Who is the greatest player of all time? It’s a question that has been asked for many, many years. The answer tends to be either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, with the two superstars winning 13 Ballons d’Or between them. They have dominated football for an entire generation. Before them, though, there were Pele and Diego Maradona. The two South Americans dominated the sport during their era and are still in the GOAT conversation despite the emergence of Messi and Ronaldo.

While everyone has an opinion on the best players in the world, the opinions of those who have reached the pinnacle of football just hold a little bit more weight. That’s why it’s so interesting to hear from Ronaldo Nazario – the Brazilian Ronaldo – who named eight players who he thinks are in a ‘very special’ group among the greatest players of all time during an interview with The Guardian in 2022. And he didn’t include Cristiano in that.

While there can be no arguments over the players included, there are some notable absentees on Ronaldo’s list. How can he possibly exclude the Portuguese talisman? The likes of Michel Platini, Alfredo Di Stefano, Zinedine Zidane, George Best and Ferenc Puskas will all feel hard done by not being mentioned. But who are we to argue with the opinion of someone who has played at the very highest level and is one of the greatest strikers to have lived? So, let’s take a look at the eight players he did include – and why they deserve to be in the GOAT debate.

Diego Maradona

Argentina – Attacking midfielder

Diego Maradona is widely regarded as one of the greatest to have played the game. The Argentine played in four World Cups and led his nation to victory in 1986. His greatest achievement at club level was at Napoli, who he inspired to their first-ever Serie A title in 1986/87.

They won their second a few years later. If you’re to walk around Naples, you will see Maradona merchandise and graffiti down almost every street. He’s remembered as a god in the city and for every reason. He was a larger-than-life character who was capable of producing magic with the ball at his feet. Remember that goal against England? Incredible.

Lionel Messi

Argentina – Forward

Reuters/Maria Lysaker

From one Argentine legend to another. While Maradona may be considered one of the best, Messi might just be the best. The Inter Miami man has won everything he could possibly get his hands on and his 2022 World Cup triumph may well have secured his GOAT status. There are too many records and accolades to speak about but 672 goals in 778 appearances for Barcelona goes some way to explaining his brilliance.

But Messi simply isn’t about goals. Yes, he may go down as the greatest goalscorer of all time, but he’ll also go down as the greatest playmaker, the greatest dribbler and surely the greatest player of all time. No one has won the Ballon d’Or more than his incredible tally of eight.

Johan Cruyff

Netherlands – Attacking midfielder

He may not be considered the very best, but Johan Cruyff is surely the most influential and revolutionary footballer ever. The Dutchman won three Ballons d’Or in 1971, 1973, and 1974, establishing himself as an Ajax and Barcelona legend. He’s also responsible for inventing the ‘Cruyff’ turn – a skill that is still widely used in modern football as a way to skillfully beat defenders.

Creating your own move is enough to earn a legacy as one of the greatest footballers of all time, and it wasn’t just on the pitch where he thrived. His managing career wasn’t bad either for both of those clubs, becoming one of the best managers of all time, too.

Franz Beckenbauer

Germany – Defender

The greatest defender of all time? Well, Ronaldo appears to think so, with Beckenbauer being the only defensive-minded player to feature in his list of seven. But the German is fully deserving of his place. Beckenbauer is credited with inventing the ‘modern sweeper’ role and is one of just nine players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the European Champions Cup and the Ballon d’Or.

He played almost 600 times for Bayern Munich, winning everything there was to win. Never before had there been a force at the back quite as dominant as Beckenbauer, and he truly was the peak version of what a defender could be.

Pele

Brazil – Forward

As Ronaldo said, you “can’t compare generations.” And he’s right. How good was Pele? There aren’t too many people alive who can say they watched Pele in his prime and remember just how good he was. We don’t even know how many goals he scored.

The figures are often disputed but FIFA state the Brazilian scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. What we do know is that he won three World Cups for Brazil and is a Santos legend. His impact on the game was absolutely tremendous and, considering the level of players that he inspired and influenced in the years since, it’s hard to deny just how important he’s been to football.

Marco van Basten

Netherlands – Forward

Marco van Basten is regarded as one of the best strikers ever – and that’s despite playing his final match at the age of 28 following an ankle injury. He won the Ballon d’Or on three occasions – 1988, 1989 and 1992. He also won three Eredivisie titles and the Cup Winners’ Cup with Ajax, and four Serie A titles and three European Cups with AC Milan.

It wasn’t just at club level where he thrived, though. For the Netherlands, he scored 24 goals and helped them win Euro 1988 in a tournament where he scored five goals – including that volley against the Soviet Union in the final. Just imagine how much more we could have gotten if he hadn’t been forced to retire so early.

Ronaldinho

Brazil – Winger

Ronaldinho is rarely mentioned in the GOAT debate, but there can be no denying how uniquely brilliant the Brazilian was. At his peak, he was the best in the world, winning the Ballon d’Or in 2005. It was simply a joy to watch Ronaldinho during those 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons at Barcelona.

Smiling his way through world-class performances and match-winning moments. One of the most skilful players in history. He would do things with a football that we’d never seen before and while his peak wasn’t quite as long as some of the other players on this list, it was certainly one of the most impressive for what we got.

Ronaldo Nazario

Brazil – Forward

Ronaldo picked himself as one of the eight greatest players of all time. And, you know what? We don’t blame him. We’re going to defend Ronaldo for his ego trip because he was one of the greatest strikers ever. He was the first real superstar in football with those Nike Mercurial Vapors and blistering pace, Ronaldo was almost impossible to stop. That was until those devastating knee injuries threatened to derail his career.

At 20, Ronaldo had the world at his feet following a move from PSV to Barcelona for a world record fee. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year. A year later, he broke the transfer record again when Inter signed him, and he became the youngest recipient of the Ballon d’Or when he claimed it at 21. 59 goals in 99 appearances for Inter Milan earned him a move to Real Madrid, where a further 104 goals were scored. He finished his career at AC Milan and Corinthians before injuries finally took their toll. But what a player.

Statistics via Transfermarkt and FIFA.com (Correct as of 25/06/26)