Around the world, soccer is known as the “world’s game.” In places like Latin America, Europe, and Africa, fans go wild for their favorite teams when they hit the field. Some rivalries are so intense that stadiums are forced to have an entire section of seats filled with security guards so opposing fans don’t get into brawls. Even the smallest towns in Europe have a local team to root on.
One of the major differences between European soccer and American sports is that there’s no playoff system to determine a winner. At the end of the season, whoever has accumulated the most points in each league is considered the winner. Another massive difference is the concept of relegation. Instead of staying in the league that you’re in, if you finish low enough, you are sent to the league below. For example, it would be like the worst team in Major League Baseball being relegated to Triple-A.
The last, and possibly biggest difference between American sports leagues and European soccer leagues is that there’s no draft in European soccer leagues. Teams are tasked with finding talent at a young age and developing them through their youth system. After this, they’re called up to the top teams to see what they can do. This is why you see a lot of the top teams in European soccer stay near the top. Teams like Manchester City have unlimited funds and resources to build the best team possible. For more sports content, click here to read about the 10 biggest sports stars from New Jersey.
To compile this list of the best athletes to ever play soccer, 24/7 Temp consulted sports-related sources. These include GiveMeSport, FourFourTwo, and Bleacher Report.
Pele
- Teams: Santos, New York Cosmos
- Born: Tres Coracoes, Brazil
It’s hard to ignore what Pele did on the pitch during his career. He won seven player of the year awards in France where he played the majority of his professional career. He also won the 1970 Best Player of the Year award for the entire world. Aside from what he did for his Club, Pele helped bring Brazil three World Cup Titles during his reign. He’s scored more than 1,000 goals in his career, including 12 in World Cup play.
Lionel Messi
- Teams: Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Miami
- Born: Rosario, Argentina
Watching Lionel Messi dribble a ball down the pitch brings fans to the edge of their seats during matches. His left foot has produced more than 800 goals in his professional career, and he’s still got a long time to play in the MLS. Messi and Critiano Ronaldo became known for their fierce rivalry with each other. Messi played for Barcelona until he left to further his career in the United States. Even in his mid-30s, Messi has shown that his skills are more advanced than most in the MLS.
Cristiano Ronaldo
- Teams: Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al Nassr
- Born: Funchal, Madeira, Portual
The other player who made El Classico must-see TV is Cristiano Ronaldo. He uses his amazing athleticism to sprint past other players with the ball and knock in headers off of set pieces. During his career, Ronaldo has played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. He recently signed with Al Nassr out of Saudi Arabia. The large quantities of oil money in the country has made them want to become a global super power in terms of sports. Signing Ronaldo was a great place to start.
Zinedine Zidane
- Teams: Cannes, Bordeaux Juventus, Real Madrid
- Born: Marseille, France
Zinedine Zidane accomplished so much during his playing career on the pitch. He won the FIFA Player of the Year award three times and led France to the 1998 World Cup title. As an attacking midfielder, Zidane became known for his flashy playmaking and shooting ability. He scored countless goals while making plays on the defensive side of the ball.
Being a midfielder in soccer means you have to possess the skills to play both offense and defense. Zidane showed during his career he was more than capable of doing both.
Johan Cruyff
- Teams: Ajax, Barcelona, Los Angeles Aztecs, Washington Diplomats, Levante, Feyenoord
- Born: Amsterdam, Netherlands
During his 20-year career, Johan Cruyff scored 294 goals in 518 appearances for clubs around the world. He scored more than a goal every two games, which by soccer standards, is impressive. He won the Ballon d’Or three times in the 1970s and became a successful club manager after his playing career wrapped up. Cruyff led the Netherlands to the World Cup Final in 1974, where they came up short to West Germany.
Ronaldo
- Teams: Cruzeiro, PSV, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Corinthians
- Born: Itaguai, Brazil
Before Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who went by Ronaldo from Brazil capped off a legendary career which ended in 2011. Ronaldo played for clubs like Inter Milan, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. During his club career, Ronaldo scored 280 goals in 384 games. He played the striker position and was successful at getting the ball into the back of the net.
Ronaldo also took pride in representing his home country of Brazil. He scored 62 goals in 98 appearances for his home country. Ronaldo led the team to winning two World Cup titles and one runner up.
Franz Beckenbauer
- Teams: Bayern Munich, New York Cosmos, Hamburger SV
- Born: Munich, Germany
Franz Beckenbauer played defense for numerous clubs during his adult career in soccer. As a defender, sometimes it’s challenging to quantify how much of an impact you’re having on the game. In 2024, it’s become easier with the advancement in technology and analytics.
For Beckenbauer, watching the game showed how dominant he was. As a player, he scored 79 goals during his career. This helped pave the way forward for other defenders to score on set pieces, especially if they’re taller people.
Ferenc Puskas
- Teams: Budapest Honved, Real Madrid
- Born: Budapest, Hungary
Between 1943 and 1966, Ferenc Puskas became one of the first international stars in sports. Because there was little television and no internet, finding scores out and watching games abroad wasn’t an easy task. Puskas became must-see TV, though. During his professional career, he scored 514 goals in 530 games.
His team could rely on him to score almost a goal per game, which helped his teams feel confident in their ability to win. He also scored 84 goals out of 85 matches for his native Hungary in international matches.
Maradona
- Teams: Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell’s Old Boys
- Born: Lanus, Argentina
Maradona showed what a true attacking midfielder could provide to your club during his amazing career. He played primarily in Europe with other top talent from around the world. During his club career, Maradona scored 259 goals in 491 appearances. As a number two goal scorer, Maradona’s teams prioritized getting him the ball to create chances with.
This wasn’t the only time he was scoring, though. When it came to representing Argentina, Maradona scored 34 goals in 91 matches, while leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup.
Alfredo Di Stefano
10th September 1964: Argentinian born Spanish footballer Alfredo Di Stefano makes his first appearance for Espanol of Barcelona against Olympique of Lyon. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
- Teams: River Plate, Huracan, Millonarios, Real Madrid, Espanyol
- Born: Buenos Aries, Argentina
Another player to come from Argentina and make waves in soccer is Alfredo Di Stefano. The striker had quite the career for himself. He scored 376 goals in 521 matches with various clubs throughout his 20 year career. Di Stefano led Real Madrid to eight La Liga titles during his run with the club.
While he couldn’t quite ever get over the hump with Argentina, Di Stefano still left his mark on the country. Players like Lionel Messi had someone they could look up to while trying to become the best.
Paolo Maldini
- Teams: AC Milan
- Born: Milan, Italy
Paolo Maldini is one of the few players in all of sports to spend his entire 25 year career with one club. The defender from Italy came up with AC Milan as a youth. Once he made it to the main club in 1984, he didn’t leave until his retirement in 2009. AC Milan won seven titles with Maldini keeping the backline safe from any shot attempts. He also played for his home nation of Italy in international matches. During this time, he was the runner-up in the 1994 World Cup.
Michel Platini
- Teams: Nancy, Saint-Etienne, Juventus
- Born: Joef, France
Michel Platini is one of the most interesting people in soccer. During his playing career, he scored 224 goals in 432 matches with three different clubs. He became known for his confidence and ability to constantly make plays. However, after his club career was over, Platini joined the FIFA governing board.
It was during that time that the group was taking bribes and doing unethical things. Platini was banned from FIFA and organized soccer until 2023.
Eusebio
- Teams: Lourenco Marques, Benfica, Boston Minutemen, Monterrey, Toronto Metos-Croatia, Beira-Mar, Las Vegas Qucksilvers, Uniao de Tomar, New Jersey Americans, Buffalo Stallions
- Born: Lourenco Marques, Portuguese Mozambique
One of the first strikers to come from Portugal was Eusebio. During his club career, Eusebio showcased his scoring ability. He put 424 goals in the back of the net during 436 matches. He also showed that speed and finesse for some players worked just as well as being built like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Eusebio also suited up for his native Portugal when it came to international competitions. He scored 41 goals throughout his career and helped the nation get to third place in the 1966 World Cup.
Kaka
- Teams: Sao Paulo, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Orlando City SC
- Born: Gama, Federal District, Brazil
Kaka took the internet by storm with his dribbling and passing ability during his professional career. As an attacking midfielder, his job is to set up his strikers with the best possible shots they can get. Attacking midfielders also have to know when it’s a good time for them to take shots on net. During his club career, Kaka scored 149 goals in 461 games. Kaka was part of the 2002 Brazil team who took home the World Cup title.
Lev Yashin
- Teams: Dynamo Moscow
- Born: Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
It’s difficult to argue that Lev Yashin is the greatest goalkeeper in the history of soccer. During his career, he only suited up for Dynamo Moscow from 1950 to 1970. In that time, he helped the team win five titles. The Soviet Union also won the Gold Medal at the 1956 Olympics with Yashin in net. Aside from soccer, Yashin also played ice hockey. Like many kids in Russia, hockey is a massive part of their lives. Yashin played goalie when he put on skates to hit the ice.
Ronaldinho
- Teams: Gremio, Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, AC Milan, Flamengo, Atletico Mineiro, Queretaro, Fluminense
- Born: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Ronaldinho took great pride in being a winger and attacking midfielder who was selfless when it came to creating scoring chances for his teammates. He also was a huge part of a dominant Brazil team that ran through the 2002 World Cup. During his club career with teams like Barcelona and AC Milan, Ronaldinho scored 205 goals in 511 matches. He was one of the first players to take being in video games and sponsorships seriously. That helped him create an impressive net worth of $90 million.
Marco van Basten
- Teams: Ajax, Milan
- Born: Utrecht, Netherlands
Marco van Basten played for two dominant clubs during his career, Ajax and Milan. He was tasked as being a striker and getting the ball into the back of the net by any means necessary. During his career, he scored 219 goals in 281 games. He also put 24 goals into the goal while representing the Netherlands. After his playing career concluded, van Basten went to the sideline to be a manager and assistant for 13 seasons.
Garrincha
circa 1960: Brazilian footballer Garrincha (1933 - 1983), known as the little bird. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
- Teams: Serrno, Botafogo, Corinthians, Atletico Junior, Flamengo, Olaria
- Born: Mage, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Garrincha is best known for his dribbling ability to create multiple scoring chances for those around him. As a winger who played in the 1950s and 60s, Garrincha showed what’s truly possible with a ball. He was an important piece for Brazil to win two World Cups during his international career. He played the bulk of his club career for Botafogo in his native Brazil, where he scored 84 goals in 238 matches.
Gerd Muller
MUNICH, GERMANY - JUNE 01: Assistant coach Gerd Mueller of Muenchen looks on prior to the second relegation leg between Bayern Muenchen II and Fortuna Koeln at Stadion An Der Gruenwalder Strasse on June 1, 2014 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Micha Will/Bongarts/Getty Images)
- Teams: 1861 Nordingen, Bayern Munich, Fort Lauderdale Strikers
- Born: Nordlingen, Southwest zone, Allied-occupied Germany
Bayern Munich is an instantly recognized club by many people around the world. Gerd Muller is a main reason the club had so much success in the 1960s and 70s. From 1964 to 1979, Muller played 453 matches with the club and scored 398 goals. As a striker, he was the face of the team. Muller also represented West Germany in international competition. In 62 games, Muller scored 68 goals, while winning the 1974 World Cup.
Franco Baresi
MILAN, ITALY - JULY 26: Franco Baresi of AC Milan attends the Serie A 2018/19 Fixture unveiling on July 26, 2018 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
- Teams: AC Milan
- Born: Travagliato, Italy
Another great defender in the history of soccer is Franco Baresi. During his club career, Baresi only played for AC Milan from 1977 to 1997. During that time, AC Milan won six Serie A titles, with Baresi playing in the back. He also scored 16 goals during his career from corner kicks and set pieces. While representing Italy, Baresi helped the team win the 1982 World Cup. For more sports coverage, click here to read about the 40 most successful athletes of the 21st century.