2 thoughts on “The 125 Greatest Soccer Players of All-Time”

1. 

   Interesting list ! I’ve never seen a list that ranks Lewandowski so highly, although it’s hard to disagree seen as he’s still doing the business at 36 ! I know you say that Pele shouldn’t rank number one just on reputation and I agree. However, I would argue that Zidane is probably ranked as highly as he is based on reputation. For all of his talent, he was a very inconsistent player, especially at club level. He was brilliant at international tournaments but also played in a very strong French team. I have no doubt that Rivaldo and Nedved were better, more consistent and more productive players.

   1. 

      Hey Mark, thanks for the comments!

      Lewandowski is closing in on 400 Big 5 Domestic League Goals (regular season), 100 International Goals, and 100 Champions League goals. If/when he reaches those three milestones, I suspect that more fans/pundits will realize how remarkable and unique his career has been. His age 36 season has been bananas. 14 goals in 11 matches is a torrid pace. Can’t wait to see how the rest of the season plays out.

      Your point about Zidane is fair. There are several worthy midfielders to consider on a list like this. One of the most difficult decisions was Zidane vs. Iniesta. I went back and forth, but landed on Zidane due to his physicality and individual hardware. Zidane was named the Onze d’Or three times, Onze d’Argent three times, and the Onze D’Bronze once. This is seven seasons where he was considered a top-three player. Messi (8) and Ronaldo (7) are the only other players to finish in the top three more than five times. Obviously these trophies aren’t the end all, be all, but Ronaldhino (4) is the only other midfielder to have more than two finishes in the top 3. Part of a list like this is individual accolades and it’s hard to beat Zizou there. Of course, you mention his international success and that has to be front and center when considering his place in history. His run from ’98 to ’06 is one of the great international runs ever. Yes, France had talent, but France had failed to even qualify for the World Cup the previous two tournaments before Zidane led the breakthrough in ’98. France’s subsequent win at the ’00 Euros gave Les Bleus the distinction of being the first team since ’74 to hold the World Cup and Euro trophies at the same time. Nedved and Rivaldo had great careers and it’s certainly possible they were “better” players. In the absence of a one-size fits all test, I have to go with the player with the individual accolades and team hardware and few have Zidane beat in that comparison.