'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#4 Lionel Messi
We will not venture into the perennial Ronaldo vs Messi debate about who is the better player between the two, but there is something about the way Lionel Messi dribbles that is transcendent from an aesthetic point of view.
His solo goal against Getafe at a very young age is a case in point. For many, Cristiano Ronaldo is a more complete player: the better header of the ball, the better athlete, strong with both feet, etc.
Messi's ball control, vision, passing and finishing are magical. His success with Barcelona not only brought trophies but epitomised why this game is beautiful, even as a team game as well when Messi linked up with his fellow gladiators to weave magic.
#3 George Best
The first veritable superstar of the sport, George Best is often considered the best player ever. That's because the Fifth Beatle possessed the biggest repertoire of skills the game has seen till date and was a true stylist of the game.
Whatever the Northern Irish and Manchester United winger did, he did with style. Best was not all style no substance, though. He helped Manchester United win their first European Cup back in 1968.
The hallmark of Best, a brilliant winger who could both create and score, was his pacey dribbling. He was also well known for his good looks and celebrity lifestyle, as well as his quips.
Sample Best's take on David Beckham:
“He cannot kick with his left foot; he cannot head a ball; he cannot tackle, and he doesn’t score many goals. Apart from that, he’s all right.”
Best is also often termed the best player never to have played in the FIFA World Cup.
#2 Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona features higher on this list than his perennial rival Pele because of the zing and saltiness the former brought to the game apart from his breathtaking skills.
Only Maradona could have scored the 'goal of the century' and a blatantly illegal goal in the same game (1986 FIFA World Cup against England). Only he could have called it the intervention of God, terming it the 'Hand of God' goal at the end of the game.
Another player who married footballing genius with controversy and indiscipline, Maradona, a World Cup winner with Argentina, also rejuvenated Napoli with his prowess on the field. He will undoubtedly go down in history as both a GOAT contender and the most colourful footballer the game has ever produced.
#1 Ronaldinho
For many, Ronaldinho Gaucho is the greatest exponent of the samba style, the uniquely dance-like form of football that the best Brazilians play, who, it is said, are born with this ethereal skillset that cannot be taught; looking at what Ronaldinho could do on a football field, one can hardly disagree.
Part of the same group of jogo bonito purveyors as Ronaldo who won the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the ever-smiling Ronaldinho set pulses racing in Barcelona as well with his flicks, tricks and overall magic.
He also scored some of the greatest worldies the game has seen. The greatest proof of his entertainment quotient? The standing ovation he got from fans of Barcelona's bitter rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2005 for a characteristically magical performance.
Honourable mentions:
Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Garrincha, Socrates, Roberto Baggio.
