Ranking the 15 Best Soccer Players Ever According to Fans

Ranking the best footballers of all time is no easy task. The game has evolved so much over its history that comparing a player from one era to another is almost impossible. 

It's like comparing eating an orange at half-time to squeezing out a tube of orange-flavored energy gel. One is definitely more advanced, but is it actually better?

But after taking into account factors such as team success, individual accolades, raw ability and lasting legacy, the B/R World Football team narrowed it down to a tight 99, with Lionel Messi taking the top spot nearly unanimously.

But what do we know?

That's why we gave readers the opportunity to tweak the top 15 to their liking, and the response was overwhelming.

Ahead, here's how the votes shook out in comparison to the B/R expert picks—and the results might surprise you. 

Also See: B/R 99: Ranking the 99 Best Men's Soccer Players of All Time

15. Ferenc Puskás

B/R All-Time 99: 14

Perhaps there are more fans of the Puskás Trophy than Ferenc Puskás himself, with the Hungarian dropping a spot to 15th in the fans' poll. 

The Real Madrid legend undoubtedly suffers from limited available video evidence, but he scored at a rate of nearly a goal per game for Los Blancos and won five league titles with the club.

Perhaps if his YouTube comp was in color or wasn't so grainy he would have gotten a little bit more love.

14. Michel Platini

B/R All-Time 99: 13

A man with three Ballons d'Or still dropped a place in the readers' all-time poll. 

Michel Platini's standing in the eyes of football's faithful is undoubtedly tainted by his involvement in various scandals while president of the European governing body UEFA, and that could be the reason for his slip. 

Accusations of corruption in the bowels of football governance can make it easy to forget how impressive he was on the pitch. 

Platini won a European Championship with France, as well as two Serie A titles and a European Cup with Juventus. Still, that's not enough for him to get more credit here. 

13. Alfredo Di Stéfano

B/R All-Time 99: 11

A Real Madrid legend drops two places in the readers' estimation. Sparse video footage of Alfredo Di Stefano in his prime likely harms his placement, but it's hard to argue with the stats. 

His 308 goals for Real Madrid would stand as a record for 45 years until Raul surpassed him in 2009. 

Di Stefano's legacy also suffers because of a lack of international football, but his achievements in the club game are hard to top. 

12. Xavi Hernandez

B/R All-Time 99: 12

What Xavi Hernandez lacked in size, he made up for in influence. The diminutive Spaniard could control games with ease, picking perfect passes, dictating possession, and inevitably unlocking stout defenses. 

A focal point of the tiki-taka style of play popularized by Pep Guardiola at Barcelona that would dominate elite football tactics for the best part of a decade, Xavi was an essential cog in a system that would deliver trophies in truckloads. 

If passing accuracy was the leading metric to determine the best player ever, Xavi would probably be No. 1. 

11. Thierry Henry

B/R All-Time 99: 15

The biggest riser in the fan poll is Thierry Henry, who jumped four places from 15th to 11th in the reader reckoning.

The Frenchman is almost universally loved, thanks to a bulging highlight reel that blends pace, power, precision, and potency. 

Few have played the game with such swagger, and that effortless cool made him difficult to take your eyes off, regardless of what team you were supporting. 

In fact, he's such a trend-setter that scoring a goal these days is almost inevitably followed by an Henry-like knee slide. 

10. Andrés Iniesta

B/R All-Time 99: 10

Similarly to how difficult it was to dispossess Andrés Iniesta of the ball, he effortlessly clings on to the No. 10 spot in the fans' poll. 

Among the most successful midfielders the game has ever seen, Iniesta would have picked up more individual accolades if he didn't exist in the same timeline as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

But, as Nick Akerman said in the B/R All-Time 99 ranking, "understated brilliance" was what the Spaniard was all about, and taking up a loftier position in either poll and garnering more attention would not exactly be his style.

9. Franz Beckenbauer

B/R All-Time 99: 9

On the football pitch, it was difficult to move Franz Beckenbauer. It's a similar case here, with the German sticking around at No. 9 in both polls.

Only two defenders featured in the top 20 of the B/R All-Time 99 selection, and Beckenbauer was so good he even cracked the top 10. 

The man redefined what it meant to be a defender, shaping the center-back position for years to come.

8. Johan Cruyff

B/R All-Time 99: 6

The fans dropped Johan Cruyff two places compared to the B/R team poll, and that's harsh on the Ajax and Barcelona hero.

The Dutchman was a huge influence on the game we know today, and while he's not spoken of as highly as players like Pelé and Diego Maradona, Cruyff's own impact on the evolution of football carries just as much weight. 

In addition to being one of the most astute tactical minds in the game's history, he frequently made jaws drop with his inventive goals and skills. Impossible was obviously not a word in his vocabulary.

7. Ronaldinho

B/R All-Time 99: 8

Few players have had as much fun on a professional football pitch as Ronaldinho.

Despite the immense pressure placed upon footballers by those in the crowd, the media, opponents, and managers, the Brazilian always seemed to be having a kick-around with his friends on the beach. 

Not many have made the crowd of an opposing team stand up and applaud, especially not in the cauldron of an El Clásico fixture between rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona. Ronaldinho did just that in 2005, when the Bernabéu clapped him off the pitch after a mesmerizing two-goal display.

That appreciation from all sides likely prompted his rise from eighth to seventh in the fan ranking.

6. Zinédine Zidane

B/R All-Time 99: 7

Don't tell Marco Materazzi, but apparently the fans still love Zinedine Zidane, giving him a small boost in the All-Time 99 ranking to sixth. 

The Frenchman might not have been the most energetic player on this list, but he was still able to produce electric moments, and that's all that really matters to those who were blessed to watch him in his prime—and in highlight reels for years to come.

Zidane's legend endures for his stunning goals and delightful ball control, and he could probably still dictate games at 53 years old with his languid style from the middle of the pitch.  

5. Ronaldo Nazário

B/R All-Time 99: 5

The height of Ronaldo Nazário's career might have only lasted 10 years, but it was truly a memorable decade. 

The readers and the B/R team agreed on a fifth-place finish, which could have been higher on both counts if he had a little more longevity. 

However, he still outranked 94 others because of his blistering speed, ruthless finishing, and his status as one of the most devastating strikers to have ever lived.

The less said about that haircut, the better.

4. Diego Maradona

B/R All-Time 99: 3

Apparently, some of the voters in the readers' poll were English.

Diego Maradona, the man famous for the "Hand of God" goal against the Three Lions in the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals, has been bumped down a peg by the readers.

Regardless of whether that was because of lingering outrage at that moment or simply because of the merits of the players above him, the Argentinian is still among the leading quartet of the finest to ever grace a football pitch. 

While he certainly courted controversy during his 60 years on planet Earth, it's clear that his remarkable abilities are still remembered fondly by those with a love of the beautiful game.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

B/R All-Time 99: 4

Perhaps surprisingly given the heated debate about whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the best football player in history, the Portuguese didn't even make the top two in the readers' poll. However, voters did place him one spot higher than the B/R panel. 

A podium finish is well deserved for a footballer who has practically rewritten what it means to be an athlete in this sport, defying Father Time and continuing to put up numbers at club and international level despite entering his forties. 

A World Cup title with Portugal would surely have elevated his standing in both the B/R team's and readers' polls, and while there's still time to make that happen, it would be too late to make a difference on this occasion.

2. Pelé

B/R All-Time 99: 2

The man who was practically uncontested as the definition of football greatness for nearly half a century takes the runner-up spot among readers, mirroring the B/R experts' pick. 

While many who selected highly would likely have been too young to see him play in an actual match, the stats, the videos, and the anecdotal evidence to prove his greatness were enough to earn the Brazilian plenty of votes.

The image of him being hoisted aloft after the 1970 World Cup final over Italy, in which he scored the opener in a 4-1 victory, will endure as a standout example of how much the phenomenal talent was adored.

1. Lionel Messi

B/R All-Time 99: 1

Just like the B/R panel, readers put Lionel Messi at the top of the all-time tree.

The Argentinian maestro could further add to his legacy at the 2026 World Cup, and a consecutive title win with his nation would surely shut down the GOAT debate for good. 

For now, though, his enviable trophy haul—both with his team and individually—and his persistent magnificence are enough to earn the No. 1 spot from all angles here.

It's no wonder that Messi is so highly acclaimed. His dazzling footwork, his selfless nature, his accuracy from dead-ball situations, and his outstanding scoring record are just a few of the many factors that make him so beloved.

Fans and pundits are always on the lookout for the next Messi. However, the Barcelona icon is truly one of a kind.