Famous football players

FAMOUS FOOTBALL PLAYERS
However, with the number of goals he has scored and having won every possible trophy he could, Lionel Messi is considered the greatest football player of all time. He finally attained the undisputed GOAT status after Argentina won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar after a frantic final against France. 
The fact that Messi won the Golden Ball by scoring seven goals and assisting three more in the competition, adds to his argument as the greatest footballer ever. 
Let us take a look at the top 10 footballers of all time.
Top 10 football players of all time

Rank	Player	Goals	Trophies
1	Lionel Messi	802	42
2	Pele	767	26
3	Diego Maradona	353	12
4	Cristiano Ronaldo	819	34
5	Johan Cruyff	433	22
6	Zinedine Zidane	156	15
7	Gerd Muller	718	16
8	Ronaldo Nazario	414	19
9	Alfredo di Stefano	509	27
10	Michel Platini	353	12

Lionel Messi (Argentina) - 802 goals, 42 trophies
Emerging from Barcelona’s academy La Masia, Lionel Messi quickly became one of the best players in football, winning his first Ballon d’Or in 2009 at the age of 22. He went on to win seven of them. He won the coveted treble twice with Barcelona and finally ended his wait for a major international trophy with the Copa America 2021 and then added the FIFA World Cup 2022 trophy to his haul, which also includes an Olympic gold medal from Beijing 2008. He is also the only player in history to win two Golden Balls in World Cups (2014 and 2022).
Pele (Brazil) - 767 goals, 26 trophies
Three-time World Cup-winner Pele announced his arrival on the global stage with six goals in the 1958 World Cup. Renowned among modern day fans as the first superstar of football, the “Black Pearl” went on to score over 700 goals for club and country, also winning multiple titles with Brazilian club Santos. 
Diego Maradona (Argentina) - 353 goals, 12 trophies
Widely rated by multiple fans and experts as one of the greatest attacking players in football, Diego Maradona inspired a generation of footballers with his ball control and trickery. He won the 1986 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, scoring two goals each in the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the tournament. He also drove Napoli to the only two league titles they won in their history. 
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 819 goals, 34 trophies
Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest goal-scorer in football history and won league titles in three different countries - England, Spain and Italy, over the course of his career. He also won five Champions League titles, four of which came during his iconic spell at Real Madrid. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner also scored four goals en route to Portugal’s first-ever major trophy, the UEFA Euro 2012. 
Johan Cruyff (Netherlands) - 433 goals, 22 trophies
Touted as the pioneer of “Total football”, Johan Cruyff is considered the most influential personality in football history for his contributions as player and manager. Johan Cruyff won three consecutive European Cup titles (currently Champions League) with Ajax, also winning the Ballon d’Or three times. With the Netherlands, he reached the FIFA World Cup finals two times in a row in 1974 and 1978.
Who is the best football player in the world? The question will always be asked, the answer will never be unanimous.
Heralding the finest player on the planet is a near-impossible task given the spread of options in terrific form and those improving all the time.
Erling Haaland made a mockery of Premier League defences during his maiden voyage last term, Kylian Mbappe remains an outrageously talented megastar, while Lionel Messi is in the process of lighting up an entirely new continent at the age of 36.

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