The 7 greatest footballers of the 1960’s:

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The 1960’s was a decade which saw vast cultural shifts and transformations in the way people lived across much of the globe. It was also a pretty significant decade for football, with the introduction of substitutions in the Football League, a goalkeeper won the Ballon d’Or and England even won a World Cup!

Brazil were undoubtedly the greatest national team of the decade, while Santos, Benfica and Inter Milan were the most impressive club sides. But this seven is all about individuals, not teams.

Here are our 7 greatest footballers of the 1960’s

7. Garrincha

In seventh place is our most debatable inclusion. Debatable, that is, not because of Brazilian phenomenon Garrincha’s ability – no-one in the right mind would argue about that – but because of his peak years. In a look at the greatest players between 1955 and 1965, Garrincha would make the top three, but in a flat-out look at each decade, he missed out in the 1950’s and only just squeaks in here.

One of the greatest dribblers the game has ever seen, Brazil never lost a game in which Garrincha and Pele both played. Garrincha’s international career came to an end in 1966, whilst his long association with Botafogo ended in 1965. The main reason Garrincha makes this seven is because his peak was so extraordinary that it seemed absurd that he could miss out on this series altogether.

6. Sandro Mazzola

The Italian football team who qualified for the 1974 World Cup after beating Switzerland. Back row, left to right: R Benetti, D Spinosi, Gianni Rivera, Dino Zoff, G Morini, Luigi Riva….

In an ultimate 1960’s XI, there would be great competition for that attacking midfield spot, but ultimately it would have to go to Sandro Mazzola. 1960 Ballon d’Or winner and two-time European Cup winner Luis Suarez deserves a particularly honourable mention in that respect, but Mazzola was a special football player. The star of that great Inter Milan side known as Grande Inter, I have previously seen Kaka used as a more recent comparison in terms of playing styles to Mazzola. That seems reasonable enough to me, except, imagine Kaka playing at his absolute peak for an entire decade. That’s a frightening prospect, but that’s what teams who faced Inter Milan in the 1960’s had to contend with. Perhaps it’s no surprise the Nerazzurri won four Serie A titles and two European Cups with Mazzola as their attacking linchpin. Mazzola was full of energy, fantastic on the ball and possessed a first class range of passing.

5. Mario Coluna

Quite frankly one of the most underrated footballers in the history of the game, whilst everyone talks of Eusebio in regards to the great Portugal and Benfica sides of the 1960’s, the role of Mario Coluna is all too often overlooked. I would challenge anyone to go and watch footage of the midfield colossus and be anything other than awe-struck. Finding a modern era comparison for Coluna is not easy – Patrick Vieira perhaps – although with the greatest of respect for the Arsenal legend, that is possibly doing a disservice to Coluna.

He was so physically imposing, hellishly strong and rapid at getting up and down the pitch. His stamina was legendary, but so too was his footballing brain. There are few finer footballing all-rounders. Coluna won ten league titles and two European Cups with Benfica, as well as finishing third with Portugal at the 1966 World Cup.

4. Bobby Charlton

Sir Bobby Charlton arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United at Vitality Stadium on April 18, 2018 in Bournemouth, England.

Co-incidentally, if you were looking for players who could rival Coluna in terms of completeness, then you could do a lot worse than Sir Bobby Charlton. In our minds, the greatest English footballer of them all, Charlton was born to play football. A brilliant passer of the ball with a strike rate any centre-forward would be proud of, Charlton was also tremendously industrious. As well as typically being the most talented, he also tended to cover more ground than anyone who he shared a pitch with. Both on and off the ball, he was so intelligent with the way in which he played the game, and until recently, he was both Manchester United and England’s all time leading scorers.

Charlton’s legendary status goes beyond his mere ability on a football pitch. He was also a survivor of the tragic Munich air disaster, and the talisman as Manchester United successfully rebuilt themselves as domestic and European champions. He won the Ballon d’Or in 1966, the same year that he won the World Cup with England.

3. Eusebio

Mentioned earlier, there’s no way Eusebio wasn’t going to make it into this seven. Some players have a real presence on a football pitch. An aura about them which leaves spectators just watching and waiting for them to turn a game on its head. Eusebio had that in abundance. As well as being a wonderful athlete, he possessed a ferocious shot. What’s more, Eusebio had that rare ability, shared by few players – Gerd Muller is one who comes to mind – who didn’t seem to require that half a yard that even world class centre-forwards demand.

If you have never watched Eusebio play, do not be fooled into thinking this is a pure goal scorer we are talking about here. Eusebio could play a bit too. Combine all those attributes, and you’re left with comfortably one of the 7 greatest centre-forwards to have ever lived. The Mozambique-born Portuguese international won the Ballon d’Or in 1965.

2. Lev Yashin

Portugal’s Eusebio forces his way between two Russian players, only to see his shot saved by Russian goalkeeper Lev Yashin, during the World Cup match at Wembley Stadium, 28th July 1966….

There are a couple of reasons why Lev Yashin is so high in this seven, and I’ll try to explain them here. As we always say, there are only two criteria for these sevens – the quality of the player and his playing history during the decade in question.

In the case of Lev Yashin, his quality is unquestionable, he is almost universally regarded as the greatest goalkeeper of all time, and certainly of his generation. Quantity is the other reason he ranks so highly. Almost the entirety of Yashin’s best years came in the 1960’s. He played for Dynamo Moscow from 1950 to 1970, and the Soviet national team from 1954 to 1970. It was also during the 1960’s that he became the first, and still the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or. The first prominent European sweeper ‘keeper, Yashin had tremendous agility, reflexes and handling.

1. Pele

The 1960’s may be the strongest seven of this series, but the winner was still an incredible easy decision. For us, Pele is the second greatest footballer of all time, and comfortably the greatest of his generation. Pele’s genius began in the 1950’s, and certainly there has been no finer player at the age of 17 than Pele, who at that age was already averaging better than a goal a game – and scored a brace in World Cup final – making him Brazil’s top scorer as they won the tournament in 1958.

Pele was incredibly clever and inventive with a ball at his feet. He played with such supreme confidence in his own ability, and crucially of course, he had the ability to justify that self-belief. Pele’s peak came in the early 1960’s, when he led Santos to consecutive Copa Libertadores titles, followed by consecutive Intercontinental Cup successes, where Santos beat the two great European sides of the day – Benfica and Inter Milan – with Pele scoring nine goals across the four matches.

That should settle it for those who like to call the quality of Pele’s opposition into question, as if winning three World Cup’s didn’t prove that already. You can take a look at Pele’s goal scoring statistics against all European opposition if you like, but I must concede that it is pretty embarrassing reading for anyone who has spent their lives trying to convince people that Pele is overrated.