30. Ruud Gullit
Seldom do you see someone with such physical strength as well as technical ability. Ruud was extremely powerful and a goalscorer.
Sven-Goran Eriksson
A footballer of impossible elegance, Gullit’s actual position was hard to define. At Feyenoord, he began as a sweeper before moving into a midfield playmaking role. At Milan, he played on the right of a front three and in the hole. Even before he became European champion for club and country, he won the Ballon d’Or in 1987.
Career highlight: Netting the crucial first goal in the Euro 88 final, then the 1989 European Cup final. Sexy football.
29. Thierry Henry
MARK WHITE Grace, pace, strength and vision: The making of Thierry Henry
Untouchable for the half-decade he spent at his peak, Henry guided Arsenal through the most glittering period of their modern history, scoring incredible goal after incredible goal. Our choice as the greatest-ever Premier League player in 2021, Henry also won the World Cup and the Euros with France. Va va voom indeed.
Career highlight: His 30-goal 2003-04 for Arsenal, making the Gunners the Invincibles.
28. Luka Modric
Once an actual goat herder in his youth, Modric’s supreme passing skills were pivotal to herding Cristiano Ronaldo and Co to Champions League glory at Real Madrid. He’s now bagged the trophy five times, a joint record for the post European Cup era.
Career highlight: Breaking the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly on the Ballon d’Or, after guiding Croatia to a first World Cup final in 2018.
27. Roberto Baggio
A No.10 who scored and created with equal glee. One of the biggest stars of not one but two World Cups, the Divine Ponytail bagged a solo goal for the ages against Czechoslovakia in 1990, then spearheaded Italy’s run to the final in 1994. Admittedly, that didn’t end well.
Career highlight: Winning the 1993 Ballon d’Or, during his days with Juventus.
26. 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.
25. Franco Baresi
The Milan team that won the European Cup in 1989 and 1990 had arguably the finest defence there has ever been - Baresi was its leader and, as libero, its central asset. Having helped the club out of Serie B in 1983, he won six Serie A six times.
Career highlight: In the 1989 Milan derby, Baresi played on with a broken arm, in a 3-0 victory.
24. Andres Iniesta
Football’s modern age has given us more exciting players, but few as gorgeously watchable. There was no way he’d ever surrender possession – not just through the precision of his passing, but the meandering runs into the final third.
Career highlight: Guiding home the goal that won the 2010 World Cup, a strike whose chaotic build-up was punctuated momentarily by a cigar-puffing backheel from the man himself.
23. Xavi
Often seemingly joined at the hip to Iniesta, Xavi was the heartbeat of arguably the greatest club team of all time, and a Spain side that lifted three successive trophies. This century, only three players have made the Ballon d’Or top three on at least three occasions - he’s one of them.
Career highlight: Signing off as a Barcelona player with his fourth Champions League triumph in 2015.
22. Lev Yashin
Yashin saved more than 150 penalties during his career, keeping 270 clean sheets and at the 1966 World Cup, he helped the USSR to fourth place, their best-ever performance. When a Ballon d’Or all-time dream team was selected in 2020, it was Yashin who was chosen between the sticks, ahead of Manuel Neuer, Gigi Buffon and a host of other legends. With the year’s best goalkeeper now awarded the Yashin Trophy, he remains the gold standard for all aspiring shot-stoppers.
Career highlight: Becoming the only goalkeeper to have ever won the Ballon d'Or, back in 1963.
21. Ronaldinho
His buck-tooth smile made him one of the most recognisable faces in football. Ronaldinho was a rare case of a man who could make the unpredictable seem commonplace on the field. He was twice voted FIFA World Player of the Year, and was indeed the best player on the planet in the mid-2000s.
If greatness was measured in joy, Ronaldinho would leave the others by some distance during his five seasons at Barcelona, which delivered two league titles and a Champions League crown. He would later emulate his best days at Atletico Mineiro in their victorious Copa Libertadores campaign.
Career highlight: Winning the 2002 World Cup as part a formidable trio with Ronaldo and Rivaldo dubbed by Brazilian commentator Galvao Bueno as ‘the three Rs’.
