Lionel Messi again acknowledged as the greatest football player in history by a reputed sports media.
FourFourTwo magazine on 2nd February listed the “50 Greatest Football Players in History”, as Messi leads the rankings and put himself on the cover.
The Argentinian superstar had proved himself as a legend with seven Ballon d’Or awards, six European Golden Boot awards, ten Spanish LaLiga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies, completing his legacy by winning the FIFA World Cup 2022 at Qatar two months ago.
The iconic South American continues to update his record as the top scorer among the European five major leagues by serving Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1.
Pele and Maradona
Pele is in second on the list, the late Brazilian who passed away in December last year, was the only player who succeeded to win three FIFA World Cup titles.
Diego Maradona is in third place. The Argentinian legend who passed away in November 2020, led his national team to win their second World Cup trophy in 1986, widely regarded as the best personal performance in a single tournament, including the Goal of the Century and the Hand of God.
The top three greatest players are from South America, proving that Latin culture is perfect in football over the centuries.
No 4: CR7
Cristiano Ronaldo is in fourth place, acknowledging his status and reputation as a football phenomenon in the last two decades.
The Portuguese is the top scorer of all time in the UEFA Champions League and international competitions, as well as Real Madrid’s best striker ever.
Unlike the top three legends, CR7 is unable to win a FIFA World Cup trophy, although he led team Portugal to hail the EURO Cup championship in 2016.
The 37 years old superstar is now playing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Arab league.
Cruyff, Zidane and Ronaldo
Johan Cruyff is in fifth place. The Dutch is a reputed football icon, as well as the representative player of the Netherlands national team.
Zinedine Zidane is in sixth place. The French led his country to win the FIFA World Cup 1998 by beating Brazil in the final, and completed as the runner-up in the 2006 event.
German Franz Beckenbauer, Spanish Alfredo de Stefano, Brazilian Ronaldo and Northern Irish George Best are listed from seventh to tenth.
Active Stars: Mbappe and Lewandowski
Among the 50 greatest players in history, there are a few who are still active nowadays by playing for clubs and national teams, besides Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Luka Modric is in 28th place, the Real Madrid midfielder led Croatia to complete as runner-up in the FIFA World Cup 2018, and won himself the Golden Ball award.
German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is in 31st place, he is currently Bayern Munich team captain.
Kylian Mbappe is the youngest player on the list. The 24 years old French striker won the World Cup title in 2018, and is now serving PSG.
Robert Lewandowski is last on the list. The Polish forward is still playing fine in Barcelona.
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