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. 1
   Lionel Messi

   Argentine maestro who won a record 8 Ballon d'Or awards and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
   1000pts

   DI
2. 2
   Diego Maradona

   Argentine genius who won the 1986 World Cup with the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.
   777pts
3. 3
   Marco van Basten

   Dutch striker who scored one of the greatest goals in history in the Euro 1988 final against the USSR.
   678pts
4. 4
   Paolo Maldini

   AC Milan's legendary defender who played for 25 years and won five Champions League titles.
   678pts
5. 5
   Cristiano Ronaldo

   Portuguese goal machine who holds the all-time record for international goals scored.
   555pts
6. 6
   Johan Cruyff

   Dutch pioneer of Total Football who won three Ballon d'Or awards and revolutionized the game in the 1970s.
   555pts
7. 7
   Ronaldo Nazário (R9)

   Brazilian phenomenon who scored crucial goals in the 1994 and 2002 World Cups with extraordinary dribbling.
   555pts
8. 8
   Andrés Iniesta

   Spanish midfielder who scored the 2010 World Cup winning goal in extra time against the Netherlands.
   555pts
9. 9
   Pelé

   Brazilian legend who won three FIFA World Cups and scored over 1,000 career goals.
   396pts
10. 10
    Zinedine Zidane

    French maestro who won the 1998 World Cup, Euro 2000, and three Champions League titles as manager.
    396pts
11. 11
    Ronaldinho

    Brazilian showman who won the 2002 World Cup and 2005 Ballon d'Or with mesmerizing skill.
    396pts
12. 12
    Franz Beckenbauer

    German libero who invented the attacking sweeper role and won the World Cup as both player and manager.
    396pts
13. 13
    Thierry Henry

    French striker who became Arsenal's all-time top scorer and won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.
    396pts
14. 14
    Xavi Hernández

    Spanish midfield maestro who anchored Spain's domination winning Euro 2008, World Cup 2010, and Euro 2012.
    396pts
15. 15
    Lev Yashin

    Soviet goalkeeper known as the 'Black Spider' and the only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d'Or.
    396pts
16. 16
    Gerd Müller

    West German goal machine who scored 68 goals in 62 international appearances.
    396pts