Obviously picking a single player over a ten-year timespan is no easy task, so we’ll try and cover some particularly honourable mentions for each decade as well.
Here are our best footballers born in each of the last 7 decades
7. 1940’s – Pele
The outstanding candidate for the 1940’s is obviously Pele, who is arguably the greatest footballer to have ever lived. The likes of George Best, Franz Beckenbauer, Eusebio, Sandro Mazzola and Gerd Muller were all also born in the 1940’s, although the man who would run Pele closest would be Johan Cruyff. Pele was born in October 1940, meaning he was only 17 when he bagged a brace in the World Cup Final and was Brazil’s top scorer at the 1958 tournament. A completely revolutionary footballer who had incredible flair, technique and acceleration over short distances, which he twinned with his unerring genius in front of goal along with a wonderful leap and heading ability, he was just about the complete centre-forward. Pele remains the only man to have won three World Cups, and he scored 619 goals in 638 official matches for Santos.
6. 1950’s – Michel Platini
UEFA chief Michel Platini speaks during a UEFA press conference after the draw for the UEFA Europa League football group stage 2015
From Kevin Keegan to Paolo Rossi and Hugo Sanchez, a whole host of names could be thrown into the hat for the 1950’s, but ultimately it would be between Brazilian Zico and Frenchman Michel Platini. Both were free-kick specialists, and both were absolutely world class attacking midfielders. For us, though, the decision was relatively easy. The 1950’s may arguably be the weakest decade in this seven, but Michel Platini would be a worthy winner in any decade. The greatest French footballer of all time – sorry Zizou but it’s true – Platini’s legacy has been somewhat sullied by his alleged involvement in recent FIFA and UEFA scandals. We won’t get into that, but as a player, Platini combined genius with ruthless effectiveness.
One of the game’s truly great passers of the ball, Platini was also a master technician and a prolific scorer. His primary duty may have been to create, but Platini bagged 312 goals from 580 appearances over the course of his career. He won three Ballon d’Ors in the 1980’s and made the FIFA World Cup All Time Team in 1994.
5. 1960’s – Diego Maradona
The 1960’s gave birth to great players right the way across the park. Franco Baresi in defence, Lothar Matthaus in defensive midfield, Roberto Baggio in attacking midfield, and the likes of Marco van Basten and Romario up front. You could certainly put together a mean 5-a-side team with that quintet, but sadly for all of them, there was another footballer born in the 1960’s by the name of Diego Armando Maradona.
Only Lionel Messi in 2012 could rival Diego Maradona in 1986 as the absolute peak of footballing genius. A tiny man in terms of his height but an absolute giant in the history of the game, Maradona’s ability, control and technique with a ball at his feet, is just about without peer in the entire history of the game. He made his name in Argentina with Argentinos Juniors and Boca Juniors, before twice setting world record transfer fees, establishing Napoli as a force within Italian football and inspiring Argentina to victory at the 1986 World Cup.
4. 1970’s – Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid reacts during the La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on May 6, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.
Thierry Henry, Luis Figo, Gianluigi Buffon… We could reel off a whole host of credible candidates for the 1970’s, but ultimately, it comes down to two names, Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, and Zinedine Zidane. For us, there can only be one winner. Zidane was such a natural footballer with that joyous ability to glide past opponents, and on his day, he could both run and win a game on his own. To truly appreciate Ronaldo, though, you have to watch him in his early years at Barcelona and Inter Milan. He was unbelievably quick, yet he had total mastery over the ball whatever speed he was going. He made a mockery of world class defenders on a routine basis. He could beat them for pace, he could feint and waltz past them, nutmeg them, and all the while, they knew he had devastating accuracy from close and long range.
If Ronaldo’s knees hadn’t been so vulnerable, he could be put in the same bracket as Pele and Messi. As it happened, he missed almost three of his best years through injury and lost half a yard of pace, yet he was still arguably the best player in the world at Real Madrid. That’s a mark of his incredible talent, and he takes top spot for the 1970’s.
3. 1980’s – Lionel Messi
The 1980’s in another decade which isn’t short on honourable mentions, with the likes of Ronaldinho, Xavi and Iniesta coming to mind, but once more, it’s a tale of two players – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s a tired and often tedious debate which I suspect we will have re-started in the comments here, but we’ll give our two pennies worth once more anyway. Cristiano Ronaldo is without doubt one of the greatest footballers to have ever lived. His consistency, his longevity, his goal scoring and the way in which he has altered his game with age have ensured that. However, especially in recent years, Ronaldo has been a pure goal scorer.
Messi, on the other hand, is a footballer in the truest sense of the word. In addition to having been even more prolific than Ronaldo over their entire careers, Messi is also a genius on the ball, incredibly intelligent, a master in the pass and a creative force. Sure, Ronaldo has won an international trophy and he has been more effective in the latter stages of the Champions League in recent years, but when looking at the two players solely in terms of their ability as footballers, over all aspects of the game, it has to be Messi.
2. 1990’s – Neymar
TOPSHOT – Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian forward Neymar poses with his trophy after receiving the Best Ligue 1 Player award during a TV show on May 13, 2018 in Paris, as part of the 27th…
We’re now getting pretty recent, and when discussing players born in the 1990’s, we could mention the likes of David de Gea, Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Toni Kroos and many more. Our pick would be Neymar, though. Now aged 26, having been born in 1992, Neymar has already scored 269 goals in 439 games at club level, and 53 goals in 83 games for Brazil. Neymar is a fantastic footballer whose ability on the ball when running at pace is a nightmare for defenders. Since the age of 14, he has been touted for greatness, and whilst he hasn’t yet overtaken Messi and Ronaldo to win the Ballon d’Or, he is certainly a world class footballer. Neymar became the most expensive player in history last year, when he swapped Barcelona for PSG in a move worth £198 million.
1. 2000’s – Ryan Sessegnon
We very recently did a video taking a look at the seven best footballers born since 2000. Ryan Sessegnon’s name may seem a little out of place, but he topped that seven, and of course, no player his age is going to have a reputation to rival the others featured here. The likes of Vinicius Junior, Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden may have more potential, but at this moment in time, Sessegnon is number one. The 17-year-old has already scored 22 goals in 76 games for Fulham, and he recently beat the likes of Ruben Neves and Adama Traore to the Championship Player of the Season award.
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