5 greatest left-footed players of all time

#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.