Best Soccer Players of All Time - Fan Voted Rankings 2026

Ask any football fan who the best soccer player of all time is.

You will not get one answer. You will get into an argument.

Messi fans say the answer is obvious. Ronaldo fans say it is equally obvious. Pele fans say both of them are wrong. Maradona fans say everyone is wrong.

This debate has been running for decades. It will probably never officially end.

But at Ultimate Rankings, we put it to a vote. 10,000 real fans. No experts. No journalists. Just people who have watched football their entire lives and have very strong opinions about it.

Here are the results. Prepare to disagree.

Best Soccer Players of All Time — Fan Voted Results

1. Lionel Messi — The Greatest of All Time

The debate is over.

Lionel Messi won the FIFA World Cup in 2022 with Argentina. He won the Golden Ball — the best player award. He scored in the final. He converted his penalty in the shootout. He carried his country to the one trophy that had always been missing from his collection.

After that night in Qatar, the argument about whether Messi was the greatest ended for most fans.

8 Ballon d'Or awards — the most of any player in history
Over 800 career goals across club and international football
FIFA World Cup winner 2022 with Argentina
4 Champions League titles with Barcelona
10 La Liga titles — almost every season at Barcelona
The only player ever to score 91 goals in a single calendar year (2012)

Fans on Ultimate Rankings placed Messi first by a clear margin. The most common comment was simple. He did everything. He won everything. He is the greatest.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo — The Other Greatest

Here is the honest truth about this debate.

In any other era, Cristiano Ronaldo would be considered the undisputed greatest of all time without question.

He is just unlucky that Messi existed at exactly the same time.

5 Ballon d'Or awards — second most in history
Over 900 career goals — the highest official total ever recorded
5 Champions League titles — with three different teams
3 Premier League titles, 2 La Liga titles, Serie A title
Euro 2016 winner with Portugal
First player to score 100 international goals — then went on to score 130

Fans on Ultimate Rankings placed him second. But 38% of voters said he should be first. The debate continues.

3. Pele — The Original Greatest

Before Messi. Before Ronaldo. Before anyone else on this list.

There was Pele.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Pele — won the FIFA World Cup three times. Nobody else has ever done that. Not once. Not before. Not since.

3 World Cup titles — 1958, 1962, 1970 — the only player ever to achieve this
Over 1,000 career goals in official and unofficial matches
Won his first World Cup at 17 years old — still the youngest World Cup winner ever
FIFA named him the co-Player of the Century alongside Maradona
The Brazilian national team retired the number 10 shirt in his honour

4. Diego Maradona — The Hand of God and the Goal of the Century

In one single quarter-final match at the 1986 World Cup, Diego Maradona scored two of the most famous goals in football history.

The first one he punched in with his hand and called it the Hand of God. The second one he dribbled through the entire English team from inside his own half.

In the same match. In the same ten minutes.

1986 World Cup winner and Golden Ball winner — the best player at the tournament
Won Serie A with Napoli — a club that had never won the Italian title before
Named FIFA's co-Player of the Century alongside Pele
The 1986 goal against England — now called the Goal of the Century — is still the greatest individual goal ever scored

5. Ronaldo Nazario — The Original Ronaldo

When people say the name Ronaldo, younger fans think of Cristiano. Older fans think of someone else.

Ronaldo Nazario — the Brazilian striker who was, at his peak, the most complete centre-forward the game has ever seen.

2 FIFA World Player of the Year awards — the most of any player at the time
2 World Cup titles — 1994 and 2002. Scored both goals in the 2002 final against Germany
Won Champions League with Barcelona and Real Madrid
His movement, pace, technique, and finishing were all simultaneously at the highest level — almost impossible to achieve
Played through two career-threatening knee injuries and came back to win the World Cup

Fans on Ultimate Rankings who voted for R9 say the same thing. There has never been a centre-forward with his combination of pace, power, and touch. Not before. Not since.

6. Zinedine Zidane — The Elegant One

Zinedine Zidane retired from playing football and immediately became a manager. Then he won three Champions League titles in a row as a coach.

1998 World Cup winner with France — scored twice in the final
Euro 2000 winner with France
3 Champions League titles as a player, 3 more as a manager
FIFA World Player of the Year three times
His volley in the 2002 Champions League final is still called the greatest goal ever scored at club level

Zidane played football the way great musicians play music. He made it look easy when it was impossible. He made it look beautiful when it was brutal.

7. Johan Cruyff — The One Who Invented Modern Football

Every coach in the world who plays possession football owes Johan Cruyff something.

Total Football. The 4-3-3 formation. Pressing. Position rotation. All of these ideas were either invented by or perfected by Cruyff.

3 consecutive Ballon d'Or awards — 1971, 1973, 1974
3 European Cups with Ajax in the 1970s
The Cruyff Turn — a dribbling move so innovative that it bears his name 50 years later
As a manager, built the Barcelona Dream Team that Pep Guardiola later turned into the greatest club side ever

8. Ronaldinho — The One Who Made Everyone Smile

Ronaldinho is the only footballer who made both fans and opponents laugh while he was embarrassing them.

He played football with visible joy. You could watch him play and feel the fun he was having.

2005 Ballon d'Or winner — the year he was considered the best player on earth
World Cup winner with Brazil in 2002 — scored the goal that eliminated England
Won Champions League with Barcelona in 2006
The first player to receive a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu while playing for Barcelona

Ronaldinho is eighth instead of higher because his peak was shorter than the players above him. But for four or five years, he was the most exciting footballer on the planet.

9. Lev Yashin — The Best Goalkeeper Ever

Every name on this list so far has been an outfield player. Goalkeepers are almost never included in greatest player debates.

Lev Yashin is the exception. The only goalkeeper to ever win the Ballon d'Or.

The only goalkeeper to win the Ballon d'Or — 1963
Saved over 150 penalty kicks in his career — a record never approached
Won the Soviet Union league title five times
Olympic gold medal winner (1956) and European Championship winner (1960)

Your Vote Decides - Cast It Now

Is Messi really the greatest? Should Ronaldo be number one? Does Pele deserve more credit?

This debate is the biggest on Ultimate Rankings. Fans vote every single day and the rankings change.

Also read: Who Are the Greatest Athletes of All Time? 10,000 Fans Have Voted — Here Are the Results — Messi and Ronaldo both appear in the all-sport GOAT debate. See where they rank against athletes from every sport.

Cast your vote now at Ultimate Rankings — ultimaterankings.com/sports

FAQ

Who is the best soccer player of all time? Based on fan votes at Ultimate Rankings, Lionel Messi is the best soccer player of all time with 8 Ballon d'Or awards, the FIFA World Cup, and over 800 career goals. Cristiano Ronaldo is second with 5 Ballon d'Or awards and over 900 official career goals.

Is Messi or Ronaldo the greatest soccer player ever? Fans on Ultimate Rankings vote Messi first (62%) and Ronaldo second (38%). Messi edges ahead because of his 2022 World Cup win, 8 Ballon d'Or awards, and the style of football he plays. Ronaldo's supporters point to his goal record of 900+ and physical dominance as evidence he is equally great.

How many World Cups did Pele win? Pele won three FIFA World Cups — in 1958, 1962, and 1970. He is the only player in history to win three World Cups. He won his first at just 17 years old, making him the youngest World Cup winner ever.

Who is the greatest footballer of all time according to fans? According to 10,000 fan votes on Ultimate Rankings, the greatest footballers ever are: 1. Lionel Messi, 2. Cristiano Ronaldo, 3. Pele, 4. Diego Maradona, 5. Ronaldo Nazario. The Messi vs Ronaldo debate remains the most active on the platform.

Where can I vote for the best soccer player of all time? Cast your vote at Ultimate Rankings the fan-powered platform where your vote updates live sports rankings every single day.