19. Roberto Carlos

Personal information Full nameRoberto Carlos da Silva Rocha Date of birth10 April 1973 (age 38) Place of birthGarça, São Paulo, Brazil Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) Playing positionLeft Back He has played for Spanish club Real Madrid for eleven years, winning four leagues, three UEFA Champions League trophies, and two Intercontinental Cups. He is also one of only six players to have played more than one hundred matches in the Champions League. He is especially famous for a free kick against France on June 3, 1997, where he shot from 35 m (110 ft) from the centre-right channel, and scored. Club career: União São João Roberto Carlos began his professional career playing for União São João, a football club...

Bonus: Claudio Gentile

Personal information Date of birth27 September 1953 (age 58) Place of birthTripoli, Libya Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) Playing positionCentral Defender, Full back Considered by many as football’s greatest ever man marker, Gentile’s finest hour came on 11 July 1982 when he produced an immaculate defensive display alongside fellow defender Gaetano Scirea, as Italy defeated West Germany 3-1 to lift the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. Gentile came to international acclaim in the 2nd phase match against the title-holders Argentina, when he man-marked Diego Maradona out of the game by kicking and flooring him constantly throughout the game. In Italy’s next match against the favorites, Brazil, he first performed a...

20. Lillian Thuram

Personal information Full nameRuddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien Date of birth1 January 1972 (age 39) Place of birthPointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe Height1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)[1] Playing positionRight back / Centre back One of the best defenders of all time from France, he is famous for his 2 goals in the 1998 world cup semi final against Croatia when France came from behind to win 2-1. France eventually won the world cup beating Brazil 3-0. At club level. Club career: Thuram's football career began with AS Monaco of the French Ligue 1 in 1991. He then transferred to Parma FC (1996–2001) and then to Juventus FC (2001–2006) for £25 million, and eventually to FC Barcelona in 2006.  AS Monaco Thuram...

1. Zinedine Zidane

Personal information Full nameZinedine Yazid Zidane Date of birth24 June 1972 (age 39) Place of birthMarseille, France Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Playing positionMidfielder Popularly nicknamed Zizou, he is a French former football midfielder. His career accomplishments include winning the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000, in addition to the 2002 UEFA Champions League. He is also one of only two three-time FIFA World Player of the Year winners. Zidane won the Golden Ball as the MVP in the World Cups of 1998 and 2006. Zidane played his first professional First Division game for Cannes and quickly rose through the professional ranks. He sealed his reputation by scoring two goals in the World Cup finals of 1998,...

2. Pele

Personal information Full nameEdison Arantes do Nascimento Date of birth23 October 1940 (age 71) Place of birthTrês Corações, Brazil Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) Playing positionForward Pele – called “the Black Pearl,” was the greatest soccer player in the history of the game. With a career total of 1280 goals, he may have been the world’s most popular athlete after he was named Athlete of the Century by the world’s combined National Olympic Committees in 1999, though he never played in the Olympics himself. In March of 2002, the jersey Pelé wore in the 1970 World Cup final sold at auction for $220,850. Pelé became Brazil’s minister of sports in 1995, serving until 1998. Club career: SantosIn 1956, de Brito...

3. Diego Maradona

Personal information Full nameDiego Armando Maradona Date of birth30 October 1960 (age 51) Place of birthLanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina Height1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) Playing positionAttacking Midfielder Second Striker Maradona is an icon in Argentina. As a soccer player, he took his team to new heights and became a hero to sports fans – many of whom referred to him as “San Diego.” He also took sports paychecks to new heights, claiming unheard of salaries in trade after trade. Maradona was plagued by cocaine addiction, though, and his career came to an early end. His performance included two memorable goals against England, one scored with his hand (the referee mistakenly thought the ball struck his head) and...

4. Franz Beckenbauer

Personal information Full nameFranz Anton Beckenbauer Date of birth11 September 1945 (age 66) Place of birthMunich, Germany Height1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) Playing positionSweeper German football (soccer) player. He is credited with inventing the modern attacking sweeper position. Nicknamed “Der Kaiser,” Beckenbauer is the only man to both captain and manage World Cup-winning teams (1974 and 1990, respectively). He spent most of his career with Bayern Munich, leading the team to three European Cup championships and four national titles. He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1972 and 1976. He is generally regarded as the greatest German footballer of all time and also as one of the greatest footballers...