These wizards of the field raised the game to new heights.
The Beautiful Game. The People’s Game. Footie. Soccer. Whatever you call it or refer to it as, the sport of football continues to entrance, entertain, infuriate, and ecstasize countless millions around the world.
Ever since starting with humble beginnings in England, circa 1863, professional football has conquered the world and is now a jaw-dropping $600 billion industry, with professional football clubs, leagues, and tournaments all over the world, and countless millions watching on television, making it by far the most popular and viewed sport in the world.
But in the 160 years of its existence, among the countless participants in football clubs, both amateur and professional, there have been a select few whose sheer unrivaled talent for ‘the beautiful game’ set them apart from all others, their mastery of the sport elevating them to living legend status almost overnight, and whose utter brilliance on the field inspired many more who came after them to follow their dreams.
These sorcerers of the stadium – even though most have either died or since retired – continue to enthrall with physical acts that almost defy belief, goals that are theoretically impossible, and overall sportsmanship that rivals any athletic ability in history.
In short, they are kings among men.
For the purposes of this article, we will list what we believe to be the 5 best footballers of all time. Such a list is, of course, entirely subjective, but in consulting football experts, pundits, and historians, we have whittled the list down to just 5. You may agree or disagree with our list but that’s the fun of the sport in that we all have our own opinion.
So strap on your boots and let’s do it…
1. Lionel Messi
We may disagree on a lot of things relating to football, but by God, one thing we all can agree on is the utter genius and unchallenged superiority of Señor Messi on the field. Widely recognized by pretty much anyone with a brain as probably the greatest footballer that has ever lived.
From humble beginnings in Barcelona’s prestigious La Masia academy, Messi quickly rose to international prominence in winning his first professional trophy, the Ballon D’Or, in 2009 at the age of 22. What followed for the next 13 years defied both expectations and belief as he racked up an unprecedented 816 goals over 1,034 games for both club and country, culminating in the nerve-wracking, death-defying, heart-stopping World Cup final of 2022 in Qatar where Messi not only led his country to glory but capped off his career like no other… an extraordinary end to a truly extraordinary career.
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2. Pele
Regarded – correctly – as the single greatest professional football player ever until Lionel Messi, Pele was genius personified on the field, along with a winning and warm personality, the Brazilian took pro football to previously undreamed heights of skill.
Starting his club football career at 15 and playing for his native country at 16, Pele (born Edson Arantes do Nascimento) was the youngest member of a World Cup-winning team at just 17 in 1958 where he gained the nickname “O Rei” (the King) because of his skill on the field for that tournament. Pele would go on to lead Brazil to two further World Cup victories during his career in 1962 and 1970 respectively. Before his retirement in 1977, Pele notched up a then-unprecedented 767 goals over 1,363 games. In 1995, he was appointed Brazilian Minister of Sport where his anti-corruption measures won wide acclaim.
Pele died on December 29, 2022 at 82 years of age.
3. Diego Maradona
As much a figure of adulation as he was a lightning rod of controversy, Diego Armando Maradona was born in 1960 and lived in a poverty-stricken shantytown in Buenos Aires before being spotted by a talent scout at 8 years old… and the world of international football would never be the same again.
An icon in his native Argentina, Maradona racked up 353 goals but it was his aggressive, often brilliant attacking maneuvers that earned him living legend status. He also has the honor of scoring probably the two most famous goals in footballing history – both in the same game – during the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico (wherein he led his team to glory); the so-called and hugely controversial ‘Hand of God’ goal and the universally-recognized ‘Goal of the Century’. Maradona went on to a successful managerial career, working right up to his death, aged 60, on November 25, 2020.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo
Officially the greatest goal-scorer in professional football history, Cristiano Ronaldo is also the third sportsman and first professional footballer to earn $1 billion over the course of his career to date. But he has put that incredible wealth to noble effect, contributing literally millions to various charities and individual gifts over the years.
Born in Madeira, Portugal, and named after his father’s hero, then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan, Ronaldo’s mother wanted him aborted during gestation owing to poverty and his father’s alcoholism, but thankfully the doctor refused to terminate a healthy baby and the world of sport benefitted mightily. Making his debut in club football in 2002, Ronaldo went on to score an astounding 819 goals to date. He is one of the most famous and marketable sportsmen ever and continues to both astound on the pitch and give generously to charity.
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5. George Best
As self-destructive as he was self-confident and as combustible off the pitch as he was dazzling on it, Northern Irish native George Best was professional football’s first ‘rock star’ personality whose talent on-field elevated his profile to living legend status while his extracurricular pursuits off it eventually sealed his premature demise.
Born in staunchly unionist east Belfast in 1946, Best was discovered at 15 by a talent scout for Manchester United and went on to play with that club as a talented player until his stunning performance at the 1966 European quarter-final match, in which he scored two astounding goals, that his star really began to rise. That status as a supremely talented player entered legendary status when he scored SIX goals in a single match in 1970. Fuelled by success, adulation, movie-star looks, and money, Best began a downward spiral, ultimately retiring in 1982 after a spectacular-if-flawed career.
George Best died from liver failure on November 25, 2005, aged 59, wherein he received a full state funeral from the Northern Ireland authorities, attended by over 100,000 people.