Who is the best player in history is still a controversial topic. To give fans more perspective on this issue, 90min newspaper published a list of the 25 best players of all time. In fact, this list was posted in December 2022, right after the 2022 World Cup ended.
However, after Messi won his 8th Golden Ball not long ago, this list has attracted attention again. Below are the 10 best names as chosen by experts from 90min.
10. Roberto Baggio (Italy)
Baggio is one of the best attacking players in Italian football history. During his career, he scored more than 300 goals for his teams. In 1993, he won the Golden Ball after winning the UEFA Cup with Juventus. A year later he also finished in 2nd place.
It’s a pity that Baggio is not destined for titles with the national team. Fans must still not forget his 11m shot into the sky in the 1994 World Cup final against Brazil. This bad play was one of the reasons why Italy lost the final 2-3.
9. Michel Platini (France)
French football legend Michel Platini led his team to the Euro 1984 championship. During his career, he also won the Golden Ball title three times in 1983, 1984, 1985.
At the Super Golden Ball awards ceremony in 1989, he also won third place overall. When FIFA held the election for player of the century in 2000, Platini ranked 7th.
8. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
Ronaldo is probably the best player Portuguese football has ever produced. By now, the Al Nassr striker has won the Golden Ball title 5 times, won the C1 Cup 5 times and together with his teammates won the historic Euro championship in 2016. Not only that, Ronaldo also holds the record. is the greatest goalscorer of all time.
What makes Ronaldo ranked near the bottom of the Top 10 of 90min is most likely because CR7 still lacks the World Cup title. Ronaldo is expected to compete in the 2026 World Cup when he is 41 years old to capture this trophy.
7. Zinedine Zidane (France)
Talented midfielder Zidane ranks 7th on this list. After 17 years of playing professional football, Zidane has had a fulfilling career, pocketing all the major titles possible from the C1 Cup, Euro to the World Cup.
He also won the 1998 Golden Ball and was elected FIFA’s best player of the year three times. In a sharing session, legend Thierry Henry once described Zidane as “the God of French football”.
6. Ronaldo de Lima (Brazil)
During his peak, Ronaldo de Lima was known as “the alien” because of his incredible scoring ability. Throughout his career, he has pocketed more than 400 totals at club and national team levels.
Many experts believe that if he didn’t have knee problems soon, “fat” Ronaldo would have gone even further. However, the former Brazilian player also had an admirable career with 2 World Cup championships and 2 Golden Balls. His only missing major title is the C1 Cup.
5. Johan Cruyff (Netherlands)
Cruyff’s talent is undeniable. He is the nucleus of the “Total Attack” football style that helped the Dutch team take the world by storm. During his career, he scored a total of 433 goals, won the Golden Ball 3 times, and won the treble with Ajax.
Besides, he also left a strong impression as a coach later. Cruyff made a huge contribution to the development of football. He is the only player who did not win the World Cup but was in the Top 5 of 90min.
4. Frank Beckenbauer (Germany)
In this ranking, Beckenbauer is the only player playing in defense. He was the nucleus that brought steel to the German defense when the team won the title at Euro 1972 and World Cup 1974. In the club shirt, Beckenbauer and Bayern won the European Cup 3 times (the predecessor of the European Cup) and 4 times. Bundesliga championship.
Beckenbauer won the Golden Ball twice in 1972 and 1976. In addition, he was runner-up twice and third place once.
3. Pele (Brazil)
Pele is the only player to win the World Cup 3 times. Besides, he is known for his superb scoring skills. He scored a total of 1,279 goals throughout his career (including unofficial matches). It’s a pity for Pele because he never won the Golden Ball because at that time, this title was not given to players outside of Europe.
He was honored as Player of the Century in an election organized by the World Federation of Football History and Statistics. For decades, Pele became an idol and inspired young players to take up football.
2. Diego Maradona (Argentina)
“Golden Boy” Diego Maradona is the pride of Argentine football. He became the leader, bringing the home team to the throne in the 1986 World Cup. This was also the tournament where Maradona created a goal with the “Hand of God” and had a dribble that went down in history.
Maradona is also a legend of Napoli Club. He and the Italian representative pocketed 5 titles, including 2 Serie A titles. To date, the team’s home stadium is named after him.
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina)
After winning the 2022 World Cup, Messi is considered by many experts and fans to be the greatest player in history. 90min newspaper also agreed with this statement, ranking the Argentine star at number 1 on the list.
After nearly 2 decades of professional competition, Messi now holds the record for the number of collective titles won at 44 titles. In addition, Messi also holds the record of winning the Golden Ball award 8 times. At the age of 36, Messi is enjoying his passion for playing football in the US with Inter Miami.
