Football is perhaps one of the most popular sports in the world. And even those who have never been particularly interested in football have heard about the legendary players who have gone down in history.
Pele
Edson Arantis do Nascimento, better known as the great Pele, is perhaps one of the most famous players in the history of football. The Brazilian striker has played a total of 92 matches and sent 77 goals to the opponent's goal for the national team. In total during his career he scored 1289 goals in 1363 matches. The only three-time world champion to this day as an active football player. Pele was named the best footballer of the 20th century by many different publications and organizations.
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a legendary Argentine footballer who played as a striker and attacking midfielder. During his career, he changed many clubs. As part of the national team of his country he played 91 matches, in which he scored 34 goals. According to a vote on the official FIFA website, he was named the best footballer of the century. In the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup, he scored a goal that was recognized as the “goal of the century” - while the footballer single-handedly bypassed six opponents, including their goalkeeper.
The Ballon d'Or is an annual award given to the best footballer of the year based on the results of the World Cup. Awarded by the International Football Federation (FIFA).
Messi
Lionel Messi - captain of the Argentine national team, plays for the Spanish "Barcelona" as a striker. The youngest athlete on this list is by no means less significant from this. Today Messi is only 26 years old and his career is still in full swing. Messi is the first footballer in history to become FIFA's Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or four times. During 2012, this athlete managed to score 86 goals. This broke the previous world record set by Gerd Müller back in 1972. In addition, in the 2011-2012 season, he became the Champions League record holder for the number of goals sent to the opponent's goal. Messi is also the only three-time Golden Boot winner.
The Golden Boot is an annual football award given to the top scorer of the national championships of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Lev Yashin
Lev Ivanovich Yashin is a Soviet footballer whose sports career ended in the early 1970s. This is an Olympic champion, European champion and a 5-time USSR champion. But most importantly, our compatriot is the only goalkeeper in history who has ever received the Golden Ball.
