Who is the most renowned player of all times

Cruyff invented the river we swim in, and modern football owes him too much. Each of these players escape definition, with mere stars lucky to ever get within seeing distance of them.

How do you even determine the value of a footballer, what metric quantifies glory? How significant are shots, passes, dribbles, and tackles compared to goals and assists, to trophies? How valuable is a stat-padding session on a farm versus a game-winner in the European Cup semi-finals?

How do you count memories? Greatness hardly ever goes hand in hand with numbers and lists. Yet, I recently got wind of a fascinating, albeit deleted , Wikipedia article that had looked to answer the following question: Who is the greatest male player of all time?

First of all, a list like this one might endorse the idea that praising one player renders the others obsolete. Secondly, not all football industry figures listed were actually experts. Let us not fool ourselves, some are just flatout inept. Though some of these responses originated from the turn of the century when numerous lists were composed and votes held on the subject, the research was not helped by the fact that it was skewed to modern sources.

A decent result would be reliant on interviewing experts of varying ages and motivations. I recommend reading my older exploration of how and why a player is tagged as the All Time Number One Football Player. Controversial and heresayish. Otherwise, the credit belongs to the tireless volunteers at Wikipedia whose work almost went unnoticed. These rankings are sorted by the number of No.

The ultimate poacher, Rudi Voller scored goals for his club sides, as well as 47 for the West Germans eight of which in finals and won the World Cup. Nicknamed "the Flying German" for speed and predatory instincts, Voller once scored mid-goalie punt. When standing and sober, George Best did everything in his power to live up to the standards of his last name. A sturdy winger who could seemingly do everything, Best won the European Cup with Manchester United in addition to two league titles and European Footballer of the year.

Unfortunately, while Best could do no wrong on the field, it seemed he could do no right off it. Best would die at the age of 59, after a forced liver transplant caused an infection.

A misnomer if there ever was one. The Times listed Gentile as one of the roughest players ever, part of the deadly trio that included Bergomi and Tardelli. That said, Gentile was only sent off once in his career after receiving two yellow cards. At Juventus he appeared almost times, winning six national titles and two European titles. His marking of Maradona and Zico at that tournament remains legendary.

There are few players who have worn both the merengue and the blaugrana. Fewer still are those who did so with some success. Luis Figo of Portugal was one of these. Seems like it , Luis Figo was a stunningly fast winger, equipped with the whole nine-yards- fancy step-overs, phenomenal first touch and a bomb shot including free-kicks. Over the course of a twenty year first-team career good lord and between four different clubs Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter he won more awards than you could shake a very shakeable stick at.

Also, his transfer from Barcelona to Madrid set the world record at 65 million pounds, though not getting knifed for doing so seems like a bigger deal. Matthaus played in five World Cups, the most ever for an outfield player, and he holds the record for most WC matches ever played As he aged, Matthaus gravitated further and further towards the bottom of the pitch, retaining a formidable influence over the run of play. A harsh-spoken cankicker, Matthaus may not be the most personable of footballers, but his resume speaks for itself.

The second highest goal scorer in La Liga, Hugo Sanchez lit up the Bernabeu, winning the Pichchi trophy five times four of which were consecutive and five consecutive league titles with Madrid for a total of out of appearances. He also played for the Mexican national team for 17 years and through three World Cups. One of the greatest English outfield players ever, Moore captained the England team that won their only World Cup in Second on the all-time caps list for England at , Moore also played every minute of every game he was capped for.

The youngest man ever to captain England at the senior level aged He knows what's happening 20 minutes before everyone else. How the mighty have fallen. A supremely talented individual player in his youth, Ronaldinho was a joy to watch: quick, superlatively talented on the ball and with a penchant for the cheeky and the audacious that made him a true crowd-pleaser, talents for which he would be draped in individual awards. With Brazil, he won the edition of the World Cup in which he scored his now famous free-kick to England's damage.

Unfortunately, Ronaldinho did not age well, his predilections for rum and late-night sambas taking a heavy toll that saw his form spiral quickly into mediocrity at AC MIlan and now Flamengo. Has won everything there is to win. Originally a midfielder, Cafu was moved to the wingback position he would dominate for decades. Simply one of the best. Before Kopa was a footballing hero, he shoveled coal in the deep underground shafts of the newly industrialized Northern France.

Practicing his dribbles between breaks, he learned to leverage his small stature 5'6" , which gave him great balance and acceleration necessary to embarrass his lankier opponents.

Immediately afterwards, he transferred to the Spanish capital, where he would win three more European Cups and two La Ligas. Paolo Maldini, son of the manager Cesare Maldini, was the rare scion capable of eclipsing the glories of the father. Equally comfortable at the left and center of the defense, Maldini embodied the cool-headed, tactically astute defender at the forefront of an impregnable defense. Maldini holds the record for fastest goal in a UEFA club final 51 seconds , a goal that also made him the oldest player to score in a final.

The second most capped player in Italian history at , Paolo earned his first cap under his father in and played internationally until Paolo and Cesare are the only father son combo to have won the European Cub chapionship.

An explosively fast left-wing back, Roberto Carlos has scored some of the most iconic goals in World Cup history, notably his reverse bender against France. The name Ian Rush is synonymous with goals and Liverpool, having scored in wearing the famous red. Top goal scorer at home and in Europe, voted PFA player of the year, top Liverpool and Wales goalscorer…the list goes on. A legend. Six league titles, three European Cups and five domestic cups. Record goals appearances for Scotland.

YA bevvy of personal goals. And the holder of two hats—one of the only people to simultaneously be player and manager. Over 13 years, that sum would grow to Now Dalglish leads another Red resurgence, as Liverpooi strive to find their customary place at the top of the table once more.

He has never collected a trophy internationally, having missed the crucial penalty against Brazil in in the final. Do you really need anything more? Though he never won any silverware, he remains Tottenham's top scorer with goals and is third for England with One of the early greats, he was part of the Austrian Wunderteam and Rapid Wienne, the bohemian expression of athletic prowess.

He would die under suspicious circumstances in Nazi Germany. Tell a Dutchman your favorite player ever is Gerd Muller, and you will have lost a friend.

His tally stills stand as the highest in Germany; his competitor is 97 goals back. Not the most physically imposing of players, Muller invented the penalty area predator mold that would serve Inzaghi and Raul so well and finessed it to such a degree that he won the German top scoring mark seven times out of 11 years. Bayern would win four Bundesliga titles and three European Champions cups while he was there, cementing the place of Bayern in the international scene.

A prolific scorer, Telmo Zarra is the leading scorer in the history of Spain's Primera Division with goals and of Athletic Bilbao with including Cup goals. He has also holds the record for most Pichichi trophies won, having earned it six times. In keeping with the physicality of the Basque side, Zarra was notorious for his heading ability, scoring four of them in a Copa del Rey final.

The player for whom the competition of most beautiful goal is named. And not by chance. The list of accomplishments is staggering. Scoring 84 goals from 85 appearances for Hungary, or the out of for real Madrid-despite signing for Madrid at the ripe age of 31, or winning the Pichichi four times out of five years, five Spanish leagues, five Hungarian championships,seven goals in two European championship finals, it keeps going on.

That makes Rea 35 out of The name Baresi has become synonymous with the regal physicality of impregnable defenses. Francesco Baresi played with a singular style, powerful, imperious, ruthless. Gianni Brera said that he would attack a ball as the wolf attacks the lamb. Throughout the whole of his career, he would only wear the colors of AC Milan—staying with them through double relegation—and Italy, with both of whom he would go onto win glory. Immediately afterwards, he would captain the team at an unprecedented 22 years of age.

Crazy talk. He was the iconic figure of a generation of French players that won the World Cup and European Championship. After a brief international retirement, he returned to the national team in and captained France to the World Cup Final, where he won the Golden Ball as the tournament's most outstanding player.

Inizia come terzino sinistro nel Cannes. Divenuto poi centrocampista e trequartista, allo straordinario talento calcistico univa tecnica incredibile e una superiore intelligenza tattica. Zidane era famoso per i suoi dribbling funambolici e gli stop eleganti in cui riusciva con qualsiasi parte del corpo. Poteva inoltre ricoprire quasi tutti i ruoli offensivi, dal mediano al centrocampista, dal centrocampista di fascia al trequartista, suo ruolo prediletto; all'occorrenza poteva anche essere impiegato come seconda punta.

One wc, euro. Best euro 00 player. Golden ball wc Another footballing career abruptly truncated through injury, in his prime, Marco Van Basten and his Milan played some of the most jaw-unhinging football ever recorded. Signed by Silvio Berlusconi thanks to his sublime volleys, velvet touch and torrent of goals, Van Basten would win the European Footballer of the Year three times , '89 and '92 and FIFA World Player of the Year in , scoring goals in 11 pro years, in two of which he finished as the capocannoniere.

He would become the first player to score four goals in a Champions League match, winning two European cups in a row. Had Bobby Charlton not survived the Munich air disaster, Manchester United would simply not be a team of the caliber they are today.

Renowned for a keen offensive instinct and long-range bombshells, Charlton collected a World Cup trophy after a personal performance earned a European Footballer of the Year award and the Golden Ball.

Charlton won the English league three times with the Red Devils, then captained the team to a European cup in He has scored more goals for England and United than any other player. He is also second behind Ryan Giggs with most appearances for United. A winger of talent in abundance, equal to if not exceeding fleetingly that of his more famous and enduring compatriot, Garrincha was the most naturally gifted of players, though declared crippled at birth.

Looking back at his footage, it appears his bowed legs somehow contributed, abetted his wholly idiosyncratic, mesmerizing style of play. It was said that Garrincha would beat a defender easily, wait for him to catch up, then do it all over again, just for the fun of it. Today, we're finally crossing the finishing line with the 10 greatest primes in NBA history.

Debating which NBA legend had the higher peak. The coldest scorer in the history of the game finishes 10th. Durant finishes two back of Kobe Bryant and two up on Steph Curry, a placement that of course no one will quibble about. Durant makes the stupendously sophisticated look utterly simple with an unrivaled ability to score off the bounce unmatched by any player in the history of the game. Although he was ultimately far more successful than his contemporary challenger, Wilt Chamberlain, he does finish behind him here with the emphasis once again being placed on player peaks.

A reminder that the Finals MVP is his award and is a testament to him playing his best when it meant the most. Was it at the end of the three-peat, between the titles or did it come alongside Pau Gasol years later?

A storied career for one of, if not the most celebrated personality to ever touch the hardwood. His highlights hold up 40 years later as the flash and creativity he demonstrated are timeless.

Finishing just one behind rival Magic Johnson, the panel of voters was decidedly split on the two. Bird finished with an average score of Even though his finest moment may have come playing center, Magic maintains his position as the greatest point guard of all-time.

Though his peak came later, his Game 6 vs. Philadelphia in still has an argument for the greatest Finals game of all-time. Johnson was the best player in the series averaging just over 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 13 assists in the Finals. Unlike Bryant, Magic never won without his superstar running mate but he was able to secure three of the five ever elusive Finals MVP awards during their run together.

Though at times a questionable teammate, an insane competitor obsessed with all the numbers and all the records, it was a given that Chamberlain would finish very high on the list. When he got called selfish, he allegedly just decided to lead the league in assists. Coming in at number three is Cap. Every year, in line with mock draft etiquette, fans will claim that the next college phenom is going to be the best player ever, the next Bryant, Nowitzki, or James but that was likely true of young Lew Alcindor from the moment he stepped on the court.