Pelé, Maradona or Messi on top? English paper's 50 World Cup greats

Pele, Maradona or Messi at No 1? The 50 greatest players in World Cup history

With two weeks until the 23rd men’s Fifa World Cup in North America, The Independent sports team ranks the top-50 players in the tournament’s history – and now it’s time for the top-10 reveal.

Pelé, Maradona or Messi on top? English paper's 50 World Cup greats

The Independent has put together a list of the 50 greatest names in World Cup history, based exclusively on their performances in the most prestigious tournament on the planet. With little time left until the 2026 World Cup, the ranking evaluates players from the first edition in Uruguay (1930) to the tournament in Qatar (2022). Since the criterion is strictly World Cup performances, Cristiano Ronaldo did not make the pantheon of this list.But t…