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 |
You Can Check Also:- Richest Cricket Board in the world
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
Read Also:- Who is the GOAT of Cricket?
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
- 3x Winner Ballon d’Or (1985, 1984, 1983)
- 2x Footballer of the Year – France
- 4x Top goal scorer
- 2x Italian champion
- 1x French champion
- 1x Italian Cup winner
- 1x Intercontinental Cup winner
- 1x CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions winner
So these are our top 10 football players of all time list. Let us know which one is your favorite player and did we missed any legends.
See Also:- Most Dangerous Sports in World
