Sunday, November 25, 2007

Top 100 Soccer Stars of all-time

I personally find this list - a product of the Association of Football Statisticians - to be way off base.
I have colour coded various names with my own interpretation.
Red - Should not be on this list all.
Green - are rated too high. Should receive a lower ranking but still remain on the list.
Blue - are rated too low. Need a higher ranking.
Black - about right more or less (the Goldilocks option)

16 Wonderful Players missing from this list:
George Best, Gianfranco Zola, Bobby Moore, Stanley Matthews, Josef Masopust, Garrincha (should be in the Top 10 never mind the Top 100), Jairzinho, Just Fontaine, Roger Milla, Jimmy Greaves, Sandor Kocsis, Gento, Eric Cantona, Ian Rush, Lev Yashin and Lato.

1.Pele (Brazil)
2.Ronaldo (Brazil)
3.Romario (Brazil) - 30 at best.
4.Luis Figo (Portugal) - shouldn't be in the top 40
5.Zinedine Zidane (France)
6.Diego Maradona (Argentina)
7.Lothar Matthaus (Germany)
8.Gerd Muller (Germany)
9.Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
10.Cafu (Brazil)
11.Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
12.Marco van Basten (Holland)
13.Michel Platini (France)
14.Rivaldo (Brazil)
15.Paolo Maldini (Italy)
16.Zico (Brazil)
17.Raul (Spain)
18.Ruud Gullit (Holland)
19.Eusebio (Portugal)
20.Ferenc Puskas (Hungary)
21.Johan Cruyff (Holland) - should be Top 10
22.Alfredo di Stefano(Argentina) - Top 10 as well
23.Bobby Charlton (England)
24.Jurgen Klinsmann (Ger)
25.Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)
26.Ali Daei (Iran)
27.Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
(Ger)
28.Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)
29.Michael Laudrup (Denmark)
30.Hristo Stoichkov (Bulgaria)
31.Dennis Bergkamp (Holland)
32.Frank Rijkaard (Holland)
33.Thierry Henry (France)
34.Pavel Nedved (Czech Rep)
35.Gheorghe Hagi (Romania)
36.Peter Schmeichel(Denmark)
37.Andrei Shevchenko (Ukraine)
38.Sepp Maier (Germany)
39.Didier Deschamps (France)
40.Lilian Thuram (France)
41.Enzo Francescoli (Uruguay)
42.Hakan Sukur (Turkey)
43.Paolo Rossi (Italy)
44.David Beckham (England)
45.Jean-Pierre Papin (France)
46.Kevin Keegan (England)
47.Marcel Desailly (France)
48.Oliver Kahn (Germany)
49.Alessandro Costacurta (Ita)
50.Clarence Seedorf (Holland)
51.Dino Zoff (Italy)
52.Patrick Kluivert (Holland)
53.Jari Litmanen (Finland)
54.Daniel Passarella (Arg)
55.Bixente Lizarazu (France)
56.Gary Lineker (England)
57.Ronaldhino (Brazil) - should be Top 20
58.Sylvain Wiltord (France)
59.Bebeto (Brazil)
60.Alessandro Del Piero (Italy)
61.Davor Suker (Croatia)
62.Ryan Giggs (Wales)
63.David Trezeguet (France)
64.Demetrio Albertini (Italy)
65.Patrick Vieira (France)
66.Jurgen Kohler (Germany)
67.Laurent Blanc (France)
68.Michael Owen (England)
69.Youri Djorkaeff (France
70.Frank De Boer (Holland)
71.Emilio Butragueno (Spain)
72.Hugo Sanchez (Mexico)
73.Rudi Voller (Germany)
74.Djalma Santos (Brazil)
75.Giacinto Facchetti (Italy)
76.Kanu (Nigeria)
77.Franco Baresi (Italy)
78.Gianni Rivera (Italy)
79.Roberto Baggio (Italy)
80.Oscar Ruggeri (Argentina)
81.Gheorghe Popescu(Romania)
82.Jon D. Tomasson (Denmark)
83.Raymond Kopa (France)
84.Carlos Valderrama (Colombia)
85.Rui Costa (Portugal)
86.Gary Neville (England)
87.Edgar Davids (Holland)
88.Claudio Taffarel (Brazil)
89.Paul Scholes (England)
90.Diego Simeone (Argentina)
91.Bryan Robson (England)
92.Roy Keane (Rep of Ireland)
93.Brian Laudrup (Denmark)
94.Henrik Larsson (Sweden)
95.Fabien Barthez (France)
96.Michael Ballack (Germany)
97.Jan Koller (Czech Republic)
98.Edwin van der Sar (Holland)
99.Robert Pires (France)
100.Johan Neeskens (Holland)

3 comments:

T.C. said...

What a ridiculous list.

I also agree with your assessments.

Anonymous said...

This list is way off I have to agree with the commentator I am 42 yrs old so Pele is b4 my time so MARADONA ( ARG ) gets my top spot PELE ( BRA ) IS NO 2 on pure respect ! CRYUFF ( HOL ) is No 3 MATTHAUS ( GER ) is No 4 and was Unstoppable Please open your eyes ?? No 5 is PLATINI ( FRA )and a few where are theys !! SEVICEVIC ( SER ) PROSENECKI ( CRO ) ???

Unknown said...

If you make World Cup Appearances as the first criteria, then half of this list disappears.
Add European Cup Champions as another criteria just to include George Best and you can come up with a better list.