There have been so many phenomenal players in the long and colourful history of football. Pele won three World Cups with the Brazilian and also scored hundreds of goals in his career.
In addition, Diego Maradona has a case when it comes to crowning the greatest player of all time, having done some amazing things on the football pitch. Also, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have cemented themselves as two of the greatest players of all time as they shattered record-after-record in the past 15 years.
But who is the best football player of them all?
Pele
Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on 23 October 1940 and was known as Pelé. He is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Considered as one of the absolute greatest players of all time. He was labelled “the greatest” by FIFA Pelé was among the most successful as well as popular sports figures of the 20th century.
In 1999, Pelé was named as Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. He was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century.
In 2000, Pelé was voted as World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). Pelé was one of the two mutual winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His overall score of 1 279 goals in 1 363 games, which consisted of friendlies, is acknowledged as a Guinness World Record.
Diego Maradona
The Argentine football player, Diego Maradona, was born on 30 October 1960 and died on 25 November 2020). Generally seen as one of the absolute greatest players in the history of the sport, Maradona was one of two joint victors of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.
His vision, passing, ball control as well as dribbling skills were shared with his tiny stature, which afforded him a low centre of gravity so allowing him to manoeuvre better as opposed to most other players.
His presence – as well as leadership – on the field had a terrific effect on his team’s overall performance, while he would often be selected by the opposition and by punters who wanted to win real money.
In addition to his creative abilities, he had an eye for goal and was known to be a free kick specialist.
A precocious talent, Maradona was awarded the nickname “El Pibe de Oro” (“The Golden Boy”), a name which remained with him throughout his career. Maradona also had a troubled off-field life and was banned in both 1991 and 1994 for abusing drugs.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro GOIH ComM was born on 5 February 1985. He is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus and also captains the Portugal national team.
Often considered to be the best player in the world and widely seen as one of the best players of all time, Ronaldo has won five Ballon d’Or awards as well as four European Golden Shoes, the most by a European player.