous Brazilian team ever despite not even making the final. Zico was its best player but Platini had a much higher standing and until the mid 80's he was challenging for title of best player in the world. That said Zico was probably more adored...he was...well...a proper Brazilian star wasn't he.
Rank your top 20 players of all time
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
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Almost impossible to do as it's so subjective , you can only put forward a list with personal biases, imo there is the very top tier which you can make an argument for each being no. 1:
Pele, Maradona, Cristiano, Cruyff, Messi, Beckenbauer.
If had to pick one for the top it's Pele.
My personal rank would be
Pele
Maradona
Cristiano
Cruyff
Messi
Beckenbauer
Pele, Maradona, Cristiano, Cruyff, Messi, Beckenbauer.
If had to pick one for the top it's Pele.
My personal rank would be
Pele
Maradona
Cristiano
Cruyff
Messi
Beckenbauer
Yeah I can’t decide between 5 and 10 to be honest. They could all be 5th equal in my book. I’ve always rated Platini higher but the more I see of Zico the more impressive he is.
We should make a thread with top 20 players of this century. would be more interesting and realistic to judge.
1. Messi
2. Cristiano
3. Ronaldinho
4. Baggio
5. Ronaldo
6. Zidane
7. Bergkamp
8. Iniesta
9. Maldini
10. Rijkaard
11. Pirlo
12. Romario
13. Matthaus
14. Xavi
15. Stam
16. Laudrup
17. Batistuta
18. Cantona
19. Henry
20. Rivaldo
2. Cristiano
3. Ronaldinho
4. Baggio
5. Ronaldo
6. Zidane
7. Bergkamp
8. Iniesta
9. Maldini
10. Rijkaard
11. Pirlo
12. Romario
13. Matthaus
14. Xavi
15. Stam
16. Laudrup
17. Batistuta
18. Cantona
19. Henry
20. Rivaldo
1. Pelé
2. Cristiano
3. Maradona
4. Messi
5. Di Stefano
6. Eusébio
7. Cruyff
8. Beckenbauer
9. Puskas
10. Ronaldo Fenómeno
11. Platini
12. Zidane
13. Muller
14. Garrincha
15. Xavi
16. Maldini
17. Romário
18. Baresi
19. Zico
20. Van Basten
2. Cristiano
3. Maradona
4. Messi
5. Di Stefano
6. Eusébio
7. Cruyff
8. Beckenbauer
9. Puskas
10. Ronaldo Fenómeno
11. Platini
12. Zidane
13. Muller
14. Garrincha
15. Xavi
16. Maldini
17. Romário
18. Baresi
19. Zico
20. Van Basten
I can't talk about players who i didn't watch( Cruyf, Pele or Di stefano) so i would go with:
1)Luis Ronaldo
2)Messi
3)Maradona
4)Ronaldinho
5)Cristiano
6)Zidane
7)Maldini
Others:
Rijkaard
Gullit
Ferdinand
Modric
Pirlo
Van Basten
Cafu
Baggio
Giggs
Buffon
Roberto Carlos
Rooney
Baresi
1)Luis Ronaldo
2)Messi
3)Maradona
4)Ronaldinho
5)Cristiano
6)Zidane
7)Maldini
Others:
Rijkaard
Gullit
Ferdinand
Modric
Pirlo
Van Basten
Cafu
Baggio
Giggs
Buffon
Roberto Carlos
Rooney
Baresi
I think I did Zico a massive disservice, he was probably at his absolute peak in his mid 20s....which means there's no chance I saw his best(late 70s).
1 - Lionel Messi
2 - Ronaldinho
3 - Cristiano Ronaldo
4 - Ronaldo
5 - Zidane
6 - Romario
7 - Neymar
8 - Kaká
9 - Thierry Henry
10 - Beckham
11 - Scholes
12 - Giggs
13 - Eden Hazard
14 - Gerrard
15 - Rooney
16 - RVN
17 - Modric
18 - KDB
19 - Alexis Sanchez
20 - Ozil
2 - Ronaldinho
3 - Cristiano Ronaldo
4 - Ronaldo
5 - Zidane
6 - Romario
7 - Neymar
8 - Kaká
9 - Thierry Henry
10 - Beckham
11 - Scholes
12 - Giggs
13 - Eden Hazard
14 - Gerrard
15 - Rooney
16 - RVN
17 - Modric
18 - KDB
19 - Alexis Sanchez
20 - Ozil
Obviously, attackers and midfielders are the only rated footballers in history. Poor defenders.
Always baffled me how defenders and defending are never appreciated enough in these rankings in football.
Always baffled me how defenders and defending are never appreciated enough in these rankings in football.
Because generally speaking, attackers are better football players, as creating is far more difficult than destroying.
For exemple, if Baresi was as good as Platini playing the #10 position, do you think his coaches would play him at defense, or would they rather utilize him as a #10?
1) Pele
2) Ronaldo
3) Messi
4) Maradona
5) Cruyff
6) Di Stefano
7) Beckenbauer
8) Platini
9) Best
10) L. Ronaldo
11) Zidane
12) Eusebio
13) Puskas
14) Charlton
15) Muller
16) Baresi
17) Garrincha
18) Matthaus
19) Xavi
20) Van Basten
Taking into consideration both peak (adjusted to their time) and longevity.
Probably some obvious ones forgetting, and outside of top 9 it is more or less in random order.
2) Ronaldo
3) Messi
4) Maradona
5) Cruyff
6) Di Stefano
7) Beckenbauer
8) Platini
9) Best
10) L. Ronaldo
11) Zidane
12) Eusebio
13) Puskas
14) Charlton
15) Muller
16) Baresi
17) Garrincha
18) Matthaus
19) Xavi
20) Van Basten
Taking into consideration both peak (adjusted to their time) and longevity.
Probably some obvious ones forgetting, and outside of top 9 it is more or less in random order.
1. Pele
2. C.Ronaldo
3. Messi
4. Maradona
5. Di Stefano
6. Cruyff
7. Eusebio
8. Beckenbauer
9. Puskas
10. Platini
I could slot about 20 players in positions 10-20 in random order so I'll leave it as a top 10.
2. C.Ronaldo
3. Messi
4. Maradona
5. Di Stefano
6. Cruyff
7. Eusebio
8. Beckenbauer
9. Puskas
10. Platini
I could slot about 20 players in positions 10-20 in random order so I'll leave it as a top 10.
McStay
Gerrard
Henrik
Cristiano Ronaldo
Zidane
Bergkamp
Goram( canny stand him, but best goalie ever)
Roy Keane
Ronaldo
Les Ferdinand
McGrain
Moravcik
Cadete
Henry
Overmars
Ronaldinho
Van dijk
Xavi
Bellamy
Eto’o
based on when I’ve been alive, apart from Danny, had to put the best full back ever in.
Gerrard
Henrik
Cristiano Ronaldo
Zidane
Bergkamp
Goram( canny stand him, but best goalie ever)
Roy Keane
Ronaldo
Les Ferdinand
McGrain
Moravcik
Cadete
Henry
Overmars
Ronaldinho
Van dijk
Xavi
Bellamy
Eto’o
based on when I’ve been alive, apart from Danny, had to put the best full back ever in.
Giggs was brilliant but never hit the heights of a prime Luis Figo. He is very underrated in football I feel.
how old are you if you don’t mind me asking?
Don’t think messi would have made much of a centre half.
Just a guess but I bet he is born in 1995.
Exactly. Horses for courses.
Check my username
1. CR7
2. Messi
3. Maradona
---HUGE GAP---
4. Ronaldo
5. Zidane
6. Maldini
7. Pogba
8. Iniesta
9. Ibrahimovic
10. Buffon
11. - 20. - Too many great players to pick from, and impossible to think of any reasonable order.
#1 is a no-brainer for me. Every club trophy imaginable, won stuff with NT, most goals and assists in CL, proved himself in different leagues. I won't argue with anyone picking Messi but honestly I don't see any logical explanation other than "I think his style is prettier." Still, Messi is a clear #2 for me. Maradona was a more dominant and braver character than Messi, perhaps more talented too, but lost his battle to addictions. Shame!
Maradona is also the only pre-90s player I'd pick, because I believe he's the only legend who would actually live up to his reputation in contemporary football. The likes of Pele or Cruyff deserve respect and admiration as pioneers, but can you imagine them trying to get past modern defenders? Just watch any Pele compilation on Youtube, it's pub league opposition against him.
2. Messi
3. Maradona
---HUGE GAP---
4. Ronaldo
5. Zidane
6. Maldini
7. Pogba
8. Iniesta
9. Ibrahimovic
10. Buffon
11. - 20. - Too many great players to pick from, and impossible to think of any reasonable order.
#1 is a no-brainer for me. Every club trophy imaginable, won stuff with NT, most goals and assists in CL, proved himself in different leagues. I won't argue with anyone picking Messi but honestly I don't see any logical explanation other than "I think his style is prettier." Still, Messi is a clear #2 for me. Maradona was a more dominant and braver character than Messi, perhaps more talented too, but lost his battle to addictions. Shame!
Maradona is also the only pre-90s player I'd pick, because I believe he's the only legend who would actually live up to his reputation in contemporary football. The likes of Pele or Cruyff deserve respect and admiration as pioneers, but can you imagine them trying to get past modern defenders? Just watch any Pele compilation on Youtube, it's pub league opposition against him.
Those pub league opposition also had some of the best defenders ever for ex: Beckenbauer, Moore, Figueroa, and Facchetti.
Paul Pogba at 26 is already greater than Xavi and Thierry Henry? The CAF has gone mad.
He's not even greater than Pirlo.
Messi is just prettier to watch than Cristiano? Thats it, nothing else? Dribbling? Passing? Vision? Natural talent? None of those things matter when evaluating a footballers worth?
My top 10 of all time:
1.Maradona
2.Zidane
3.Pelé
4.R9
5.Messi
6.CR7
7.Beckenbauer
8.Platini
9.Ronaldinho
10.Iniesta
1.Maradona
2.Zidane
3.Pelé
4.R9
5.Messi
6.CR7
7.Beckenbauer
8.Platini
9.Ronaldinho
10.Iniesta
Oops forgot Cruyff, would have put him in front of Beckenbauer and behind CR7.
I will never understand anyone who leaves Cruyff out of their top 10. That should be illegal. Aside from being a great player who pioneered things through that - the impact he s had beyond his playing career on footie as a whole is second to none (if that matters).
Only those I've seen Live and still remember clearly.
It's really difficult how to rank players playing different positions/roles, so mostly based on overall and biased preferences.
- Ronaldinho
- Ronaldo Fenomeno
- Maldini
- Makelele
- Messi
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Zidane
- David Villa
- Nesta
- Pirlo
- Cafu
- Thierry Henry
- Roberto Carlos
- Stam
- Lahm
- David Silva
- Kaka (ridiculous peak)
- Beckham (his peak is ridiculous)
- Guti
- Scholes
It's really difficult how to rank players playing different positions/roles, so mostly based on overall and biased preferences.
Makelele better than Messi, Zidane and Cr, interesting
1. Maradona
2. Messi
3. Cruyff
4. van Basten
5. Ronaldinho
6. Ronaldo
7. Pelé
8. Rijkaard
9. Matthäus
10. Passarella
2. Messi
3. Cruyff
4. van Basten
5. Ronaldinho
6. Ronaldo
7. Pelé
8. Rijkaard
9. Matthäus
10. Passarella
Pogba in the 20 greatest players of all time? This is a psychological condition not an opinion.
Ah lads, seeing the likes of Pogba, Gerrard, Zlatan & Rooney popping up in these lists makes me wonder about your eyesight, sanity and intelligence.
You saw Thierry Henry and the Roo and decided that Roo was better/ greater?
Modric and no Xavi?
Damn.
You honestly dont think fecking Cryuff could hack it against modern defenders? Hes probably the most influential footballer of all time for his understanding of the game.
Pogba just 7th best player of all time? You're selling him short here.
Messi's ability to just waltz past the whole madrid defense in a cl semifinal so casually is what sets him apart. Busquets just gave Messi the ball and all other barca players just stood still and let Messi do his thing.
Its moments like that sets him apart. As well as being on the greatest goal scorers of all time was well.
Based partly on what I have seen with my own eyes, and then some pure extrapolation.
1. Messi
2. Maradona
3. Pele
4. Cruyff
5. C. Ronaldo
6. Beckenbauer
7. Alfredo Di Stefano
8. Franco Baresi
9. Gerd Muller
10. Eusebio
11. Van Basten
12. Best
13. Platini
14. Garrincha
15. Luis Ronaldo
16. Charlton
17. Xavi
18. Cafu
19. Gullit
20. Maldini
1. Messi
2. Maradona
3. Pele
4. Cruyff
5. C. Ronaldo
6. Beckenbauer
7. Alfredo Di Stefano
8. Franco Baresi
9. Gerd Muller
10. Eusebio
11. Van Basten
12. Best
13. Platini
14. Garrincha
15. Luis Ronaldo
16. Charlton
17. Xavi
18. Cafu
19. Gullit
20. Maldini
Ronaldo's ability to replicate his form for his country as well as other top clubs around the world is what sets him apart imo.
1. Maradona
2. Pelé
3. Cruyff
4. Beckenbauer
5. Garrincha
6. Ronaldo. C
7. Messi
8. Ronaldo. L
9. Platini
10. Puskas
11. Di Stefano
12. Van Basten
13. Eusebio
14. Gerd Muller
15. Best
16. Romario
17. Zico
18. Zidane
19. Charlton
20. Matthaus
2. Pelé
3. Cruyff
4. Beckenbauer
5. Garrincha
6. Ronaldo. C
7. Messi
8. Ronaldo. L
9. Platini
10. Puskas
11. Di Stefano
12. Van Basten
13. Eusebio
14. Gerd Muller
15. Best
16. Romario
17. Zico
18. Zidane
19. Charlton
20. Matthaus
It does set him apart, sets him apart all the way up to #4 or #5 on the GOAT lists.