Who is the Greatest Player Ever?

Are you Brazilian? Do you know Secos y Molhados?

and what about garincha??

and even though batistuta was pretty good, it was more like Maradonna let everyone look good.

hey when he went to italy he made the soccer team become italian champion and what did they as thanks?? they spit on him just because he has beaten italy. or what did maradonna do for spain?? they couldnt beat madrid without him?? and what happened they broke his legs.

Man Maradonna was the coolest... 

or was secos y molhados that indian that made pele look good?

In 1966 Pelé and Brasil was the favourites to win the World Cup in England (the third in a row for Pelé), but in the second game Pelé was injured by a defence who broke his leg. Brasil didn't won without Pelé. Four years later in México 1970, Pelé won his third World Championship brilliantly.

Thank you Al. At least I know the first name, the other I have never heard off.

Let's say that people with abundant knowledge of chess can call me a patzer whenever I talk about who is best in chess. Quite reasonable, isn't it?

Now, let three living legends of football talk. Three quotes of three very intelligent and very good football players:

Franz Beckenbauer (who has named an illegitimate son to Johan Cruijff):

Pelé is the greatest player of all time. He reigned supreme for 20 years. All the others - Diego Maradona, Johan Cruijff, Michel Platini - rank beneath him. There is no one to compare with Pelé.

Alfredo di Stefano (Argetinian):

The best player ever? Pelé. Messi (Argetinian) and Cristiano Ronaldo are both great players with specific qualities, but Pelé was better.

Johan Cruijff:

Pelé was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.

For non footballers: the nickname of Beckenbauer was 'Der Kaiser' (The Emperor), because he had a very dominant presence on the field. Barcelona is currently the best team in the world. They play the system developed by Johan Cruijff and have an internal education institute created by Johan Cruijff (and Louis van Gaal). Alfredo di Stefano is described by Pelé as the most complete football player in the history of the game.

I will admit that there might be other football legends coming up with other names. But those three football players have achieved very much in football, this is already impressive. If my arguments about chess are qualified not well founded because I am a patzer, then who is qualified enough to argue here with those legends of football? :-)

I rest my case.

By the way. Diego Maradona can't be the greatest football player 'cause he used drugs. I know drugs can't give you talent, but talent plus drugs in football are like talent plus Houdini in chess. Its a way of cheating I think...

no its not, maradonna won with his superior technique, he would win without drugs.

besides he is the greatest. You know he took an italian and a spanish team who had no hope to became nationalion champions and he alone made both teams win, he let argentinia to victory.

man Maradonna was so good at one time he stood alone in front of the opponents goal and he waited for 3 defenses players to come to outplay them again before making a goal. 

One interesting issue: The best football players of all times are almost Barzilian or Argentinian.

Pelé, Garrincha, Didi, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Tostao, and many more (Brasil).

Maradona, Messi, Di Stefano, Batistuta (Argentina). Why? I don't know.

Johan Cruijff, Günther Netzer, Franz Beckenbauer, Iniesta, Xavi, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, George Best, David Beckham, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Eusebio, Cristiano Ronaldo, George Best, Ruud Gullit, Paul Breitner, Thiery Henry, Casillas, Zubizarreta, Dino Zoff, Peter Shilton, Lev Jasjin, Bobby Charlton, Hagi, Luis Figo, Pavel Nedved, Paul Gascoigne, Gerd Müller, Paolo Maldini, Boniek, the Laudrups to name a few.

Georgie Best was NOT the best. Among British goalies, Peter Shilton is third behind Gordon Banks (whom Pele called the greatest goalie ever) and Ray Clemence. 

But I'm glad to see that Bobby Charlton got some love from Loek. Still, in a list that includes all those others, there should have been room for Kevin Keegan, probably Britain's best player in the 1970s. 

Loek's list of players is rather bereft of great defensive players though. Right now, Vincent Kompany tops my list as perhaps the best defensive player in the world. 

Some others that deserve mention: Lothar Matthaus, Gattuso, Santos, Carlos Alberto Torres (yeah, Pele wasn't alone on the greatest team of all time), Bobby Moore (whom Pele labelled the greatest defender he ever faced), and Maldini.

Netzach, really? He's your idea of Scotland's best player?

There's Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness, Ally McCoist (yeah, even tho he's one of the Gers, he was great) Jimmy Johnstone, John Greig (another Ranger) and how about that other Gemmell, Tommy! But you're also missing Dennis Law and the greatest footballer Scotland ever produced, 

King Kenny!

No.

Was just kidding-around as our Dutch friend forgot to include any Scots! 

Garry Kasparov all the time..

Never heard of that Kasparov guy. What sport did he play?

William Wallace,

and Murron MacClannough,

Jim Baxter?

Named after famous-soup:)

Kasparov was a very good football player of the CSKA Moskow team...