Here are 10 of the greatest soccer players everyone should recognize

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Here are 10 of the greatest soccer players everyone should recognize image

Who are the greatest soccer players of all time? Originally answered on March 15, 2016.

This question originally appeared on Quora, the knowledge-sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

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Answer by Jabes Penerotti, football enthusiast:

I can give you the top 10; the list will be based on the ability of the player toward the game, his titles and his legacy in the sport. Let's start:

10. Cristiano Ronaldo
 
Ronaldo is a complete attacker. A machine. He has the header, clinical and power shots, speed, dribbling and consistency that is hard to find in a player.

The man has won everything at the club level with Manchester United and Real Madrid, scoring almost every week. In the last four years he has become a legend at Madrid as the top scorer in club history.

9. Franz Beckenbauer

Probably the best defender of all time, Beckenbauer was highly versatile.  He could play as a defender and as a midfielder with brilliance. He is also credited with having invented the role of the modern Libero.

Beckenbauer also won everything possible as a player — Champions League, World Cup, Bundesliga, Ballon d'Or — and still managed to win the World Cup as a manager. An incredible feat.

8. Romario

One of the most underrated players ever, Romario was a genius everywhere he played. The Brazilian was lethal in front of the goal, which helped make him the all-time top scorer in football history with 768 goals in official matches.

Romario was so good that despite the disdain of Brazil's managers and the media, he played in the last qualifying match for the World Cup in 1994. If Brazil lost it would've been out of the World Cup for the first time. Romario scored two goals against Uruguay and was the best player in the tournament. He was a true legend.

7. Ronaldo The Phenomenon

There is not much to say about The Phenomenon; just watch any YouTube video and you will see how amazing the Brazilian was — explosion, speed, balance, dribbling, clinical shot and pace, all in one player. The man was feared by every team in the world at only 19 years old.
 
He probably would be in the top three if not for injuries, but even so, he managed to win the World Cup with the brilliant squad of 2002, scoring two goals in the final. He was the top scorer in several tournaments. It's too bad we weren't able to see him realize his full potential.

6. Alfredo Di Stefano

​Pele called him the most complete footballer in the history of the game. Stefano was a powerful, quick, skillful and prolific foward with great stamina, tactical versatility, creativity and vision. He could also play almost anywhere on the pitch and is considered among the most influential footballers of all time.

The Argentine won five consecutive Champions Leagues as one of the stars of Madrid's supersquad, and despite the fact the standards of play were very different back then, it's still very impressive. Stefano was a god among men in his day.

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5. Johan Cruyff

​The man who put "Total Football" to work, Cruyff was one of the most revolutionary players of all time. He was a genius who was great in all areas of the sport, and his intelligence and awareness of his teammates' positions made him a true Total Football player.

Cruyff won three consecutive Champions Leagues with Ajax, won the Liga with Barca in bad times, and reached the final of the World Cup with the Netherlands as the star player in all instances. He transformed those around him, one of the true artists of the sport's history.

4. Zinedine Zidane

​The man who transformed football in poetry, Zizou was a elegant player with unbelievable technique and talent we hardly will see again. He had vision, dribbling and passing skills, and his ball control was one of the best of the game. He was a genius.

Zidane won the Champions League and World Cup, scoring in both finals. He had an amazing tournament in the 2006 World Cup at age 34, leading France. He was a maestro who should have been the only player to be allowed to play in a suit.

3. Pele

The king. He was ahead of his time and a complete footballer — fast, intelligent, technical, skillful, ambidextrous, a finisher. He was extremely enjoyable to watch; people would travel to another part of the planet to see the man play.

Pele won three World Cups, and despite Brazil's ability to win without him, he was crucial to the team in two of those three titles. Pele scored 720 goals in official matches. He was the true No. 10.

2. Diego Maradona
 
Maradona was probably the most talented player ever. The Argentine played with heart, and he looked like a tiger on the field. Once he started to run, he was unstoppable. Diego was also a brilliant midfielder, which made him a threat to every opposing team of his time.

Maradona's greatest achievement was winning the '86 World Cup single-handedly with an average Argentinian squad, actively participating in almost all the goals and leading his team to glory. Diego also won two Seria A titles with Napoli, a big achievement considering the championship's difficulty at the time. He could've topped this list if he'd had more responsibility and consistency in his career.

1. Lionel Messi

In my opinion, Leo is the best of all time. Messi is all you look for in a footballer. He has Zidane's elegance and calm attitude toward the game. He dribbles like a god and has amazing ball control just like Maradona. He is a deadly finisher and has several Pichichis just like Romario and Pele. He is explosive and has exceptional balance just like The Phenomenon. He is clever, patient and intelligent like Cruyff. He is versatile, able to play in several positions on the field just like Stefano and Beckenbauer. He has consistently scored and broken records in the past six years, just like Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi is everything all in one package.

Lionel has already won four Champions Leagues, reached two finals in Copa America and one final in a World Cup, won a gold medal at the Olympics, won seven La Ligas, and won five Balon d'Ors, and he is only 28. Lionel Messi is the best footballer who has ever walked on this planet.

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