Chronicle Editor
TODAY Chronicle continues with the si.com list of players ranked between 21-30 as already those in the 31-50 group have been published.
In this category are some exciting names which had the world spellbound because of their exploits on the field for top clubs and countries.
30. Bobby Moore
Peak: 1964-70
Major Achievements: 1966 Fifa World Cup, 1970 Ballon d’Or runner-up, 1964 FA Cup, PFA Player of the Century, Fifa World Cup All-Time Team.
Winning the World Cup is an incredible achievement, and it’s one that would not have been possible without one of the greatest defenders and leaders of all time: Bobby Moore.
A class act both on and off the pitch, Moore has been rightfully immortalized in statue form outside of Wembley Stadium.
29. Socrates
Peak: 1976-84
Major Achievements: Three Campeonato Paulista, 1983 South American Footballer of the Year, 1980 Bola de Prata, 1976 Campeonato Paulista top scorer.
A man as important off the field the as he was on it, he democratised Corinthians, creating a voting system for the club’s decision making process.
The “Doctor” is one of the most significant figures in Brazilian football history.
A rare mix of elegance and power, Socrates was the perfect all-round midfielder.
28. Sandor Kocsis
Peak: 1950-55
Major Achievements: Olympic gold medal, 1954 Fifa World Cup Golden Boot, 1954 Fifa World Cup runner-up, 75 goals in 68 caps for Hungary, two La Liga titles, four Hungarian titles.
Sandor Kocsis scored 75 goals in 68 international appearances for Hungary.
In 1954, Sandor Kocsis scored 23 goals in 14 international appearances for Hungary. At the 1954 Fifa World Cup, Sandor Kocsis scored 11 goals in five games. All of the aforementioned facts exemplify one simple thing: Sandor Kocsis scored goals. A shocking amount of goals.
27. Lothar Matthaus
Peak: 1988-92
Major Achievements: 1990 Ballon d’Or, 1991 Fifa World Player of the Year, 1990 Fifa World Cup, 1980 Uefa European Football Championship, two Uefa Cups, seven Bundesliga titles, one Scudetto, three DFB-Pokal titles.
Put simply, Matthaus was the most complete player of his generation, a generation that just so happened to spawn the likes of Michel Platini, Diego Maradona, Zico etc.
A natural born winner, and a natural born world shaker (his goal against Yugoslavia at the 1990 Fifa World Cup definitely registered on the Richter scale), Matthaus could, and did, do it all.
26. Ronaldinho
Major Achievements: 2005 Ballon d’Or, 2004 & 2005 Fifa World Player of the Year, 2005/06 Uefa Club Footballer of the Year, 2004 & 2005 FIFPro World Player of the Year, one Uefa Champions League, two La Liga titles, one Scudetto.
“The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long,” is a quote that perfectly encapsulates Ronaldinho’s career.
Between 2004 and 2006, the world bore witness to something truly special: a footballer who played the beautiful game with genuine joy.
The flicks, the tricks, the gold boots, the smile, Ronaldinho was a walking advertisement for everything good about soccer.
25. Ruud Gullit
Peak: 1986-90
Major Achievements: 1987 Ballon d’Or, two-time Dutch Footballer of the Year, 1988 Uefa European Championship, two European Cups, three Scudetti, three Eredivisie titles, one Coppa Italia, one KNVB Cup.
In the late 80s, Gullit was the unstoppable force that led an unstoppable AC Milan juggernaut that dominated European soccer.
Deservedly winning soccer’s equivalent of the MVP award (1987 Ballon d’Or), the Dutch international was soccer’s equivalent to a triple-double machine.
24. Bobby Charlton
Peak: 1963-67
Major Achievements: 1966 Ballon d’Or, 1966 Fifa World Cup, 1966 Fifa World Cup Golden Ball, 1967/68 European Cup, three Football League First Division titles, 1962/63 FA Cup.
Remember how good Frank Lampard was?
Bobby Charlton was like Frank Lampard, only 100x better.
The best player in the best England team of all time, Charlton was really, really, really good.
23. Giuseppe Meazza
Peak: 1934-38
Major Achievements: 1934 & 1938 Fifa World Cup, 1934 Fifa World Cup Golden Ball, three Scudetti, one Coppa Italia, three Capocannoniere.
So good they named the most famous stadium in the world after him, Giuseppe Meazza is the first legend of Italian soccer.
A mythical figure on the peninsula, those who know say Meazza is the greatest Italian footballer of all time; those who don’t say he’s the 23rd best player of all time.
22. Raymond Kopa
Peak: 1956-59
Major Achievements: 1958 Ballon d’Or, 1961 French Player of the Year, 1958 Fifa World Cup All-Star Team, three European Cups, two La Liga titles, four Ligue 1 titles.
Raymond Kopa is one of three geniuses of French soccer.
A proverbial name in the top three of Ballon d’Or voting throughout his peak years, Kopa was the creative force that enabled Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano to score a boatload of goals for Real Madrid in the 1950s and 60s.
He also helped guide Real Madrid to three European Cup triumphs.
So yeah, by all accounts, a good player.
21. Romario
Peak: 1990-94
Major Achievements: 1994 Fifa World Player of the Year, 1994 Fifa World Cup, 1994 Fifa World Cup Golden Ball, 1994 World Cup All-Star Team, 1989 & 1997 Copa America, one La Liga, three time Eredivisie, 1993/94 Pichichi winner.
The “King of the Lob” was one of the most composed and clinical goalscorers of the 1990s, who was also — most importantly — a big game player.
A 1994 Fifa World Cup Golden Ball award here, a Clasico hat-trick there, Romario was a man for the big occasion. – si.com/Sports Reporter
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