who is the king of football all time?

Who Truly Deserves the Title of Greatest Football Player of All Time?

Many consider Lionel Messi the best soccer player of all time. The Argentina captain won every award in the sport and was one of the most consistent players of all time.

Football is the most popular and practiced sport in the world. As a result, modern football is very competitive and over the years the sport has seen the birth of some magical players.

It is common to compare things and people always argue about the question of who is the best footballer of all time. Although it is difficult to compare different players from different eras, considering how the sport has changed and evolved over the years, we will try to do the title justice below.

Read below to find out who is the greatest footballer of all time and which footballers are in the top 10 list:
 

Here's a well-organized table of the top 10 greatest football players of all time:

Lionel Messi | Argentina

Lionel Messi is not only the best player in the world for fifteen years, he is also one of the greatest footballers of all time. Messi had already won everything during his club career with FC Barcelona. After recent victories in the Copa America and the FIFA World Cup with Argentina, Messi can claim the title of the greatest footballer of all time.

He made his debut on the scene as a teenager, at Frank Rijkaard's FC Barcelona, ​​and impressed everyone with his raw speed and dribbling ability. Messi became the best player in the world under Pep Guardiola and was the face of the Barcelona team that dominated Europe. It was during this time that he began to be considered one of the greatest players of all time. In the following decade, he consolidated these titles only through repeated and continued success and also managed to turn around his tragic international career until then with Argentina.

He is the second player to win the most trophies in the history of football behind his former partner Dani Alves and no one has won more Ballon d'Or than the seven that Messi has to his name.

Diego Maradona | Argentina

Diego Maradona was more than a footballer because he was able to do things on a football field that ordinary people could only dream of. Highly rated, Maradona attracted a lot of attention in Argentina as a prodigious talent and created a legacy for himself in Argentinos Juniors. He became the most expensive player in the world when he joined Barcelona in 1982, after Napoli in 1984. It was with Napoli that he reached the height of his club career and led the Italian team to the title of Shield.

However, it was with Argentina that Maradona made the biggest impact on world football. What he did during the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico is enough to put him at the top of this list of the greatest footballers of all time. Maradona was unstoppable in Mexico and his genius will always shine in modern football!

Pele | Brazil

Brazilian legend Pele has held the title of the greatest footballer of all time and in the opinion of many, especially fans of the older generation, he is still the king. Pelé is the player who has won the most world cups in history, having lifted the Jules Rimet trophy three times, which alone is enough to put him in the debate.

Pele holds the record for the youngest player to score in a World Cup and also scored two goals in the 1958 World Cup final hosted in Sweden. Although he only played one match in the 1962 World Cup, which was also won by Brazil, Pelé saw his true peak in world football in 1970.

He was at the heart of an extremely skilled and formidable Brazilian team that honored the Jogo Bonito philosophy throughout the World Cup. He also had a very impressive career with the New York Cosmos and Santos at club level. Pelé still remains the absolute reference in the history of football.

Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal

Cristiano Ronaldo defined the modern generation of football and his rivalry with Lionel Messi took the game to new heights. He is one of the most talented goalscorers the sport has ever known and his ability to find the back of the net is second to none. Cristiano was a young talent at Sporting Lisbon before showing his world-conquering potential at Manchester United and under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson. It was at Real Madrid that Cristiano became a powerhouse and won four UEFA Champions League titles with the club, including three in a row! Ronaldo also led Portugal to the Euro 2016 title, the first in the country's history.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner joined Juventus in 2018, where he once again dominated the domestic league. Ronaldo had secured a return to Manchester United in 2021, but the move did not work out and he saw his contract terminated after a dispute with Erik ten Hag and a move to Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Johan Cruyff Netherlands

We have already talked about many great footballers, but no individual has had as much influence on the history of the sport and the standards of the modern game as Johan Cruyff. He was simply a football genius and a great thinker of the game who brought the philosophy of "total football" to Ajax, Barcelona, and the Dutch national team.

He was the first footballer to win the Ballon d'Or three times and Cruyff took Europe by storm with Ajax, winning three European Championships, then dominating Spain with Barcelona. He guided the Catalan giants to their first league title in 14 years and turned them into a powerhouse again.

He was also the leader of what is probably the greatest football team ever to win the World Cup trophy, the Dutch team of 1974. In his later years, Cruyff laid the foundations of modern Barcelona with his tiki-taka philosophy, creating La Masia, introducing rondos, and influencing coaches such as Pep Guardiola, Frank Rijkaar, Ronald Koeman, Louis Van Gaal, Xavi, Luis Enrique, Mikel Arteta, Ernesto Valverde, Marco Van Basten and Roberto Martinez, among others.

Alfredo Di Stefano | Argentina/Spain

The pre-Pelé era was largely dominated by Alfredo Di Stefano. He is considered the best player in Real Madrid's history and Di Stefano's genius paved the way for further success for Los Blancos.

The Argentine striker, nicknamed "The Blond Arrow", completely dominated the football landscape in the 1950s and had a 20-year career during which he was at the top of the game! Di Stefano is best known for his exploits with Real Madrid. He won five consecutive European Championships with the club and went on to win 15 other titles.

Di Stefano formed a formidable duo with other legendary players such as Paco Gento and Ferenc Puskas and will be remembered for his performances in the big games. He holds the record for goals scored in five European Cup finals and is the only player to achieve this feat.

Along with Maradona and Messi, Di Stefano is considered football royalty in Argentina, despite never appearing at the World Cup.

Franz Beckenbauer | Germany

Franz Beckenbauer will always be the model of the perfect defender and is considered to be the greatest defender in the history of football. Beckenbauer revolutionized the libero position in the 1960s and 1970s with Bayern Munich and West Germany. He also attacked and contributed a lot to his team's attacks.

Beckenbauer was affectionately known as "Der Kaiser" or the Emperor because of his elegant style, dominance, and leadership. The German is also one of nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League, and even the Ballon d'Or.

Beckenbauer won three consecutive European Championships with Bayern Munich between 1974 and 1976 and also lifted the 1974 FIFA World Cup with Germany. Der Kaiser would repeat the feat once more as Germany's coach in 1990 and is one of three men, along with Mario Zagallo and Didier Deschamps, to have won the World Cup as a player and coach. Ronaldo Nazario | Brazil
The fact that Ronaldo Nazario played for Barcelona,​​​​Real Madrid, Inter, and AC Milan without ever generating hatred or negativity is a testament to the talent and personality he had on the football field! Called "O Fenomeno" or "The Phenomenon", it was easy to see that Ronaldo would reach the top of world football and dominate the sport quite quickly.

He won European football at PSV Eindhoven and had a record season with Barcelona. He then joined Inter Milan and was the star of the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2002 World Cup, which he won with Brazil as the best player of the tournament!

Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 1997 and 2002 and his attacking skills were unique and made him stand out. Without injury, Ronaldo would have had a longer and much more successful career and would likely be ranked higher on this list.

Zinedine Zidane France

Zinedine Zidane is considered one of the most incredible midfielders of the modern generation. Zidane had a successful career with Juventus in Italy but first came into the limelight with his spectacular performances at the 1998 World Cup held in France.

The attacking midfielder led the French side from the front and was consistent throughout the tournament. He scored two headers in the final against Ronaldo's Brazil and made the difference as France won the World Cup for the first time in their history. Zidane followed this success by winning the 2000 European Championship and was crowned player of the tournament. Zidane then moved to Real Madrid where he had more glory and success. He famously scored the famous goal from outside the box against Bayer Leverkusen, which helped Los Blancos win the UEFA Champions League in 2002. He retired from the sport in 2006 but later had an illustrious coaching career, especially leading Real Madrid to three consecutive championships. League titles between 2016 and 2018.

Andres Iniesta | Spain

Like Zinedine Zidane, Andres Iniesta is the most influential midfielder of his generation and was one of the pillars of the success of Barcelona and the Spanish team that conquered and dominated the world. Iniesta came through the famous La Masia academy in Barcelona and broke into the first team.

He was excellent as a late substitute and helped turn things around for Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final against Arsenal. Iniesta won the Man of the Match award in the 2009 and 2015 Champions League finals for Barcelona and was a true big-game player.

Although he never could score many goals and was always the artist and creator in the midfield, Iniesta scored the goal that won Spain its first World Cup in South Africa in 2010. Iniesta left Barcelona in 2018 with an unprecedented legacy. the most talented Spanish player to ever play the sport and finish the final phase of his career with Vissel Kobe in Japan.

FAQ

Who is the king of football of all time?

Pelé is also called "O Rei" or the King is known as the king of football.

How many World Cups has Pele won?

Pelé has won three FIFA World Cups and is the only player to have won three World Cups.

Who is the best player in the world?  

Lionel Messi continues to be the best player in the world and was recently named the player of the tournament in the FIFA World Cup won by Argentina.

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