Several world-class footballers have graced the game over the years but few have managed to make a significant impact on the sport.
FourFourTwo have now compiled a star-studded list of football legends who have been the most influential players in the game’s history.
Unsurprisingly the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are a part of the list.
Ronaldo is arguably the greatest goal scorer of his generation and he has shattered records across multiple European leagues throughout his career.
Furthermore, he has won the Champions League title more times than any other player and won league titles in different countries.
Ronaldo’s exceptional technical ability and tireless work ethic certainly make him an influential figure in the game.
Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is widely regarded as the finest footballer of all time and the Argentine international has mesmerised with his wizardry at Barcelona over the years.
The player is now at Paris Saint Germain and he will look to make his mark in another European league.
Former Manchester United legend and fashionista David Beckham is also on the list.
Brazilian footballers like Ronaldinho, Neymar, Ronaldo Nazario and Garrincha are part of the list as well.
French World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane is part of the list and Johan Cryuff, the man who inspired Barcelona’s tiki-taka has been named as one of the most influential footballers of all time.
Top 50 most influential footballers
50. Zinedine Zidane
49. Lev Yashin
48. Ian Wright
47. George Weah
46. Carlos Volante
45. Jamie Vardy
44. Francesco Totti
43. Kelly Smith
42. Matthias Sindelar
41. Nilton Santos
40. Ronaldo
39. Cristiano Ronaldo
38. Ronaldinho
37. Andrea Pirlo
36. Pele
35. Antonin Panenka
34. Neymar
33. Manuel Neuer
32. Hidetoshi Nakata
31. Thomas Muller
30. Lionel Messi
29. Bill McCracken
28. Stanley Matthews
27. Marta
26. Diego Maradona
25. Claude Makelele
24. Philipp Lahm
23. Andres Iniesta
22. Nandor Hidegkuti
21. Thierry Henry
20. Mia Hamm
19. Gyula Grosics
18. Garrincha
17. Trevor Francis
16. Rio Ferdinand
15. Giacinto Facchetti
14. Eusebio
13. Alfredo Di Stefano
12. Johan Cruyff
11. John Charles
10. Amadeo Carrizo
9. Eric Cantona
8. Jean-Marc Bosman
7. George Best
6. David Beckham
5. Franz Beckenbauer
4. Franco Baresi
3. Ossie Ardiles
2. Jose Andrade
1. Viv Anderson
