5 greatest left-footed players of all time

Left-footers are a bit of a minority in football. Most players prefer to use their right-foot. There are also plenty of players who are pretty good with both feet. So it's safe to say that being left-footed makes a player a bit unorthodox.

For the same reason, they can prove to be tricky for defenders to go up against. As a result, teams need left-footed players as they enjoy a certain kind of advantage on the football pitch.

World-class left-footed players combining with others has often proven to be a deadly combination which can keep defenders guessing all the time. If we were to look back into history and pick out the greatest players to have graced the game, we would be here all day.

But here, we will be taking a look at five of the greatest left-footed players of all time.

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#5 Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs of Manchester United

Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs was arguably the best player from the famed 'Class of 92'. He burst onto the scene as a fleet-footed teenager who was a nightmare to defend against.

The Welshman moved on the football pitch with the grace of a gazelle and was part of Sir Alex Ferguson's dominant football teams in the 1990s and 2000s. Despite the many rebuilds Fergie had to do at Manchester United, Giggs was a part of it all.

He has had a distinguished career winning 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, four League Cups, two Champions League titles, an Intercontinental Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup.

Giggsy was so technically adept that even though he started off as a winger, he could play anywhere across the frontline. He also played as a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder as he lost a yard of pace in his final years as a professional footballer.

He holds the record for the most competitive appearances for Manchester United with 963. Giggs spent his entire career at the club, scoring 141 goals and providing 250 assists.

#4 Alfredo Di Stefano

Alfredo Di Stefano (pic cred: Football Makes History)

Alfredi Di Stefano was Real Madrid's most dominant football player in the 1950s. He was a force of nature on the football field and could play in any position in midfield and across the front but he was largely deployed on the left flank.

Di Stefano scored a total of 246 goals in 302 appearances in his Real Madrid career. He played for three different national sides - Argentina, Colombia and Spain. But it's at Spain that he had an extended run, scoring 23 goals in 31 appearances.

Considered one of the most complete footballers of all time, Di Stefano won eight La Liga titles and five European Cups with Real Madrid. He also won the Ballon d'Or twice and the Pichichi Award on five occasions.

#3 Ferenc Puskas

Ferenc Puskas in action (pic cred: Twitter)

Ferenc Puskas is widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers of all time. He was a phenomenal goalscorer and netted 84 times in 85 appearances for the Hungarian national side. Puskas was also a left-footer who hardly ever used his right to get a shot away.

The Hungarian international went on to join Real Madrid after being at Budapest Honved for 13 years between 1943 and 1956. At the Santiago Bernabeu, he'd become part of one of the greatest attacking trios of all time alongside Alfredo Di Stefano and Paco Gento.

Puskas scored a whopping 199 goals in 226 appearances for Real Madrid and won five La Liga titles and three European Cups. He also led Hungary to the final of the 1954 World Cup and won Olympic Gold with them in 1952.

#2 Diego Maradona

Diego Maradona of Argentina

Diego Maradona didn't have much use for his right foot except to help him move about. One of the greatest footballers of all time, Maradona always had the ball glued to his left foot and at the time, it was the best left-foot to have graced the game.

The Argentine was an incredible dribbler. Back in the day when refereeing was much more lenient and players could get away with bulldozing their opponents, Maradona would still run rings around them.

Of course, his heels were snapped against relentlessly and his knees and shin would have had dents from being crashed into and kicked about during that time. But Maradona was magic on the football pitch and he was a player unlike any that the game had seen up until that point.

Maradona almost single-handedly led the Argentinian national side to a World Cup triumph in 1986. His famous 'Hand of God' goal and the 'Goal of the Century' came in the semi-final of the tournament against England.

In his illustrious club career, he scored 258 goals in 492 appearances. He started his career at Argentinos Juniors before moving to Boca Juniors. Maradona would go on to play for Barcelona as well but it was at Napoli that he found his home.

In the 1986-87 season, Maradona led from the front as Napoli won the Serie A title for the first time in their history. The late footballer continues to be a cultural icon in the city of Naples.

#1 Lionel Messi

Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City: Group A - UEFA Champions League

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest footballer of all time. He was likened to the great Diego Maradona when he was still a teenager. Messi went on to deliver on that promise and then some. Like Maradona, Messi was a diminutive forward with incredible dribbling skills.

He navigated cul-de-sacs with ease and showed a level of technical proficiency still unmatched today. Messi backed up his vision on the pitch with his ability and seems to almost always have answers no matter what the situation might be.

There are few skills missing in his repertoire and he is one of the most complete footballer of all time. The Argentine has won the Ballon d'Or a record six times and is widely tipped to win it for a seventh time this year.

He won the Copa America with Argentina this summer and was named the Best Player and also won the Golden Boot in the tournament. Messi's accolades speak for themselves.

He won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, seven Copa Del Reys, Eight Supercopa de Espana, three FIFA Club World Cups and three UEFA Super Cups with Barcelona. He also reached the finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Argentina lost out to Germany by a single goal.