Football is one of the most popular and fiercely contested sports in the world. Football players in the professional ranks are renowned for their great stamina, ball handling, and kicking skills. Football is a game that requires enthusiasm to play professionally. Having a strong passion to play is the most essential requirement for becoming a professional football player. A true indication of talent is a player’s capacity to execute under pressure and consistently when it matters most.
In this article, we will take a look at the top five football players in history who have set the bar high for future generations.
La Pulga Atómica (the Atomic Flea), who has topped this list for more than ten years, is still going strong at the age of 35. In actuality, he is used to having outstanding seasons and stats. With 22 goals so far and three games remaining, Messi is poised to win La Liga top scorer for the seventh time in his career despite missing Barcelona’s opening four games of the season due to injury. Together with those 22 goals, Messi has contributed to 42 goals in 30 league games with his 20 assists, breaking his previous personal best of 18 assists in a season. That is the season of a lifetime for any player.
The Portuguese island of Madeira is where Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985. He is a forward for both the Portugal national team and the Saudi Pro League team Al-Nasr. He is recognised as one of the top players of this generation and is most often known as Cristiano Ronaldo or CR7. In comparison to his bitter rival Lionel Messi, he has won the FIFA Ballon d’Or five times, two less than Messi. Ronaldo, who plays on the left wing but can sometimes switch to the striker position, is renowned for his speed and physicality. The Portuguese international is considered one of the best footballers of all time with 827 goals in 1153 matches for club and country.
Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, better known by his stage name Neymar, is a Brazilian professional soccer player who plays forward for both the Brazil national team and Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He was born on February 5, 1992. He is recognised as one of the best players in the world as well as one of the finest Brazilian football players of all time. He is a prolific goal-scorer and noted playmaker. One of just four players to do so, Neymar has at least 100 goals for three different clubs. Neymar and Pelé are the top two goal scorers for their national team, each having scored 77 goals in 124 games for Brazil since making his debut at the age of 18.
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Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Karim Mahrez is a competitive football player who plays as a winger for Premier League team Manchester City and also serves as the captain of the Algerian national football team. Mahrez first competed for the French team AAS Sarcelles as a fresh-faced athlete. He made his professional debut in 2009 with Quimper, where he played for just one season before transferring to Le Havre, where he spent a total of three years, initially with the reserve team and later as a regular in the main squad. Mahrez, who was born in France, made his Algerian debut in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He also represented Algeria at the 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, when they took first place. Riyaz Mahrez was felicitated with the African Footballer of the Year award from CAF in 2016.
Norwegian attacker Erling Braut Haaland competes for both the Norway national team and Premier League club Manchester City. He is regarded as one of the top players in the world and is well-known for his strength, pace, and ability to finish in the box. Over his career, Haaland has broken numerous records and received numerous individual honours. He made history by becoming the first youngster to score in five straight UEFA Champions League games while playing for Salzburg in the 2019–20 season. For the 2020–21 Champions League season, he led all scorers. Haaland earned the Golden Boy Award in 2020. He was also named the Bundesliga Player of the Season in 2021, and in 2021 and 2022, he was a member of the FIFA FIFPro World11.
Also Read: Step-by-Step Guide to Launching Your Football Career: From Passion to Professional Opportunities
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