Who Is the Greatest Soccer Player of All Time?
Asking people, “Who is the greatest soccer player of all time?” can be a divisive question, leading to several different answers depending on your age, nationality, or what you enjoy most about the sport.
At Betsquare, we explore this topic, providing a wealth of information to help you decide who the best is. We’ll focus on the names regularly in the conversation, using individual awards, team achievements, goals, assists, skills, and legacy.
Ranking Factors
How do we determine who is the greatest soccer player of all time? Let’s take a look at what contributes towards measuring this.
- Individual awards: Winning the Ballon d’Or, for example, acknowledges a player as the best in the world for that year; this can be a helpful indicator but doesn’t tell the whole story.
- Team success: Trophies make a massive difference to a career. The very best players usually play for teams that win a lot. However, there are anomalies to this.
- Goalscoring: Goals win games, so it’s only fitting to include goals. Defensive players shouldn’t be lowered down the rankings because they don’t naturally score many goals, however.
- Assists and Passing: The number of goals a player sets up or their passing ability can be a valuable way to understand their overall quality.
- Dribbling: Dribbling has been a vital part of the game for generations. An interpretation of their dribbling ability and style can help you understand their quality.
- Versatility: This doesn’t necessarily mean they can play many positions, but it can also be the range of skills and strengths they possess.
Lionel Messi
For many, at least, Argentina’s World Cup win in 2022 cements that Lionel Messi is the greatest player ever. Even to come close to what Diego Maradona did for his national team and perhaps surpass it tells you everything. Messi is widely considered the best dribbler and most technically gifted ever.
Most of his career has been spent at Barcelona, which is perhaps the best club team ever. Their dominance during the late 00s and early 2010s largely depended on Lionel Messi, who sprinkled magic everywhere he went. He scored 672 goals in 778 games for the Catalonians across 16 seasons, a frankly ludicrous goal-to-game ratio, including a phenomenal year in 2012 where he bagged 91 in all competitions to break the record for most goals scored in a calendar year.
Things didn’t go wonderfully at PSG when he left in 2021, and he now plies his trade at Inter Miami. Ten La Liga titles, four Champions League wins, seven Copa del Rey cups, two Ligue 1 titles, a World Cup, a Copa América, eight Ballon d’Or awards – we could go on for a long time. His legacy is untouchable.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese forward has achieved legendary status in the sport, showing what sacrifice, dedication, and relentless effort can bring. Even at 39, his physical condition is the envy of many professionals in their 20’s.
He began his career for Sporting in his native Portugal, where Manchester United scouts saw enough to bring him to Old Trafford. Although he started as a winger with flair, he refined his game to become more of a focal point and a lethal goal-scorer.
He spent six years in England before Real Madrid broke the transfer record to sign him in 2009; football fans will always talk about his 311 goals in 292 games for Los Blancos. A successful stint at Juventus followed before he returned to Manchester United and finally moved to Al Nassr.
Three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, two League Cups, two La Liga medals, two Copa del Rey triumphs, two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, five Champions League wins, a European Championship, and five Ballon d’Or awards means CR7 probably has more than one trophy cabinet at home. He’s the all-time international men’s goalscorer with 130 goals for Portugal, thanks to his pace, ruthless finishing, and incredible aerial ability.
Pelé
Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager, once described Pelé as his favourite player, and it’s easy to see why, considering his achievements and contribution to the game.
Aside from three seasons to end his career at New York Cosmos, Pelé spent his entire career at Santos in his native Brazil. His goal-scoring achievements for them were remarkable, with 643 goals in 659 games. When you add his 77 international goals to the equation, he’s one of the top strikers the planet has ever seen.
He won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A six times, the Copa Libertadores, the Intercontinental Cup twice, and, most famously, the World Cup three times. Although he was never a Ballon d’Or winner, FIFA named him the best player of the 20th Century in 2000.
At the time, the young man inspired Brazil’s first-ever World Cup win in 1958, with a hat-trick in the Semi-Final and two goals in the Final. Pelé featured as Brazil retained their crown in 1962. In 1970, however, he was the centrepiece of the iconic Brazil team that many regard as the best international team ever, as they lifted the Jules Rimet trophy yet again.
Diego Maradona
Rarely is a player so adored in a city outside their homeland, but Diego Maradona was born to be exceptional in every sense of the word. Artists have plastered Diego’s face on murals across Naples, and the Napoli stadium has been renamed in his honour.
In Italy, the club was considered insignificant before Maradona arrived and changed everything. He was the main reason they won their first two Serie A titles. Many back home already knew what a star he was as he donned the blue and yellow of Boca Juniors.
Maradona is only adored in Argentina more than in Naples. Few believed that Argentina could win the 1986 World Cup had Maradona not featured. Thankfully for them, he did, and his performances in Mexico at that tournament are still revered.
An Argentine Primera División, two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia, a Copa del Rey, a UEFA Cup, a World Cup, and 353 goals later, he decided to retire without ever winning the Ballon d’Or, controversially. Nonetheless, the little man had possibly the best balance of any player ever, was an exceptional dribbler, and scored scintillating goals.
Johan Cruyff
Having a soccer move named after you is remarkable and doesn’t happen often. However, when Johan Cruyff spun on his axis and contorted his legs with the ball in complete control for the Dutch national team, bamboozling the defender, the ‘Cruyff Turn’ was born. However, this only tells a tiny bit of his story.
For 20 years between 1964 and 1984, Cruyff displayed his wizardry for Ajax and Barcelona, most notably, but also had spells at Levante, Feyenoord, and in the USA. He won nine Eredivisie titles, six KNVB Cups, La Liga once, the Copa del Rey once, three European Cups, and came close several times on the international stage. Cruyff tallied 400 club goals plus 33 goals for the Netherlands. During the early 70s, he took home the Ballon d’Or three times.
Cruyff is synonymous with the innovative Dutch tactical setup ‘Total Football’. Many fellow players talk about what an intelligent technician and tactician he was, always instructing his teammates about formational fluidity and movement; this, along with his glorious dribbling and grace on the ball, add to his legend.
Franz Beckenbauer
‘Der Kaiser’ is probably the most innovative player here, revolutionising a previously static position. The modern version of the sweeper role we see today is largely down to Franz Beckenbauer, who frequently advanced to become a threat in his side’s attacking plays.
He spent most of his career and best years between 1964 and 1977 at Bayern Munich before featuring for New York Cosmos and Hamburg to end his playing career. He won six Bundesliga titles, five DFB-Pokals, three European Cups (all in successive seasons), the 1974 World Cup, the 1972 European Championship, and more. The West German hero’s legacy as a player is indisputable, and he will forever be one of the best defenders the game has witnessed.
Before Beckenbauer, defenders usually laid the ball off to a midfielder with more technical attributes, but Franz had the whole package. His passing was incisive, and his dribbles were marauding. For these reasons, he’s the only defender ever to win two Ballon d’Or awards. For those with a preference for the defensive side of soccer, it’s hard to look past Beckenbauer as the best.
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane was indeed an artist. Rarely does a player have such agility, exquisite technique, and physicality as Zizou. Perhaps his crowning moment was his two goals in the 1998 World Cup Final to lead France to glory – the same year he won the Ballon d’Or. On the other hand, you might remember the stunning volley he scored at Hampden Park during Real Madrid’s Champions League Final in 2002; the technique on show was breathtaking.
He started his career at Cannes in 1988 before transferring to Bordeaux four seasons later. His finesse and goal-scoring ability from the central midfield position convinced Juventus to buy him, where he contributed towards the Turin side winning two Serie A titles in his five-year spell.
Real Madrid decided to splash out on the Frenchman in 2001 as part of their “Galacticos” era; this resulted in a La Liga title and a Champions League win for Los Blancos, with Zizou scoring majestic goals and regularly making opponents look foolish. The aforementioned World Cup glory was complemented by France winning Euro 2000. He scored 31 international goals and 125 club career goals, but this far from paints the whole picture.
Ronaldo
To those of a certain age, Ronaldo is the original Ronaldo and perhaps the ultimate striker. He was an exceptional dribbler with pace, power, finishing ability, spatial awareness, and intelligence. His 414 goals for club and country speak for itself. To compensate for the World Cup Final disaster in 1998, Ronaldo was incredible in 2002 as Brazil won their fifth World Cup title. His eye-catching CV contains Inter, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and AC Milan, plus successful stints at PSV, Corinthians, and Cruzeiro.
‘O Fenômeno’ famously never lost an international game that he scored in, illustrating what a big-game player he was. He collected two World Cup-winning medals (1994 and 2002), a La Liga title, a Copa Del Rey, a KNVB Cup, the UEFA Cup, two Copa do Brasil trophies, two Copa América championships, two Ballon d’Or awards and a whole host more.
His career spanned 18 years, but his best spells were between 1994 and 2006 when he delighted crowds with hypnotic dribbling and end product, which was sometimes impossible to defend.
‘R9’ is viewed as one of history’s greatest complete strikers, able to do anything from the No.9 position, and his legacy will endure for generations.
Michel Platini
Michel Platini is not just a former administrative bureaucrat at UEFA. If you weren’t around to see him play, Platini was an exceptional soccer player. He won the Ballon d’Or three times in a row during the mid-80s, such was his dynamism and ability as an attacking midfielder.
The Frenchman only played for Nancy, St. Etienne, and Juventus throughout his career but made a significant impact at all three. To score 354 goals for club and country from midfield is quite something, and he was somewhat of a trailblazer at the time. In addition, his passing and set-piece ability regularly put opponents to the sword and helped pave the way modern creators function today.
Winning Division 1 and the Coupe de France in his native homeland was just the start of team glory for Platini, as his Juventus move earned him two Serie A medals, a European Cup, a Coppa Italia, and a European Cup Winners’ Cup. As a player, his legacy with the French national team is carved in stone, too, thanks to him helping his side to Euro 1984 success.
Gerd Müller
Look up the term “fox in the box” (or the German translation), and you may see a photo of Gerd Müller as the description. His ability to get into the correct position at the perfect time to latch onto the end of his teammates’ supply was staggeringly impressive.
Müller primarily lined up for Bayern Munich. Along with Lionel Messi, he’s the only man to win the World Cup, the Champions League, the European Golden Shoe, and the Ballon d’Or; this is unsurprising when you consider he netted 724 goals in 780 appearances for West Germany and his clubs.
The Bundesliga’s all-time top scorer won the domestic title in Germany four times, the DFB-Pokal four d’Or, the European Cup three years straight, the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the World Cup, and the European Championship. His Ballon d’Or win in 1970 was nothing short of what he deserved for his eye for goal and intelligent running.
Final Thoughts
| Player | Nationality | World Cups | Ballon d’Or | Total Goals |
| Lionel Messi* | Argentina | 1 | 8 | 846 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo* | Portugal | 0 | 5 | 895 |
| Pelé | Brazil | 3 | 0 | 720 |
| Diego Maradona | Argentina | 1 | 0 | 353 |
| Johan Cruyff | Netherlands | 0 | 3 | 433 |
| Franz Beckenbauer | West Germany | 1 | 2 | 93 |
| Zinedine Zidane | France | 1 | 1 | 156 |
| Ronaldo | Brazil | 2 | 2 | 414 |
| Michel Platini | France | 0 | 3 | 354 |
| Gerd Müller | West Germany | 1 | 1 | 724 |
*The player is still playing at the professional level.
So, is it Messi? Cristiano Ronaldo? Pelé? The conversation regarding “Who is the greatest soccer player of all time?” needs context. However, the answer isn’t conclusive and is based on personal opinion, depending on whether you see goal-scoring as the most crucial factor in the topic, a player’s versatility, the number of trophies they’ve collected, either as a team or individually, or simply the magic that they’ve displayed to entertain and inspire people around the world.
Everyone will never agree on the outcome of this discussion so that the debate can continue for some time. If you’re seeking a soccer sportsbook to place a bet on any upcoming events, check out the Betsquare reviews on the website today.
Remember to gamble responsibly and only bet within your means.
