The debate over the greatest footballer of all time is always between two legends Pele and Diego Maradona. However, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has ranked Argentine superstar Lionel Messi above them. The German organization has released a list of the greatest footballers of all time. Messi is at the top and Pele and Maradona are in second and third place, respectively.
The IFFHS, founded in 1984, has compiled this list based on the players‘ individual and team statistics. Messi has won a maximum of 46 titles on a team basis so far. And he has numerous achievements on an individual basis. These include a record eight Ballon d’Ors. Messi, who won the 2022 World Cup for Albiceleste, is the player who has won the most titles in football history. He has won 35 for Barcelona, 3 for PSG, 2 for Inter Miami and 6 titles, including the World Cup (2022) for Argentina.
In this way, the IFFHS has compiled this list of the top 10 players of all time, taking team and individual achievements as the criteria. Brazilian legend Pele is in second place. He is the only player in history to have won three World Cups in 1958, 1962 and 1970. Maradona was the favorite competitor of football fans in the best fight of all time. Like Messi, his compatriot has also won one World Cup. After winning in 1986, he lost in 1990. The German organization has placed him third on the list.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who has long been Messi’s arch-rival, has been ranked fourth by the IFFHS. The highest scorer in football history (935 goals so far) has yet to win a World Cup. He won the 2026 European Championship. The top 10 on the list are, from fifth to tenth, Johan Cruyff of the Netherlands, Ronaldo Nazario of Brazil, Zinedine Zidane of France, Franz Beckenbauer of Germany, Alfredo Di Stefano of Argentina and Ronaldinho of Brazil.
The top ten footballers of all time are ranked with three each from arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina. Portugal, the Netherlands, France and Germany each have one place. Not only did all three players on the list win the World Cup, but all but Ronaldo, Cruyff and Di Stefano have won the highest club trophy in football.
