With the rich history of soccer, it is nearly impossible to put a list of the greatest players together without arguments. There will always be people who favor one player over the other, but all 20 players below deserve recognition for their outstanding play on the pitch.
These are the 20 best soccer players of all time, based on both domestic and international play. Being able to have success and evolve the game only adds to the legacy of these individuals.
20. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 789 | 485 | 118 |
- League Titles: 11
- Champions League Titles: 0
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
It is very hard to argue with having Zlatan Ibrahimovic on this list at some point. Some might believe that he is a little low for 20, but he definitely brings a unique playstyle to the pitch to this day.
No matter where he has played, Ibrahimovic has made a major impact. He is one of the most physically imposing soccer players in the history of the sport, often towering over the opposition.
Known for his strength, he has used his size to get positioning and win balls in the air, but his overall competitive spirit is what people will remember him for most.
19. Kylian Mbappe
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 245 | 166 | 84 |
- League Titles: 3
- Champions League Titles: 0
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
Being this high on the list at such a young age shows just how good a player Kylian Mbappe is at this point in his career. The Frenchman is dominating domestically and internationally already, and he still has yet to reach his prime.
When he helped France win the World Cup in 2018, it looks like it is just the start of what could be an outstanding all-around career.
What makes him stand out so much is that he plays wisely beyond his years. Even though he is quicker and faster than almost anyone on the pitch, he also has a savvy veteran’s tactical approach.
It helps him with Paris Saint Germain and the French national team. How high can he go? Some believe that he is heading towards the top five range if he keeps up his current projections.
18. Robert Lewandowski
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 640 | 472 | 129 |
- League Titles: 8
- Champions League Titles: 1
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
Poland does not put out a ton of star players, but Robert Lewandowski is certainly one who will go down in history. Team success never came internationally, but he has had plenty with his club teams in Germany.
Most notably, Lewandowski has played for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. He has shown that he is one of the best strikers in the game right now. He is very accurate with his shots, and he can score in a variety of ways.
Lewandowski slows the game down in a lot of ways and always makes the right decision to open up opportunities for himself and others. He is nearing the end of his career, but could move up a bit in this list if he turns it on.
17. Marco Van Basten
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 373 | 277 | 82 |
- League Titles: 4
- Champions League Titles: 2
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 1
As great as Marco van Basten was as a player, many consider him to be a bit underrated because he stopped playing at 28. He was still able to accomplish a ton of his career, including scoring 218 goals domestically for Ajax and Milan.
He also had quite a bit of success on the Netherlands national team, but an injury forced him to retire sooner than most.
What made him so great was his goal-scoring ability, but he also had a very tactical approach to the game. His shots were always powerful and accurate, and he was a very patient player who waited for opportunities to exploit.
16. Eusebio
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 715 | 727 | 167 |
- League Titles: 11
- Champions League Titles: 1
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 1
Before there was Cristiano Ronaldo, Eusebio was known as the true Portuguese soccer star in the game’s history. He found ways to create scoring opportunities all the time thanks to his speed and athleticism on the pitch.
He also had very underrated technique, getting the ball to his right foot for one of the most difficult shots to stop in the game.
Eusebio had a ton of success during his prime, as he appeared in a total of 301 matches for them. Finding the goal 317 times, people will remember him as one of the greatest goal scorers of all time.
15. George Best
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 353 | 137 | 3 |
- League Titles: 2
- Champions League Titles: 1
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 1
Is George Best the greatest player from Northern Ireland in the history of the game? Many believe so, as the very skilled winger starred for Manchester United for most of his professional career.
Although Northern Ireland did not have a ton of success, he still found ways to contribute domestically despite having several distractions.
If he was 100% dedicated to the game, he is probably in the top 10 of all time. He was one of the first soccer players to turn into a celebrity off the pitch, but that got the best of him at times.
14. Xavi
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 865 | 109 | 213 |
- League Titles: 8
- Champions League Titles: 4
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
Whether it was his passing, control of the ball, or overall leadership skills, Xavi did a lot of little things for Spain during his peak. He was a major part of Spain’s success internationally, and he played for a long time for Barcelona.
Now starting his managerial career, he has shown early on that he has one of the greatest minds the soccer game has ever seen.
He was always in position to make the right play, and his playmaking skill opened up a lot of scoring opportunities for his squads.
13. Maldini
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 901 | 33 | 43 |
- League Titles: 7
- Champions League Titles: 5
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
Maldini is a classic Italian player who starred for AC Milan domestically and was one of the most important players for the Italian national team. He is arguably the greatest defender in soccer history, and being a captain for his club shows his leadership skills as well.
His stats are not going to be as eye-popping as some other all-time greats, but it was his ability to spearhead a defense that made Italy one of the most difficult teams to go up against every single year.
12. Iniesta
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 770 | 78 | 158 |
- League Titles: 9
- Champions League Titles: 4
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
A very team effort spearheaded Spain’s run as one of the best countries in football in the 2000s. Leading the charge was Andres Iniesta, a central midfielder who has spent almost his entire professional career with Barcelona.
He does not have the flashy goal-scoring numbers that other players have who make this list, but he has been recognized as one of the best players at his position in soccer history.
Whether it is winning World Cups or domestic championships, a lot of teams depend on his steady play to help on both ends of the field. He has been recognized as one of the best players in the game today, which is pretty impressive considering his prime lines up with the first and second players on this list.
11. Neymar
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 443 | 263 | 165 |
- League Titles: 5
- Champions League Titles: 1
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
Over the last few years, Neymar has been considered the best player in the world not named Messi or Ronaldo. He has had a few ups and downs, but there is no doubt that he is one of the most talented players the game has seen.
Still in his 20s, Neymar has a chance to move up this list if he can add more to his resume. One of the biggest things missing right now is a World Cup championship, as Brazil has underachieved a bit during his run.
Having a bit more success domestically with Paris Saint Germain, or whatever other clubs he joins, could also move him up the list. He has the marketability and the skill to be a top-five player, but he still has work to do at this point.
I listed Neymar’s best seasons in this post.
10. Thierry Henry
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 791 | 360 | 176 |
- League Titles: 2
- Champions League Titles: 1
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 0
There are very few players who have had quite as much success domestically as Thierry Henry. The Frenchman played some of his career in France, but it was his move to Arsenal that really solidified his career as one of the greats.
He spent nine seasons with Arsenal, appearing in 254 matches and scoring 174 goals. There are many people who to this day believe that he is the greatest player in Premier League history.
With France, he has a World Cup title in 1998. He was also a key part of several other titles, showing that he is one of the better team players the game has seen.
9. Ronaldinho
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 543 | 197 | 163 |
- League Titles: 2
- Champions League Titles: 1
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 1
So many people have memories of Ronaldinho due to his flamboyant style on and off the field. Not only was he a bit of a showman with his skill, but he also just happened to be one of the best goal scorers of his era.
Yet another Brazilian to make this list, Ronaldinho is often overlooked by some of the other legends from his country. There is definitely a lot of flashiness to his game, but he had a technical approach in some ways that helped him reach the highest levels overall.
I listed Ronaldinho’s best seasons of his career in this post.
8. Ronaldo (R9)
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 452 | 295 | 77 |
- League Titles: 2
- Champions League Titles: 0
- World Cup Titles: 2
- Ballond’or Awards: 2
Known simply as Ronaldo, the Brazilian has been overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo in the last few years. However, during his prime, he was one of the best strikers in the game. He was able to win FIFA World Player of the Year three times and two Ballon D’or awards.
At the time, Ronaldo showed that he is one of the best to ever play the game for Brazil. He won two World Cup titles, and set the record for most goals scored in tournament history. That has since been broken, but many still remember him as one of the greats of the modern game.
7. Franz Beckenbauer
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 584 | 58 | 73 |
- League Titles: 5
- Champions League Titles: 3
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 2
Known as the first player to play with is now known as the modern sweeper, Franz Beckenbauer had a very successful run during his playing days. Mostly starring for Bayern Munich and the German national team, he was able to win many different trophies throughout his career.
He is one of only three players to ever win the World Cup as a player and a manager, winning in 1974 in 1990 respectively. Despite only being 7 on this list, Franz Beckenbauer is widely known as the greatest defender of all time.
6. Johan Cruyff
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 502 | 263 | 145 |
- League Titles: 10
- Champions League Titles: 3
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 3
They have been many talented Dutch professional soccer players throughout history, but Johan Cruyff is thought of as the best of them all. He did win the Ballon d’Or three times in his career, dominating the early 1970s both domestically and internationally.
Not only was he a great player, but he was influential in the evolution of soccer. The coaching methods that got him to be the player he was then became part of youth academies worldwide. He also turned into a very successful coach, showing just what he can do as one of the best soccer minds in the history of the sport.
5. Zinedine Zidane
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 631 | 121 | 119 |
- League Titles: 3
- Champions League Titles: 1
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 1
Currently revered as the best French soccer player of all time, Zinedine Zidane put together an outstanding professional career.
He played for a few different club teams, most notably with Bordeaux, Juventus, and Real Madrid. However, a lot of his memorable moments came as a player for the French national team, as he was able to lead the team to the 1998 FIFA World Cup championship.
If he was able to win the World Cup again in 2006, it would have been a truly memorable career. However, he actually became infamous for his headbutt in the match against Italy, being sent off in the championship match.
Now the manager of Real Madrid, he is putting together an outstanding managerial career as well.
4. Pele
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 1363 | 1279 | 346 |
- League Titles: 6
- Champions League Titles: 0
- World Cup Titles: 3
- Ballond’or Awards: N/A
It is always challenging to compare different eras, as so much has changed in the game of soccer. Pele was the best of the best for his time, and it really was not all that close.
Many people stand by the fact that he is the best player of all time, but the modern game is just so much more complex than it is hard to justify putting him there.
He still deserves a ton of credit, and he is one of the best winners of all time. In an era where players did not necessarily go to top clubs in Europe for money, Pele stayed home domestically and wore the Brazilian colors internationally.
Brazil was able to win multiple World Cups with Pele leading the way, and that is one thing that he has over anyone else on his list.
I listed Pele’s best seasons of his career in this post.
3. Maradona
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 331 | 153 | 51 |
- League Titles: 3
- Champions League Titles: 0
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: N/A
After recently passing away, Maradona has once again stepped into the limelight. He gets a lot of credit for being the best player of his generation and lifting Argentina to the World Cup. He had many memorable moments, and he never seemed to shy away from the bigger stage.
The only knock on him is that it is hard to see him as more well-rounded than the modern-day players who are the best of the best. While Maradona was outstanding, he was not as well-rounded as Ronaldo or Messi during his prime.
I listed Maradona’s best seasons of his career in this post.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 1122 | 815 | 230 |
- League Titles: 7
- Champions League Titles: 5
- World Cup Titles: 0
- Ballond’or Awards: 5
This can come down to personal preference more than anything. Some people believe Cristiano Ronaldo is the most well-rounded soccer player of all time, while others will favor Messi. Ronaldo is the bigger player, and since they do not play exactly the same, it is hard to pick one over the other.
Ronaldo has shown minimal signs of slowing down at this point, which is pretty surprising considering how much mileage he now has on his body.
Showing that he can compete in several different ways, he certainly seems to be one of the better players to ever step on the pitch. Not everyone is a fan, but it is hard to argue his greatness.
I listed Cristiano Ronaldo’s best seasons in this post.
1. Lionel Messi
| Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 783 | 673 | 301 |
- League Titles: 10
- Champions League Titles: 4
- World Cup Titles: 1
- Ballond’or Awards: 6
It truly is a remarkable era when the two best players of all time are going at it simultaneously. It seems like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been neck and neck for quite some time now, and they continue to add to their legacies both domestically and internationally.
Messi has been able to have individual and team success at nearly every level, including the FIFA World Cup. Argentina has had a few looks with some strong teams, but finally made it a reality in Messi’s last (?) World Cup.
His ability to create offense for himself and others is unmatched while starring for Barcelona, and he takes home the top spot as of now.
I listed Lionel Messi’s best seasons ever in this post.
