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The Best Players of All Time for Each Competition

  A brief explanation

For this article, we are only talking about the major competitions in the history of football, these can be championships, tournaments, national or international, provided that they lasted a minimum amount of time and had a notable importance in the history of this sport.

As for how to highlight players, it is about choosing an XI of players in a tactic existing at the time of the competition. These are not the best players who have played in each competition, but the players who have performed best in each competition.

POTT = Best Player of the Tournament

GOTY = Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament

YPOTT = Best Young Player of the Tournament

TOTT = Included in the Team of the Tournament

World Cup

Euro

Copa America

Olympic Games

World Cup

World Cup XI

The Best World Cup XI


Gordon Banks

England

  • 2 participations (1966, 1970)
  • 9 games, 4 goals conceded, 6 clean sheets
  • 1 WC (1966)
  • 1 GOTT (1966), 1 TOTT (1966)


Djalma Santos

Brazil

  • 4 participations (1954, 1958, 1962, 1966)
  • 12 games, 0 goal, / assists
  • 2 WC (1958, 1962)
  • 3 TOTT (1954, 1958, 1962)


Nílton Santos

Brazil

  • 4 participations (1950, 1954, 1958, 1962)
  • 15 games, 1 goal, / assists
  • 2 WC (1958, 1962), 1 WC Final (1950)
  • 1 TOTT (1958)


José Nasazzi

Uruguay

  • 1 participation (1930)
  • 4 games, 0 goal, / assists
  • 1 WC (1930)
  • 1 POTT (1930), 1 TOTT (1930)


Franz Beckenbauer

Germany

  • 3 participations (1966, 1970, 1974)
  • 18 games, 5 goals, 1 assist
  • 1 WC (1974), 1 WC Final (1966), 1x 3rd at WC (1970)
  • 1 YPOTT (1966), 3 TOTT (1966, 1970, 1974)


Lothar Matthäus

Germany

  • 5 participations (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998)
  • 25 games, 6 goals, 1 assist
  • 1 WC (1990), 2 WC Finals (1982, 1986)
  • 1 TOTT (1990)


Didi

Brazil

  • 3 participations (1954, 1958, 1962)
  • 15 games, 3 goals, 10 assists
  • 2 WC (1958, 1962)
  • 1 POTT (1958), 1 TOTT (1958)


Diego Armando Maradona

Argentina

  • 4 participations (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994)
  • 21 games, 8 goals, 8 assists
  • 1 WC (1986), 1 WC Final (1990)
  • 1 POTT (1986), 2 TOTT (1986, 1990)


Lionel Messi

Argentina

  • 5 participations (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
  • 26 games, 13 goals, 8 assists
  • 1 WC (2022), 1 WC Final (2014)
  • 2 POTT (2014, 2022), 3 TOTT (2010, 2014, 2022)

Kylian Mbappé

France

  • 2 participations (2018, 2022)
  • 14 games, 12 goals, 3 assists
  • 1 WC (2018), 1 WC Final (2022)
  • 1 YPOTT (2018), 2 TOTT (2018, 2022)

Pelé

Brazil

  • 4 participations (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970)
  • 14 games, 12 goals, 9 assists
  • 3 WC (1958, 1962, 1970)
  • 1 POTT (1970), 1 YPOTT (1958), 2 TOTT (1958, 1970)

Euro

The Best Euro ​XI


Lev Yashin

USSR

  • 2 participations (1960, 1964)
  • 10 games, 9 goals conceded, 4 clean sheets
  • 1 Euro (1960), 1 Euro Final (1964)
  • 2 GOTT (1960, 1964), 2 TOTT (1960, 1964)

Lilian Thuram

France

  • 4 participations (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
  • 16 games, 0 goals, 0 assist
  • 1 Euro (2000)
  • 1 TOTT (2000)

Andreas Brehme

Germany

  • 3 participations (1984, 1988, 1992)
  • 12 games, 1 goal, 0 assist
  • 1 Euro Final (1992)
  • 2 TOTT (1984, 1992)

Pepe

Portugal

  • 5 participations (2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2024)
  • 23 games, 2 goals, 0 assist
  • 1 Euro (2016)
  • 3 TOTT (2008, 2012, 2016)

Franz Beckenbauer

Germany

  • 2 participations (1972, 1976)
  • 22 games, 0 goal, 3 assists
  • 1 Euro (1972), 1 Euro Final (1976)
  • 2 TOTT (1972, 1976)

Jean Tigana

France

  • 1 participation (1984)
  • 9 games, 0 goal, 3 assists
  • 1 Euro (1984)
  • 1 TOTT (1984)

Xavier Hernández

Spain

  • 3 participations (2004, 2008, 2012)
  • 11 games, 1 goal, 4 assists
  • 2 Euro (2008, 2012)
  • 1 TOTT (2008)

Michel Platini

France

  • 1 participation (1984)
  • 10 games, 10 goals, 2 assists
  • 1 Euro (1984)
  • 1 POTT (1984), 1 TOTT (1984)

Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal

  • 6 participations (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2024)
  • 30 games, 14 goals, 8 assists
  • 1 Euro (2016), 1 Euro Final (2004)
  • 2 TOTT (2016, 2020)

Zinédine Zidane

France

  • 3 participations (1996, 2000, 2004)
  • 14 games, 5 goals, 2 assists
  • 1 Euro (2000)
  • 1 POTT (2000), 2 TOTT (2000, 2004)

Antoine Griezmann

France

  • 3 participations (2016, 2021, 2024)
  • 17 games, 7 goals, 2 assists
  • 1 Euro Final (2016)
  • 1 POTT (2016), 1 TOTT (2016)

Copa America

The Best Copa America ​XI


Sergio Livingstone

Chile

  • 6 participations (1941, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1953)
  • 34 games, 48 goals conceded, 11 clean sheets
  • 2 Copa America 3rd Place (1941, 1945)
  • 1 GOTT (1941), 1 POTT (1941), 1 TOTT (1941)

José Nasazzi

Uruguay

  • 7 participations (1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1935, 1935)
  • 15 games, 0 goals, / assists
  • 4 Copa America (1923, 1924, 1926, 1935)
  • 2 POTT (1923, 1935), 2 TOTT (1923, 1935)

Domingos da Guia

Brazil

  • 7 participations (1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1935, 1935)
  • 15 games, 0 goals, / assists
  • 4 Copa America (1923, 1924, 1926, 1935)
  • 1 POTT (1945), 1 TOTT (1945)


Héctor Chumpitaz​

Peru

  • 2 participations (1975, 1979)
  • 11 games, 0 goals, / assists
  • 1 Copa America (1975)
  • /


José Leandro Andrade​

Uruguay

  • 5 participations (1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929)
  • 11 games, 1 goal, / assists
  • 3 Copa America (1923, 1924, 1926)
  • 1 POTT (1926), 1 TOTT (1926)


Didi

Brazil

  • 3 participations (1953, 1957, 1959)
  • 17 games, 10 goals, 4 assists
  • 3 Copa America Finals (1953, 1957, 1959)
  • /


José Manuel Moreno

Argentina

  • 3 participations (1941, 1942, 1947)
  • 16 games, 13 goals, / assists
  • 2 Copa America (1941, 1947), 1 Copa America Final (1942)
  • 1 POTT (1947), 1 TOTT (1947)


Zizinho

Brazil

  • 6 participations (1942, 1945, 1946, 1949, 1953, 1957)
  • 33 games, 17 goals, 23 assists
  • 1 Copa America (1949), 4 Copa America Finals (1945, 1946, 1953, 1957)
  • /


Lionel Messi

Argentina

  • 7 participations (2007, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024)
  • 39 games, 14 goals, 18 assists
  • 2 Copa America (2021, 2024), 2 Copa America Finals (2015, 2016)
  • 2 POTT (2015, 2021), 4 TOTT (2011, 2015, 2021, 2024)

Ángel Romano​

Uruguay

  • 9 participations (1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1926)
  • 23 games, 12 goals, / assists
  • 6 CA (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926), 1 CA Final (1919)
  • /

Héctor Scarone

Uruguay

  • 7 participations (1917, 1919, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1929)
  • 19 games, 14 goals, / assists
  • 4 CA (1917, 1923, 1924, 1926), 2 CA Finals (1919, 1927)
  • 1 POTT (1917), 1 TOTT (1917)

Olympic Games

The Best Olympic Games ​XI


Lev Yashin

Russia

  • 1 participations (1956)
  • 6 games, 3 goals conceded, 3 clean sheets
  • 1 Olympic Games Gold Medal (1956)
  • /

Dezső Novák

Hungary

  • 3 participations (1960, 1964, 1968)
  • 15 games, 2 goals, / assists
  • 2 Olympic Games Gold Medals (1964, 1968)
  • /

Ferenc Bene

Hungary

  • 1 participation (1964)
  • 7 games, 15 goals, / assists
  • 1 Olympic Games Gold Medal (1964)
  • /

Vivian Woodward

Hungary

  • 2 participations (1908, 1912)
  • 6 games, 5 goals, / assists
  • 2 Olympic Games Gold Medals (1908, 1912)
  • /

Héctor Scarone

Uruguay

  • 2 participations (1924, 1928)
  • 8 games, 8 goals, / assists
  • 2 Olympic Games Gold Medals (1924, 1928)
  • /

Javier Mascherano

Argentina

  • 2 participations (2004, 2008)
  • 12 games, 0 goal, 0 assist
  • 2 Olympic Games Gold Medals (2004, 2008)
  • /

José Nasazzi

Uruguay

  • 2 participations (1924, 1928)
  • 9 games, 0 goal, / assists
  • 2 Olympic Games Gold Medals (1924, 1928)
  • /

Neymar

Brazil

  • 2 participations (2012, 2016)
  • 12 games, 7 goals, 7 assists
  • 1 Olympic Games Gold Medal (2016), 1 Olympic Games Silver Medal (2012)
  • /

Kazimierz Deyna

Uruguay

  • 2 participations (1972, 1976)
  • 13 games, 10 goals, 3 assists
  • 1 Olympic Games Gold Medal (1972), 1 Olympic Games Silver Medal (1976)
  • /

Igor Netto

Russia

  • 2 participations (1952, 1956)
  • 8 games, 1 goal, / assists
  • 1 Olympic Games Gold Medal (1956)
  • /

José Leandro Andrade

Uruguay

  • 2 participations (1924, 1928)
  • 9 games, 0 goal, / assists
  • 2 Olympic Games Gold Medals (1924, 1928)
  • /
The Best Football Players by Decade