Lionel Messi named greatest footballer in history over Cristiano Ronaldo

By Thanh Quy May 21, 2025 | 04:47 pm PT

The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) has crowned Argentine superstar Lionel Messi as the best player in football history while placing Cristiano Ronaldo in the top five on the list.

Lionel Messi wins the trophy and best player at the 2022 World Cup. Photo by Reuters

The recently released list put Messi at the top, followed by legends Pele and Diego Maradona above Ronaldo. Johan Cruyff rounds out the top five.

The next five positions are held by Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane, Franz Beckenbauer, Alfredo Di Stefano and Ronaldinho.

Among the players listed, seven have won the World Cup: Messi, Pele, Maradona, Ronaldo Nazario, Zidane, Beckenbauer and Ronaldinho.

Eight have also won the Ballon d’Or, with the exceptions of Pele and Maradona. This is largely due to historical restrictions, as the Ballon d’Or was originally limited to European players until the rules changed in 1995, paving the way for South Ảmerican players like Ronaldo Nazario, Ronaldinho and Messi.

Messi currently holds an unprecedented record of 46 collective titles, eight Ballon d’Or and six European Golden Shoes. At 37, he is the only player to have won all major football honors, including the World Cup, Champions League, Ballon d’Or, European Golden Shoe, World Cup Player of the Tournament and the Laureus Award for World Sportsman of the Year.

Messi’s career began at Barcelona, where in over 17 years he won 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies. Since 2021, he has added two Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain, along with the Leagues Cup and Supporters' Shield at Inter Miami.

Internationally, Messi led Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup, the 2021 and 2024 Copa Americas, the 2005 U20 World Cup and won Olympic gold in 2008.

Cristiano Ronaldo holds the all-time record for most goals scored, with 934 career goals, surpassing Messi’s 860 and Pele’s 757.

Pele remains the only player to have won three World Cups (1958, 1962 and 1970) and never played club football in Europe.

During his era, Brazilian football dominated globally, so the appeal of playing abroad was small at that time.

Founded in 1984 in Zurich, Switzerland, the IFFHS is a globally respected authority on football history and statistics. Each year, it awards honors including Best Player, Best Coach, Best Goalkeeper, Best Club, Top Scorer and Best XI.