The 100 best football players who have ever lived: from Messi to Maradona, Cristiano to Cruyff and everyone in between
50. Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring for Bayern Munich against Chelsea in 2020 (Image credit: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
But for a pesky ash cloud stopping the Pole from flying to England, Sam Allardyce hoped to lure Lewandowski to Blackburn in 2010 - instead he signed for Dortmund, spearheaded them to two Bundesliga titles, then scored 344 goals in 375 games for Bayern Munich. Still pines for Ewood Park, though.
Career highlight: Helping Bayern conquer Europe in 2020 - the Ballon d’Or was his, if France Football hadn’t cancelled it.
49. Didi
Didi plays for Brazil against Hungary in Bern, Switzerland (Image credit: Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
“I’m nothing compared to Didi. I’ll never be anywhere near as good as he is,” Pele once said.
Dubbed the Ethiopian Prince because of his elegant style, the midfielder won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and even had a stint with Real Madrid.
Career highlight: Beating Pele and 13-goal Just Fontaine to player of the tournament in 1958.
48. Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon with the 2006 World Cup trophy (Image credit: Getty)
Most footballers begin to wane at 30 - Buffon balanced quality and longevity like a 1970s Coppola movie, winning eight more Serie A titles with Juventus, to take his tally to 10. He’s the only goalkeeper to make the Ballon d’Or top two since Dino Zoff in 1973.
Career highlight: World Cup glory with Italy in 2006, just as Juventus side were being relegated to Serie B because of Calciopoli.
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47. Gunter Netzer
Gunter Netzer in action against Borussia Monchengladbach (Image credit: Werner OTTO/ullstein bild via Getty Images)
An elegant playmaker, Netzer was one of the game’s best ever passers, able to put the ball on a spot from any distance. The leader of a Monchengladbach team that won two Bundesliga titles, he left for Real Madrid and won two more championships.
Career highlight: Star of the show as West Germany were crowned European champions in 1972.
46. Paolo Rossi
Didi in action against Hungary (Image credit: Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images)
Little Paolo, that most slightly built of strikers, also possessed a ruthless and predatory edge. Rossi scored for fun at Vicenza and Perugia, before really making his mark with Juventus and Italy at the 1982 World Cup, winning both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball.
Career highlight: His legendary hat-trick against favourites Brazil in 1982 - his autobiography was entitled I Made Brazil Cry.
45. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe celebrates at the 2022 World Cup with France (Image credit: Getty Images)
“Do I feel under pressure heading into the World Cup? No, for me, football is all about pleasure. A World Cup comes along only once every four years. You can’t afford to let it pass you by.”
Those were Kylian Mbappe’s words to FourFourTwo, at the beginning of 2018. Five years later, his career will forever be inextricably linked with the tournament. He’s only just turned 24, way too early to normally be considered for lists like this. But Mbappe could retire now, and he’s already left a legacy that will stand the test of time. Who knows where he’ll rank when his playing days come to an end?
No player has ever reached 12 World Cup goals at such a young age. Already, he’s matched Pele’s tally. Already, he’s only four behind record holder Miroslav Klose. It’s quite possible that Mbappe could still have three World Cups ahead of him. If the first two have been any guide, he won’t let them pass him by.
Career highlight: Becoming the youngest player since Pele to score in a World Cup final, as he lifted the trophy with France in 2018.
44. Kenny Dalglish
Gunter Netzer in action against Borussia Monchengladbach (Image credit: Getty)
Kenny wasn't the quickest of movers but he was 20 yards quicker than anybody else with his football brain and he would be in position before any defender knew what was happening.
Ronnie Moran
As well as scoring a joint-record 30 Scotland goals in a record 102 Scotland caps, he became the first player to net 100 goals in both the Scottish and English leagues, and formed a formidable partnership with the emerging Ian Rush at Liverpool, often as the provider. “I had no preference between scoring and creating - it didn’t matter as long as it ended in a goal,” he explained.
Dalglish would win eight league titles at Anfield, and two more European Cups, finishing second only to Michel Platini in the 1983 Ballon d’Or. “When Kenny shines, the whole team is illuminated,” Paisley said. No Liverpool player has ever shone brighter than Sir Kenneth Dalglish.
Career highlight: Equally adept as a provider and a scorer of goals, Dalglish’s calm chipped effort to win the 1978 European Cup Final against Bruges demonstrated there was no more composed finisher in the game.
43. Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup in action for Barcelona (Image credit: Getty)
A playmaker of seamless silkiness, Laudrup remains the greatest Danish player of all time. A stalwart of Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team that won four successive league titles for Barcelona, he then went full Luis Figo, joining Real Madrid and immediately halting that run. Andres Iniesta called him “the best player in history” - no wonder Swansea hired him.
Career highlight: Lifting Barcelona’s first European Cup, at Wembley in 1992.
42. Bobby Moore
Pele of Brazil and Bobby Moore of England exchange shirts after a World Cup game in 1970 (Image credit: MSI/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images)
A footballing centre-half long before the concept was fashionable, to this day he remains the yardstick against which all England defenders are measured. After serenely bringing football home in 1966, he finished second in the 1970 Ballon d’Or after THAT tackle on Pele.
Career highlight: Collecting the World Cup from Her Majesty the Queen (having wiped his hands first on the velvet tablecloth, naturally).
41. Francisco 'Paco' Gento
Paco Gento (left) with the European Cup and his Real Madrid team-mates (Image credit: Getty)
Lightning quick, the outside left joined Real Madrid in 1953 - by the time he retired in 1971, he’d amassed 12 La Liga titles, and become the only player in history to win six European Cups. Yes, one more than you, Cristiano…
Career highlight: As a veteran, captaining Madrid to victory against Partizan Belgrade in the 1966 European Cup Final, six years after his previous triumph.
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Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
