Roberto Baggio.
Gabriel Batistuta.
Gabriel Batistuta.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
The greatest footballers to date.
- Thread starter chrismpw
- Start date
- Status
Simon Buttle
Player Valuation: £60m
Many a Brazilian will tell you he was the greatest not Pele, but yes a troubled soul. Had one leg which was shorter than the other which means his running style would have been very unbalanced at times, madness when you think about it.
That late 80s to 90s era really did treat us.
Van Basten
Hristo Stoichkov
Gheorge Hagi
Hang on. Why has no one mentioned Phil Neville, ffs.
Stevie Nicks Bootleg
Player Valuation: £8m
Messi or Maradona #1 for me. Probably Messi.
evilwebby
Player Valuation: £50m
Personally my rule is that I don't try to rate or rank teams, players, coaches etc that played before my time watching them. Unless you saw Pele play and followed his career all you have to go on is handed down stories and highlight reels, and history has a way of amplifying only the good traits so that they become the legend. It's not a fair reflection.
Simon Buttle
Player Valuation: £60m
This is a very good point tbh. My grandad often used to go on about how good guys like Puskas were but there is very little footage from that era and what there is happens to be mostly grainy black and white stuff. You can clearly see he was a total genius but it would be good to have been able to see a more comprehensive overview of his career but you can't because of the era when he played.
Been so many great players but one I always enjoyed watching was Scifo, not the best in the world by a long way but he was such an elegant and intelligent footballer.
Alan Ball wasn’t a world great, but my ol’ man still insists he’s the best player he’s ever seen in person.
Stevie Nicks Bootleg
Player Valuation: £8m
The writers of World Soccer at the time (e.g, Leslie Vernon, Brian Granville, Eric Batty) who saw lots of Puskas in action, generally said Di Stefano was the better player. And Vernon was the magazine “Hungary” expert too.
Last edited:
Drico
Player Valuation: £60m
1980s - in quasi-chronological order
Rummenigge, Zico, Platini, Maradona, Gullit, van Basten, Matthäus
1990s
Baggio, Romario, Stoichkov, Weah, Ronaldo, Rivaldo
2000s
Figo, Zidane, Nedved, Ronaldinho, Messi, Ronaldo
These are the players I would say could legitimately claim to be "the best player in the world" at one point or another since 1980. There are others who were "great" - defenders and goalkeepers are almost always ignored in these discussions, but the players above were generally acknowledged as the best.
Then there are players like Socrates, Batistuta, Kahn, Laudrup, Hagi, Modric, etc who are all legendary, so it's very subjective.
Rummenigge, Zico, Platini, Maradona, Gullit, van Basten, Matthäus
1990s
Baggio, Romario, Stoichkov, Weah, Ronaldo, Rivaldo
2000s
Figo, Zidane, Nedved, Ronaldinho, Messi, Ronaldo
These are the players I would say could legitimately claim to be "the best player in the world" at one point or another since 1980. There are others who were "great" - defenders and goalkeepers are almost always ignored in these discussions, but the players above were generally acknowledged as the best.
Then there are players like Socrates, Batistuta, Kahn, Laudrup, Hagi, Modric, etc who are all legendary, so it's very subjective.
In no specific order and from my lifetime:
Cruyff
Maradona
C Ronaldo
Southall
Eto'o (yes, him. Who once played for us.)
Cruyff
Maradona
C Ronaldo
Southall
Eto'o (yes, him. Who once played for us.)
- Status