It has always been a great controversy when it comes to the
best dribblers of all time. There has been a lot of great players, stars and
football legends,
who has amazed us with their extraordinary dribbling skills, but still there are very few without them this list can never be completed.
And it’s really not about who comes before whom, because we are talking about the top 10 best dribblers of all time, so each of them may claim the same spot. And while making this list we have kept in mind the time span they have played at their best for the country or the club. Players with more successful careers are given the preference to come first in the list. So here it goes.
who has amazed us with their extraordinary dribbling skills, but still there are very few without them this list can never be completed.
And it’s really not about who comes before whom, because we are talking about the top 10 best dribblers of all time, so each of them may claim the same spot. And while making this list we have kept in mind the time span they have played at their best for the country or the club. Players with more successful careers are given the preference to come first in the list. So here it goes.
10. Stanley Matthews
“The Wizard of The Dribble”, the iconic English footballer
who was the first winner of both the European Footballer of The Year and the
Football Writers’ Association Footballer of The Year awards comes at number 10.
Matthews had great balance and near perfect sense of timing and often he was
called “the magician”. He is the oldest footballer ever to represent his
country. Pele once said Matthews was “the man who taught us the way football
should be played”.
9. Pelé
The most
celebrated footballer, an ambassador of the game, often regarded as the best
footballer of all time, the Brazilian star Pelé comes at number 9. According
to the IFFHS, Pelé is the most successful league goal scorer in the world, with
541 league goals. He is famous for his incredible long runs from the midfield
and most of those runs used to end in goals. And his dribbling skills leave us
with no doubt that he was one of the greatest dribbler of all time.
8. Johan Cruyff
The Dutch genius comes at number 8. He is known for his
instant acceleration through any little gap in the defense and movement in the
penalty area. He is also the inventor of “The Cruyff Turn” where he used to
fool the defenders with his false passing to his teammates and instead he used
to turn ninety degrees and accelerate away from the defender. The former FC
Barcelona star won the Ballon d’Or award three times in 1971, 1973 and 1974.
7. George Best
The former number 7 of Manchester United and unarguably one
of the greatest Manchester United player of all time comes at number 7. The
right footed Irish player used inside and outside of his foot to dodge tackles
and cut away from defenders by changing his direction and dribbling forward. In
1968 he won the European Cup as a Manchester United player and was named the
European Footballer of The year and FWA Footballer of The Year in the same
year.
6. Ronaldinho
The Brazilian magician with his outstanding aerial skills
with the ball comes at number 6. The former Barcelona superstar gave us some
unforgettable moments in his glorious days. And one of his famous moves
“elastico” still leave us with astonishment where he used to fool the defender
by pushing the ball to a side before suddenly pulling it back to the opposite
side. He was the member of the World Cup winning team in 2002 and was named the
FIFA World Player of The Year award in 2004-2005.
5. Zinedine Zidane
The former French and Real Madrid superstar, the player with
the best ball control ever comes at number 5. He is famous for his
extraordinary and amazing skills with the ball where he played with the
defenders and could come out from any kind of difficult situations. Despite
being a sculpture of the game he was neither the fastest nor had a great
acceleration. And he never needed that.
He also got an own move named after him the “Zidane Roulette” where he
used to turn three sixty degrees while dribbling. Undoubtedly being one of the
greatest players of all time he won 1998 World Cup for his country. And who can
forget his one touch volley in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final which
brought the winning goal for the team. Irrespective of any kind of football
abilities he will always be one of the greatest footballers of all time.
4. Ronaldo
Another Brazilian great, probably the best player of the
world in his time comes at number 4. Ronaldo had a huge list of skills in his
pocket he used to execute in the field against the defenders. He is famous for
his crazy solo runs where he used to trick all the defenders to get past them
and sometimes even the goalkeeper to score a goal. One of his favourite skill
was to step over in front of the goalkeeper while scoring the goal. No one has
done it better than him in the history of the game. He won FIFA World Player of
The Year award in 1996, 1997, 2002 and won Ballon d’Or award in 1997 and 2002.
He is also a member of the World Cup winning Brazil team in 2002
3. Garrincha
Garrincha is one of the best dribbler of all time with a
unique style. He used to trick defenders by threatening them from inside and
then moving outside with an instant acceleration. He used to do it for multiple
times and get past all the defenders to score a goal or assist. Brazil never
lost a match with Pele and Garrincha both in the team.
2. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona, the great Argentine, may be the best
footballer of all time was one of the finest dribbler in the history of the
game. He had his own dribbling technique that no defender could follow. In his
time the whole opponent team used to mark him and he used to get past all of
them with ease. He used to fool defenders with his changing direction and doing
the opposite he made them feel. The master of “Gambetta” won two world cups for
his country and his goal against England in 1986 World Cup Quarter Final is
often considered as the best example of his dribbling skills.
1. Lionel Messi
The best in the
world, the footballer from a different planet, the man with a magical left
foot, Lionel Messi comes first in the list. And again a man with great control
and balance over the ball he has done so much in such a short time in his
career. He is the ultimate nightmare to the opponent defenders. He changes his
direction so quickly and gathers instant acceleration to fool the defenders. He
never loses the ball and he can change the atmosphere of a match anytime. He is
the only footballer to win Ballon d’Or for the four consecutive years. And yes,
he is the best dribbler of all time in the history of the game.
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