Top 5 greatest footballers of all time

Football is without any doubt the most popular sport in the world. It is played in almost all the countries of the world and enjoys passionate following and unparalleled fanfare. Needless to say, it has been adorned by some great players over the decades.

Those players have enriched the game with their presence, playing style and unforgettable performances. They have inspired millions of supporters and etched their name permanently in the history of football.

It is not an easy job to pick out 5 players and tag them as being some of the greatest footballers of all time, however, what separates the greatest players from the lesser mortals is their consistency, longevity, tendency to excel in big games and the rare ability to change the course of a match with a moment of brilliance.

#5 Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

Franz Beckenbauer is popularly known as “Der Kaiser” meaning the “the Emperor” in German and the epithet could not have been bestowed on a more deserving man. Beckenbauer’s regal looks, his elegant distribution, clean tackling and leadership on the pitch made him a football royalty.

Arguably the greatest defender to have played the game, Beckenbauer could have played as a midfielder too. He used to play as a sweeper or “libero” and popularised the playing position with his performances. He used to sweep the ball out of his own penalty box after a fellow defender had tackled it and then create moves by passing the ball to the advancing midfielders.

Beckenbauer made his mark in the 1966 World Cup as a 21-year-old, playing for the then West Germany. West Germany lost to England 2-4 in the final under controversial circumstances. In the 1970 World Cup, he battled with a broken arm in an unforgettable semifinal match against Italy which West Germany went on to lose 3-4.

However, he was 3rd time lucky as West Germany went on to lift the 1974 World Cup as hosts. They beat a very formidable Dutch side 2-1 in the final in Munich. Beckenbauer was the captain of that side. Before the World Cup glory, he had led West Germany to their triumph in the Euro 1972.

Beckenbauer played for German giants Bayern Munich for a major part of his career. In 13 years with Bayern, he won 3 consecutive European Cups and 4 Bundesliga titles. He also won 2 Ballon d'Or trophies.

After making more than 400 appearances for Bayern and attaining more than 100 caps for the West German national team, Beckenbauer retired from international football and went to the United States to play for New York Cosmos in an endeavor to popularize and promote the game there.

He came back to West Germany three years later, joined Hamburger SV and won a Bundesliga with them. Later, Beckenbauer went on to win the World Cup as the manager of the West German national team in 1990.

“Der Kaiser” also became the president of Bayern Munich and continues to be a patron of the club. He is the embodiment of the efficiency and success that German football is so famous for.

#4 Johan Cruyff (The Netherlands)

Johan Cruyff, the Dutch Genius, was one of the most influential personalities in world football. He was the greatest European footballer of all time. His playing style was mellifluous, his touches resembling the strokes of an artist and his dribbling skills and vision were of the highest quality.

He was the focal point of the famous ‘total football’ system designed by Dutch coach Rinus Michels. Later on in his life, Cruyff implemented this football philosophy successfully in FC Barcelona and the club is still enjoying the fruits of it.

Cruyff started his career in Ajax Amsterdam in 1964 and played for them for till 1973 before making a move to Barcelona. He won 3 European Cups and 6 Eredivisies with Ajax and also collected 3 Ballon d’Or trophies in those amazing 9 years. Cruyff scored 190 goals in 240 matches for Ajax during that period.

Cruyff won the La Liga with Barcelona too and left his indelible mark as a player in the 5 years he spent there. He moved to the United States in 1978 and spent a couple of seasons there. Cruyff came back to Ajax in 1981 and won the Eredivisie again. In 1982, he fell out with the Ajax officials and made a move to FC Feyenoord, another Dutch club. As if to prove a point, Cruyff won the Dutch League with Feyenoord too!

Cruyff played only 48 matches for the Dutch National side and scored 33 goals. He led the brilliant Dutch side in the 1974 world cup and lost surprisingly to the hosts West Germany in the final. He was adjudged the best player of the tournament and won the prestigious Golden Ball.

Cruyff began his managerial career at Ajax and won the Eredivisie again. Then he went on to manage Barcelona and popularized the philosophy of passing football there. He also inspired a number of young players like Pep Guardiola and Ronald Koeman.

He won the European Cup in 1992 as the manager of Barcelona. Cruyff stopped coaching Barcelona in 1996 but continued to be an advisor to the club. Later on, he also became the Technical Director of AFC Ajax.

Cruyff got himself involved in all the facets of Football and tasted success in each one of them. Naturally, tributes poured in when he succumbed to cancer in 2016.

#3 Lionel Messi (Argentina)

Lionel Messi is the greatest club footballer of all time, without any doubt. In 14 years with the Barcelona senior team, he has won 9 La Liga and 4 UEFA Champions League titles. His 552 goals in 636 games and numerous assists for Barcelona have won him the Ballon d’Or 5 times.

Messi has all the necessary attacking skills in abundance. His dribbling, passing, and shooting are exceptionally good. He can score and set up goals almost at will and like all genuine greats performs in the big matches. His record 26 goals against Real Madrid and performances against Manchester United in 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals are a testimony to those facts.

Messi was discovered as a kid by Barcelona scouts and his talent was honed at La Masia, Barcelona’s academy. As a result, a lot of people allege that Messi saves his best for Barcelona and not for the Argentine national team. However, such complaints are baseless as they tend to ignore his 61 goals and numerous assists in 123 matches for his country.

Moreover, Messi usually plays in a more withdrawn position for Argentina and concentrates more on creating. Otherwise, he would have been able to score more goals for his national side.

He dragged Argentina to the final of the World Cup in 2014 and also to 2 Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016. However, Argentina lost each of those 3 final matches and subsequently, Messi retired from international football in 2016.

His retirement caused uproar in Argentina and Messi was forced to give in to the growing public demand. He made a comeback for the national side in 2016 itself. He also scored a hat-trick in a must-win match to help Argentina qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2018.

The World Cup remains an elusive dream for the Argentine genius and he would try to win amends in Russia. His position among the football immortals, however, is assured irrespective of the outcome of the World Cup.

#2 Diego Maradona (Argentina)

Argentina’s favorite son is fondly known as “El Diego” and that nickname confirms his larger-than-life status. Maradona almost single-handedly won the 1986 football world cup for Argentina.

In the quarter-final against England, Maradona dodged past four defenders and the goalkeeper and scored what was to be termed as the "Goal of the Century'.' He scored 4 more goals in the tournament and won the Golden Ball for the best player. The 1986 World Cup was the pinnacle of an exceptional career.

Maradona has always been a controversial figure and led a colorful and eventful life. However, his unparalleled footballing genius is beyond any dispute. He boasted of the best-left foot in football and was also probably the greatest dribbler ever.

Maradona joined famous Argentine club Boca Juniors in 1981 as a 20-year-old. By then, he had already won the Junior world cup. He signed for FC Barcelona after spending only 1 season with Boca.

Maradona won the Copa del Rey and La Liga with Barcelona in 1983. But he fell out with the Barca president and left the club in 1984. Meanwhile, he also took part in the 1982 World Cup and was sent off against Brazil for a clumsy foul.

Maradona was signed by Napoli in 1984 and subsequently spent 7 exceptional years with the club. He made Napoli a force in Italian and European football, winning the Serie A twice and the UEFA Cup once with them. He also led Argentina to another World Cup final in 1990 before losing to West Germany.

Maradona left Napoli and joined Spanish club Sevilla in 1992. He also played in the 1994 World Cup for Argentina. Maradona scored a wonderful goal against Greece in a group game before failing a drug test after the match against Nigeria.

As a result, he was banned for life by FIFA. However, he made a short comeback for Boca Juniors and spent 2 seasons there. He played more than 500 matches in his club career and scored almost 300 goals. He also scored 34 times for Argentina in 91 matches. He also went on to manage the Argentine national side in the 2010 World Cup.

Maradona is an opinionated person and keeps making outrageous statements occasionally. Moreover, he still continues to be a vociferous supporter of Argentine sports teams and is often seen cheering for Boca Juniors and the Argentine national side from the stands. However, all those peripheral activities cannot take away from the fact that he was probably the most technically gifted footballer of all time.

#1 Pele (Brazil)

It is very difficult to not be carried away when writing about one of the most popular human beings 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 life has never been the same again for him since then.

He won 2 more World Cups afterwards and became the only footballer to win 3 World Cups. He spent 18 glorious years of his career with Brazilian club Santos FC. Many people claim that Pele scored more than 1000 goals in his career but the authenticity of that piece of information is questionable.

However, there is no denying the fact that Pele scored at least 600 goals for his beloved Santos. In 1975, Pele made a move to the New York Cosmos for commercial reasons and spent 2 seasons there. He also scored 77 goals for Brazil in 92 matches including 12 in the World Cups.

At the height of his career, Pele was one of the most popular persons in the world. There are also a number of mythical stories associated with him. However, all those stories often tend to make the casual football fan overlook the footballing genius of Pele. One has to remember that Pele was at equally at ease playing with his right and left foot, had a fantastic header, was a great passer and could play both as a typical striker and a No. 10.

As mentioned earlier, Pele's abilities were exhibited for the first time in the 1958 World Cup where he scored 6 goals 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.

Still, Brazil managed to win that world cup. In the 1966 World Cup too, Pele suffered an injury and Brazil lost to Portugal in the quarter-final. He, however, made amends in 1970 and won the World Cup in style. Brazil were outstanding in that World Cup. Pele scored 4 goals in the tournament and one of those goals came against Italy in the final.

Simultaneously, he made Santos one of the most successful clubs in world football, winning multiple national, continental and intercontinental titles. Pele’s Santos toyed with the likes of Benfica and Inter Milan and won the World Club Cup twice in the 1960s.

Pele was a peerless performer and many of his opponents including Johan Cruyff and Bobby Charlton praised him very highly. Naturally, FIFA made him the global ambassador to promote football and he played a vital role during the 1994 football World Cup held in the United States. In a nutshell, Pele is quite possibly the greatest sportsperson of all time.

Edited by Raunak J