The Best Soccer Players Of All Time
Vote up the greatest soccer players to ever lace 'em up and take the pitch.
Who is the best soccer player of all time? Whether you call it soccer, futbol, football, or ‘the beautiful game,' it's a transcendent sport and the most popular competition in the world. To become one of the greatest soccer players of all time, these famous soccer players must train relentlessly, outperform peers, and shine in the biggest moments, whether via stunning goals, staunch defense or unbeatable goalkeeping. So, who are the best soccer players ever? Who are the greatest footballers to ever play the game?
When it comes to the top soccer players ever, Pele must be #1. The Brazilian soccer prodigy set the game on fire and led Brazil to 3 World Cup championships. Although many would argue their case for the best soccer player ever might be one of many Ballon d'Or winners and international soccer legends like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Lev Yashin, George Weah, Johan Cruyff, George Best, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Marco van Basten or Ronaldo.
Ronaldinho, Kaka, Xavi, Iniesta, and Roberto Carlos are among many of the 21st century footballing greats. Then there's the like's of the best soccer players in the world today, a few of whom also might have claim to the title, such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Robert Lewandowski, and Karim Benzema.
Vote up the best soccer players in the world ever, and help decide who deserves to be remembered as the best players in football history.
- 1Forward, MidfielderRonaldo de Assis Moreira (born 21 March 1980), commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʁonawˈdʒĩɲu ga'uʃu]) or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer and ...more
- 2ForwardLionel "Leo" Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in ...more
- 3ForwardCristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus and captains the Portugal national team. Often ...more
- 4ForwardRonaldo is a Portuguese and Spanish equivalent of the name Ronald. Notable people known as Ronaldo include: Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer) (born 1976), Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, was known as ...more
- 5MidfielderAndrés Iniesta Luján (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈdɾes iˈnjesta luˈxan]; born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Japanese club Vissel Kobe. He ...more
- 6ForwardZlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club AC Milan and the Sweden national team. He is widely regarded as one of the ...more
- 7Forward, MidfielderThierry Daniel Henry (French pronunciation: [tjɛʁi ɑ̃ʁi]; born 17 August 1977) is a French professional football coach and former player who was most recently the manager of Ligue 1 club ...more
- 8MidfielderXavier Hernández Creus (born 25 January 1980), known as Xavi, is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Barcelona. Widely considered one of the ...more
- 9ForwardNeymar da Silva Santos Júnior (born 5 February 1992), commonly known as Neymar Jr. or simply Neymar, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for French club Paris Saint-Germain ...more
- 10Defender, MidfielderRoberto Carlos da Silva Rocha (born 10 April 1973), more commonly known simply as Roberto Carlos, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who now works as a football ambassador. He started his ...more
- 11MidfielderZinedine Yazid Zidane (French pronunciation: [zinedin jazid zidan]; born 23 June 1972), nicknamed "Zizou" (pronounced [zizu]), is a French former professional football player and current manager of ...more
- 12Forward, MidfielderDiego Armando Maradona (30 October 1960 – 25 November 2020) was an Argentine retired professional footballer. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. He was one of ...more
- 13MidfielderDavid Robert Joseph Beckham (UK: ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. He played for Manchester ...more
- 14Forward, MidfielderHendrik Johannes Cruijff OON (Dutch: [ˈjoːɦɑn ˈkrœyf] (listen), internationally spelled Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and coach. As a player, he won ...more
- 15DefenderCarles Puyol Saforcada (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈkaɾles puˈjɔl i safoɾˈkaða]; born 13 April 1978) is a Spanish retired professional footballer who played his entire career for Barcelona. Mainly a ...more
- 16ForwardRobert Lewandowski (born 21 August 1988) is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club FC Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. Recognised for his ...more
- 17GoalkeeperGianluigi Buffon, (Italian pronunciation: [dʒanluˈiːdʒi bufˈfɔn, -ˈfon]; born 28 January 1978) commonly shortened to Gigi Buffon, is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for ...more
- 18Forward, MidfielderEdson Arantes do Nascimento, KBE (born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé), is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as a forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ...more
- 19GoalkeeperManuel Peter Neuer (born 27 March 1986) is a German professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper and captain for both Bayern Munich and the Germany national team. Neuer has been described as a ...more
- 20DefenderSergio Ramos García (born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays for and captains both Paris Saint-Germain and the Spain national team as a centre back. He has also played as a ...more
- 21MidfielderSteven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who manages Scottish Premiership club Rangers. He spent the majority of his playing career as a ...more
- 22GoalkeeperIker Casillas Fernández (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈikeɾ kaˈsiʎas feɾˈnandeθ]; born 20 May 1981) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Portuguese club Porto and the Spain ...more
- 23Winger, Forward, MidfielderLuis Alberto Suárez Díaz (born 24 January 1987) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the Uruguay national team. Known for his passing, ...more
- 24MidfielderAndrea Pirlo (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛːa ˈpirlo]; born 19 May 1979) is an Italian former professional footballer. Pirlo was usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield for both his ...more
- 25ForwardDennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdɛnəs ˈbɛrxkɑmp] (listen); born 10 May 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer, who until 21 December 2017 was the assistant manager at ...more
