14 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.

2. 

   Lewa should have 2 Ballon d ors

   1. 

      It’s true.

3. 

   trash list pelee is numer oneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

   1. 

      I’m trying to decide if this is parody or not. Either way, it’s perfect.

4. 

   Pele should be number one and lewondoski should be like, 25

   1. 

      It’s interesting how you’re suggesting that the greatest soccer player of all-time played in the 1960s when global competition was relatively weak and there were only 4 countries capable of winning the World Cup. The level of soccer competition across the globe has increased immensely since then. It’s not even a fair comparison. Additionally, Pele never had to face the grueling, day-in, day-out schedule of the European top leagues. Instead, he was able to feast on a Brazilian state league. When he did participate in the top levels of competition at the World Cup, he was routinely injured. Soccer has evolved considerably since then. To suggest that the greatest player of all-time came from such a weak era of soccer is to disregard how much the game has evolved.

      As for your Lewandowski take, that’s not going to age well…

      “There is little question that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are the two greatest footballers of all-time. Their accomplishments are in a different stratosphere than anyone who has ever played the game considering their competition level. Pele, of course, was a word-class player who was the long serving GOAT following his legendary exploits on the pitch in–and for–Brazil, but it’s difficult to compare Pele and the other great players of his era like Eusebio, Garrincha, and Alfredo Di Stefano to the juggernauts that are Messi and Ronaldo. Domestic league competition in the mid-20th century was considerably more diluted than what we see today. Pele did his cooking in a Brazilian state league, which is similar to LeBron James playing all of his games in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

      While Pele’s star has been surpassed by the two mega-stars of this era, the player who joins Pele as Messi and Ronaldo’s closest galactic neighbor is Robert Lewandowski. There’s no question that Lewy is a known commodity in the soccer world, but his resume is much, much more historically significant than most probably realize. In fact, when it comes to doing things that had previously never been done before in a Big 5 domestic league, he’s the closest to Messi and Ronaldo that we have ever seen.

      The argument for Lewandowski is as easy as they come. He has led a Big 5 domestic league in goals a record eight times. Not even the great Cristiano Ronaldo can say the same. He scored at least 10 goals in three different UEFA Champions League seasons (UCL). Only Messi and Ronaldo have duplicated that feat. He scored 41 goals for Bayern in 2020-2021. Only Messi and Ronaldo scored more in a single Big 5 domestic league season. He scored 15 goals in the 2019-2020 UCL season. Only Ronaldo scored more in a UCL season. He scored at least 13 goals on two different occasions in the UCL. Only Ronaldo did it more often. Lewandowski has 94 career UCL goals. Only Messi and Ronaldo scored more. Lewandowski’s UCL goals per game ratio stands at .78. Among players with at least 50 UCL goals, only Messi has a better ratio. Lewandowski has 386 (and counting) Big 5 domestic league goals. Only Ronaldo and Messi have more. Lewandowski has 12 Big 5 domestic league seasons with at least 27 goal contributions (goals + assists) and 11 Big 5 domestic league seasons with at least 29 goal contributions. Only Messi and Ronaldo have more. He has five Big 5 domestic league seasons with at least 30 goals. Only Messi and Ronaldo have more. Lewandowski scored a hat trick in the UCL for three different clubs. Nobody has ever equaled that feat and it’s possible nobody ever will. Lewy has six UCL hat tricks. Only Messi and Ronaldo have more.

      Keep in mind that while Lewy’s Bayern Munich club never hurt for talent, he didn’t have the luxury of playing with Xavi, Iniesta, Luis Suarez, Neymar, and Mbappe like Messi did, or Benzema, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and a prime Gareth Bale like Ronaldo did. It’s not hard to imagine Lewandowski’s goal contributions inflating in a lineup featuring some of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. It’s also not hard to imagine his raw statistics inching even closer to the land of the absurd had he the benefit of a 38-game schedule like Messi and Ronaldo had in La Liga. The Bundesliga–where Lewandowski played for 12 seasons–is the only Big 5 domestic league that plays a 34-game schedule.

      It’s pretty clear that Lewandowski’s domestic league and Champions League production is more impressive than any non-Messi, non-Ronaldo footballer who has ever taken the pitch. Where he would appear to fall short are his contributions on the international stage, but looks can be deceiving. Lewandowski’s home country of Poland has not been an international force since the late 70s/early 80s. Poland’s typical roster looks nothing like the loaded rosters that Messi and Ronaldo have had the luxury of playing with for Argentina and Portugal, respectively. Messi has achieved massive acclaim for his country. He led Argentina to one of the great international runs as La Abiceleste (Argentina’s nickname) emerged victorious at both the 2021 and 2024 Copa Americas as well as the 2022 World Cup. Add in a 2nd place finish at the 2014 World Cup and Messi is clearly one of the great international performers of all-time. Ronaldo doesn’t have the trophy case to match Messi’s, but his international run with Portugal has been impressive in its own right. Ronaldo won the 2016 UEFA Euros, finished 2nd in 2004, and reached the semi-finals at both the 2006 World Cup and 2012 Euros. Ronaldo (130) and Messi (109) are, far and away, the top international goal scorers of all-time.

      However, given the talent advantages that Ronaldo and Messi have had with Portugal and Argentina, Lewandowski’s contributions with Poland should not be overlooked. Prior to Lewy joining the Polish National Team, Poland had qualified for the Euros just once in its history. Since 2012, Poland has qualified for four consecutive Euros including its best ever finish (5th) in 2016. Lewandowski also helped Poland qualify for back-to-back World Cups in ‘18 and ‘22 for only the second time since 1986. His 83 international goals are the 9th most in history.

      It’s doubtful that Lewandowski will be universally recognized as a top-3 or top-5 player of all-time due to factors outside of his control. He doesn’t have the same marketability or name recognition as many of the great players of his era. Poland is not a soccer powerhouse which means his status as a national icon is somewhat muted in a way that players like Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappe will never be. The Bundesliga does not get the kind of attention that the Premier League or La Liga get (nor does it have a 38-game schedule). However, the numbers, accolades, and the degree of difficulty are there to justify his standing as the greatest non-Messi, non-Ronaldo footballer of the last 50 years. “

5. 

   Pele is the GOAT. Until Messi wins 3 world cups, then Pele remains GOAT

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      Pele didn’t win three World Cups. He won two. He didn’t make it past the 2nd game of the tournament in 1962. Even if he did (he didn’t), do you really think the quality of competition around the world in the 1960’s is even close to the same that it is today? By that standard, the inventor of every sport would always be the greatest who ever played. The quality of competition needs to be paramount in these discussions.

6. 

   Hey Jake
   What does it mean when a player has won the Onze de Onze?

   1. 

      Great question! The Onze de Onze isn’t like the Ballon d’ Or where one player wins it each year. It’s actually a dream team of the best soccer players each year. The list is limited to European soccer leagues and is given out by Onze de Mondial which is a French soccer magazine. There are other publications/associations who name the 11 best players each year like FIFPRO World 11 (this is voted by the players) and the IFFHS World Team (which is named by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics).

      These teams are equivalent to being named a 1st-team All-Pro in the NFL, 1st-team All-NBA team in basketball, 1st-team All Star in the NHL, or a 1st team All American in a college sports.

      1. 

         I have another question do you know what a “brace” is? I’m just reading about Maradona’s career on wiki and it said he scored a brace.

         1. 

            2 goals in a game.