Top 10 footballers of all time: Who are on the IFFHS list?
There is no right answer to this question of who is the best in football of all time. The debate has been going on for ages. Pele, Maradona, Messi or Ronaldo? Despite logic, argument and analysis, there is no way to choose anyone unanimously to answer this question. Counterarguments arise.
For example, the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has published a list of the 10 best footballers of all time on their website, with Lionel Messi at the top. This list has also sparked controversy. Naturally. Fans of Pele and Diego Maradona will not remain silent. Fans of Cristiano Ronaldo can also protest.
Before going into that argument, it is necessary to know a little about the IFFHS. German chemist and sports historian Alfred Poge founded the IFFHS in Leipzig in 1984. This organization preserves the statistics, records and history of association football. This organization has no affiliation with FIFA, but the website of the football governing body recognizes various awards and records given by the IFFHS. More than 211 football-playing countries are represented in the IFFHS. This organization also gives various awards annually—the world's best referee, club coach, national team coach, goalkeeper, playmaker, team of the year…
The IFFHS did not explain how it chose the top 10 footballers of all time. However, since statistics are their main business, it is assumed that statistics were the main consideration here. Spanish media outlet Marca also reported that the IFFHS prepared this list of the best players of all time based on the players' individual and team statistics and achievements.
Messi, who is at the top, has 46 team titles. He has won 35 for Barcelona, three for PSG, two for Inter Miami and six for Argentina. In addition to this, he has eight Ballon d'Ors, the European Golden Shoe, the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball, the Copa America Golden Ball... Messi is the most successful in the history of football in terms of team and individual trophies.
The second Pele's number of titles is quite less than Messi's. Marca reported in a report published after Pele's death in 2022 that Pele won 29 titles in his career. However, no one has won more World Cups (three) than the Brazilian legend. When Pele played, the Ballon d'Or was only given to Europeans. However, France Football magazine, which gives the Ballon d'Or, told them in a special edition in 2015 that Pele could have won the Ballon d'Or seven times in his career.
Argentine legend and '86 World Cup hero Diego Maradona is third on the list. The legend has won 11 titles with club and national team. The reason Maradona is chosen as third despite being behind in terms of number of titles is probably his influence on the game. Almost single-handedly winning the World Cup for his country, single-handedly raising a club like Napoli to the ranks of the world's best - Maradona is also unforgettable for these contributions.