Top 10 Football Players of All Time

Who is the top football player of all time will always be the hot topic among the fans. It is natural that every fan supports players from their favorite soccer club and argues they are the best players of all time.

The most common war among the fans is who is the GOAT of Football Leonel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? Undoubtedly two Ronaldo and Messi are the legends but the world has seen some of the greatest footballers of their time.

And here we are revealing the top 10 football players of all time based on most goals, performances, trophies, and overall performances-

The table shows the top 10 footballers of all time in the history-

Rank	Player	Goals	Trophies
1	Lionel Messi	838	44
2	Cristiano Ronaldo	898	34
3	Josef Bican	805
4	Pele	1279	26
5	Gerd Muller	718	16
6	Alfredo di Stefano	509	27
7	Diego Maradona	353	12
8	Johan Cruyff	433	22
9	Ronaldo Nazario	414	19
10	Michel Platini	353	12

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1. Lionel Messi

Now Inter-Miami star Leonel Messi has achieved the no. 1 footballer title in 2022 after lifting the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and becoming the GOAT of football. Messi has also achieved this rare phenomenon of winning every competition he has ever participated in. With 802 goals and 44 trophies, the only football player in history who won two Golden Balls in World Cups (2014 and 2022). The gifted footballer from Argentina played for Barcelona (2004-2021), Paris Saint-Germain (2021-2023), and now moved to the USA to join the Inter-Miami Club in Florida. Fans have already started to see a significant Messi effect when the club won their first-ever Leagues Cup with the help of Leonel in such a short time. Here are some great accomplishments and achievements of Leonel Messi.

Lionel Messi Achievements

10-Time La Liga Champion
Seven-Time Copa Del Rey Winner
Four-time Champions League Winner
Six-time Champions League Top Scorer
17-Time Fifa Fifpro World Xi
World Cup Winner
Two-Time Copa América Winner
Two-Time Fifa World Cup Golden Ball Winner
Eight-Time Ballon d’Or Winner
Record Goal Scorer For Barcelona (672) And Argentina (109)

2. Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest goal scorer of all time with a huge fan following all over the world. During his career, Ronaldo played for three different teams: England, Spain, and Italy and won the league title. With 898 goals and 34 trophies, Ronaldo is the current top goal scorer in the world. He has played for every top club from Manchester United (2002-2009) to Real Madrid (2009-2018). He also played for Juventus before being reunited with Manchester United (2021-2023). Currently, Ronaldo plays for one of the richest footballs Saudi Pro League’s club league Al Nassr in Dubai.

Achievements

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner
five-time Champions League winner
three-time Premier League winner
two-time LaLiga winner
two-time Serie A winner
record for most men’s international goals (130)

3. Josef Bican

Josef Bican is the forgotten Austrian superstar and football’s highest-ever scorer with more than 1000 goals in his 900+ appearances. Many sources have claimed that Viena-born footballer Josef Bican was a prolific football player who grew up in a very poor family. However, that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the greatest football players of all time. Officially, this clinical striker scored 805 goals in 530 matches, although some records say he has bagged 1468 goals in 918 games.

Achievements

One of the top goal scorer
2x Czechoslovak champion
3x Austrian champion
1x Mitropa Cup winner

4. Pele

Next, we have Pele who became the three-time World Cup winner, the only player in history. One of the greatest players Pele took part in four World Cups (1958, 1962, 1966, and 1970) and won three except 1966. Pele is one of the most popular among modern fans and one of the two joint winners of FIFA Player of the Century in 2000. He has a Guinness World Record of 1,279 goals in 1,363 games.

Achievements

6x Top goalscorer
3x World Cup winner
6x Brazilian champion
2x Copa Libertadores winner
2x Intercontinental Cup winner
1x NASL Soccer Bowl Champion

5. Gerd Muller

German footballer Gerd Muller is one of the greatest European players who had a record of most goals scored in a calendar year. In 1972, Muller scored 85 goals, a record that stayed for 40 years until Leonel Messi surpassed with 91 in 2012. He played for the German National Team, and many European clubs including Bayern Munich. Later he moved to the USA and joined the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Achievements

1x Winner Ballon d’Or
2x Footballer of the Year
17x Top goalscorer
1x World Cup winner
1x European champion
3x European Champion Clubs’ Cup winner
4x German Champion
1x Intercontinental Cup winner

6. Alfredo di Stefano

Alfredo Di Stefano is one of the legendary football players from Argentina. During his football career, Alfredo played for many European clubs River Plate, Huracán, Millonarios, Real Madrid, and Espanyol. With 509 goals, he is one of the few footballers with 500+ goal scorers in football history.

Achievements

Eight Spanish Championships
One Spanish Cup, Two Latin Cups
Five Consecutive Champions Cups
One Intercontinental Cup
Several Individual Titles Including League Top Scorer Five Times

7. Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona, another Argentine legend, made it to the top 10 greatest footballers of all time. With 300+ goals during his football career, Maradona also won the Football World Cup in 1986.

Achievements

5x Top goalscorer
1x Spanish Super Cup winner – FC Barcelona
1x Spanish league cup winner – FC Barcelona
4x Footballer of the Year
1x World Cup winner (1986)
2x Italian champion (SSC Napoli)
1x Under-20 World Cup champion (1979)
1x Argentinian champion

8. Johan Cruyff

Hendrik Johannes Cruijff is the full name of Johan Cruyff, a Dutch professional football player and manager. Johan Cruyff is one of the legendary footballers who earned the title ‘Father of modern football’ due to his contribution to the success of F.C Barcelona and Ajax. With 400+ goals, Johan is one of the most influential footballers of his time. He also won three consecutive European Cup titles (currently Champions League) with Ajax. He also reached the FIFA World Cup Title in 1974 and 1978 with the Netherlands.

Achievements

3x Winner Ballon d’Or (1974, 1973, 1971)
7x Top goal scorer
3x European Champion Clubs’ Cup winner
1x Spanish champion
1x Uefa Super Cup winner
1x Spanish Cup winner
9x Dutch champion
6x Dutch Cup winner

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9. Ronaldo Nazario

Brazilian former professional footballer Ronaldo Nazario is one of the best football strikers of his time. The 1998 Football World Cup winner won the Golden Ball and also won the 2002 Silver Ball. With 400+ goals and 19 trophies, Ronaldo is one of the all time best footballers in the world.

Achievements

2x Ballon d’Or.
3x The Best FIFA Men’s Player.
2x La Liga Champion.
2x World Cup Champion.
2x FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.
2002 UEFA Team of the Year.
1998 FIFA World Cup Golden Ball.
2002 FIFA World Cup Silver Ball.

10. Michel Platini

French Football player Michel Platani is one of the best midfielders of his time who won Footballer of the Year twice for France. He also holds the record for the European Footballer of the Year three times. He played for Saint-Étienne before moving to Juventus in 1982.

Achievements