The 2026 World Cup is almost upon us, and to the surprise of nobody, that means big debates are being sparked about the greatest players to have performed on the grandest stage of them all.

Lionel Messi cemented himself as the greatest of all-time in 2022 to many people when he lifted the trophy for the first time in his career for Argentina, while Cristiano Ronaldo would likely put himself right back in that conversation if he were to lead Portugal to the crown this summer.

But back in 2022, before Messi had been crowned as a world champion, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards were asked to name their top ten greatest ever World Cup players, and their lists were incredibly similar, having the same players, just in a different order for the most part.

Alan Shearer’s 10 Greatest World Cup Players

Shearer kicked off his list with one of the best of all-time, Johan Cruyff, in the number ten spot, and said he would be likely be higher if he had played in more than one World Cup tournament. Many consider him to be the best player to never win it, and he makes Shearer’s list as a result.

Surprisingly, the former England captain put his good friend Gary Lineker in at ninth, citing his excellent record in the tournament as his reason.

“He made 12 World Cup appearances and scored 10 goals,” he said. “He won the Golden Boot and made the quarter-finals and semi-finals. In no way am I saying Lineker is a better player than Cruyff, it’s just his World Cup record puts him ninth.”

Two-time finalist and one-time winner Zinedine Zidane came in at eighth, while Germany legend Gerd Muller, and former England captain Bobby Moore narrowly missed out on a top five spot.

“Fourteen goals in 13 World Cup appearances, 10 in one World Cup. Wow,” he said about Muller, before explaining his reasoning for Moore.

“He captained England at 22. I have seen footage of him, but to be made captain after his 12th cap aged 22, that says how good he must have been. He also won the World Cup, amazing.”

Franz Beckenbauer, the first man to win the World Cup as a player and manager rounds off the top five, before Lotthar Matthaus got the nod in fourth, having featured in a record five World Cup tournaments.

In third, Shearer had controversial Argentina legend Diego Maradona, having won it in 1986 as the undisputed best player, but he missed out on a top two spot to two Brazilian icons.

“He was unbelievable, we have talked about Ronaldo so many times. Braziliance. Another reason I had him second was 19 appearances, 15 goals and five assists,” he said about Ronaldo Nazario, who was the runner-up behind the obvious top choice, Pele, who remains the only man to have ever won three World Cups.

“You can’t imagine coming from Brazil at that age, that pressure. They are expected to win every tournament, every match they play in, he has super stardom wherever he goes. Amazing player.”

Micah Richards’ 10 Greatest World Cup Players

While Richards’ list also included his broadcast colleague Lineker, he had him at tenth, citing his excellent scoring record as a reason. Ahead of him in ninth was England legend Bobby Moore, although he admitted that he had only seen videos of the iconic defender, who skippered the Three Lions to glory in 1966..

Beckenbauer then comes in at eighth for the former Man City star, while his German colleague Muller also came in at seventh on his list, just like Shearer’s. In sixth, Netherlands legend Cruyff got the nod, with Richards describing him as ‘special’.

Opening Richards’ top five was Real Madrid icon Zidane, who was described as “technically, one of the best ever” in his reasoning for the placement.

In fourth, the former right-back went with Matthaus, after he claimed victory in one of his five World Cup appearances, before naming Brazil phenom Ronaldo in third.

Maradona was the man to get the nod in second place, but Richards agreed with Shearer when it came to top spot, handing it to Pele, admitting that he “had to be the winner”.

Sir Alex Ferguson has never been one to stop short of speaking his mind, and in the aftermath of PSG’s Champions League triumph in Budapest, the most acomplished manager in British football history made his feelings perfectly clear. both in congratulating the victors and in delivering a pointed verdict on the team they beat.

PSG retained the Champions League title in dramatic fashion. Kai Havertz had given the Gunners an early lead, only for Ousmane Dembélé to draw the Ligue 1 champions level from the penalty spot.

The match was decided from the very same place.

Eberechi Eze and Gabriel both missed penalties after the 1-1 draw to hand PSG the trophy. It was the French capital’s second consecutive European crown, following their 5-0 dismantling of Inter Milan in Munich twelve months earlier.

The victory means PSG have now won as many Champions League titles as Ferguson himself did during his legendary tenure at Manchester United.

Alex Ferguson’s Personal Message to Nasser Al-Khelaifi

According to L’Equipe, Ferguson reached out directly to PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in the wake of the final, sending a personal message that was warm in its praise of the Parisian club but considerably less generous towards their opponents:

It’s vintage Ferguson. Even in a message of congratulation, the former United boss couldn’t resist a dig at the side standing in the way, and his characterisation of Arsenal as a “boring team that did nothing but defend” won’t have gone down well at the Emirates.

Arteta’s side had set up to frustrate and contain, as they usually do, and while that approach almost worked, Ferguson was in no mood to offer any credit for it.

Alex Ferguson’s View Shared By PSG’s Joao Neves

Ferguson is far from alone in his assessment. PSG midfielder Joao Neves, speaking in the immediate aftermath of the final, aimed a dig of his own at Arsenal, stating that PSG were the only team “willing to play.” With him still basking in the euphoria of victory, Neves felt the time was right to mention Arsenal’s approach to the match.

The debate around Arsenal’s approach and overall playstyle will rumble on, as it has done for the last few years. Arteta will no doubt feel that winning the Premier League, reaching a Champions League final and taking the tie to penalties is no small achievement, regardless of how they set up. But with Ferguson’s words, and PSG’s players piling in, the Gunners face a somewhat uncomfortable aftermath to what should have been a historic occasion.

The summer begins for PSG in the best possible mood. Back-to-back Champions League titles, a Ligue 1 crown, and the personal congratulations of the most decorated manager the game has ever seen. Al-Khelaifi and his players will indeed enjoy their holidays.

Manchester United will complete the signing of a world-class player they want this summer ‘unless something crazy happens’, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The season may have only ended one week ago, but Man United are already making moves in the transfer market ahead of the summer window officially opening on June 15.

The Red Devils face the extra hindrance of the 2026 World Cup in their bid to bring in new talent this summer, but it appears as though some of their priority targets are players not making the trip to North America in the next weeks.

One of the club’s primary focuses during the close season is to give new manager Michael Carrick a strong central midfield for their return to Champions League football next term.

With Casemiro’s exit already confirmed and Manuel Ugarte up for sale, Kobbie Mainoo could be left as the only senior, specialist option in the position come the start of next season.

As a result, United are said to be targeting up to three new players in the position should the Uruguayan go, with the club considering signing two more options alongside an elite replacement for Casemiro.

Romano: Man United Will Almost Definitely Sign Ederson

Romano reported on Thursday that Man United were ‘very close’ to an agreement to sign Atalanta midfielder Ederson, as the club look to begin their midfield rebuild.

The ‘world-class’ Brazilian has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks, with the big positive about signing the 26-year-old the fact that he can link up with them at the start of pre-season after missing out on a spot in Carlo Ancelott’s World Cup squad.

Providing the latest on the move on Sunday afternoon, via his YouTube channel, Romano said:

“Ederson to Man United on player side is done, just waiting on these final touches between the two clubs. The sporting director, Cristiano Giuntoli, is obviously going to be very important in order to prepare this deal with Manchester United to close the numbers of this deal as well.

“It’s not going to be as was reported at the beginning, from Italy, [a fee of] more than €50m, it was never going to be the case. Man United hope to close this deal at around €40-45m. They are working again on these final touches, but I expect for sure Ederson to be a Man United player, unless something crazy happens.”

Which Other Midfielders are Man United Targeting?

Reports from Italy this month have suggested that Carrick also wants to bring in Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali as a potential Casemiro replacement, with one outlet suggesting that an agreement was close with the Magpies over a deal.

That remains to be seen given they reportedly value him at around the €100m mark, with the Red Devils surely wanting to negotiate a lower deal for the Italy international.

Romano has previously claimed that Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni is the club’s ‘dream’ Casemiro replacement, and he could be available for £70m if Los Blancos green-light an exit after their presidential process.

As well as Tonali and Tchouameni, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is their top midfield target, but his price tag and preference to join Manchester City mean a transfer is unlikely, as things stand.

United are also interested in West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, following the Irons’ relegation to the Championship, with the player keen to join and Bruno Fernandes a big fan of his 21-year-old Portuguese compatriot.”