Messi, Ronaldo, Maradona, Pele: Football's 55 biggest legends ranked | OneFootball

Who is the greatest football player in history?

From the Pele to Eusebio, Diego Maradona to Zinedine Zidane, and Cristiano Ronaldo to Lionel Messi – answering that question seems a near impossible task.

Football has of course developed since the time Pele ruled the world. Tactics improve, sports science has become more advanced and training has been taken to a whole new level.

But on the flip side, it’s also probably pretty safe to say that if you’d put Pele or Maradona in the modern era, they’d have fared just as well, maybe even better with all the help footballers have in the 21st century.

Besides, they spent half their careers getting booted around muddy old fields, not wrapped in bubble wrap whilst playing on pristinely cut and watered artificial grass.

To say it’s a different world would be the understatement of the year, so we’re going to try and keep that in mind as we rank 55 of football’s biggest legends from ‘world class’ to ‘GOAT.’

‘World Class’

Alessandro Nesta, Romario, Carles Puyol, Fabio Cannavaro, Oliver Kahn, Frank Rijkaard, Phillip Lahm, Thomas Muller, Iker Casillas, Peter Schmeichel, Didier Drogba, Roberto Carlos, Toni Kroos

Given the sheer quality of some of these footballing figures, it didn’t seem right to have a category below ‘world class’ because, after all, each and every one of them was that at the very least.

Within the category, we have plenty of goalkeeping representation in the form of Iker Casillas, Peter Schmeichel and Oliver Kahn – all of whom spent a period as arguably the best keeper on the planet.

Whilst Puyol, Cannavaro and Nesta also find themselves in this section. The three centre backs were exceptional players and, in Puyol’s case, an even better leader. However, arguably weren’t quite on the same level as some of their rivals who were looked upon more favourably in this ranking.

Lahm and Muller are two of the most iconic figures in Bayern Munich’s history and more than warrant a placing in our top 55.

And the same can be said for Kroos and Carlos – although we’re sure many will feel like Carlos might have warranted a higher placing. The main concern with the Brazilian, though – as much as we love him – is was he really all that good defensively? We’re not totally convinced.

Finally, let’s talk Drogba. A truly incredible Premier League striker, one that is remembered fondly as arguably Chelsea’s finest ever player. But is his goal record good enough to move him up a tier?

His tally of 104 English top-flight goals in 254 games is great, but it’s a feat that’s been surpassed by his competition within this top 55, so world class it is.

‘Legends’

Roberto Baggio, Kaka, Franco Baresi, Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Figo, Rivaldo, Zico, Garrincha, Ruud Gullit, Manuel Neuer, Gianluigi Buffon, Lothar Matthaus, Raul Gonzalez, Robert Lewandowski, Luka Modric, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Kenny Dalglish

Right, we’re not for one minute suggesting that Puyol or Drogba aren’t legends, but we’ve got to rank these guys somewhere! And when it comes to the players in this category, we feel like they’re just a class above.

Let’s kick off with the elephant in the room – Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes. Three of English football’s greatest ever players and easily amongst the best of their era.

Who was the better player? Why do you think we’ve put them all in the ‘legend’ category? You’re doomed whoever you pick and at least this way we don’t have to… cough, cough, Gerrard.

Keeping in with the midfield theme, we also boast no less than five Ballon d’Or winning players from that position in this segment: Kaka, Figo, Gullit, Matthaus and Modric. Talk about footballing royalty.

Whilst Baggio, Ibrahimovic, Suarez, Garrincha, and arguably even Neymar and Rooney, provide plenty of maverick representation amongst the legends.

Baresi, Raul, Buffon, Dalglish and Lewandowski make up the final five players yet to be discussed, but do any of those really need any justification?

Lewandowski is a goal machine like few we’ve ever known and, actually, might have been worthy of a ‘touched greatness’ tag.

Dalglish goes toe-to-toe with Gerrard in the minds of Reds supporters for the accolade of Liverpool’s greatest, and is viewed as the most important figure in the club’s dominance of the late 1970’s – early 1980’s.

Raul and Baresi represent two of Real Madrid and AC Milan’s biggest legends.

Whereas Buffon, for us, is modern football’s number one keeper when you consider his miraculous longevity at the top.

‘Touched greatness’

Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Ramos, Ronaldinho, Marco van Basten, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta, Michel Platini, Gerd Muller, Lev Yashin, Paolo Maldini

Anyone within the ‘touched greatness’ category really had to be special. Maybe, like Ramos and Maldini, they spent their entire career at the very top, lifting trophy after trophy whilst arguably being the best in their field.

Or maybe their spell as one of the world’s best was shorter in duration, like Ronaldinho, but was simply too magnificent to deny.

Two players that fall into the former category alongside their Spanish compatriot would be Xavi and Iniesta. Put simply, modern Barcelona would never have happened without their genius in the middle of the park – not to mention the impact they had on their national team.

Van Basten and Platini lifted three Ballon d’Or each – need anymore be said?

Whilst Henry was voted the Premier League’s greatest ever player. And if that doesn’t exude greatness, then we don’t know what does.

Yashin, although we can never attest to seeing him in action ourselves, is said to be the greatest goalkeeper of all time. In his career he saved over 150 penalties and kept over 270 clean sheets.

And when it comes to Muller, well, Pretty darn good, that’s how.

‘Era defining’

, Bobby Charlton

These players, we believe, were the central figures at differing points of footballing history.

Take Cruyff, he might just be the most influential figure the game has ever known, but considering him here solely as a player, his role within the Ajax and Holland teams of the 1970’s is stuff of legend. He was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1971, 1973 and 1974.

Eusebio, Beckenbauer and Charlton can be classed as part of the Pele era, but the Brazil legend aside, it was these three that swept up the recognition in Europe throughout the 1960’s.

Whilst Di Stefano and Puskas played much of their careers before the emergence of Pele and, up until his arrival, were considered to be the two finest footballs ever.

Di Stefano lifted the Ballon d’Or in 1957 and 1959, peaking just as Pele burst onto the scene for Brazil. The Argentine was also awarded the Super Ballon d’Or in 1989, a one-time award handed out by France Football to commemorate its 30th anniversary.

Zidane and the Brazilian Ronaldo.

The way they blessed our television screens and football pitches around the globe at the turning of the century will live long in the memory. And the grace in which they played the game was more akin to being an artform than a sporting endeavour.

‘Nearly GOATs’

Pele, Diego Maradona, Cristiano Ronaldo

Ah, the nearly men. The nearly men that achieved, quite literally, everything there is to achieve in our fabulous sport. These three icons are denied solely by the sheer genius of one man, and even then they all came close.

Pele for decades was known as the greatest to ever do it – and remains the GOAT for many to this day. He’s the only player to have lifted three World Cups, holds the record for the most hat-tricks in history (92) and shares the FIFA Player of the Century award with Maradona.

Speaking of the Argentine, the outpouring of emotion from the world upon his tragic death in late 2020 is like nothing we had experienced within sport before.

He touched millions of souls through his genius on the pitch, maybe more deeply than anyone before or after him, and that in itself, is a legacy fit for a King.

Whilst Ronaldo is many of the younger generation’s answer to the greatest footballer of all time. He didn’t have the talent that the other two in this category were blessed with, but what Ronaldo has more than anyone else is an unwavering work ethic and will to win.

As a role model and as a footballer, Ronaldo is miles ahead of practically every other individual in history.

‘GOAT’

Lionel Messi

But there can only be one, and that man goes by the name of Lionel Messi.

The Barcelona icon and now Paris Saint-Germain star is undoubtedly in the swansong of his career, however, the sheer number of mesmeric moments he’s blessed us with over the years will ensure that we’ll never have to go too long without a magical Messi moment lighting up our screens.

The reason we opted for Messi over Ronaldo – and let’s be clear, this is a totally subjective matter – is because the little man can do it all, but not only that, he can do it all whilst putting a smile on practically every fan’s face.

He scores goals like Ronaldo, he moves like Maradona, he creates like Zidane – he’s everyone’s best facet rolled into one.

So, for that reason, we’re under the impression that there never has been, and there never will be, any footballer as good as Messi again.

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