1aRonaldo (BRA)
1994 El Mundo Deportivo.
One of only four men to win the FIFA World Player of the Year and the youngest ever to be awarded the Ballon d’Or, Ronaldo is considered by many one of the best strikers of all-time. For Brazil, he scored 62 goals in 98 matches. He was a member of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup team (although was a non-playing reserve), 1998 World Cup runner-up team, 2002 World Cup-winning team (Ronaldo won the Golden Shoe with 8 goals) and 2006 team (Ronaldo won the Bronze Shoe with 3 goals). In his prime, Ronaldo was virtually unstoppable, however injuries and weight issues would diminish the effectiveness of his game around age 30.
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1bRivaldo (BRA)
1993 Panini Campeonato Brasileiro.
Winner of the 1999 Ballon d'Or, Rivaldo was known for his bending bicycle kicks, overhead kicks, striking from distance, dribbling, passing and ball control. With Barcelona, he won La Liga titles in 1998 and 1999 and the 1998 Copa Del Rey. At the 2002 World Cup, Rivaldo formed part of the deadly attacking trio of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and himself (dubbed the “Three R’s”) that lead Brazil to win the World Cup. In total, Rivaldo scored 35 times in 74 caps for the Brazilian national team.
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1cRomário (BRA)
1986 Craques de Ouro.
One of the greatest forwards of all-time, Romário is listed as the second-highest all-time scorer with 772 goals in official matches. He helped Brazil win the 1994 World Cup, receiving the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. Romário won three Eredivisie titles with PSV Eindhoven, one La Liga title with Barcelona and one Brasileiro Série A title with Vasco da Gama. He won the 1994 FIFA World Player of the Year and came in fifth in an internet poll for the FIFA Best Player of the Century.
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1dRoberto Baggio (ITA)
1985 Edis.
Winner of the 1993 Ballon d'Or, Roberto Baggio became the first player in over 30 years to score 200 goals in Serie A. He is currently the 6th highest goalscorer of all time in Serie A with 205 goals and the fourth highest goalscorer for Italy with 27 goals. Baggio won one Serie A title with Juventus in 1995 and one with AC Milan in 1996. Playing for the Italian national team, he starred on the team that finished third in the 1990 World Cup and second in the 1994 World Cup. In the latter tournament, Baggio was awarded the Silver Ball for second best player.
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1eLothar Matthäus (GER)
1980 Americana Bundesliga Finale.
The most-capped German player of all-time, Lothar Matthäus captained West Germany to victory at the 1990 World Cup and was an important member of the West German teams that reached consecutive finals at the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. He was named the 1990 European Footballer of the Year due to his performance at the tournament. Matthäus won 7 Bundesliga titles with FC Bayern Munich and one Serie A title with Inter Milan. He was even named German Footballer of the Year in 1999 at age 38.
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1fZinedine Zidane (FRA)
1992 Panini Foot.
One of only four players to be named FIFA World Player of the Year three times, midfielder Zinedine Zidane is one of the best players of all-time. Zidane led France to win both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, make France the first team to hold both the World Cup and the European Championship concurrently since 1974. He came out of international retirement to lead France to nearly win the 2006 World Cup which was decided on penalty kicks. At the club level, Zidane won two Serie A titles with Juventus (twice being runner-up) and one La Liga title with Real Madrid (twice being runner-up).
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1gFernando Redondo (ARG)
1981 Este.
One of the greatest holding midfielders in history of the game, Fernando Redondo won two La Liga championships and two Champions League tournaments with Real Madrid. He won one Serie A title with AC Milan. Redondo played only 29 matches for Argentina because for several years he was banned from the national team by Daniel Passarella for having long hair.
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1hPaolo Maldini (ITA)
1985 Forza Goal.
Italy’s captain for 8 years and one of the best defenders of all-time, Paolo Maldini spent his entire career with AC Milan. Teaming up with Franco Baresi, Maldini he won 5 Champions League titles and 7 Serie A titles. He became the first defender ever to win World Soccer magazine’s annual World Player of the Year Award after winning his third Champions League and reaching the 1995 World Cup final. Maldini was capped 126 times by Italy.
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1iFranco Baresi (ITA)
1978 Panini.
Paolo Maldini’s teammate on AC Milan, Franco Baresi won 3 Champions League titles and 6 Serie A titles. In 1999, he was voted Milan's Player of the Century. Baresi was runner-up for the 1989 Ballon d'Or. He was capped 82 times by the Italian national team and captained AC Milan for 15 years.
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1jThuram, Lilian 93P
1993 Panini Foot.
The most-capped player in the history of the French national team with 142 appearances, Lilian Thuram won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 and was on the 2006 World Cup runner-up squad. Thurman won 4 Serie A titles with Juventus (although 2 were revoked due to the match-fixing scandal).
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1kOliver Kahn (GER)
1989 Panini Bundesliga.
Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn won 8 Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich between 1996 and 2008. He helped the club win Champions League in 2001 and was runner-up in 1999. Kahn twice finished in third place in the Ballon d’Or voting. In the 2002 World Cup, Kahn allowed only 3 goals in the entire tournament. Although Germany lost to Brazil in the final match, Kahn became the first goalkeeper ever to receive the Golden Ball (best player) in a World Cup.
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1lManager: Alex Ferguson (SCO)
1966 Scottish A&BC.
Sir Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United for 26 seasons. In that time, the club won 13 Premiere League titles and 2 Champions League titles. Prior to his tenure at United, he guided Aberdeen to three Scottish Premier League titles.
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2aLuís Figo (POR)
1991 Mundial de Juniores.
Winner of the 2000 Ballon d'Or, Luís Figo is regarded as one of the greatest wingers of his generation. He made 106 assists in La Liga, second all-time. Figo won two La Liga titles with Barcelona and two with Real Madrid. His controversial 2000 transfer from Barcelona to bitter rivals Real Madrid set a world-record fee of £37 million. Playing for Inter Milan, Figo won an additional four league titles. He was capped 127 times by Portugal.
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2bGabriel Batistuta (ARG)
1991 Shooting Stars.
Prolific Argentine striker Gabriel Batistuta is the 11th all-time goalscorer in Serie A with 184 in 318 matches. At the international level, he is Argentina’s all-time scorer with 56 goals in 78 matches. Batistuta is the first player to score a hat-trick in two World Cups.
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2cHristo Stoichkov (BUL)
1990 Este.
Bulgaria’s greatest player of all-time, Hristo Stoichkov was runner-up for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in both 1992 and 1994. He led Bulgaria to a fourth-place finish at the 1994 World Cup and was top scorer in the tournament with 6 goals. At the club level, he helped Barcelona to one of its most successful eras, winning 4 La Liga titles in a row from 1991 to 1994.
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2dDennis Bergkamp (NED)
1988 Dutch Postcard.
Dutch second striker Dennis Bergkamp is best-known for his three Premier League titles with Arsenal. With Arsenal, he also won 4 FA Cups and was runner-up in the 2006 Champions League. In 1998, he became the Netherlands all-time scorer (since surpassed). Bergkamp is currently an assistant coach for Ajax.
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2eDavor Šuker (CRO)
1986 Futbaleri I Timovi.
High scorer in the 1998 World Cup with 6 goals, striker Davor Šuker led the Croatian national team to its sensational third-place finish in the country's first World Cup appearance since becoming independent. He was also awarded the Silver Ball as second-best player in the tournament. Playing at the club level, Šuker helped Real Madrid win the 1998 Champions League title as well as the 1997 La Liga title.
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2fRuud Gullit (NED)
1980 Panini Voetbal.
Captain of the Netherlands national team that won Euro 88, attacking midfielder Ruud Gullit was named World Soccer Player of the Year in both 1987 and 1989. After winning three Eredivisie titles, he moved to AC Milan for a world record transfer fee. Playing with Marco Van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, Gullit won 3 Serie A titles and two Euro Cups.
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2gMichael Laudrop (DEN)
1983 Panini.
The best Danish football player of all-time, Michael Laudrup won a total of 7 league titles with Ajax (1), Barcelona (4), Real Madrid (1) and Juventus(1). For Denmark, he was capped 104 times, 28 times as captain, and led the team to win the 1995 Confederations Cup.
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2hDejan Savicevic (YUG)
1986 Futbaleri I Timovi.
Montenegrin attacking midfielder Dejan Savićević led Red Star Belgrade to win the 1990-91 Champions League. His accomplishment was recognized by finishing as runner-up in Ballon d’Or voting for 1991. He also won three Yugoslavia league titles with Red Star. With AC Milan, Savićević won 3 Serie A titles and the 1994 Champions League.
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2iMatthias Sammer (GER)
1991 Panini Bundesliga.
Nicknamed “The Prince of East Germany,” Matthias Sammer is one of only three defenders to win the Ballon d'Or. He won two Bundesliga titles and one Champions League with Borussia Dortmund and won a third Bundesliga title with Stuttgart. Sammer led Germany to win the Euro 96 and was named Player of the Tournament. He was capped 74 times in total by East Germany and the unified German national team.
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2jCafu (BRA)
1991 Campeonato Brasileiro.
Cafu holds two important distinctions, he is the only player to appear in three World Cup finals (1994, 1998 and 2002) and he is the most-capped player for the Brazilian national team with 142 appearances. He was named South American Footballer of the Year in 1994. Playing in Serie A, Cafu won his first Scudetto in 2001 in Roma in 2001 and his second in 2004 with AC Milan. With Milan, he also won the 2007 Champions League.
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2kPeter Schmeichel (DEN)
1990 Orbis World Cup.
Goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel won five Premier League titles in the 1990s with Manchester United. He was named “World's Best Goalkeeper” in 1992 and 1993 and holds the record for the best clean sheet-to-games ratio in the premier league with 42 percent of all matches played. In 1999, he helped United complete the Treble, winning Champions League, the Premier League and the FA Cup. With Schmeichel, Denmark won Euro 92. He was capped by the Danish national team 129 times in total.
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2lManager: Fabio Capello (ITA)
1966 Calciatori Imperia.
As a player, Fabio Capello won 3 league titles for Juventus and one with AC Milan, and was capped 32 times by Italy. Of course, he is even more accomplished as a manager. In 16 seasons, Capello has won 9 league titles with AC Milan (4), Real Madrid (2), Roma (1) and Juventus (2, although revoked). With Milan, he also led the team to the 1994 Champions League title, defeating Barcelona 4-0 in the final match. Capello is currently the manager of the Russian national football team.
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3aGeorge Weah (LIB)
1990 Panini.
Widely considered the greatest African footballer of all-time, George Weah was an elegant and rapid striker with great touch, balance and heading ability, who migrated from clubs in Liberia and Cameroon to perform brilliantly on the European soccer stage. In 1995, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and was awarded the Ballon d'Or. He won Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain in 1994 and won Serie A titles with AC Milan in 1996 and 1999. Weah almost single-handedly willed Liberia into the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
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3bEric Cantona (FRA)
1986 Panini.
A talented and controversial striker, Frenchman Eric Cantona is best known for helping Manchester United win 4 Premiere League titles in 5 years and 2 League and FA Cup Doubles. Controversy also surrounded Cantona, such as when he was suspended in 1995 for 8 months after kicking an opposing fan “kung-fu style.” He was an inaugural member of the English Hall of Fame in 2002.
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3cJurgen Kohler (GER)
1986 Panini Bundesliga.
German center-back Jurgen Kohler is widely considered as the finest European stoppers or man’s markers of all-time. He was capped 105 times by Germany with whom he won the 1990 World Cup and the 1996 Euro Cup. At the club level, Kohler won three Bundesliga titles in total with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. In 1995, he won both a Serie A title and the Italy Cup playing for Juventus.
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3dRoy Keane (IRE)
1990 Pro Set.
Manchester United’s captain from 1997 to 2005, Roy Keane was a dominating defensive midfielder. He won 7 Premiere League titles with the club between 1994 and 2003. He was an aggressive defender and holds the joint record for the most red cards in English football with 13. In the 1994 World Cup, Keane was named Ireland’s best player as the team was able to defeat Italy, the tournament’s eventual runner-up, before losing in the second round.
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3eAlessandro Del Piero (ITA)
1992 Score Gold.
Deep-lying forward and free-kick specialist Alessandro Del Piero is the second highest all-time Italian top-scorer in all competitions, with 345 goals, and behind only Silvio Piola. With Juventus, he won 8 Serie A titles and was 6 times runner-up. He was capped 91 times by Italy, for which he scored 27 goals, and was a member of the national team that won the 2006 World Cup.
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3fRyan Giggs (ENG)
1992 Pro Set.
Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in Welsh and English football history. With Manchester United, he won 13 Premiere League titles (a record), 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups and 2 Champions League titles. Giggs holds the records both for most Premiere League appearances and most Premiere League assists. He was capped 64 times by Wales.
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3gChristian Vieri (ITA)
1992 Score Gold.
Christian Vieri was the greatest striker in the world during the late 1990s to early 2000s. He was an all-round striker who was excellent in strength, aerial ability and shot technique, combined with above average skillful and pace. Vieri was top scorer in Spain in the 1997-98 season and in Italy in the 2002-03 season and was twice named Italian Footballer of the Year. He is tied with two others as Italy's highest goal scorer in the World Cup, with nine career goals.
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3hFernando Hierro (SPA)
1988 Este.
One of the greatest modern Spanish defenders, Fernando Hierro was equally at ease as a central defender or defensive midfielder. With Real Madrid, he won 5 La Liga titles and 3 Champions League titles. He was capped 89 times by the Spanish national team. As a defender, Hierro had a remarkable scoring record. He led Spain in total goals with 29 before being overtaken by Raul Gonzalez, and in club play was fourth in the world for defensive player goals with 105 in 497 first division games. He was nominated in Ballon'Dor three times during the 2nd half 1990s and finished in top twenties twice.
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3iMarcel Desailly (FRA)
1989 Panini.
Ghanaian-French central defender Marcel Desailly was a stalwart center-back and noted for his superb strength and stamina, domination in the air, confidence and leadership. He is one of just a few plyers to win two consecutive Champions League titles with two different clubs, in Desailly’s case, Marseille and AC Milan. He was capped 116 times by France and was a member of the national teams that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. He was voted the 4th best player in the 1998 World Cup.
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3jJose Luis Chilavert (PAR)
1992 Supercolección.
Jose Luis Chilavert was named IFFHS World Goalkeeper of the Year in 1995, 1997 and 1998. With Vélez Sarsfield, he won 5 Argentine Primera Division titles. Chilavert was capped 84 times by Paraguay. Aside from his goalkeeping, he was known as a free kick specialist and he scored 67 goals in his career.
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3kPredrag Mijatovic (YUG)
1990 Fudbal.
Yugoslavian striker Predrag Mijatović is best-known for his four years on Real Madrid where he led the club to a league title and scored a key goal in the 1998 Champions League finals to secure the tournament win for Madrid for the first time in 32 years. He was runner-up in the 1997 Ballon d'Or voting and was capped 73 times by Yugoslavia.
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3lThomas Ravelli (SWE)
Blagult 1985.
Swedish goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli won 9 Swedish first division titles between 1978 and 1996. Capped 143 times by Sweden, he started for national side at the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, with Sweden finishing third in the latter tournament.
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