50. Wayne Rooney
It was never a debate between Ronaldo and Messi in the early days: Wayne Rooney was far more highly-rated than his Manchester United colleague. And considering that he would smash goalscoring records for both club and country, it's somewhat strange that his career paled in comparison to those two since, with his retirement at 35 a crying shame considering the longevity of a modern player.
The Merseyside lad was equal parts power and precision across a career that began as a 16-year-old netting on his debut against Arsenal. Rooney was physically supreme, pacy and aggressive but could caress the ball like few other Englishmen have ever have.
Career highlight: His astounding Euro 2004 tournament in which he top-scored and announced himself as the most exciting wonderkid on the continent.
49. Didi
“I’m nothing compared to Didi. I’ll never be anywhere near as good as he is,” Pele once said. Dubbed the Ethiopian Prince because of his elegant style, the midfielder won the World Cup with Brazil in 1958 and 1962, and even had a stint with Real Madrid.
Didi is also attributed with first using the 'knuckleball' free-kick that has become so common. The pioneer would make dead balls swerve unexpectedly, helping him score plenty of career goals.
Career highlight: Beating Pele and 13-goal Just Fontaine to player of the tournament in 1958.
48. Gianluigi Buffon
Most footballers begin to wane at 30 - Buffon balanced quality and longevity like a 1970s Coppola movie, winning eight more Serie A titles with Juventus, to take his tally to 10. He’s the only goalkeeper to make the Ballon d’Or top two since Dino Zoff in 1973. He only retired in 2023, aged 45, after returning to boyhood side Parma in Serie B.
Career highlight: World Cup glory with Italy in 2006, just as Juventus side were being relegated to Serie B because of Calciopoli.
47. Gunter Netzer
An elegant playmaker, Netzer was one of the game’s best ever passers, able to put the ball on a spot from any distance. The leader of a Monchengladbach team that won two Bundesliga titles, he left for Real Madrid and won two more championships.
Career highlight: Star of the show as West Germany were crowned European champions in 1972.
46. Paolo Rossi
Little Paolo, that most slightly built of strikers, also possessed a ruthless and predatory edge. Rossi scored for fun at Vicenza and Perugia, before really making his mark with Juventus and Italy at the 1982 World Cup, winning both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball.
Career highlight: His legendary hat-trick against favourites Brazil in 1982 - his autobiography was entitled I Made Brazil Cry.
45. Robert Lewandowski
But for a pesky ash cloud stopping the Pole from flying to England, Sam Allardyce hoped to lure Lewandowski to Blackburn in 2010 - instead he signed for Borussia Dortmund, spearheaded them to two Bundesliga titles, then scored 344 goals in 375 games for Bayern Munich.
After conquering Europe with Bayern in 2020 - the year in which the Ballon d’Or was his, if France Football hadn’t cancelled it - Lewandowski opted for a new challenge with Barcelona. He continues to smash goals in at a rate of knots. Still pines for Ewood Park, though.
Career highlight: Though he scored five goals in just nine minutes in 2015, Lewandowski will always look back at the 2020/21 season fondly. Overtaking Gerd Muller's 50-year Bundesliga goalscoring record, the Pole struck 41 times in a single campaign - and he made just 29 appearances, too.
44. Kenny Dalglish
Kenny wasn't the quickest of movers but he was 20 yards quicker than anybody else with his football brain and he would be in position before any defender knew what was happening.
Ronnie Moran
As well as scoring a joint-record 30 Scotland goals in a record 102 Scotland caps, he became the first player to net 100 goals in both the Scottish and English leagues, and formed a formidable partnership with the emerging Ian Rush at Liverpool, often as the provider. “I had no preference between scoring and creating - it didn’t matter as long as it ended in a goal,” he explained.
Dalglish would win eight league titles at Anfield, and two more European Cups, finishing second only to Michel Platini in the 1983 Ballon d’Or. “When Kenny shines, the whole team is illuminated,” Paisley said. No Liverpool player has ever shone brighter than Sir Kenneth Dalglish.
Career highlight: Equally adept as a provider and a scorer of goals, Dalglish’s calm chipped effort to win the 1978 European Cup Final against Bruges demonstrated there was no more composed finisher in the game.
43. Michael Laudrup
A playmaker of seamless silkiness, Laudrup remains the greatest Danish player of all time. A stalwart of Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team that won four successive league titles for Barcelona, he then went full Luis Figo, joining Real Madrid and immediately halting that run. Andres Iniesta called him “the best player in history” - no wonder Swansea hired him.
Career highlight: Lifting Barcelona’s first European Cup, at Wembley in 1992.
42. Carlos Alberto
Brazil’s captain led the way for a new generation of more attacking full backs, paving the way for Cafu, Roberto Carlos and more. His leadership was pivotal at the World Cup in 1970, and he also enjoyed success alongside Pele at Santos.
Career highlight: His stunning finish in the World Cup final against Italy, rounding off a stellar team move, is rated by many as the greatest ever scored.
41. Francisco 'Paco' Gento
Lightning quick, the outside left joined Real Madrid in 1953 - by the time he retired in 1971, he’d amassed 12 La Liga titles, and become the only player in history to win six European Cups. Yes, one more than you, Cristiano…
Career highlight: As a veteran, captaining Madrid to victory against Partizan Belgrade in the 1966 European Cup Final, six years after his previous triumph.
