Who is the greatest soccer player of all time?

Legends from multiple continents and eras battle it out — World Cup heroes, Ballon d'Or winners, reinventors of the game, and underrated giants. Who truly stands alone at the top of the beautiful game?

1

Pelé

Brazilian legend who won three FIFA World Cups and scored over 1,000 career goals.

2

Diego Maradona

Argentine genius who won the 1986 World Cup with the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.

3

Lionel Messi

Argentine maestro who won a record 8 Ballon d'Or awards and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

4

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portuguese goal machine who holds the all-time record for international goals scored.

5

Johan Cruyff

Dutch pioneer of Total Football who won three Ballon d'Or awards and revolutionized the game in the 1970s.

6

Ronaldo Nazário (R9)

Brazilian phenomenon who scored crucial goals in the 1994 and 2002 World Cups with extraordinary dribbling.

7

Zinedine Zidane

French maestro who won the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, and three Champions League titles as manager.

8

Ronaldinho

Brazilian showman who won the 2002 World Cup and 2005 Ballon d'Or with mesmerizing skill.

9

Franz Beckenbauer

German libero who invented the attacking sweeper role and won the World Cup as both player and manager.

10

Thierry Henry

French striker who became Arsenal's all-time top scorer and won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

11

Xavi Hernández

Spanish midfield maestro who anchored Spain's domination winning Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012.

12

Andrés Iniesta

Spanish midfielder who scored the 2010 World Cup winning goal in extra time against the Netherlands.

13

Lev Yashin

Soviet goalkeeper known as the 'Black Spider' and the only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d'Or.

14

Marco van Basten

Dutch striker who scored one of the greatest goals in history in the Euro 1988 final against the USSR.

15

Gerd Müller

West German goal machine who scored 68 goals in 62 international appearances.

16

Paolo Maldini

AC Milan's legendary defender who played for 25 years and won five Champions League titles.