Top 20 Soccer Players
 

If you made a list of the Top 20 soccer players of all time, who from the current WC tourney would be on the list?

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Zidane definitely, Henry probably, R. Carlos, Ronaldhino if he keeps up his current level of play. You could throw Ronaldo in there too. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, I know I'm forgetting some.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

by "who from the current WC tourney", do you mean, current as in, players still left?

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

FH, I think he means people who have played in this world cup.

Zidane definitely, Henry maybe.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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by "who from the current WC tourney", do you mean, current as in, players still left?

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Anyone on the roster of the 32 teams that started.

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oh I'm an idiot, missed the "of all time" part. That's why this was looking like a strange thread to me [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Definately Zidane, very likely no one else. Althought there are a lot of young players with a ton of potential, in a few years this could look a lot different.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Zidane definitely, Henry probably, R. Carlos, Ronaldhino if he keeps up his current level of play. You could throw Ronaldo in there too. That's all I can think of off the top of my head, I know I'm forgetting some.

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good list would also pick Shevchenko ,Figo and Nedved

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Baggio
van Basten
Di Stefano
Eusebio
Lev Yashin
Beckenbauer
Pele
Maradona
Zidane
George Best

I'm sure with the guys I'm not remembering I could fill the other ten spots of a top 20, I think you guys are being too generous.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

I was probably being a little generous, mostly due to the fact that I never saw the old greats play (outside of some clips), so I can't really compare the current players to them. Zidane and Carlos are the only ones who I'd put up there based on their current body of work, the others won't be at that level unless they continue to produce.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Baggio
van Basten
Di Stefano
Eusebio
Lev Yashin
Beckenbauer
Pele
Maradona
Zidane
George Best

I'm sure with the guys I'm not remembering I could fill the other ten spots of a top 20, I think you guys are being too generous.

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zidane is the only one, IMO. This was done by the guardian this year. I think zidane was the only one in the top 20, with beckham the next closest at like 24 or something.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Baggio
van Basten
Di Stefano
Eusebio
Lev Yashin
Beckenbauer
Pele
Maradona
Zidane
George Best

I'm sure with the guys I'm not remembering I could fill the other ten spots of a top 20, I think you guys are being too generous.

[/ QUOTE ]You're right way too generous
Baggio
van Basten
Di Stefano
Eusebio
Lev Yashin
Beckenbauer
Pele
Maradona
Zidane
George Best (very good list fallen)
+
Gullit
Cantona
Batistuta
Rijkaard
Zico
Platini

and then

Ronaldo
R.Carlos
Shevchenko
Henry

a rank would probly look like
1.Maradona
2.Zidane
3.everybody else

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

beckham? LOL gotta love unbiased british news papers

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I don't think Roberto Carlos belongs on that list (although I was never a big fan of him, so maybe I'm biased). I also think Lothar Matthäus is a lock on that list (forgot him before).

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Baggio
van Basten
Di Stefano
Eusebio
Lev Yashin
Beckenbauer
Pele
Maradona
Zidane
George Best

I'm sure with the guys I'm not remembering I could fill the other ten spots of a top 20, I think you guys are being too generous.

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zidane is the only one, IMO. This was done by the guardian this year. I think zidane was the only one in the top 20, with beckham the next closest at like 24 or something.

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Ronaldhino has won FIFA player of the year twice. Ronaldo has won it 3 times, got injured, and was 3rd a few years ago.

both of these resumes are way better than Beckhams.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

oh, and Bergkamp, how on earth did I forget him, sacrilege!

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I don't think Roberto Carlos belongs on that list (although I was never a big fan of him, so maybe I'm biased). I also think Lothar Matthäus is a lock on that list (forgot him before).

[/ QUOTE ]lol I'm biased about matthaus
C'mon Roberto Carlos was sickkkkkkkk!

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I don't think Roberto Carlos belongs on that list (although I was never a big fan of him, so maybe I'm biased). I also think Lothar Matthäus is a lock on that list (forgot him before).

[/ QUOTE ]lol I'm biased about matthaus
C'mon Roberto Carlos was sickkkkkkkk!

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meh, he was never a true left defender, someone always had to cover his ass, even when he was in his prime. Also (motivated by this thread) I have to say I think Cafu aged much better than R. Carlos). Although he was clearly sick whenever he had the ball withing 40m of goal [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

I can't believe you all forgot Johan Cruijff & Ferenc Puskas.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I can't believe you all forgot Johan Cruijff & Ferenc Puskas.

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absolutely right

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I can't believe you all forgot Johan Cruijff & Ferenc Puskas.

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absolutely right

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Platini?

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I can't believe you all forgot Johan Cruijff & Ferenc Puskas.

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absolutely right

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Platini?

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he's there already (missed him the first time I answered)

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Where does Freddy Adu rank in the top 20? Can he crack top 10?

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Where does Freddy Adu rank in the top 20? Can he crack top 10?

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the thread is about the top 20 players of all time...

adu might make a "top 20 players under 18" list

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Beckham is not even close top50.
I Think Zidane is the only one, with Ronaldo maybe crackin the top 20. Ahead of him there are
Pele
Garrincha
Maradona
Cruyff
Beckenbauer
Di Stefano
Platini
Zico
Romario
Zidane
Best
Bobby Charlton
Eusebio
Puskas
Matthaus
Baggio
Nilton Santos
Yashin
Tostao

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Kasey Keller, obviously.

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I don't really care about football's history since I just kind of got into it this World Cup (as a continaution from my mild interest when I was in Europe during the 02 Cup) so anybody care to scratch up a current top-20?

Henry? Shevchenko? Toni?

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I don't really care about football's history since I just kind of got into it this World Cup (as a continaution from my mild interest when I was in Europe during the 02 Cup) so anybody care to scratch up a current top-20?

Henry? Shevchenko? Toni?

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Hargreaves! (I'm more than a little biased).

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

2005 FIFA World Player of the Year voting

2004 FIFA World Player of the Year voting

That's probably a decent list, but it's of course heavily weighted towards mifdielders and strikers, just as in American sports the MVPs are the offensive players.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Beckham is not even close top50.
I Think Zidane is the only one, with Ronaldo maybe crackin the top 20. Ahead of him there are
Pele
Garrincha
Maradona
Cruyff
Beckenbauer
Di Stefano
Platini
Zico
Romario
Zidane
Best
Bobby Charlton
Eusebio
Puskas
Matthaus
Baggio
Nilton Santos
Yashin
Tostao

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This is overall a very good list. I don't know about Tostao or Baggio though. I would definitely put Van Basten ahead of Baggio in that generation of players. I would also take either Ronaldo or Henry above Tostao, as both have produced at pretty exceptional rates over a longer period in very tough competition.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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[ QUOTE ]
Beckham is not even close top50.
I Think Zidane is the only one, with Ronaldo maybe crackin the top 20. Ahead of him there are
Pele
Garrincha
Maradona
Cruyff
Beckenbauer
Di Stefano
Platini
Zico
Romario
Zidane
Best
Bobby Charlton
Eusebio
Puskas
Matthaus
Baggio
Nilton Santos
Yashin
Tostao

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This is overall a very good list. I don't know about Tostao or Baggio though. I would definitely put Van Basten ahead of Baggio in that generation of players. I would also take either Ronaldo or Henry above Tostao, as both have produced at pretty exceptional rates over a longer period in very tough competition.

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I also would go with Batistuta instead of Romario...

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Zidane definetely, Ronaldinho is close. Maybe Ronaldo.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Gerd Müller is close too. He definetely is ahead of Henry.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Why no [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] for Gazza.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

[ QUOTE ]
Beckham is not even close top50.
I Think Zidane is the only one, with Ronaldo maybe crackin the top 20. Ahead of him there are
Pele
Garrincha
Maradona
Cruyff
Beckenbauer
Di Stefano
Platini
Zico
Romario
Zidane
Best
Bobby Charlton
Eusebio
Puskas
Matthaus
Baggio
Nilton Santos
Yashin
Tostao

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Can you explain to me how and why Romario got on that list? And Baggio?

You are forgetting loads of great players like Eder, Socrates, Nordahl & Liedholm

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Nordahl & Liedholm

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Sweet.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Can you explain to me how and why Romario got on that list? And Baggio?

You are forgetting loads of great players like Eder, Socrates, Nordahl & Liedholm

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How about Gordon Banks, Paulo Rossi & Zico

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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Beckham is not even close top50.
I Think Zidane is the only one, with Ronaldo maybe crackin the top 20. Ahead of him there are
Pele
Garrincha
Maradona
Cruyff
Beckenbauer
Di Stefano
Platini
Zico
Romario
Zidane
Best
Bobby Charlton
Eusebio
Puskas
Matthaus
Baggio
Nilton Santos
Yashin
Tostao

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Can you explain to me how and why Romario got on that list? And Baggio?


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LOL, I was going to poast this last night too but I was tired after a tournament. There are like 5 players in this world cup that are better then those two using any comparison you would want to use.
There is no way those two and a bunch of others are better then Ronaldo. He may have been [censored] this WC, as was the whole Brazil team ( compared to their usual standards), but I have yet to see a better goal scorer ever.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

Baggio is an absolute lock in a top 20 list.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I have yet to see a better goal scorer ever.

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Müller.

He scored 68 times in 62 games for Germany, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games. Nobody will ever top that.

Re: Top 20 Soccer Players
 

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I have yet to see a better goal scorer ever.

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Müller.

He scored 68 times in 62 games for Germany, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games. Nobody will ever top that.

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LOL I was not born when he was doing his thing. But yeah that is quite an impressive stat sheet.

I have watched pretty much every world cup (for sometime the only time we in the US were exposed to world class soccer till satelite) game since 1986 and the best player I ever saw was pretty obvious........... Maradona. It really is not close. He pretty much carried his teams on his back.

Some of the others that standout (world cup wise):

Stoichkov
Mathias
R. Carlos
Battistuta
Zidane- 2nd. best player
Ronaldo- best goal scorer I have seen
Kahn

I know I am forgetting a few. I would have included Ronaldinho for his 2002 performance but man he did nothing this time. But I think his coach killed whatever chance that team had. He right or wrong went with his horses (Adriano,Cafu, R. Carlos to name a few) and decided to skip the younger faster players (Robinho and Cincinho) that opend up space up top for Ronaldo and others. But I digress and that is off topic sorry.