Please timeline "THE WORLD'S GREATEST FOOTBALLER", 1945 to the present day

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Diego Maradona 1981-1988
Marco Van Basten 1988-1992

Ronaldo 1997-2000

Cristiano Ronaldo about two weeks ago-present

There's a lot of gaps to fill in here guys. Please get to it.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 09:46 (eighteen years ago)

Duncan McKenzie 1975-78

― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 09:49 (eighteen years ago)

Florian Albert 1966-1967

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 09:49 (eighteen years ago)

Zinedine Zidane 2000-2002
Thierry Henry 2003
Ronaldinho 2004-2006

― blueski, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 09:58 (eighteen years ago)

Johan Cruyff 1972-1974

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:01 (eighteen years ago)

Eusebio 1966-68 (overlap with Florian Albert)

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:02 (eighteen years ago)

Gigi Riva 1967-1969

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:03 (eighteen years ago)

Paolo Maldini 1993-94

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:03 (eighteen years ago)

Di Stefano 1958-61
Pele 1962-1965 & 1970

Gah! I can't fit Beckenbauer in!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:05 (eighteen years ago)

Also Zidane is more 1998-2001 I think.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:05 (eighteen years ago)

I've already realised there's no gap for Pavel Nedved.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:05 (eighteen years ago)

George Best? That Pele bloke?

― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:05 (eighteen years ago)

Matthew Le Tissier 1995

― blueski, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:07 (eighteen years ago)

Nandor Hidegkuti 1953-56
Ferenc Puskas 1956-58

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:07 (eighteen years ago)

Andy Ritchie 1978-1981 (srsly, could Keegan or Rummenigge turn and volley into the top corner from the halfway line?)

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:11 (eighteen years ago)

I would love it, love it, if no one challenges McKenzie and Ritchie.

― Michael Jones, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:13 (eighteen years ago)

romario 1994ish?

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:13 (eighteen years ago)

Romario claims to have scored nearly 1000 goals now. Many dispute his claim, particularly his inclusion of the time the ball hit him in the face and rolled in from just a yard out. When he was 4.

― blueski, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:15 (eighteen years ago)

yes, romario 93-94, not maldini

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:16 (eighteen years ago)

I'd have Stoichkov above Romario, and maybe Baggio too.

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:17 (eighteen years ago)

Andy Ritchie 1978-1981

Of course, who else was around at that time? But where does Chic Charnley fit in?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:17 (eighteen years ago)

i like zidane for right through 98-02, maybe with an exception for rivaldo

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:19 (eighteen years ago)

Stoichkov was a far superior player to Romario, plus Romario never crippled an American university player in a friendly for no discernible reason.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:19 (eighteen years ago)

Yes, no way was Romario ever the best player in the world

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:19 (eighteen years ago)

.. not fit to lace Zico's boots!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:20 (eighteen years ago)

wait, doesnt this include some of the stuff around? like 'worlds greatest footballer', rather than worlds greatest footballer. romarios record at psv and at barcelona was pretty phenomenal. i probably go for stoichkov being a better actual player, but...

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:22 (eighteen years ago)

Michel Platini 1978-1982?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:22 (eighteen years ago)

The problem with taking the awards into account is that they've always had an anti-defender bias.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:23 (eighteen years ago)

the *major footballing awards

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:23 (eighteen years ago)

cannavaro won world player of year last year though. weird thing is you could argue that the weird biases that normally work against defenders....were the actual things that got him the award

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:24 (eighteen years ago)

He deserved it

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:24 (eighteen years ago)

in recent times we seem to be agreeing with ronaldo-zidane-ronaldinho-...c.ronaldo?

which means no place for figo and henry, and i have to think thats right. but what about rivaldo, i think he has to take one of the zidane years

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:25 (eighteen years ago)

I'm not sure Ronaldo was ever the world's best player either frankly.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:25 (eighteen years ago)

I wouldn't have Henry in there

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:25 (eighteen years ago)

Yes, Cannavaro is the first defender to win the FIFA award.

Michel Platini 1978-1982?
I'd put Platini more 82-84.

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:26 (eighteen years ago)

Zidane is the best footballer since Maradona

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:26 (eighteen years ago)

is there going to be any argument over maradona-van basten for the entirety of the 80s?

i cant think of an argument against!

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:26 (eighteen years ago)

Are Best and Weah going to get the brush off for playing for mediocre international sides?

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:26 (eighteen years ago)

I'm not sure about Van Basten, to be honest!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:28 (eighteen years ago)

ronaldo is strange, its so difficult to imagine him in his pomp because theres this weird subtext that hes just a bit fat and might turn it on at any minute, then you see him and think, i dont think so

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:28 (eighteen years ago)

is there going to be any argument over maradona-van basten for the entirety of the 80s?

i cant think of an argument against!

Platini, maybe Gullitt?

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:29 (eighteen years ago)

The Germans are getting schafted here.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:30 (eighteen years ago)

Ronaldo was awesome ten years ago. If only he hadn't had the fit before the final and enabled Zidane to steal the show people...

― blueski, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:30 (eighteen years ago)

The Germans are getting schafted here

Not really, there's only Beckenbauer, when it comes down to it

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:31 (eighteen years ago)

Ronaldo was prone to going missing for long periods at Inter, but then Zidane had entire fucking months when his contributions to Juventus would been matched by, say, Colin Cooper.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:32 (eighteen years ago)

Gerd Muller!

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:32 (eighteen years ago)

Nah! You may as well have Dixie Deans!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 10:33 (eighteen years ago)

Tom D. on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 10:33 AM (1 hour ago)

It's 12:41 ffs!

I keep thinking threads have been updated because of this.

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 11:42 (eighteen years ago)

I just realised it's not picking up British summertime.

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 11:43 (eighteen years ago)

1987 - Keith Houchen

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:27 (eighteen years ago)

ronaldo's purple patch was '96-98 i reckon.

― haitch, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:28 (eighteen years ago)

we need a full list of contenders to wrangle through. i wish i still had my Orbis Mexico '86 folder.

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:30 (eighteen years ago)

1956 Stanley MATTHEWS (Eng) Blackpool (Eng)
1957 Alfredo DI STÉFANO (Spa [*]) Real Madrid (Spa)
1958 Raymond KOPA (Fra) Real Madrid (Spa)
1959 Alfredo DI STÉFANO (Spa [*]) Real Madrid (Spa)
1960 Luis SUÁREZ (Spa) Barcelona (Spa)
1961 Omar SIVORI (Ita [*]) Juventus (Ita)
1962 Josef MASOPUST (Cze) Dukla Praha (Cze)
1963 Lev YASHIN (SU) Dynamo Moskva (SU)
1964 Denis LAW (Sco) Manchester United (Eng)
1965 EUSÉBIO (Por) Benfica (Por)
1966 Bobby CHARLTON (Eng) Manchester United (Eng)
1967 Flórián ALBERT (Hun) Ferencváros (Hun)
1968 George BEST (Nil) Manchester United (Eng)
1969 Gianni RIVERA (Ita) Milan (Ita)
1970 Gerd MÜLLER (Ger) Bayern München (Ger)
1971 Johan CRUIJFF (Net) Ajax (Net)
1972 Franz BECKENBAUER (Ger) Bayern München (Ger)
1973 Johan CRUIJFF (Net) Barcelona (Spa)
1974 Johan CRUIJFF (Net) Barcelona (Spa)
1975 Oleg BLOKHIN (SU) Dynamo Kiev (SU)
1976 Franz BECKENBAUER (Ger) Bayern München (Ger)
1977 Alan SIMONSEN (Den) Borussia Mönchengladbach (Ger)
1978 Kevin KEEGAN (Eng) Hamburger SV (Ger)
1979 Kevin KEEGAN (Eng) Hamburger SV (Ger)
1980 Karl-Heinz RUMMENIGGE (Ger) Bayern München (Ger)
1981 Karl-Heinz RUMMENIGGE (Ger) Bayern München (Ger)
1982 Paolo ROSSI (Ita) Juventus (Ita)
1983 Michel PLATINI (Fra) Juventus (Ita)
1984 Michel PLATINI (Fra) Juventus (Ita)
1985 Michel PLATINI (Fra) Juventus (Ita)
1986 Igor BELANOV (SU) Dynamo Kiev (SU)
1987 Ruud GULLIT (Net) Milan (Ita)
1988 Marco VAN BASTEN (Net) Milan (Ita)
1989 Marco VAN BASTEN (Net) Milan (Ita)
1990 Lothar MATTHÄUS (Ger) Internazionale (Ita)
1991 Jean-Pierre PAPIN (Fra) Olympique Marseille (Fra)
1992 Marco VAN BASTEN (Net) Milan (Ita)
1993 Roberto BAGGIO (Ita) Juventus (Ita)
1994 Hristo STOITCHKOV (Bul) Barcelona (Spa)
1995 George WEAH (Lib) Milan (Ita)
1996 Matthias SAMMER (Ger) Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
1997 RONALDO (Bra) Internazionale (Ita)
1998 Zinedine ZIDANE (Fra) Juventus (Ita)
1999 RIVALDO (Bra) Barcelona (Spa)
2000 Luis FIGO (Por) Real Madrid (Spa)
2001 Michael OWEN (Eng) Liverpool (Eng)
2002 RONALDO (Bra) Real Madrid (Spa)
2003 Pavel NEDVED (Cze) Juventus (Ita)
2004 Andriy SHEVCHENKO (Ukr) Milan (Ita)
2005 RONALDINHO (Bra) Barcelona (Spa)
2006 Fabio CANNAVARO (Ita) Real Madrid (Spa)

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:37 (eighteen years ago)

lol at Michael Owen being considered best player in Europe at one point. I do think Belanov is deserving of being included but... was his 87 better than Maradona's?

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:38 (eighteen years ago)

I forgot Charlton, Law. No Dalglish I see.

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:38 (eighteen years ago)

Cruyff and Beckenbauer ruled the early 70s

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:39 (eighteen years ago)

1961 Omar SIVORI (Ita [*]) Juventus (Ita)
1962 Josef MASOPUST (Cze) Dukla Praha (Cze)

who the shit are these guys?? they were never in my Orbis folder!

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:39 (eighteen years ago)

bound to go to C Ronaldo this year

― blueski, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:41 (eighteen years ago)

and where's the love for 'keepers, eh? Gordie, Pete, Rinat, Dino, Pat, Jim?

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:41 (eighteen years ago)

Sivori was part of the quasi-legendary Juventus team of the early 60s, ugly fucker, lethal finishing touch though.

Masopust is slightly out of my frame of reference, but Wikipedia says that the Czechs voted him their best player ever recently...

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:41 (eighteen years ago)

No Puskas in that first decade?

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:44 (eighteen years ago)

No Puskas in that first decade?

... Matthews was a long service award.... hard to argue with Di Stefano... Kopa played well at the World Cup

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:46 (eighteen years ago)

How could Cruyff get European Player of the Year in 1974 when he was competing with an in-form Stan Bowles? I demand a recount.

― peteR, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:49 (eighteen years ago)

there are a few 'played well in the world cup that year or the year before' awards. i'm looking at you, Paolo Rossi.

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 12:50 (eighteen years ago)

Wait where's Paul McGrath

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:02 (eighteen years ago)

In the pub

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:02 (eighteen years ago)

players based at german clubs winning it 6 times in a row 76 through 81

― 600, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:12 (eighteen years ago)

this is that FIFA 100 done by Pele for the centenary.

ARGENTINA
Alfredo Di Stefano
Daniel Passarella
Diego Maradona
Gabriel Batistuta
Hernan Crespo
Javier Saviola
Javier Zanetti
Juan Sebastian Veron
Mario Kempes
Omar Sivori

BELGIUM
Franky van der Elst
Jean-Marie Pfaff
Jan Cuelemans

BRAZIL
Cafu
Carlos Alberto
Djalma Santos
Falcao
Nilton Santos
Junior
Pele
Rivaldo
Rivelino
Roberto Carlos
Romario
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo
Socrates
Zico

BULGARIA
Hristo Stoichkov

CAMEROON
Roger Milla

CHILE
Pablo Figueroa
Ivan Zamorano

COLOMBIA
Carlos Valderrama

CROATIA
Davor Suker

CZECH REPUBLIC
Josef Masopust
Pavel Nedved

DENMARK
Brian Laudrup
Michael Laudrup
Peter Schmeichel

ENGLAND
Alan Shearer
Bobby Charlton
David Beckham
Gary Lineker
Gordon Banks
Kevin Keegan
Michael Owen

FRANCE
David Trezeguet
Didier Deschamps
Eric Cantona
Jean-Pierre Papin
Just Fontaine
Lilian Thuram
Marcel Desailly
Marius Tresor
Michel Platini
Patrick Vieira
Raymond Kopa
Robert Pires
Thierry Henry
Zinedine Zidane

GERMANY
Franz Beckenbauer
Gerd Mueller
Jurgen Klinsmann
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Lothar Matthaeus
Michael Ballack
Oliver Kahn
Paul Breitner
Sepp Maier
Uwe Seeler

GHANA
Abedi Pele

HUNGARY
Ferenc Puskas

IRELAND
Roy Keane

ITALY
Alessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Nesta
Christian Vieri
Dino Zoff
Francesco Totti
Franco Baresi
Giampiero Boniperti
Giacinto Fachetti
Gianluca Buffon
Gianni Rivera
Giuseppe Bergomi
Paolo Rossi
Paolo Maldini
Roberto Baggio

JAPAN
Hidetoshi Nakata

LIBERIA
George Weah

MEXICO
Hugo Sanchez

NETHERLANDS
Clarence Seedorf
Dennis Bergkamp
Edgar Davids
Frank Rijkaard
Johan Neeskens
Johan Cruyff
Marco van Basten
Patrick Kluivert
Rene van de Kerkhof
Rob Rensenbrink
Ruud Gullit
Ruud van Nistelrooy
Willie van de Kerkhof

NIGERIA
Jay-Jay Okocha

NORTHERN IRELAND
George Best

PARAGUAY
Romerito

PERU
Teofilo Cubillas

POLAND
Zbigniew Boniek

PORTUGAL
Eusebio
Luis Figo
Rui Costa

ROMANIA
Gheorghe Hagi

RUSSIA
Rinat Disayev

SCOTLAND
Kenny Dalglish

SENEGAL
El Hadji Diouf

SOUTH KOREA
Hong Myung-Bo

SPAIN
Emilio Butragueno
Luis Enrique
Raul

TURKEY
Emre Belozoglu
Rustu Recber

UKRAINE
Andriy Shevchenko

URUGUAY
Enzo Francescoli

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:14 (eighteen years ago)

Abedi Pele???

nepotism.

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:14 (eighteen years ago)

ha ha, and Emre's in it too! chortle.

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:16 (eighteen years ago)

One Hungarian? Idiot. Also, Paul van Himst should obv. be one of the Belgians.... ha ha, ONE Uruguayan!!!!!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:16 (eighteen years ago)

El Hadji Diouf !??!? Pele, you twat!!!!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:17 (eighteen years ago)

Pele's 125 is possibly the worst fucking list anyone has written about anything ever. I'd rather see "thes r the best albumz eveaa!!!" by kornrulz22191 on Amazon than that shit ever again. I dunno what the funniest thing about it is... Hidetoshi Nakata over John Charles is a particularly fine example.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:19 (eighteen years ago)

how are we supposed to trust the opinions of a man whose idea of trenchant football analysis is to name the new him every time the world cup rolls around?

― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:20 (eighteen years ago)

Also, that one time it was Nicky Butt

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:22 (eighteen years ago)

Hey don't forget he always manages to give an "of course England can win it" interview!

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:23 (eighteen years ago)

― onimo, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:24 (eighteen years ago)

And lies about Bobby Moore being the best defender he ever played against

― Tom D., Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:24 (eighteen years ago)

El Hadji Diouf !??!? Pele, you twat!!!!

gareth mind control

― blueski, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:28 (eighteen years ago)

They had to be living to get in Pele's list, which is a cop-out.

David Hirst for 90-minutes against Hull City in 1991.

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:32 (eighteen years ago)

Also, no Garrincha for 1958, no credibility.

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:33 (eighteen years ago)

Also, more Francescoli love. And Gheorghe Hagi.

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:34 (eighteen years ago)

Also, Dom are you a Pro Evo afficionado? You'd fucking love my option file.

― Scik Mouthy, Tuesday, 27 March 2007 13:35 (eighteen years ago)

ten months pass...

Will this thread one day be able to fit in PATO?

Or FACE OF NEW ITALY Mario Balotelli?

― Dom Passantino, Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:55 (seventeen years ago)

six years pass...

Was Di Stefano a better player than Maradona?

― saer, Sunday, 6 July 2014 10:34 (eleven years ago)

damn I didnt realize he had a heart attack today

― saer, Sunday, 6 July 2014 11:25 (eleven years ago)

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