Whether it’s Lionel Messi’s genius, Cristiano Ronaldo’s athleticism, or the brilliance of legends like Pelé and Maradona, each has left a unique mark on the sport. Let’s dive into what makes a soccer player the best.
Key Points & Best Soccer Player List
Player
Position
Key Strengths
Notable Achievements
Lionel Messi
Forward
Dribbling, Vision, Free-kicks, Finishing
7 Ballon d’Ors, World Cup winner, Champions League winner
Cristiano Ronaldo
Forward
Finishing, Physicality, Heading, Leadership
5 Ballon d’Ors, Euro 2016 winner, Multiple Champions League titles
Thierry Henry
Forward
Pace, Dribbling, Finishing, Playmaking
Premier League titles, 1998 World Cup winner, Multiple FA Cups
Zinedine Zidane
Midfielder
Vision, Playmaking, Passing, Composure
1998 World Cup winner, 2000 European Championship winner
Luka Modrić
Midfielder
Passing, Dribbling, Vision, Control
Ballon d’Or, Champions League titles, World Cup finalist
Kylian Mbappé
Forward
Pace, Dribbling, Finishing, Creativity
World Cup winner, Ligue 1 titles, Multiple individual awards
Andrés Iniesta
Midfielder
Dribbling, Passing, Composure, Vision
2010 World Cup winner, Multiple Champions League titles
Multiple Champions League titles, 2010 World Cup winner
Ronaldo Nazário
Forward
Finishing, Dribbling, Speed, Creativity
2 Ballon d’Ors, 2 World Cup wins, Copa América winner
Ronaldinho
Attacking Midfielder/Forward
Dribbling, Creativity, Flair, Vision
Ballon d’Or, 2002 World Cup winner, UEFA Champions League winner
10 Best Soccer Player
1.Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi’s accomplishments speak for themselves, his story is packed with exceptional feats – 10 La Liga titles, 7 Copa del Rey trophies, 4 UEFA Champions and top scorer on six occasions. Messi was selected as FIFA FIFPro World XI 17 times and won the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 after almost achieving it in 2014.
In addition, he also won two Copa America and two FIFA World Cup Golden Balls and he has won an astonishing 8 Ballon d’Ors. Messi remains the all time leading goalscorer for Barcelona (672) and Argentina (109).
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Winning the 20222 World Cup with Argentina marked the pinnacle of his career. At 34, he netted twice in the final including one in the 2-4 shootout after Argentina defeated France, thus achieving his career defining moment in the form of World Cup which brought celebration all over the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s list of accolades is filled with five UEFA Champions League, three Premier Leagues, two La Ligas, two Serie A titles and most notably, five Ballon d’Or trophies. He holds the record for the most goals scored in men’s international football with 130. Each one of his achievements speaks not just of raw talent, but an insatiable passion and willingness to go the extra length.
Over two decades at the top of the world’s football pedestal, Ronaldo has proven time and time again that he is indeed one of the greatest players to ever grace the field. His words, “If you don’t believe you are the best, you will never reach your full potential,” encapsulate his philosophies in life and career.
Thierry Henry has a World Cup and UEFA European Championship, alongside his accomplishments as a Ligue 1 title holder, a Copa del Rey winner, a Club World Cup champion, 2 Premier League winners, 1 La Liga title owner, and victor of 2 FA Cups, a Champions League honorary and the list goes on. The number 9 position in football was revolutionized with Henry as he fused height, speed, strength, intelligence and charisma into a single dynamic forward.
Consequently, he became one of the first world-renowned players, scoring remarkable goals and winning every major title a player could dream of. In Henry’s case, he correctly deserves to be remembered as an icon among strikers. Although, his most dazzling feet was during the year 2004 as he single-handedly lifted Arsenal to a never before seen, unbeaten glory throughout the season of Premier League. Which no one compares to, in modern English football.
Zinedine Zidane is a World Cup, UEFA Euro, and Intercontinental Cup winner with two Serie A titles, one Champions League Trophy, one La Liga Trophy, and one Ballon D’Or. Zidane truly transformed soccer into an art. His legacy consists not only of the two goals he scored in the World Cup final of 1998, but also one of the most magnificent goals ever scored in the finals of a champions league.
The goal he scored for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen in the year 2002 is regarded as one of the best goals in history of football finals. The best part? He scored it with his weaker foot. His former Rival and now colleague Robert Pirès noted,
“Playing alongside him was awesome, there were games when the opponents could not even get close to him. The ball was glued to his feet. You could not take it from him. He just did not care who was attempting to tackle him. He was so aggressive during training.”
Luka Modrić is a Ballon D’or recipient, a six-time champion of the Champions League and four-time holder of the La Liga title. The Croatian international has earned the most caps for his country and has achieved the second highest number of trophies with Real Madrid. Following Croatia’s exit from this summers Euro 2024, the immense respect for Modrić was shown when an Italian journalist applauded after asking him to ‘never retire’.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti claimed, “He’s not just a top player, one of the best in the world, he’s also remarkably impressive as a person.” The contribution Modrić has made to the winning mentality of Real Madrid over the last decade is astonishing.
While there’s no particular iconic moment that stands out, his performance leading Croatia to its World Cup final in 2018 was spectacular and added immensely to the narrative. That said, what A Modrić’s performed year after year has more than earned him the title The Legend of Madrid.
Achievement
Details
Ballon d’Or
1-time winner (2018)
Champions League Titles
5-time winner (with Real Madrid)
La Liga Titles
3-time winner (with Real Madrid)
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up (2018 with Croatia)
UEFA European Championship
Semi-finalist (with Croatia)
Copa del Rey Titles
2-time winner (with Real Madrid)
FIFA Best Men’s Player
1-time winner (2018)
International Goals
17 goals (Croatia)
FIFA FIFPro World XI Selections
6-time selection
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
1-time winner (2017)
6.Kylian Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé registers as a winner of the World Cup, four-time French Cup titlist, and seven-time Ligue 1 champion, thus highlighting the best soccer player today. His trajectory to fame has been mostly remarkable.
At 16, he turned pro and by 19, Kylian was lifting the coveted title of the World Cup trophy. Furthermore, his first goal was scored at age 17, proceeding to represent France at the illustrious age of 18.
This summer is likely to witness his career attaining zeniths with a transfer from Paris saint Germain to Real Madrid. He is undoubtedly bound to cement his legacy as the successor to greats poput Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo.
In 2018, he garnered massive acclaim as he made world records by becoming the second teenager after Pele to score in the world cup final. In 2022, Kylian made a hattrick in the world cup final succeding France, losing the title to Argentina. “He’s a phenomenon. A talent you only see in fiction, but he is real and at an astonishing age of 25, he has done amazing.” remarked fellow French legend Thierry Henry.
Achievement
Details
World Cup Titles
1-time winner (with France)
European Championship Titles
1-time winner (with France)
Ligue 1 Titles
5-time winner (with PSG)
Copa del Rey Title
1-time winner (with PSG)
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot
1-time winner (2022)
International Goals
40+ goals (France)
UEFA Champions League Titles
1-time winner (with PSG)
French Player of the Year
4-time winner
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
Finalist in 2021
7.Andrés Iniesta
Andres Iniesta is famously known for his goal in the World Cup final on July 11, 2010. He managed to score a goal in the match against the Netherlands, which won Spain their first World Cup title. He sidefooted the ball past Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg in the final’s 116th minute, winning the match for Spain with a score of 1-0.
Iniesta has accomplished quite a lot, including being a two-time European Championship medalist, a four-time Champions League winner, a nine-time La Liga holder, and a Ballon d’Or runner up. But unlike a majority, he is remembered for this amazing effort in the World Cup.
Barca territory from Pep Guardiola era is known for winning a multitude of trophies and featuring some of the world’s best players, and Andres Iniesta was a huge part of that And in addition to his astounding creativity, he has always been known for his vision on the field.
Achievement
Details
World Cup Title
1-time winner (with Spain, 2010)
European Championship Titles
2-time winner (with Spain, 2008, 2012)
Champions League Titles
4-time winner (with Barcelona)
La Liga Titles
9-time winner (with Barcelona)
Copa del Rey Titles
6-time winner (with Barcelona)
FIFA World Cup Man of the Match
1-time winner (2010 Final)
FIFA FIFPro World XI Selections
9-time selection
International Goals
13 goals (Spain)
UEFA Super Cup Titles
3-time winner (with Barcelona)
8.Xavi Hernández
Xavi’s career has so many highlights that narrowing it down to just one is nearly impossible. It could either be Barcelona’s spectacular 6-2 win against Real Madrid during which Xavi netted four goals, or, the incredible assist he made in the 2009 final, setting up Lionel Messi’s header that opened the scoring.
Another one could definitely be Barcelona’s stunning 3-1 win over Manchester United in 2011 encapsulating a period of phenomenon. But for a lot of people, the climax of Xavi’s legacy came with Spain’s 4-0 thrashing of Italy during the Euro 2012 final that epitomized the tiki-taka football Xavi popularized.
Achievement
Details
World Cup Title
1-time winner (with Spain, 2010)
European Championship Titles
2-time winner (with Spain, 2008, 2012)
Champions League Titles
4-time winner (with Barcelona)
La Liga Titles
8-time winner (with Barcelona)
Copa del Rey Titles
3-time winner (with Barcelona)
FIFA World Cup Player of the Tournament
1-time winner (2010)
FIFA FIFPro World XI Selections
7-time selection
International Goals
13 goals (Spain)
UEFA Super Cup Titles
2-time winner (with Barcelona)
9.Ronaldo Nazário
Ronaldo’s accolades: Fifa World Cup accolades: 1998 and 2002 winner, Copa America: 1997 and 1999 winner, Ballon d’Or in 1997 and 2002, Golden Player winner of 1998 Fifa World Cup, Golden Boot of Fifa World Cup 2002, Fifa World Player of the Year: 1996, 1998 and 2002.
In terms of sucess, few have matched ‘the original Ronaldo’. With an explosive pace that allowed him to be as powerful and devastating as any striker in football history. He possessed the uncanny ability to alter his speed mid run, come to a complete stop, and shoot with incredible accuracy.
These were his strong points in the 20th century, but 21st century had a lot to offer him as well. When he ruptured his knee two times, people thought it marked the end of his career, considering how agonizingly painful it was for him.
Inter Milan, his Italian club, failed to have adequate fitness owing to issues rehabilitating from injury prior to the world cup and it ultimaetly showed during the game. However, Brazil took full control over his rehabilitation and Ronaldo managed to singlehandedly propel a team that almost didn’t make the cut to victory. That is one of the greatest ‘returns’ in a sportsman’s career. -Tim Vickery
Achievement
Details
World Cup Titles
2-time winner (with Brazil, 1994, 2002)
Copa América Titles
2-time winner (with Brazil, 1997, 1999)
UEFA Cup Titles
1-time winner (with Inter Milan, 1998)
Ballon d’Or
2-time winner (1997, 2002)
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot
1-time winner (2002)
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
1-time winner (1998)
International Goals
62 goals (Brazil)
La Liga Titles
1-time winner (with Real Madrid, 2003)
Serie A Titles
1-time winner (with Inter Milan, 2007)
Confederations Cup Titles
1-time winner (with Brazil, 1997)
10.Ronaldinho
FIFA World Cup winner, Ballon d’Or winner, Copa America winner, two time FIFA World Player Of the Year, two time LaLiga winner.
The sole reason why the phrase or notion of longevity gets verbalized is to shred Ronaldinho’s brilliance into pieces considering the lengths that he went through during his rookie years with Barcelona. 2003 to 2006, there could not have possibly been a more scintillating period for the sport of soccer.
There have been few and for the first time in his life, Ronaldinho captivated so many people by his child-like glee at his own feeble attempt and so many people easily just fell in love with the sport yet again. We could not have asked him to actually be any more skilled than he already was. He excelled at everything.
The 2006 World Cup was underwhelming. This marked a change for Ronaldinho, as he started to show a lack of willingness to undergo the burden of staying at the top which was required at the top. But those three years were phenomenal — Vickery.
Achievement
Details
World Cup Title
1-time winner (with Brazil, 2002)
Copa América Title
1-time winner (with Brazil, 1999)
UEFA Champions League Title
1-time winner (with Barcelona, 2006)
La Liga Titles
2-time winner (with Barcelona, 2005, 2006)
Ballon d’Or
1-time winner (2005)
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
1-time winner (2002)
FIFA Confederations Cup
1-time winner (with Brazil, 2005)
International Goals
33 goals (Brazil)
UEFA Super Cup Titles
2-time winner (with Barcelona, 2009, 2011)
Copa del Rey Titles
2-time winner (with Barcelona, 2009, 2012)
Conclusion
Final Thoughts Top Soccer Player It is quite difficult to define the “best soccer player” because it varies with a person’s individual taste, playing approaches, and accomplishments.
Players such as Lionel Messi, frisana Ronaldo, Pele and even Maradona have created and redefined fandom eras with their outstanding skills and shattered tons of records while winning significant championships.
In the end, the best player is one whose impact can be felt years later and melds proficiency with influence over the sport allowing them to leave an irreplaceable mark and in turn, serves as a source of motivation to many.
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