Ranking the 25 greatest players in football history | OneFootball

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The greatest players have been ranked, and as is usually the case in the world of football, there will be differing opinions on the results. Each player has been ranked to settle the debate of the greatest of all time. While everyone has their own opinion and it will be impossible to settle this once and for all, the website have given their thoughts.

It tends to be a common theme that a lot of people consider Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona and Pele to be the most prominent names in the hat for being the best player to have ever played the game, and it is always interesting to see how these players will be ranked.

It can be confirmed that all of the aforementioned names make it into the list, but in what order, only time will tell. So in the interest of not keeping anyone waiting to find out who the GOAT is, and taking inspiration from 90min, we have a go at ranking the 25 greatest players in the history of football.

25 Ruud Gullit

The former AC Milan midfielder makes it into the top 25, and ranks among some of the top players to have played the game in his position. Gullit spent the best years of his career in Italy where he went on to win three Serie A titles and two European Cups. He was even able to reinvent himself as a top class centre-back in the latter stages of his career when he signed for Chelsea.

24 Bobby Charlton

One of only four Englishmen to have won the prestigious individual award that is the Ballon d'Or, the Manchester United icon was given the prize in 1966, after being part of England's World Cup success earlier in the year. Charlton was Man United's top goalscorer with a staggering 249 goals until his record was overtaken by Wayne Rooney.

23 Giuseppe Meazza

Meazza will be a name not too familiar with many reading this list, but the Italian was a big hit during his two-decade long career which started in 1927. He played for Inter Milan for the first thirteen years of that career, and scored a massive 240 goals in 348 competitive appearances.

22 Raymond Kopa

One of the lesser-known names to the modern football fan. Kopa played for Angers, Reims and Real Madrid in his career and while he was never the most clinical goal scorer the world has ever seen, he did leave a lasting impression on the game as can be seen by his inclusion in this list in 2023.

21 Romario

A name that will be a lot more familiar with current fans of the game is the Brazilian sensation. During the 1990s, Romario was one of the best players in the world on the road to winning multiple league titles in different countries including Spain and the Netherlands. Add a World Cup trophy from 1994 and his trophy cabinet is extremely impressive alongside his natural technical ability.

20 Eusebio

Eusebio won the 1965 version of the Ballon d'Or as he dominated Portugal throughout his career with Benfica. The forward had an impeccable knack at finding the back of the net for his club and country. He would have been considered the best Portuguese talent the game has ever seen had it not been for another man that came along quite some time after. More on that later though.

19 Marco van Basten

Former Netherlands international - Van Basten - spent his career with two clubs with the first half being spent with Ajax and the second being with AC Milan. Across both spells, he managed to hit the back of the net 277 times with an additional 82 assists leaving him not far shy of a goal contribution per game on average. His goal scoring antics managed to put him among elite company to have won three Ballon d'Ors.

18 George Best

Despite playing for a whole host of clubs during his time in the game, Best will forever be immortalised by his time with Manchester United in the 1960s and 70s. The late Northern Irishman is another British Ballon d'Or winner, and is still remembered very fondly to this day despite being decades on from his playing days. When the best wingers ENglish football has ever seen, he must be very much in the conversation.

17 Zico

Zico was named as the South American Footballer of the Year on three separate occasions and this is an extremely big compliment when considering the array of talent produced by that region of the world. Being part of a very talented Brazil team, the attacking midfielder takes a very well-deserved place on this elite list.

16 Franco Baresi

Italy are well-known for producing some of the most solid defenders the game has ever seen and Baresi is one of the very best. His defensive intelligence was almost unmatched despite only being the second-highest ranking Italian centre-back on the list. Baresi came very close to winning the Ballon d'Or as he finished runner-up in 1989, with the award proving very illusive for defenders over the years.

15 Ferenc Puskas

After a goal heavy spell in his homeland of Hungary, the prolific striker earned a move to Spanish giants, Real Madrid where he continued the impressive form in front of goal. He netted 201 goals in 231 games for the La Liga outfit per Transfermarkt. There are only a handful of strikers in the history of football that are held in higher regard than Puskas.

14 Paolo Maldini

A true one-club man, Maldini was a stalwart of the AC Milan team for 25 years which is an incredible feat for any player. He managed to achieve this longevity in the game by adapting his game to be world-class at both left-back and centre-back, mastering his trade in two separate roles. The art of defending was made to look effortless and almost easy by the Italian on the way to winning five European Cups and seven Serie A titles.

13 Gerd Muller

There is an array of prestigious honours in Muller's trophy cabinet as he won the 1970 Ballon d'Or after securing the Golden Boot at the World Cup earlier in that year. Only four years later, the forward fired his nation to World Cup glory which is always a dream for any football player. His success in front of goal in Germany speaks for itself with 568 goals in 611 appearances.

12 Garrincha

It is unclear how many goals the winger scored throughout his career, but it is well known that he was a brilliant player in his time. Mixing the Brazilian flair we have come to associate with the nation, Garrincha had a lot of pace to his game which made him an exciting player to watch.

11 Alfredo di Stefano

Di Stefano was part of a dominant Real Madrid side as the talisman on the way to eight La Liga titles in the space of 10 years. Despite coming second in the Ballon d'Or rankings in 1956, he went on to secure the award the next year as well as another time in 1959.

10 Roberto Baggio

Baggio not only breaks into the top 10, but is also the highest rated Italian player, ahead of the likes of Baresi and Maldini. He spent his whole career playing in his home country while spending time playing for the three clubs widely regarded as the biggest in Italy in the form of Juventus, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

9 Michel Platini

French midfielder, Platini, has three Ballon d'Ors to his name, and they all came in successive years from 1983 to 1985 which goes a long way to show his recognition across the global game. In among his long list of accolades, his 1984 Euro's campaign was severely impressive as he was named player of the tournament and also managed to be the top scorer despite being a midfielder.

8 Cristiano Ronaldo

Probably the biggest shock on this entire list is the fact Ronaldo only manages to get eighth place on the list. This goes to show he is quite a way behind Messi, Pele and Maradona in these rankings despite being the highest-scoring player of all-time. Ronaldo has won five Ballon d'Ors in his illustrious career which is a record only bettered by a certain Argentine forward.

7 Zinedine Zidane

Bowing out of the game in heartbreaking fashion with a red card during a World Cup final loss, it doesn't tell the story of the career Zidane had at the very top. Even in that game he showed his brilliance with a panenka to put his side in the lead against Italy. Many regard the powerful and skillful midfielder as the best to have ever played the position and this list goes some way to proving that as the general consensus.

6 Ronaldo

The list that keeps on giving! We have been given a clear answer in the debate between the two Ronaldos, and it's unlikely to be the outcome that many expected. There is no doubt that R9 was an incredibly talented player who suffered from some challenging times throughout his career. Playing for the two biggest clubs in both Italy and Spain and still being universally adored is one of the biggest compliments the football world can pay to the two-time World Cup and Ballon d'Or winner.