The English magazine Four Four Two, whose soccer rankings are always world news, recently released the list of the 100 best soccer players in history, which has generated controversy due to the first place of Lionel Messi and the fourth position of Cristiano Ronaldo.
PSG’s ’10’ surpasses Diego Maradona and the Portuguese from Manchester United displaced Pelé. Messi and Cristiano are the only current players to appear in the top ten. Much criticism for how far Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ronaldinho appear from the top with Messi; one occupies the 12th position and another the 26th square.
It should be remembered that Leo Messi had occupied second place in the ranking published by the magazine in 2017. At that time, Maradona appeared in first place, while Pelé was behind Messi.
Four Four Two tried to explain the reasons why Messi dethroned Maradona just a few weeks before the start of the World Cup in Qatar. “Only by evolution has Messi managed to maintain his level. The dribbler has become a mature playmaker who now dictates the game while continuing to prove decisive in the final third. Messi, now in his 30s, has never been better balanced ( …) Messi is not finished. A World Cup next month presents another chance at glory with Argentina. With his legs slower but his mind still sharp.”
Ranking of the 100 best soccer players in history
1. Lionel Messi
2. Diego Maradona
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
4. Pele
5. Zinedine Zidane
6. Johan Cruyff
7. George Best
8. Franz Beckenbauer
9. Ferenc Puskas
10. Ronaldo Nazario
11. Gerd Muller
12. Alfredo Di Stéfano
13. Michael Platini
14. Zico
15. Garrincha
16. Bobby Charlton
17. Paolo Maldini
18. Romario
19. Giuseppe Meazza
20. Andres Iniesta
21. Franco Baresi
22. Marco Van Basten
23. Eusebio
24. Xavi
25. Charles Albert
26. Ronaldinho
27. Ruud Gullit
28. Manuel Neuer
29. Socrates
30. Raymond Kopa
31. Lev Yashin
32. Lothar Matthaus
33. Stanley Matthews
34. Valentino Mazzola
35. Matthias Sindelar
36. Luis Suarez Miramontes
37. Francisco Gento
38. Bobby Moore
39. Michael Laudrup
40. Roberto Baggio
41. Kenny Dalglish
42. Paolo Rossi
43. Nandor Hidegkuti
44. Gunther Netzer
45. Gianluigi Buffon
46. Didi
47. Rivellino
48. Kevin Keegan
49. Thierry Henry
50. Nilton Santos
51. Jose Manuel Charro Moreno
52. Oleg Blockhin
53. Jairzinho
54. Gaetano Scirea
55. Dino Zoff
56. Juan Alberto Schiaffino
57. Fritz Walter
58. Daniel Passarella
59. Gordon Banks
60. Gianni Rivera
61. Karl Heinz-Rummenigge
62. John Charles
63. Dixie Dean
64. Gunnar Nordahl
65. Johan Neeskens
66. Denis Law
67. Sandro Mazzola
68. Dennis Bergkamp
69. Jimmy Johnstone
70. Ronald Koeman
71. Omar Sivori
72. Teofilo Cubillas
73. Dani Alves
74. Eric Cantona
75. Jose Andrade
76. Coffee
77. Frank Rijkaard
78. Florian Albert
79. Luka Modric
80. Just Fontaine
81. Josef Masopust
82. Jimmy Greaves
83. Hugo Sanchez
84. Wayne Rooney
85. Philip Lahm
86. Alan Shearer
87. Allan Simonsen
88. Sergio Busquets
89. Hristo Stoichkov
90. Robert Charles
91. Giacinto Facchetti
92. Peter Schmeichel
93. Sandor Kocsis
94. Luis Figo
95. Djalma Santos
96. Javier Zanetti
97. George Weah
98. Kaka
99. Mario Kempes
100. George Hagi
