BBC names 10 greatest World Cup players: three Brazilians on the list. The BBC has published its top 10 greatest players in the history of men's FIFA World Cups. The final list includes three representatives from Brazil. Even record-holders and past stars were left out of the ranking.
The BBC has released its own ranking of the ten greatest footballers in the history of the men's World Cup. The final list includes three Brazilians, as well as players from Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, and England. According to the author, compiling such a ranking proved to be a challenging task: many legends were left out of the top ten despite their records and iconic status.
First and foremost, attention is drawn to the absence of German forward Miroslav Klose — the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. In the BBC's view, he would only rank 11th. Other notable figures who missed the top ten include Garrincha, Roberto Baggio, Just Fontaine, Johan Cruyff, Eusebio, and Gerd Müller. The authors note that expanding the ranking to twenty names would have made the task easier, but, in their opinion, only those who became synonymous with the World Cup made the final ten.
The final list includes: Pelé (Brazil), Diego Maradona (Argentina), Ronaldo (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Franz Beckenbauer (Germany), Kylian Mbappé (France), Zinedine Zidane (France), Paolo Rossi (Italy), Cafu (Brazil), and Geoff Hurst (England). Each left a significant mark on the tournament's history: Pelé is the only three-time World Cup winner among players, Cafu reached three consecutive finals, and Hurst scored the only hat-trick in a World Cup final, in 1966.
The BBC emphasizes that there are no representatives of the Spanish national team in the ranking, despite the team's victory at the 2010 World Cup. The reason is that the success was achieved through teamwork, not individual leadership. This approach to compiling the list has sparked debate among fans and experts, as many expect to see other stars who have influenced the development of football included.
Interest in rankings and football sensations remains strong in Spain. Recently, attention was drawn to Cape Verde's debut at the World Cup: the team qualified for the tournament for the first time and was placed in a group with Spain and Uruguay. You can read more about how the Cape Verde national team is preparing to face the favorites in the article about the African team's World Cup debut.
For reference: The FIFA World Cup has been held since 1930, and over nearly a century of the tournament, thousands of players have participated. The record for most goals scored at World Cups belongs to Miroslav Klose (16 goals), while Pelé remains the only footballer to have become world champion three times as a player. In recent years, interest in individual achievements at the World Cup has only increased, making such rankings a constant topic of discussion among fans and experts.
