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Brazil is the most successful footballing nation in the world. They have won five World Cups, which is more than any other nation has managed to so far, and also produced more prodigious footballers than any other country in this world.
They have also won the under-17 and under-20 World Cups more than any other nation and won the Copa America on nine occasions.
It’s often said that a common Brazilian breathes football and any defeat to the national team in a major tournament is considered to be a disaster of epic proportions. The national team, popularly known as the Selecao, stands for the hopes and dreams of millions of Brazilians.
A lot of Brazil’s footballers have dazzled the football world with their luster. It’s very difficult to pick the five greatest footballers to have come from this South American country. Nevertheless, we have tried to come up with a list which probably does justice to the great footballing tradition and history of Brazil.
#5 Zico
Zico remains one of the greatest footballers to have never won a world cup. He shone for the Brazilian club, Flamengo and also for the national team. He was the best footballer in Tele Santana’s brilliant Brazilian team of 1982 World Cup which won many a heart but failed to win the ultimate prize.
Their 2-3 loss to a dour Italian team remains a case for the students of the game as it depicted the ultimate battle between two teams with contrasting styles.
Zico was a great dribbler, a very good passer and quite capable of scoring goals as well. He scored 476 goals in 699 matches in his club career. He also scored 48 goals in 71 matches for the Brazilian national team. He was the quintessential #10 - an ideal playmaker and a top-class attacking midfielder.
His brilliant skills came to the fore when Flamengo toyed with the mighty Liverpool team in the Intercontinental Cup final in 1981. Zico inspired Flamengo to a 3-0 win in that match and reaffirmed his status as the best player in the world.
Zico won a quite a few honors in his career. He managed to win the Brazilian Serie A title thrice, the Copa Libertadores once and the Intercontinental Cup once in his career. He also won the World Player of the Year award in 1983. He went on to become a successful manager at the end of his playing career and still continues to serve the game.
#4 Romario
Romario remains quite possibly the most clinical and lethal goal-scorer that the game of football has ever seen. He was deadly inside the penalty box with his little dodges and superb ball-control.
He also could shoot very accurately and managed to be at goal-scoring positions most of the times. He won a World Cup almost single-handedly for Brazil in 1994 and was a part of the very successful PSV Eindhoven and FC Barcelona teams of the 1990s.
Romario also played for a number of Brazilian teams like Flamengo, Fluminese and Vasco Da Gama and finished with 679 goals in 886 matches. He also managed to score 55 goals in 70 games for the Selecao.
He was the top scorer in the Dutch league before Johann Cruyff signed him in his Barcelona “dream team” and Romario responded with 39 goals in 65 matches for the Catalan giants. Romario was also a member of the Copa America winning team of 1989 and 1997 and won the FIFA player of the year in 1994. He also won the Golden Ball in the 1994 World Cup.
#3 Garrincha
Garrincha became world-famous when he won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958. He scored two goals in that tournament and set up a few more to become a vital part of that great Brazil team. He achieved more success as a footballer when he starred for Brazil again in the 1962 World Cup.
Pele got injured in Brazil’s 2nd match of that tournament and could not take further part in it. Garrincha had the responsibility to deliver and he did so in dazzling style. He scored three goals and was adjudged the best player of the tournament.
Garrincha was quite possibly the greatest dribbler of all time. He had rare on ball-skills and was capable of moments of individual brilliance. He also boasted of the greatest right foot in football and played as the right-winger throughout his career.
He was a legend for Brazilian club Botafago and scored 101 goals for them in 323 matches. He also scored 12 goals in 50 matches for the national team. He won the Brazilian Championship in 1962 and 1964 and also won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot in the 1962 World Cup. He was also selected in FIFA's team of the 20th Century.
#2 Ronaldo
Ronaldo is one of the finest strikers to have played the game. He won two World cups with the Brazilian national team and finished runner-up once. He also scored 15 goals in three World Cups and was the top goal-scorer in World Cups till Miroslav Klose broke his record in 2014.
Ronaldo scored a couple of goals in the final of the World Cup in 2002 and remains one of the players to have won the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball in World Cups. He scored 62 goals in 98 matches for the Selecao and remains their 2nd highest goal-scorer of all time. Ronaldo also won two back-to-back Copa America titles for Brazil in 1997 and 1999.
Ronaldo was an indestructible force, beating opposition defenders with his lightning speed and brutal strength, and scoring easily with his powerful shots. He was the quintessential striker with all the desirable qualities and more.
He was signed by FC Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven in 1996 and spent a glorious season there. He also played for Inter Milan for five seasons and suffered a career-threatening injury while playing for them.
Thereafter, Ronaldo joined Real in 2002 and spent five very successful seasons in Madrid. He scored 104 goals in 177 matches for Real and won two La Ligas with them. In all, he scored 352 goals in 518 club matches.
Ronaldo also managed to win the Ballon D’Or twice in his brilliant career.
#1 Pele
As a footballer, Pele’s fame and stature transcended the game of football and he became a global icon. He also remains the most successful footballer of all time. Pele, also known as “O Rei” or “The King”, became famous at the age of 17 when he helped Brazil become the world champions in 1958 and has remained the most illustrious footballer of all time.
He won two more World Cups afterward and became the only footballer to win three World Cups. He spent 18 wonderful years of his career with Brazilian club Santos FC. Pele scored at least 600 goals for his beloved Santos. He also scored 77 goals for Brazil in 92 matches including 12 in the World Cups.
Pele had a combination of rare qualities which made him the finest footballer of all time. He was an ambidextrous footballer, had a fantastic header, had a great passing range and could play both as a typical striker and a support striker.
As mentioned earlier, Pele scored six goals in the 1958 World Cup and became a global star. However, he could not take part in the last few matches of the 1962 World Cup because of an injury.
He again won the world cup with Brazil in 1970, scoring 4 goals in the tournament including one against Italy in the final. Simultaneously, he also made Santos one of the most successful clubs in world football, winning a lot of titles for them. It can be easily said that there has been no footballer like Pele in the history of the beautiful game.
