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Over the years, the beautiful game has featured some of the finest players across various positions.
The likes of Lev Yashin, Paolo Maldini, Franz Beckenbauer, Zinedine Zidane, Pele and Diego Maradona, and more recently Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, have enthralled and entertained in equal measure.
More often than not, though, it's the ones operating in the middle and attacking third of the field who are in the limelight. That's because these players are more often involved in plays than their defensive colleagues, which means they get more opportunities to showcase their prowess.
Many such players have racked up jaw-dropping numbers over the years. However, only a few have done so while helping their teams win big titles or redefining the way the game is played.
So without further ado, here's a look at five of the most gifted players to have graced football:
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the finest players to have played the game. That's because over a near two-decade-long career, the 36-year-old has scored goals and won titles galore for club and country.
Ronaldo, who won the Euros with Portugal in 2016, is the all-time top scorer for Real Madrid and in Champions League history. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the only player to score in five different European Championships and is the joint-most prolific male scorer in international football.
The Juventus striker is a set-piece specialist and is strong in the air. He can score off either foot and operate anywhere in the attacking third, to name a few of his multitude of attributes. However, his sustained excellence and longevity for close to two decades is perhaps the biggest of them all.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson once said about Ronaldo:
"Ronaldo could play for Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Doncaster Rovers... anyone, and score a hat-trick in a game. Ronaldo's got two feet, he's quick, great in the air."
#4 Johan Cruyff
Johan Cruyff is one of the best players and managers to have graced the game. A proponent of the revolutionary Total Football philosophy, Cruyff transformed the way the game can be played, laying a blueprint for future successful teams like Spain and Barcelona.
The late Dutchman was a versatile and prolific goalscorer. However, he was equally adept in donning the playmaker role, which helped him to outsmart opposition defenders. There was no position he couldn't play in and very little he couldn't conjure on the field.
It was Cruyff's brilliant work that set up the opening goal for the Netherlands in the 1974 FIFA World Cup final. However, when West Germany scored twice, the Dutch couldn't muster a response, and Cruyff never came close to winning the competition again.
Cruyff lifted Ajax from obscurity to European powerhouse by helping them win three consecutive European Champions Clubs' Cup titles. He then endeared himself to the Barcelona faithful by helping the Blaugrana secure the La Liga title in his first season at the club.
Years later, the three-time Ballon d'Or winner would assemble a 'dream team' at Barcelona and achieve more success, winning four successive league titles and the Champions League too.
Johan Neeskens, scorer for the Oranje in that 1974 final, said of his late compatriot:
"If you look at the greatest players in history, most of them couldn't coach. If you look at the greatest coaches in history, most of them were not great players. Johan Cruyff did both – and in such an exhilarating style."
#3 Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona is one of the most naturally gifted players to have played the game. Though his antics on and off the field hardly made him a role model, there's simply no denying the late Argentine's ability on the ball and his magical left foot.
Despite his small stature, Maradona was an excellent dribbler and was blessed with unparalleled vision and ability on the field. He was not a quintessential goalscorer, operating mostly in a playmaking role, but he did score a few iconic goals.
Maradona scored one of the best goals in FIFA World Cup history when he left five English defenders trailing in his wake before slotting the ball past an onrushing Peter Shilton. That strike later got voted as the 'goal of the century' as Argentina went on to win the competition that year (1986).
Shortly after that triumph, Maradona would lead Napoli to their only two Italian league titles in their history to endear himself to the club's faithful.
Shortly after his death last year, Napoli renamed their stadium Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Lionel Messi, who played under Maradona at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, said on his compatriot's demise:
"It is a very sad day for all Argentines and for football. He is leaving us but he is not going, because Diego is eternal."
#2 Lionel Messi
Widely regarded as one of the best players in history, Lionel Messi has bedazzled fans, connoisseurs and critics with his achievements on the field and ability on the ball.
Short and left-footed like his illustrious compatriot Maradona, Messi can weave magic on the field, dribble through opposition defenders at pace, and burst through the tiniest of gaps. The set-piece specialist can also score the odd headed goal.
Xavi once said about Messi:
"Every day he is a better player. He is unbelievable. In my opinion he is the best player in history, not just in this moment, in history. What he is doing is incredible. Every game he makes the difference, every game, since 12 years ago. I was playing with him and his skill, he's incredible. The best player in the history in my opinion for sure."
During a 17-year stint with Barcelona, Messi racked up over 1000 goal contributions (672 goals, 305 assists), winning ten La Liga titles and two continental trebles.
Perhaps Messi's most memorable strike was his header against Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final. Messi seemed to hang in the air for a while before he headed the ball past United keeper Edwin van der Sar, with Rio Ferdinand caught ball-watching.
Weeks after winning his first international title with Argentina, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is all set to embark on a new chapter of his career after being let go by Barcelona.
#1 Pele
Pele is often called the greatest footballer to have played the game, and not without reason.
One of the most prolific goalscorers the game has ever seen, Pele is reported to have scored over 1200 goals in his professional career and is the only player to have won three FIFA World Cups. He became the youngest player to score in a World Cup final when he netted in Brazil's 5-2 win over hosts Sweden in the 1958 title match.
He was also a dribbler and playmaker par excellence, holding the record for most goals scored for a single club (643) before Messi surpassed him.
Considering his ability on the ball and achievements for club and country, Pele was voted the greatest footballer of all time three years ago.
Despite his diminutive stature, much like Messi and Maradona, Pele was a force to be reckoned with in the air. He was adept with either foot and was a leader on the field. Off the field, Pele often cordially greeted and embraced rivals, which only added to his stature as one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest.
English legend Bobby Moore once said about Pele:
"Pele was the most complete player I've ever seen. Two good feet. Magic in the air. Quick. Powerful. Could beat people with skill. Could outrun people. Only 5 ft 8 in tall, yet he seemed a giant of an athlete on the pitch. Perfect balance and impossible vision."
