The Greatest Soccer Players of All Time
The greatest soccer player of all time comes down to four names — Messi, Ronaldo, Pelé and Maradona — and Lionel Messi tops most modern lists after his 2022 World Cup. Here is the all-time football ranking as fans and experts agree on it, from that famous top four down through the legends, with our take on where the debate splits.
The order follows the fan and expert consensus — we don’t invent our own. Where the debate is genuinely open, our note says how we lean. Every player here comes from an era you can draft in the game, where our engine rates each season against its own time. How the ratings work →
- 1Lionel Messi2004–present8× Ballon d'Or2022 World Cup4× Champions League
Our take: the 2022 World Cup closed the one gap in his case — for most fans and outlets, he’s now the pick.
- 2Cristiano Ronaldo2002–present5× Ballon d'Or5× Champions LeagueEuro 2016
The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry defined a generation; goal records and five Champions Leagues keep it a genuine argument.
- 3Pelé1956–19773× World Cup winner1,000+ career goalsThe only man with three World Cups
- 4Diego Maradona1976–19971986 World Cup1986 Golden BallCarried club and country almost alone
The eye-test pick for many who saw him — 1986 is the greatest one-man World Cup ever played.
- 5Johan Cruyff1964–19843× Ballon d'Or3× European CupFather of Total Football
- 6Zinedine Zidane1989–20061998 World Cup1998 Ballon d'Or2002 Champions League
- 7Franz Beckenbauer1964–19832× Ballon d'Or1974 World CupInvented the modern sweeper
- 8Ronaldo Nazário1993–20112× Ballon d'Or2002 World Cup3× FIFA World Player
"R9" — before the injuries, arguably the most unstoppable striker the game has produced.
- 9Alfredo Di Stéfano1945–19662× Ballon d'Or5× European CupDrove Real Madrid’s dynasty
- 10George Best1963–19831968 Ballon d'Or1968 European CupThe British Isles’ greatest talent
- 11Ferenc Puskás1943–1966Olympic gold 19523× European Cup84 goals in 85 internationals
- 12Michel Platini1972–19873× Ballon d'OrEuro 19841985 European Cup
- 13Gerd Müller1963–19811970 Ballon d'Or1974 World CupEuro 1972
- 14Paolo Maldini1984–20095× Champions League7× Serie AThe defender’s gold standard
- 15Ronaldinho1998–20152005 Ballon d'Or2002 World Cup2006 Champions League
- 16Garrincha1953–19722× World Cup (1958, 1962)The most joyful dribbler of his age
- 17Zico1971–19943× South American Footballer of the YearThe "White Pelé"
- 18Eusébio1957–19791965 Ballon d'Or1966 World Cup Golden Boot1962 European Cup
- 19Marco van Basten1981–19953× Ballon d'OrEuro 19883× European Cup
- 20Roberto Baggio1982–20041993 Ballon d'Or1994 World Cup finalistItaly’s Divine Ponytail
A consensus ranking, not our invention — aggregated from the fan and expert lists people actually argue over. Names and honors are public record. Draft any of these eras for real in Draft Challenger.
Questions people actually ask
Who is the greatest soccer player of all time?
It comes down to four: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pelé and Diego Maradona. Messi tops most modern lists — eight Ballons d'Or and, since 2022, a World Cup — but the order splits sharply between fan and expert polls.
Is Messi or Ronaldo better?
The defining debate of the era. Messi leads on Ballons d'Or (8 to 5) and individual awards; Ronaldo leads on Champions League titles and all-time goals. Fan polls lean Messi, and both are miles clear of the rest.
Who is the greatest player before Messi and Ronaldo?
Pelé and Diego Maradona. Pelé won three World Cups; Maradona’s 1986 tournament is regarded as the greatest individual World Cup ever. Era-adjusted polls often rank the two of them first and second.