Sports

14.9k voters

The Best Soccer Players of the '90s

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated May 10, 2020 156.0k votes 14.9k voters 143.0k views164 items

List RulesThey must have played professional soccer in the 90s and are only ranked by how good they played in that era.

Who are the best soccer players of the ‘90s? Soccer is an beloved world sport with international stars such as Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Paolo Maldini. Even if you don’t follow the sport, you may have heard of these top soccer players of the ‘90s. But who do you think is the best soccer player between the years of 1990 to 2000?

If you enjoy watching soccer, then you definitely need to check out highlight reels and replays of some of these famous footballers. Even though some of them may be off the field now, the players on this list represent the best of that era. In fact, some of them could probably still beat active roster players on the field right now.

Who do you think is the best soccer player from that era? Vote up the ones you think deserve that top distinction or add player you think should be in contention for being among the top soccer players of the ‘90s.

Photo:

...more

1
3,265
3,140
Zinedine Zidane
Midfielder
Birthplace: Marseille, France
Nationality: France
More Zinedine Zidane
#1632 of 2,443 The Most Influential People of All Time#544 of 583 The Greatest Entertainers of All Time
2
3,421
3,240
Ronaldo
Forward
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality: Brazil
More Ronaldo
#53 of 60 The Most Iconic Celebrity First Names#139 of 163 The Smartest Professional Athletes
3
1,670
2,151
Dennis Bergkamp
Forward
Birthplace: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Nationality: Netherlands
More Dennis Bergkamp
#2 of 75 The Best Dutch Soccer Players from the Netherlands, Ranked#1 of 117 The Best Arsenal Players Of All Time
4
2,555
3,051
Roberto Baggio
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Caldogno, Italy
Nationality: Italy
More Roberto Baggio
#737 of 1,427 The Best Athletes Of All Time#8 of 103 Coolest Soccer Players
5
2,539
2,476
Alessandro Del Piero
Forward
Birthplace: Conegliano, Italy
Nationality: Italy
More Alessandro Del Piero
#33 of 77 The Best Athletes Who Have Used Performance Enhancing Drugs#164 of 329 The Most Obnoxious Athletes
6
1,618
1,905
Thierry Henry
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Les Ulis, France
Nationality: France
More Thierry Henry
#1354 of 1,355 The Greatest Minds of All Time#63 of 164 Who's the Best Player in the Premier League?
7
2,582
1,912
Peter Schmeichel
Goalkeeper
Birthplace: Gladsaxe Municipality, Denmark
Nationality: Poland, Denmark
More Peter Schmeichel
#4 of 188 The Best Soccer Goalies of All Time#9 of 102 Best Manchester United Players of All Time, Ranked
8
1,514
1,806
Roberto Carlos
Defender, Midfielder
Birthplace: Garça, Brazil
Nationality: Brazil
More Roberto Carlos
#3 of 32 The Best Real Madrid Defenders Of All Time#21 of 25 Famous People Who Own Bugattis
9
1,355
1,904
Romário
Forward
Birthplace: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality: Brazil
More Romário
#7 of 138 The Greatest South American Footballers of All Time#10 of 21 The Best Short Male Athletes
10
1,330
413
Salvatore Schillaci
Forward
Birthplace: Palermo, Italy
Nationality: Italy
11
1,219
1,696
Luís Figo
Midfielder
Birthplace: Lisbon, Portugal
Nationality: Portugal
12
1,335
458
Oleg Salenko
Forward
Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Nationality: Ukraine, Russia, Soviet Union
13
688
675
Pavel Nedvěd
Midfielder
Birthplace: Severozápad, Cheb, Czech Republic
Nationality: Czech Republic

14
1,859
1,228
Gabriel Batistuta
Forward
Birthplace: Reconquista, Argentina
Nationality: Argentina
15
841
1,068
Hristo Stoichkov
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Plovdiv, Yuzhen tsentralen, Bulgaria
Nationality: Bulgaria
More Hristo Stoichkov
#62 of 1,294 The Best Soccer Players of All Time#1 of 114 The Best FC Barcelona Players Of All Time, Ranked
16
1,015
1,479
Gheorghe Hagi
Midfielder
Birthplace: Săcele, Constanța, Romania
Nationality: Romania
More Gheorghe Hagi
#26 of 49 The Best Real Madrid Midfielders Of All Time#28 of 108 The Best Real Madrid Players Of All Time, Ranked
17
1,669
1,280
Ryan Giggs
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Cardiff, United Kingdom
Nationality: Wales
More Ryan Giggs
#12 of 200 The Best Soccer Players from United Kingdom#12 of 15 The 15 Craziest Victims of the Streisand Effect
18
5,304
2,619
Jari Litmanen
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Lahti, Finland
Nationality: Finland
19
1,136
1,727
Eric Cantona
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Europe, Metropolitan France, France, Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille
Nationality: France
More Eric Cantona
#49 of 222 The Best French Soccer Players & Footballers of All Time#24 of 28 Famous Athletes Convicted of Assault
20
933
1,416
Rivaldo
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Paulista, Brazil
Nationality: Brazil
21
909
1,375
Raúl
Forward, Midfielder
Birthplace: Madrid, Spain
Nationality: Spain
More Raúl
#174 of 356 The Best Current Soccer Players#3 of 54 The Best Real Madrid Forwards Of All Time
22
622
585
Paul Scholes
Midfielder
Birthplace: Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
More Paul Scholes
#12 of 1,058 The Best Soccer Players from England#12 of 26 The Best Athletes Who Wore #18
23
865
1,341
Lothar Matthäus
Defender, Sweeper
Birthplace: Erlangen, Germany
Nationality: West Germany, Germany
More Lothar Matthäus
#53 of 452 The Best Soccer Defenders of All Time#9 of 31 The Best Bayern Munich Defenders Of All Time

24
1,378
164
Trifon Ivanov
Defender
Birthplace: Veliko Tarnovo, Severen tsentralen, Bulgaria
Nationality: Bulgaria
25
1,864
754
Antti Sumiala
Forward
Birthplace: Pori, Finland
Nationality: Finland