'%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)
#3 Hristo Stoichkov
Part of the Johan Cruyff dream team that won 4 consecutive La Liga titles and 1 Champions League, Stoichkov was a generational talent. He is regarded as one of the greatest forwards of the 90s.
In the 1994 World Cup, he led the line for Bulgaria, taking his country to the last 4 and winning the Golden Shoe after scoring 6 goals in the tournament. Stoichkov also won the Ballon d'Or that year thanks to his exploits for both club and country.
He was also the runner up for the FIFA World Player of the Year on two occasions and has won the Bulgarian Player of the Year award a whopping 5 times. 'El Pistolero' was a tenacious left-footed forward whose versatility saw him play both as a striker and as a creative midfielder in his illustrious career.
Having started as a left-back, Stoichkov's explosive pace was always tough to negotiate for defenders and his left-footed screamers were simply unstoppable.
#2 Lothar Matthaus
Considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Lothar Matthaus shares the record of having played 5 FIFA World Cups with Mexico's Rafael Marquez. Matthaus led the West Germany side to World Cup glory in 1990. He has played for Borussia Monchengladbach, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in his club career.
He was named the European Player of the Year in 1990 as well and went on to win the first FIFA Player of the Year award in 1991. He even won the German Footballer of the Year in 1999 at the age of 38. That just goes to show how consistent a performer he was on the big stage.
Matthaus is famous for his marauding runs from midfield, leaving defenders for dead with his excellent control and acceleration. The German legend had great positional sense, great vision and could leather the ball into the back of the net from anywhere. He was also an excellent tackler and was simply a complete midfielder.
#1 Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta will go down in history as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. He was part of what are now considered the greatest international team and the greatest club team of the 21st century.
Don Andres has had an incredibly illustrious career and many football fans believe that he was robbed of a Ballon d'Or on multiple occasions. Iniesta's dribbling, passing and vision were simply unmatched and alongside Xavi and Busquets, he formed a trio that was unstoppable for several years both for Barcelona and for Spain in the international circuit.
He has won the La Liga title 9 times and the Champions League on 4 occasions with Barcelona. Iniesta scored Spain's winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final. He finished 2nd, 4th and 3rd in the race for Ballon d'Or in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively.
The diminutive no. 8 was simply unstoppable on his day, moseying out of cul-de-sacs and picking out passes that were simply inconceivable to the layman. Iniesta is still playing after leaving Barcelona in 2018 and currently represents Japenese club Vissel Kobe.
