5th Best player of all time

[We need an rvn]

So tired of the whole Ronaldo / Messi debate and then people throwing in the Pele / Maradona argument.

How about we agree to disagree on who's the best but more who's the 5th best. I personally could argue for the 4 I just mentioned as the GOAT, but that's not what this is.

Who's the 5th best

Cruijff
Ronaldo
Zidane
Di Stefano
Ronaldinho
Iniesta
Xavi
Van Basten
Best
Platini
Eusebio
Maldini
Charlton
Zico

Let's have some fun and leave the other 4 out

 

[Minimalist]

Give me a shout when you're polling for the 9th best player of all time.

 

[Dancfc]

Fat Ronaldo would only be behind Pele with a fully fit career.

 

[Castia]

Andy Cole

 

[SalfordRed18]

Zidane might be in for a good shout actually.

 

[AndyJ1985]

Jesse Lingard

 

[Borden]

I consider Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cruyff and Zidane the 4 best players of all time.

Number 5 is between Messi, Ronaldo, Pele or Maradona. I'm gonna go with Messi - he's simply better than the other three.

 

[Massive Spanner]

I consider Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cruyff and Zidane the 4 best players of all time.

Number 5 is between Messi, Ronaldo, Pele or Maradona. I'm gonna go with Messi - he's simply better than the other three.

Genuine question: have you seen Pele play and how many times?

 

[Peyroteo]

Much easier to divide them into different tiers than trying to make a list noone will ever agree on.

 

[rcoobc]

Could be a decent thread if people stop sniggering

That said... Ronaldo?

 

[Berbaclass]

What’s the criteria? Greatest impact?

 

[rcoobc]

Much easier to divide them into different tiers than trying to make a list noone will ever agree on.

Don't need to make a list, just come up with one name.

Who's the G.O.A.T (nope, that looks funny) if you take out Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo7 and Messi

 

[Stobzilla]

Cruyff.

 

[JB08]

I consider Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cruyff and Zidane the 4 best players of all time.

Number 5 is between Messi, Ronaldo, Pele or Maradona. I'm gonna go with Messi - he's simply better than the other three.

What exactly means you rate Zidane above Messi?

 

[Ramshock]

Fellaini

Best should be in the top 5 btw.

 

[diarm]

He mightn't be 5th but Baggio deserves a place on that list with some of those names.

 

[Peyroteo]

Don't need to make a list, just come up with one name.

Who's the G.O.A.T (nope, that looks funny) if you take out Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo7 and Messi

Cruyff, Di Stefano, Beckenbauer or Eusebio imo.

Impossible to pick one.

 

[We need an rvn]

Could be a decent thread if people stop sniggering

That said... Ronaldo?

That would be my vote but I've just not seen so much of the other legends of the game. I grew up in Holland in 80s and Van Basten was my idol but given injuries I couldn't vote for him. Ronaldo achieved so much more even with his injuries. But the I know so little about Eusebio or Puskas. And why shouldn't Maldini be in there with what he's won and played at top level like Pele at 16 etc. Hope it to be a serious thread (ish)

 

[Rozay]

Well I’m personally not with he consensus that those 4 are the best 4 ever.

Only Messi comes close to R9 for me, but at the very least, he’s in the top 5.

 

[harms]

Di Stefano/Cruyff with Beckenbauer somewhere around. Almost impossible to pick between the first two.

 

[Shaun Oldman]

For me, Marco Van Basten.

The perfect number 9 in the best club side of all time.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

How do you leave Garrincha out of that list?

 

[Berbaclass]

I’m 24 so I’m only going to answer considering the players I’ve actually watched a great deal of. Bit too young for R9 Ronaldo/Zidane so I would have to go with either Kaka or Henry.

There was three players (that didn’t play for United) that I loved watching. One was Kaka. He was just so talented and in his prime I thought he was pretty much unstoppable. That goal against United at Old Trafford where he ran half the field and shrugged off Heinze and Fletch and coolly slotted it past VDS. Wow.

The other player was Henry. I absolutely hated playing against Arsenal because I just thought he was such a superb player. Cocky and arrogant but he could back it up by scoring some outrageous goals. Sublime player.

The other player I loved watching BTW was Lampard but he’s not quite at that level. Underrated but such a good player with an amazing goal record.

 

[Theon]

Between Cruyff and Ronaldo for me if you exclude those four - though I possibly wouldn’t have Cristiano as part of an elite four (though that’s becoming harder and harder to justify).

Push comes to shows I’d have a top five as the following, with probably another four or so players in Tier 2.

Tier 1
1. Messi
2. Pele
3. Maradona

Tier 2
4. Cristiano
5. Cruyff

 

[groovyalbert]

5. Cruyff
6. Best
7. Zidane
8. Maldini

 

[Borden]

Genuine question: have you seen Pele play and how many times?

Never. How many people here have seen Di Stefano play? Eusebio? Or half of the rest of the people on that list to any meaningful extent?

There are probably only a handful of people (if that) on here who could give a truly informed opinion on the issue. Other than that it's just people throwing around names without knowing what the hell they're talking about. And frankly I have no idea why people even care so much (especially that ridiculous Messi/Ronaldo debate, it's the kind of thing I used to argue about with my mates when I was 10).

What exactly means you rate Zidane above Messi?

I'm an idiot.

 

[Revan]

Cruyff or Di Stefano, followed by Beckenbauer.

 

[BringNaniBack]

Arshavin

 

[Massive Spanner]

Never. How many people here have seen Di Stefano play? Eusebio? Or half of the rest of the people on that list to any meaningful extent?

There are probably only a handful of people (if that) on here who could give a truly informed opinion on the issue. Other than that it's just people throwing around names without knowing what the hell they're talking about. And frankly I have no idea why people even care so much (especially that ridiculous Messi/Ronaldo debate, it's the kind of thing I used to argue about with my mates when I was 10).



I'm an idiot.

Oh so you were joking then. Fair.

I do agree that it's hilarious to see people discuss these players when they've probably never seen anything of them beyond a YouTube compilation.

Messi is the best I've seen, then R9, then CR7, then Ronaldinho. Haven't seen any of the oldies though.

 

[Enigma_87]

Rummenigge is also missing from the list.

Di Stefano, Cruyff, Beckenbauer is the 5-7.

Then Eusebio, Fenomeno, Zico, Garrincha, Best, Xavi, Baresi, Maldini, Rijkaard, Matthaus

Then Puskas, Platini, Kalle, Charlton, Iniesta, Zidane, Dinho and the likes.

 

[Canuckred64]

Most likely Cruyff, but Di Stefano would be close.

 

[Macern]

Haven’t watched most of them, but R9 Ronaldo perhaps?

 

[altodevil]

Ignoring anyone I didn't see (I feel I can't judge Di Stefano etc, Pele's inclusion just seems to be obvious), in no particular order:

Pele
Maradona
Messi
Ronaldo (Brazil)

Then there's:
Cristiano
Zidane
Van Basten
Romario
oh and Ronaldinho who I somehow missed.

Again, in some order.

 

[Revan]

Rummenigge is also missing from the list.

Di Stefano, Cruyff, Beckenbauer is the 5-7.

Then Eusebio, Fenomeno, Zico, Garrincha, Best, Xavi, Baresi, Maldini, Rijkaard, Matthaus

Then Puskas, Platini, Kalle, Charlton, Iniesta, Zidane, Dinho and the likes.

Platini is probably a top 10 player. Maybe only Eusebio, Garrincha and Ronaldo from that second list rate higher than him. For example he finished fifth on Best Player of the Century based on the votes of 30 Ballon D'Or winners.

 

[shamans]

I consider Brazilian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cruyff and Zidane the 4 best players of all time.

Number 5 is between Messi, Ronaldo, Pele or Maradona. I'm gonna go with Messi - he's simply better than the other three.

You rate ronaldinho higher than Messi and Ronaldo.

Ronaldinho wasn’t even better than Brazilian ronaldo...

 

[Eriku]

No Beckenbauer?

 

[horsechoker]

Five Fifthson

 

[Theon]

Rummenigge is also missing from the list.

Don’t think he belongs in this conversation at all personally.

 

[tonnas]

You rate ronaldinho higher than Messi and Ronaldo.

Ronaldinho wasn’t even better than Brazilian ronaldo...

Ronaldinho's fall was his problem with partying and drinking...if he had another 2 years like those 2 he win the ballone doro he would have been the best of the best imo

 

[Kazi]

Ronaldo isn’t in most people’s (who know football) top 4 btw.