Who is the greatest player in the long history of the FIFA World Cup?
It’s an almost impossible question to answer, because so many footballers have dazzled at the 21 tournaments and counting.
The World Cup first took place in 1930, when Uruguay won on home soil.
Since then, it’s Brazil who’ve been the tournament’s dominant force. The Selecao have triumphed a record five times and look well set to make it six at Qatar 2022.
So given their unrivalled success, you’d think a player from the South American nation would be named as the World Cup’s greatest ever, right?
Well, FourFourTwo certainly didn’t abide by that rule.
On the eve of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the publication named what they believe to be the 25 greatest players in the tournament’s history, with a Brazilian not taking the gold medal.
Who did? Well, let’s find out…
The 25 greatest players in World Cup history
25. Gary Lineker (England)
The Golden Boot winner in 1986 and an England hero again in 1990. In his 12 World Cup appearances, Lineker scored an impressive 10 goals.
24. Roger Milla (Cameroon)
The inspirational Milla was key to Cameroon’s memorable quarter-final run in 1990, scoring four goals and securing cult hero status in the process. He also became the World Cup’s oldest goalscorer in 1994 at the age of 42.
23. Rivaldo (Brazil)
Rivaldo was marvellous during Brazil’s run to the 1998 final and then turned things up a gear in 2002. The Barcelona icon scored five goals to help the Selecao secure their fifth trophy.
22. Paolo Maldini (Italy)
Maldini never won the World Cup with Italy. He was part of the team that lost in the 1994 final to Brazil. Still, the elegant defender often excelled on the biggest sporting stage of all.
21. Jairzinho (Brazil)
Jairzinho scored in every single game for Brazil during their famous 1970 victory. No other player has achieved that quite extraordinary feat.
20. Eusebio (Portugal)
Eusebio only played at one World Cup, but he certainly left his mark on the tournament. In 1966, he scored nine goals, including four in one match versus North Korea.
19. Lothar Matthaus (Germany)
Matthaus played at five World Cups, captaining his Germany side to victory in 1990. He also marked Diego Maradona out of the game in the 1986 final, which is some achievement.
18. Michel Platini (France)
A bona fide baller in his heyday. Platini failed to get his hands on the Jules Rimet trophy, but dazzled at a few tournaments – 1982 in particular.
17. Xavi Hernandez (Spain)
Arguably Spain’s greatest ever player, Xavi was one of the masterminds behind La Roja’s maiden success in 2010. He just made the game look so, so easy.
16. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
A goal scoring legend, Puskas was part of the ‘Magical Magyars’ who took the 1954 tournament by storm. Sadly, they lost in the final to West Germany, which was their only loss between 1950 and 1956.
15. Fabio Cannavaro (Italy)
Cannavaro’s commanding displays in 2006 saw him win the World Cup and then the Ballon d’Or a few months later. As such, we’re not quite sure why he’s as low as 15th on the list…
14. Carlos Alberto (Brazil)
Scorer of arguably the greatest ever World Cup goal, Alberto was the captain of Brazil’s iconic 1970 side. That strike against Italy in the final just never gets old, does it?
13. Paolo Rossi (Italy)
After scoring a famous hat-trick against Brazil in the 1982 quarters, a brace against Poland in the semis and one against West Germany in the final, Rossi won the Golden Boot, Golden Ball and Ballon d’Or. Yeah, not bad that.
12. Lev Yashin (Soviet Union)
Regularly referred to as the greatest goalkeeper in history, Yashin thrived on the World Cup stage, helping USSR finish fourth in 1966. He also won the Ballon d’Or in 1963.
11. Gerd Muller (Germany)
Muller’s World Cup record is obscene. In 13 matches, ‘Der Bomber’ scored 14 goals, including the winner in Germany’s shock 1974 final win over Holland. It’s a huge surprise that he’s not in the top 10 to be honest.
10. Johan Cruyff (Holland)
Cruyff only appeared at one World Cup, but in 1974 he was jaw-droppingly good and even invented the ‘Cruyff Turn’ against Sweden. It’s a real shame his penalty in the final didn’t pave the way for a Dutch victory.
9. Zinedine Zidane (France)
Zidane only ninth?! Well, in all fairness, his headbutt on Marco Materazzi did cost France in the 2006 final. But lest we forget, ‘Zizou’ also famously scored twice against Brazil in the 1998 final.
8. Just Fontaine (France)
Like a few on the list, Fontaine only played in a single World Cup, but what he achieved in 1958 has never been equalled since. Fontaine scored 13 goals in just six games, the most prolific individual tournament of all-time.
7. Garrincha (Brazil)
A true Brazilian icon. Garrincha was the man who inspired Brazil to glory in 1962 after Pele suffered a tournament-ending injury. That was as good as it got for the mercurial winger, though, so you can’t help but feel that Zidane should’ve been ranked higher than him.
6. Cafu (Brazil)
The definition of a complete full-back, a young Cafu came on as a sub in the 1994 final win over Italy. He then led Brazil to another triumph in 2002 and is still the nation’s most-capped player.
5. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
Beckenbauer played at three World Cups and excelled in all of them. ‘Der Kaiser’ never finished lower than third and captained his country to victory in 1974. He also scored five goals at the 1966 tournament, which isn’t bad for a ‘sweeper’.
4. Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil)
Aside from the bizarre goings on in the 1998 final, Ronaldo’s World Cup career is the stuff of legend. He returned from a career-threatening injury to make Brazil’s 2002 squad and then went on to win the Golden Boot with eight goals, including two in the final win over Germany. Truly, he was – and is – a phenomenon.
3. Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Klose is far from the most gifted striker of his generation, but something about the World Cup just sparked him into life. He’s the tournament’s record scorer with 16 goals and finally got his hands on the trophy in 2014 after suffering semi-final heartbreak in the two previous editions.
2. Pele (Brazil)
Pele may have won the World Cup a record three times, but he has to settle for the silver medal. The Santos icon burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old in 1958, scoring a hat-trick in the semi-finals and a brace in the final. An older, wiser Pele then cemented his legendary status by wowing football fans at the 1970 tournament.
1.Diego Maradona (Argentina)
Who else was it going to be, eh? Maradona’s 1986 tournament is undoubtedly the greatest ever by an individual player. Five goals, five assists and masterclass after masterclass, Maradona almost single-handedly took Argentina to victory. The often controversial forward wasn’t bad four years later either, although the less said about 1994 and the drug ban, the better…
Quiz: Can you name all 30 of these ‘streets won’t forget’ players from World Cups?
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