Trying to compose a list of the 10 best athletes in any sport is difficult enough. Doing the same for a sport like soccer which is so wide spread with so much history is downright impossible. Yet, if you ask any soccer fan they will always have their own personal list, and the choices are surprisingly uniform. This is no small testament to the outstanding achievements of the players in question.
Here follows my list of the worlds 10 best soccer players of all time. Names like Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ruud Gullit are all absent from my list, which speaks volumes of the extraordinary talent of the players that rise above them.
10. Lev Yashin
This legendary Soviet net minder revolutionized the goal keeper position. Despite his intimidating size he was incredibly agile and developed the position into the active keepers we see in today’s game. Fearless like any extraordinary goalie, Yashin was all over the penalty area diving at feet and working from post to post better than anyone. Always expanding the role of the goal keeper, Yashin is considered to be the inventor of the sweeping goal keeper role, that is having the goal keeper come out of the penalty area to pick up long through balls before the opposition’s strikers.
9. Eusebio
Portugal’s best player ever, unrivaled until the emergence of Ronaldo, still holds down a spot as one of the very best players to play the beautiful game. With a powerful runs and silk smooth ball control Eusebio was as clinical a finisher as the game ever saw. A long time favorite in Benfica he would score over a goal a game throughout his career. In 715 matches for Benfica he scored 724 goals and still holds the all time scoring record at the club. In an area were Portugal were routinely out-shined by larger European soccer nations Eusebio singlehandedly lifted his country onto the international scene. In the 1966 World Cup Eusebio became the tournament’s top scorer with 9 goals helping Portugal claim the bronze medal.
8. Georghe Hagi
Commonly referred to as the ‘Maradonna of the Carpathians’ Hagi spearheaded the impressive rise to power of the Romanian National team in the early 1990’s. A quiet authority on the field he could do anything with the ball. Always in complete control he made his mark not through flair but by his commanding presence. Often playing wide left he would cut in past his defender or pick out team mates in the box with impossible accuracy. Always putting his skill to the best use of the team he none the less produced some of the most spectacular goals on the international scene. Among them an unforgettable long lob from 40 yards out against Colombia in the 1994 World Cup.
France has produced some of the most memorable playmakers the game has ever seen, but Platini towers above them all. Possibly the best European midfielder Platini had all the qualities of a classic play maker. Flawless ball handling, a super accurate passing foot, a deadly free kick specialist but above all an uncanny instinct and vision for the game. Always a threat to release a team mate into space, he was also very capable of deep runs into the oppositions penalty area where he would show off a finishing ability unrivaled by any of his peers. His authority and unbendable winning mentality made him a perfect team captain, qualities he showed of to the fullest in France’s 1982 Euro Cup win. The way Platini carried his team through the tournament to their first European trophy is second only to Maradonna’s unmatchable heroics in the 1988 World Cup.
6. Ference Puskas
The Hungarian ‘little canon’ is probably the best pure striker soccer has ever seen. Short and stocky, he was immensely powerful and his thunderous left foot was feared by everyone. In his career he managed an incredible 84 goals in 85 games for Hungary, still an international goal scoring record. Because of his stocky and powerful build Puskas was frequently overlooked by the opposition. Virtually impossible to move off the ball, he sometimes looked as he could score at will. After defecting from Hungary Puskas finally landed a job with Real Madrid after having been turned down due to his age by several European teams. The ‘old man’ went on to secure 4 championships and even got capped for Spain.
5. Bobby Charlton
The iconic captain of the only English team to win the World Cup in 1966, Bobby Charlton played almost two decades for Manchester United establishing himself as a legend. Charlton pioneered the attacking midfielder role, a role he was particularly well suited for with a great eye for attacking opportunities and an excellent long range shot. Bobby Charlton’s career was full of the stuff of legends. He was one of the few survivors of the 1958 Munich plane crash, before going on to famously lead England to their only World Cup victory to date. As if that was not enough, Charlton captained Manchester United to victory in he European Cup in 1968 making United the first English team to win the competition.
Kaiser Franz was the best defender of his time, and the best defender of any time. Unlike most defenders of his age, and in fact all the way up until today, Beckenbauer was a complete soccer player. Confident with the ball, an outstanding passer and with an overview unmatched by anyone he invented and perfected the libero, or sweeper, role. His elegance on the ball and his natural authority on the pitch earned him the nickname ‘Der Kaiser’. Beckenbauer lead his team and his country to several triumphs, including three straight European Championships with Bayern Munich and a World Cup victory in 1974 for West Germany. In all he played more than 100 international matches for Germany.
3. Johan Cruyff
The brain, heart and soul of the Dutch ‘total football’ Cruyff is probably the most influential soccer player in the world. His approach to the game is now universally adapted and has transformed the game from the core. Cruyff saw soccer as an exercise in creating and manipulating space. The goal of total football was to have the entire team work together with this as their goal. To open up and manipulate space. From the wing or a deep center forward position Cruyff would torment defenders with his flowing dynamic play and creative vision. Always a fast and technically brilliant player, Cruyff’s brilliance was in his deep understanding of the game and the positioning of his teammates. His sense of space and angles earned him the nickname ‘Pythagoras in boots’.
2. Pele
Pele is arguable the most iconic player the game has known, and his career and incredible statistics makes him a natural pick for best soccer player in history. In fact, Pele is routinely picked as the top performer year in and year out. Pele holds the records for most goals scored trough his career, won the World Cup at 17 and dominated the world circuit for a decade. Playing alongside and against the finest players in the world he was still consistently dominant. As a player Pele has a style and flair that would dazzle anyone. After retiring as a player, Pele has added to his status as an ambassador for the game with his winning personality and clean cut image.
Any list that has Pele as the second best player in the world invariably puts Maradonna as the worlds finest player. Easily one of the most controversial players ever, he is also the most gifted. Physically short and stocky, Maradonna none the less grew into a giant on the field. At the hight of his playing days Maradonna had not a single flaw on the field. He had unbelievable acceleration and pace, superhuman ball control, flawless technique, unrivaled vision and an infallible instinct for when to pass the ball and when to hold on to it. Despite having every tool imaginable for a soccer player, he was even a good header of the ball despite his diminutive size, he would never hold on to the ball if passing to a team mate was a better option. At his pinnacle Maradonna took Argentina to the very zenith of soccer glory virtually singlehandedly. His performance in the 1986 World Cup is the most impressive feat accomplished in any sport, on any stage. In the midst of his most accomplished moment, Maradonna showed his duality perfectly in the now infamous semi finals against England. In a single half Maradonna scored two of the worlds most remembered and talked about goals. The blatant handball on the now dubbed ‘Hand of God’ goal is in stark contrast to his second goal in the same half that is now widely regarded as the best goal ever scored. In passing through the entire English side, Maradonna never touches the ball with his right foot. Some of the best defenders in the world were helpless against the little magician. Off the field, Maradonna strikes a tragic figure, but on the field he was perfection.
