Opinion
The beautiful game has created some of history’s greatest ever moments of sporting brilliance.
An unchanging global popularity has provided football a stage for some of the sport’s greatest ever athletes to face off in the hunt for both domestic and international glory.
Endless debates will always be had on who is the greatest to play the game. Statistics such as goals, assists, clean sheets and trophies won – alongside showmanship and technicality – will always be the biggest and most important indicators.
The difference in positions must always be stressed, as well as the influence of a footballer’s style of play.
I have created a team of the greatest 11 players of all time.
Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo
Sharing the position up top with his Brazilian namesake, Cristiano Ronaldo was my fist pick as the greatest player in the history of the sport. A complete forward, Cristiano Ronaldo has size, pace and aerial ability to be envied. Over 725 career goals have been shared generously with both feet and his head, making him the most dangerous goal-scorer of all time. Ronaldo boasts five UEFA Champions League trophies, five Ballon d’Or awards and was instrumental in his country’s first-ever international title at Euro 2016. In nine years at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo amazingly managed 451 goals in 438 games before moving to Juventus.
(Jay Barratt/Getty Images)
Striker: Ronaldo
Sometimes overshadowed by the Portuguese captain who shares his name, the Brazilian forward changed the way the number nine role was played and inspired every kid to want to play up front and score goals. Famously labelled “The Phenomenon,” at just 21 years of age Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or, becoming the youngest ever player to do so. Winning everything on the domestic level for Barcelona, Internazionale and Real Madrid, Ronaldo added another Ballon d’Or to his trophy cabinet just before the FIFA World Cup in 2002. Ronaldo played a pivotal role in the famous Brazilian squad, which saw him crowned World Cup champion twice in 1994 and 2002 – a feat that not all greats are lucky enough to achieve.
Central attacking midfielder: Lionel Messi
Alongside his greatest motivator, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi is widely considered the greatest player of all time. Messi is simply a magician with the ball at his feet and the Argentine is globally adored for the unique way he graces the pitch. Messi has the ability to humiliate entire teams. He simply cannot be hated. Having football IQ with endless goals and assists, Messi can be considered the most complete player of all time. Winning last year’s Ballon d’Or has allowed him to stand alone as the award’s all-time great, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo with a total of six trophies. Messi’s greatest ever goal-scoring season is also the greatest in the history of the sport. At 24 years of age, Lionel Messi secured 91 goals for club and country in a single season, which broke a 40-year record of 85 goals held by the great Gerd Muller.
Left midfielder: Pelé
For decades Pelé has been considered the greatest footballer of all time. Winning numerous awards for his contribution to sport in the 20th century, it is hard to argue with the intense impact he has had. Still Brazil’s highest ever goal-scorer with 77 goals, Pelé is most remembered for his tenure on the international stage with the great national team of the late ’50s and ’60s. During this period, Pelé and his compatriots introduced Joga Bonito to the world, meaning to play beautifully. Pelé won three World Cups with Brazil, scoring twice in the tournament’s 1958 final at just 17 years of age, becoming the first teenage goal-scorer in the competition’s history. This is a record only equalled by French star Kylian Mbappe in the tournament’s most recent edition.
(Photo credit STAFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Central midfielder: Andrea Pirlo
With two UEFA Champions League titles to his name, Andrea Pirlo led the Italian national team to FIFA World Cup glory in 2006. Pirlo epitomises Italian football with a cool first touch and passing vision like none other. The Italian maestro was never fazed by pressure and is famous for his composure and control of the midfield. A large portion of his goals came by way of long-range free kicks and many football greats name him as the dream teammate for his leadership qualities on the ball.
Central midfielder: Zinedine Zidane
Zidane is globally renowned as the greatest midfielder in recent memory. The French number ten brags one of the greatest goals of all time, scoring a volley of the highest class in the 2002 UEFA Champions League final. Zidane’s career honours include the 1998 Ballon d’Or, 1998 European Cup, 2000 FIFA World Cup and the 2002 UEFA Champions League title. Zidane dominated world football during the late ’90s and early 2000s and was the cornerstone of the famous Galacticos, the star-studded Real Madrid side of the early ’00s. Zidane could dictate the game on both ends of the pitch and is always held in the highest regard.
Right midfielder: Johan Cruyff
In 1999, Johan Cruyff was awarded for his contributions to the world game by being named the European footballer of the century. Cruyff, like many other legends of the game, could never capture the elusive FIFA World Cup despite leading one of the greatest national squads of his era. Cruyff was awarded with the Ballon d’Or in 1971, ’72 and ’73, dominating world football and capturing three UEFA Champions League titles in the same three years. For Amsterdam’s Ajax and the Dutch national team, Cruyff and company introduced the concept of total football to the world, a seemingly positionless style of football that is still employed by the likes of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City today.
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)
Centre back: Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini dedicated a lifetime of football to boyhood club AC Milan where he won three UEFA Champions League trophies and seven league titles. Italian football is notorious for producing the world’s best defenders and Maldini embodied this as the greatest defender of all time. In 901 games for Milan, Maldini amazingly only received three red cards. Partnered with Franco Baresi in defence for some time, AC Milan conceded only 26 goals in a total of 196 matches – around five seasons.
Centre back: Franz Beckenbauer
Franz Beckenbauer is widely accepted as the best player of all time on the international stage. Famously known as “Der Kaiser”, meaning emperor, this name was bestowed upon him for his leadership in the West German side, the most fearsome team of the 1970s. His FIFA World Cup triumph came in 1974 after a mesmerising final in which West Germany defeated Johan Cruyff’s Dutch powerhouse, who had a terrific tournament leading to the final. In both 1972 and 1976, he was awarded with the Ballon d’Or keeping him in elite company with a handful of players who have won the award on more than one occasion. He also dominated the ’70s, winning three straight European Cups with Bayern Munich.
Centre back: Franco Baresi
Franco Baresi is an early product of the bolt-lock defenders bred out of Italian football, sharing the incredible 196-match streak with Paolo Maldini, where their AC Milan team managed to concede no more than 26 goals. Having been the older of this famous partnership, Franco Baresi did manage to secure the FIFA World Cup with the Italian national team in 1982. The Italian defender also managed three UEFA Champions League titles and won the Italian Scudetto a total of six times. Another product of AC Milan who remained a one-club player during his career and led the club’s greatest ever period of success.
Goalkeeper: Lev Yashin
Lev Yashin played in the oldest of eras of the players contained in my all-time list. But don’t let that deter you from the brilliance he displayed between the posts. This is not an era-related concept. Lev Yashin’s heroics in goal led the USSR to European glory in 1960 and won himself the Ballon d’Or in 1963. He is the only goalkeeper to have ever won the most esteemed individual award in football. Yashin’s nickname was the ‘Black Spider’ and highlights of his excellence show exactly why he takes his spot as the greatest goalkeeper of all time.
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