5 Greatest Argentina Players of All Time

Argentina are a nation perhaps now more fondly remembered for being the birthplace of two of the world’s greatest ever players, rather than the multiple World Cup-winning nation they once were. Nevertheless, Argentina have a prestige history, and there are many players who have played their part in their success throughout the years.

There are many of their past and present stars who will always be remembered in football by the ones who played for and against them—not to mention avid spectators who have now gone on to emulate their careers and attempt to surpass their sterling achievements. Choosing a small selection of greats seems an impossible task for a country that can boast such incredible talent throughout the years.

But who are the players that shone brightest of them all? There have been many influential Argentina stars who have left their own mark on the game, and some regarded as the best of their generation. So just who are the five greatest Argentina players of all time?

Daniel Alberto Passarella

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Passarella is a name barely spoken about in the modern era, but the centre-back was once regarded as the best defender in South American history. He’ll be best remembered for his time at River Plate, that saw him win six Primera Division titles. His greatest attribute when playing was his phenomenal scoring ability for a defender. Passarella scored over 130 goals in his career, and was the highest-scoring defender until Holland’s Ronald Koeman broke his record.

A two-time World Cup winner (1978, 1986), multiple winner of Argentina league titles (six) and named one of the 125 Greatest Living Footballers at FIFA’s 100 anniversary, Passerella was certainly one of the best of his generation, and he will have a place in Argentina folklore forever.

Javier Zanetti

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The now-veteran full-back Javier Zanetti has been consistently one of the best defenders in the world for 20 years. After making the big move to Serie A to play for Inter Milan in 1995, he’s been one of the first names on the teamsheets for the last 18 seasons. At the ripe age of 39, he still made 32 league starts in the last campaign, being subbed just three times. His desire to continue playing to a late age is impressive, but for a right-back it’s much more physically demanding, especially at the top level.

Zanetti boasts an impressive list of club and personal honours too. Five Serie A titles, four Coppa Italias, four Supercoppa Italias, one Champions League, one UEFA Cup (now Europa League) and one club World Cup from his time at Inter. As a player, he has been named in FIFA's top 125 players, while having earned five nominations for Team of the Year between 2003 and 2010 and a FIFPro World XI in 2010. Now a legend in football, few would argue against the veteran right-back deserving his place as one of Argentina’s greatest players.

Alfredo Di Stefano

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The legendary prolific scorer Alfredo Di Stefano is a name revered by the living greats of his generation and by anybody who has been fortunate enough to see him play. He will be best remembered for his time at Real Madrid that saw him break every scoring record known to man. He was the all-time top scorer for Real Madrid until Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed his 49-year record recently. According to Wikipedia, Di Stefano netted more than 485 goals in just 664 games.

The Argentine international won numerous league titles with River Plate, Millionarios and Real Madrid and is a two-time Ballon D’Or winner (1957, 1959). Regarded as one of Argentina’s greatest players, Di Stefano’s international career was somewhat of a disappointment. He played for three nations—Argentina, Spain and Columbia—but never made the World Cup finals. Nevertheless, he’s a name that will always be remembered in football for the sheer amount of goals he scored in his career, and certainly a deserving name as an Argentina great.

Diego Maradona

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Some still argue Maradona was the best player there has ever been in world football, but that’s a debate that will continue to rage on. What cannot be argued is that Maradona remains one of Argentina’s greatest footballers. The small forward shone in his native country and the Italian Serie A during his illustrious career with Argentinos & Napoli respectively, but Maradona will be best remembered for his World Cup exploits.

He captained his country to the 1986 World Cup final—which they won—with many suggesting Maradona had won the prestigious tournament single-handedly, after having scored or assisted 10 of the nation’s 14 goals, including his assist for the winning goal in the final, that saw them take home the World Cup. He scored what was named Goal of the Century against England in the quarter-finals, beating a number of England outfield players, before rounding the keeper and scoring from a narrow angle.

On the pitch, the ex-Napoli star would ring around his opponents, making world-class defenders look ordinary on a weekly basis. Maradona will frequently make lists for the best players of all time in the majority of publications, and there’s no doubt he’s one of the greatest to have come from Argentina. Brazil have Pele, Argentina have Maradona. While drugs and alcohol blighted the end of his career, there’s no doubt he was the best of his generation in his prime.

Lionel Messi

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Even more debates rage whether this tricky Barcelona forward is the greatest player of all time, but one thing is certain: he’s set to break every goal-scoring record and list of honour put in front of him. Staggeringly similar to Diego Maradona in his physique, preferred left foot and incredible dribbling ability, Messi plays in a side regarded as the greatest of their generation, while boasting every club & personal accomplishment known to man. La Liga titles (six), Champions League triumphs (three) and Ballon D’Or’s (four) are just some of the many honours he’s achieved already despite being only 26, not to mention the 340 goals he’s scored in 410 games for the Catalan giants, according to Transfermarkt.

The Barcelona man has featured 83 times for Argentina, but he has yet to shine in major international tournaments as he does at club level. However, that could all change in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. South American sides are expected to run riot this summer, and Lionel Messi is being tipped by many to lead Argentina to glory, like Maradona did in his prime. Should he achieve that as Maradona did, he’ll be revered in the same light as the veteran forward.