One debate which rages on is who is the all time best footballer. The answer of this will be different according to who you speak to. Unfortunately I am too young to have watched Maradona or Pele play so I will try to be fair when judging these players.
The Maradona v Pele debate:
Before I get into my views on the two players who are considered the greatest, I would like to mention players who probably were just a level below these two. Duncan Edwards, Bobby Moore and George Best all deserve a special mention.
As for the Maradona v Pele debate, I will nail my colours to the mast. I believe Maradona is the better player and the greatest player of all time. What gives the Argentine the edge is that he has proved himself in many teams, where as Pele has only played his football in Brazil.
The teams that Maradona has won with also show, the Argentina side that he won the world cup with was pretty average, he took them all the way almost single handily. He took an unfashionable Napoli side to their greatest achievements, Pele on the other hand has played all his football in just one league, the Brazilian league was not really known for having good defenders at the time Pele was plying his trade. Pele also had pretty good players playing along side him in the national Brazil team.
For those reasons I would say that Pele can only the second best player in history after Maradona, who stands head and shoulders above the rest. Messi would challenge Pele closely and in my opinion is number 2.
My Rankings:
There are so many players to be considered in this category, the players up for this would have to be Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, Ronaldinhio and Ronaldo (Brazilian, Fat one).
Messi:
Lionel Messi has achieved incredible things in his short career already, and at only twenty six years of age he will still win more trophies. I do not believe the argument against him being that he only looks as good as he is playing with other great players. The counter argument to this is that he stands out as the best player over the other great players Barcelona have. He seems to somehow improve every season, last year he broke the record for most goals in a calender year. I think that he will end his career as the greatest player ever, but for now I believe that Maradona is ahead of him and possibly Pele also.
My Ranking: Number 2
Christiano Ronaldo:
If he was around ten years younger or ten years older he would have been the best player of his generation. As he is playing now he will probably always be considered in Messi's shadow. He is better than every other player who is currently playing. There are many people who believe he is just as good as Messi, Gary Neville for example. There are many areas where he is better than his foe from Barcelona. He is a better header-er of the ball, he is faster and probably better defensively. He has also developed his own style of free kick, this being his trademark. Having won trophies in Portugal, England and Spain all he is now waiting for is international honours with Portugal. In the rankings he would be up the top probably on a par with Zidane and Brazillian greats Ronaldo and Ronaldhino.
My Ranking: Number 5
Zidane:
He is definitely the best ever French player and the best player of his era. He won every thing which was possible, playing for some of Europe's best teams. His turns on the ball were things which I would try to do at school. Many people will remember him for being sent off in the world cup final in his last game. Zidane not only inspired people on the pitch but was a symbol for race relations in his country. The only reason I would rank him above Christiano Ronaldo is that he was around in my youth, he was the player who I tried to emulate.
My Ranking: Number 4
Figo:
The other player in Zidane's generation, he like many of the other greats has a long list of European giants listed on his CV. At Inter Milan he is regarded as their iconic player, often attending Uefa events on their behalf. Unbelievably he is one of the few players who made a direct move from Barcelona to Real Madrid. This lead to a pigs head to be thrown at him when the teams met. His biggest regrets must come on the international stage, where he got close to winning something with Portugal on a few occasions. He was also part of the galactico's of Real Madrid with Brazillian Ronaldo, Zidane and Beckham.
My Ranking: Number 7
Ronaldo (Brazil):
Unfortunately for him, another player came after him with the same name. What is even more unfortunate is that because of this he is sometimes referred to a Fat Ronaldo. Quite easily the best out and out striker included in my list, he had everything. Pace, power, finishing, heading ability and a bit of skill. He could easily have been higher on the list of greats but had problems with injuries at the start of his career and fitness towards the end. He almost was famously omitted from the Brazil team in the world cup final loss to France in 1998, due to mental problems. He has played for both Milan clubs as well as Barcelona and Real Madrid.
My Ranking: Number 6
Ronaldhino:
One of the most skilful players I have ever seen play. Unfortunately for me his champions league winners medal came at the expense of my club Arsenal. He was signed by Barcelona the same time when Real Madrid signed David Beckham. It could have easily been that Beckham went to Barcelona and Ronaldinho went to Real. His story would have been different if it was the other way around. He was the signing that took players such as Xavi, Inesta, Eto and Deco to another level. The success Barcelona are having now could be partially attributed to Ronaldinho who got the Barca band wagon back onto the right path.
My Ranking: Number 8
My Rankings:
- Maradona: number 1
- Pele: Number 3
There are so many players to be considered in this category, the players up for this would have to be Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Zidane, Figo, Ronaldinhio and Ronaldo (Brazilian, Fat one).
Messi:
Lionel Messi has achieved incredible things in his short career already, and at only twenty six years of age he will still win more trophies. I do not believe the argument against him being that he only looks as good as he is playing with other great players. The counter argument to this is that he stands out as the best player over the other great players Barcelona have. He seems to somehow improve every season, last year he broke the record for most goals in a calender year. I think that he will end his career as the greatest player ever, but for now I believe that Maradona is ahead of him and possibly Pele also.
My Ranking: Number 2
Christiano Ronaldo:
If he was around ten years younger or ten years older he would have been the best player of his generation. As he is playing now he will probably always be considered in Messi's shadow. He is better than every other player who is currently playing. There are many people who believe he is just as good as Messi, Gary Neville for example. There are many areas where he is better than his foe from Barcelona. He is a better header-er of the ball, he is faster and probably better defensively. He has also developed his own style of free kick, this being his trademark. Having won trophies in Portugal, England and Spain all he is now waiting for is international honours with Portugal. In the rankings he would be up the top probably on a par with Zidane and Brazillian greats Ronaldo and Ronaldhino.
My Ranking: Number 5
Zidane:
He is definitely the best ever French player and the best player of his era. He won every thing which was possible, playing for some of Europe's best teams. His turns on the ball were things which I would try to do at school. Many people will remember him for being sent off in the world cup final in his last game. Zidane not only inspired people on the pitch but was a symbol for race relations in his country. The only reason I would rank him above Christiano Ronaldo is that he was around in my youth, he was the player who I tried to emulate.
My Ranking: Number 4
Figo:
The other player in Zidane's generation, he like many of the other greats has a long list of European giants listed on his CV. At Inter Milan he is regarded as their iconic player, often attending Uefa events on their behalf. Unbelievably he is one of the few players who made a direct move from Barcelona to Real Madrid. This lead to a pigs head to be thrown at him when the teams met. His biggest regrets must come on the international stage, where he got close to winning something with Portugal on a few occasions. He was also part of the galactico's of Real Madrid with Brazillian Ronaldo, Zidane and Beckham.
My Ranking: Number 7
Ronaldo (Brazil):
Unfortunately for him, another player came after him with the same name. What is even more unfortunate is that because of this he is sometimes referred to a Fat Ronaldo. Quite easily the best out and out striker included in my list, he had everything. Pace, power, finishing, heading ability and a bit of skill. He could easily have been higher on the list of greats but had problems with injuries at the start of his career and fitness towards the end. He almost was famously omitted from the Brazil team in the world cup final loss to France in 1998, due to mental problems. He has played for both Milan clubs as well as Barcelona and Real Madrid.
My Ranking: Number 6
Ronaldhino:
One of the most skilful players I have ever seen play. Unfortunately for me his champions league winners medal came at the expense of my club Arsenal. He was signed by Barcelona the same time when Real Madrid signed David Beckham. It could have easily been that Beckham went to Barcelona and Ronaldinho went to Real. His story would have been different if it was the other way around. He was the signing that took players such as Xavi, Inesta, Eto and Deco to another level. The success Barcelona are having now could be partially attributed to Ronaldinho who got the Barca band wagon back onto the right path.
My Ranking: Number 8
