70. Hristo Stoichkov
Among an esteemed list of Barcelona’s greatest forwards, Hristo Stoichkov stands out. The explosive Bulgarian formed an inimitable partnership with Romario in Catalonia, helping his team to five La Liga titles, a Champions League and two Copa del Reys.
He scored 162 goals in 341 appearances for the Blaugrana, having previously starred for CKSA Sofia in his homeland. Among his many individual accolades were the 1994 Ballon d’Or, the 1990 European Golden Shoe and five Bulgarian Footballer of the Year awards.
69. Kylian Mbappe
Kylian Mbappe is still just 25 but already he has established himself as one of Europe’s best ever players. The precocious Frenchman is so prolific that it is now just assumed that he will score at least 30 goals a season.
Having already won six Ligue 1 titles and a World Cup - as well as earning six Ballon d’Or nominations - there are likely to be far more team and individual accolades to come for Mbappe, who is set for a long-awaited move to Real Madrid.
68. Allan Simonsen
One of Denmark’s most gifted attacking players, Allan Simonsen had an exceptional career throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning with Borussia Monchengladbach, he fired the German side to three Bundesliga titles and two Uefa Cups. Simonsen won the Ballon d’Or in 1977, before making the switch to Barcelona in 1979.
After three seasons in Catalonia, and a brief stint at Charlton, he finished his career with Danish side Vejle, winning another league title. With 55 caps and 20 goals for the national team, Simonsen was without question one of Scandinavia’s greats.
67. Gary Lineker
Known by many younger football fans primarily for his work as a television presenter, Gary Lineker was among the world’s best strikers in the 1980s and early 90s. Prolific as a youngster for his hometown club Leicester, he went on to star for Everton (briefly), Barcelona and Tottenham, while enjoying a superb international career for England.
Though he never won a First Division title, Lineker was the league’s top scorer in 1984/85, 1985/86 and 1989/90. For England, he scored 48 goals in 80 appearances.
66. Fabio Cannavaro
A diminutive but terrier-like defender, Fabio Cannavaro’s lack of height did not detract from his domineering presence. The centre-back was impervious at his best, excelling in spells with Napoli, Parma, Inter, Juventus and Real Madrid.
Perhaps his greatest achievement came in international football, though. Cannavaro captained Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, proving a gladiatorial leader from the back. As a result of that success, he won the Ballon d’Or in the same year, and followed that with two La Liga titles at Real Madrid.
65. Jimmy Greaves
An England icon and one of the stars of the 1960s, Jimmy Greaves will always be considered one of the country’s greatest ever strikers. He was prolific for both Tottenham and Chelsea, scoring over 400 goals during his period at both clubs.
And he played his part in England’s 1966 World Cup win, despite missing the final with an injury. No Three Lions striker has ever scored at a better rate (0.77 goals per game) than Greaves, who passed away aged 81 in 2021.
64. Josef Masopust
Perhaps the greatest ever Czechoslovakian player, Josef Masopust was exceptional for Dukla Prague and the national team over a long and productive career. The industrious, technically-gifted midfielder won eight Czechoslovak league titles and three Czechoslovak cups.
He was influential for his country in the 1962 World Cup, guiding them to the final where they were beaten by Brazil. Still, that was enough for Masopust to win the 1962 Ballon d’Or. After an equally committed managerial career, Masopust passed away in 2015.
63. Just Fontaine
One of the great post-war footballers, Just Fontaine scored goals for fun both domestically and internationally. The French striker netted at a rate of over a goal a game across three seasons with Moroccan side USM Casablanca, following that with prolific spells at Nice and Reims.
He holds the record for the most goals scored at a World Cup, with 13 in just six matches in 1958. Though he could only finish third at both the World Cup and in the Ballon d’Or nominations that year, there is no doubting that Fontaine was one of Europe’s most potent goal scorers.
62. Florian Albert
The 1967 Ballon d’Or winner grew up watching Hungary’s legendary Mighty Magyars team, and while he did not have the supporting cast to match the achievements of Ferenc Puskas on the international stage, this elegant and skilful forward enjoyed a 16-year one-club career with Ferencvaros, where he scored almost 300 goals and won four league titles.
Winner of the Best Young Player Award in the 1962 World Cup in Chile, he ended the 1966 tournament as the joint-leading scorer and is recognised alongside the likes of Puskas, Kocsi, Kubala and Hidegkuti as the greatest-ever Hungarian players.
61. Frank Rijkaard
Predominantly a cultured defensive midfielder, Rijkaard was one of the best players of his era. He would win just about every honour available, first with Ajax and then at AC Milan, where he formed an iconic Dutch triumvirate alongside Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit fresh from their Euro 88 victory.
On the pitch he combined strength, speed, skill and versatility with a tactical acumen that he carried through into his coaching career, where he would win the Champions League with Barcelona. After a two-year stint in charge of the Saudi Arabia national team, he has now been out of the game for more than a decade.
