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#3 Zinedine Zidane
Football has seen some fantastic midfielders over the years, but only a chosen few have defined flair as perfectly as Zinedine Zidane did. The Frenchman won the UEFA Champions League with Real Madrid and the FIFA World Cup with France. He always used his mesmerizing movement, inch-perfect passes, and out-of-the-world ball control to take charge of the midfield, and the antidote was nowhere to be found.
Zidane produced many excellent performances over his illustrious career. However, if we had to pinpoint the one that showcased his unmatched flair, we would have to go with his man-of-the-match performance against Brazil in the 2006 World Cup quarter-final. On that occasion, he single-handedly took on the famous Brazil side that had the likes of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaka, and more. The 34-year-old’s passing, first-touches, long balls and roulettes turned Brazil inside out and helped France to a comfortable 2-0 win.
#2 Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona was the golden boy of Argentina, the prince that promised and delivered the biggest silverware. His short stature, insane dribbling, and venomous left-foot defined an era of football, making him one of the greatest players — if not the greatest — the game has ever seen.
Maradona’s short stature made life difficult for him, as opposing defenders were always looking to break his ankles. They were successful on a couple of occasions, as well, but the World Cup hero never gave them the satisfaction of stopping him.
His peak came in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, where he single-handedly helped Argentina to their biggest international trophy, scoring the “Goal of the Century” and the “Hand of God” against England in the quarter-finals. Maradona won the Golden Ball for his heroics at the end of the tournament.
#1 Ronaldinho
Seeing a Brazilian at the top of this list is hardly a surprise, as the country has always been the most potent producer of football-artists. Ronaldinho, who was an excellent Futsal player in his teens, brought the artistry and fun-quotient of the sport to its more professional-looking sibling: football.
Ronaldinho was excellent at getting out of tight spaces, at changing the direction of his runs using “Elasticos,” and at converting the chances he carved out with his bag of tricks. Ronaldinho won every major trophy in football, both collectively and individually, and he always did so with a smile on his face.
He was one of the very few players to be applauded by Real Madrid fans during his time with Barcelona, which goes on to demonstrate the sheer joy and excitement his football brought to the world.
Also Check Out: World Cup's best players
