List of the World’s Best Players Every Year for the Last 50 Years, Who Dominates?
List of the World’s Best Players Every Year for the Last 50 Years, Who Dominates?
Since when did you enjoy and fall in love with football? 90s 80s, early millennium century aka 2000, or after the 2010 World Cup, or even further back in the 70s?
If you follow football, of course there are many players who cannot be forgotten. And they deserve to be categorized as the best.
1. Pele (Brazil)
Pele first appeared at the World Cup in 1958 as a 17 year old youth player. He scored his first World Cup goal when playing against Wales in the quarter-finals, his second match at the World Cup. At 17 years 239 days old, Pele was named the youngest goalscorer in World Cup history. Pele’s greatness became even more visible when he scored a hat-trick in the semi-final match against France. Until now, the 1958 World Cup in Sweden is remembered as the beginning of the legend’s rise to fame.
2. Diego Maradona (Argentina)
It seems that there is not a single football player other than Maradona who is worshiped like God. For most people, Maradona is the greatest player of all time and not Pele, who received the title officially by FIFA. Even though his life was filled with controversy; Starting from the Hand of God goal, alcoholism and illegal drug use until finally being expelled from the 1994 World Cup, Maradona has always been adored by his fans.
3. Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
In history, only two people have won the World Cup as a player or coach, namely Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer. Beckenbauer, nicknamed Der Kaizer or the Emperor, is even more legendary because he is considered the best defender in history and his role as a player was so central. Beckenbauer successfully led West Germany to win the 1974 World Cup just three years after being chosen as team captain. In this last World Cup, Beckenbauer was recorded as the first captain to lift the World Cup with the latest design, replacing the Jules Rimet Cup which was permanently owned by Brazil in 1970.
4. Zinedine Zidane (France)
Born to Algerian immigrants in Marseille, France, Zinedine Zidane grew up to become the best footballer since the Michel Platini era as well as France’s new idol in the 21st century. Famous as a flamboyant midfielder, Zidane enjoyed success in the French, Italian and Spanish leagues. But his most memorable achievements were when he defended France in the 1998 World Cup and Germany in 2006. In these two tournaments, Zidane’s career reached its highest point. At the 2002 World Cup he was absent due to injury and France was eliminated in the group phase according to https://www.grimsby-townfc.co.uk/.
5. Johan Cruyff (Netherland)
If there is a question about who is the greatest Dutch legend in the World Cup, the most appropriate answer is certainly not Marco van Basten or Ruud Gullit, but Johan Cruyff. Cruyff never led the Netherlands to win a single tournament throughout his career.
His greatest success was only bringing his team to runner-up at the 1974 World Cup, the only World Cup in his career. However, his presence at the tournament and his success in leading the Netherlands to the highest place in the history of their participation in the World Cup with their very famous total team football game made Cruyff’s figure worthy of being compared to legends such as Pele, Diego Maradona and Franz Beckenbauer.
