7 Greatest Footballers Who Never Won The World Cup

[@robertwilloughby8050]

The thing is, Yashin was an ice hockey goaltender until he suffered a facial injury in his late teens, and decided to concentrate on Football. He still would occasionally play goaltender in pickup games with friends, and it is interesting to speculate on how much of his hockey experience shaped his football career Edit:- Do you fancy a look at Paco Gento and/or Jef Jurion? Two of the most interesting players of their time, and (especially so in the case of Jurion!) a bit unjustly forgotten today.

[@sithvsjedi9696]

A great goalkeeper obviously 😊. It must irk his biggest fans that Oliver Kahn was the only goalkeeper to win the Golden Ball (whether one thinks he deserved it or not is a different matter).

[@mori5481]

@@sithvsjedi9696 golden ball didn't exist in 66

[@simoncaton1226]

@@mori5481 this is something that irks me sometimes about history. We have many awards today that didn’t exist before and people will say that “x player is the only person who has won x in x number of times”

[@mori5481]

@@simoncaton1226 agreed, I think someone mentioned it with Messi since this is his second one but I'm damn sure Pele would have gotten 2 as well

[@richehb6318]

Petr cech grew up playing hockey too but switched to football as he couldn't afford the equipment! Adds value to the theory

[@DCUEmp_prinzy]

I'm still shocked that Netherlands have never won the world cup at least once with all the great teams they've had

[@MihailParshin]

I´m more shocked for Hungary. They were the best for years, they didn´t lost any match in so many matches, but then they lost final of WC. The most important match of them all. That is one very big tragedy.

[@daarom3472]

Trust me, in the Netherlands we're shocked as well. I'm convinced if you could field an all-time best 11 the Netherlands team would be the best in the world: Van der Sar Krol Stam Koeman van Bronckhorst Rijkaard Gullit Seedorf Robben van Basten Cruyff France/Brazil/Germany would be close though.

[@bigpoppa3999]

They've been agonizingly close so many times.

[@bigpoppa3999]

@@daarom3472 nah bruh Brazil's all time simply isn't fair. Nobody would stop their attack and their defense would be all time too. There's simply too much Talent.

[@daarom3472]

@@bigpoppa3999 I fancy Holland's midfield though, and I don't Brazil's offense would be very ahead of NL's. van Basten and Cruyff both won 3 ballon d'or and both could've had more. Robben is a bit lower tier though I agree. Brazil would probably line up with Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Pele and Garrincha, very good front line as well but probably a bit less tactically apt.

[@reintaler6355]

I think Rummenigge and van Basten deserve honorable mentions

[@PassivesAbseits]

I'd rather mention Sammer and Seeler as the 2 best Germans to never win the World Cup.

[@reintaler6355]

​@@PassivesAbseits why?

[@sagarranjan4585]

@@PassivesAbseits Ballack and Rummenigge for me

[@jackbale5846]

Oliver Kahn aswell

[@hijlkecornelisboorsma1058]

without van basten his injurie look at the strikers the netherlands would have in 94 bergkamp kinking up with van basten. also ruud gullit could play in every line, he started as a sweeper then played as a second striker and played in midfield with ease to

[@ajbw04m48]

Great video as usual. Quick disclaimer, Puskas actually played in two World Cups; 1954 with Hungary and 1962 with Spain. He switched his international allegiance after he emigrated there following the 1956 Revolution. Admittedly he was 35 and just past his peak, but it either says a lot about how good he was (or how poor the Spain team was) that he could still walk into the XI at his age.

[@justhuy7960]

I would say that Spain team was really unfortunate, not only missing their star player Di Stefano, they were also drew into same group with Brazil and Czechoslovakia, winner and runner up of the tournament

[@desmondachocky537]

@@justhuy7960 Di stefano was actually not even spanish.His native land was Argentina n to this day Argentines have never considered him an Argentine coz of his betrayal to switch allegiance to play for spain having have been a madrid legend.It's the exact scenario that Messi would have found himself had he accepted the offer of playing for spain.But Messi truly loves his country n would not here none of it,even though it would have been an easier route to his international success.He remained loyal to his country n he was indeed rewarded this past sunday despite the challenges n heartbreaks he faced with his national teams in the past.

[@applehack97]

@@desmondachocky537 "never considered him an Argentine"? You clearly don't live here, otherwise you'd know how proud people are of our land being where "Maradona, Messi and Di Stéfano were born". Sometimes he's even included in our national "best of" lists despite having played only 6 games for our national team

[@desmondachocky537]

@@applehack97 Dude,I know what am saying,Argentines especially the older generation coz the younger ones don't know him that well n his history,do not recognize him as one of their own coz of his betrayal.There is a reason why the only notable sports personalities that Argentines appreciate the most for the longest are only two.Maradona n Messi.Do u ever hear them mention Maradona,Messi n Di stefano?Di stefano is only appreciated in spain,in madrid to be specific n those are facts.

[@applehack97]

@@desmondachocky537 and I know what I'm saying as well and he's beloved by many of different ages, stop talking nonsense, Di Stéfano is super well regarded as one of the greatest nation and world wise

[@Eric4075]

Cruyff was a joy to watch and played with a team that were also a team that were so exciting to watch.

[@______yawn6419]

damn, remember when Messi used to be mocked for not having an international trophy? good times.

[@zeo4481]

Imagine dragging your country to 3 finals and being mocked for it. Messi might have the single best international career after Pele yet people only care about 1rst place

[@keysersoze5032]

we get it hes the goat. Calm down

[@______yawn6419]

@@keysersoze5032 just say you're mad

[@azuesky_]

​​@@zeo4481ragging? He had Lazezzi, Tevez, Maschereno, Di Maria, Higuain, Dybala, Aguero among so many other world-class players in their aboute primes playing with him throughout his career lol. You know Argentina is considered 2nd strongest team after Brazil in all time lists right? This not a mediocre team like Portugal, Belgium or something. Only time ronaldo had a decent team was for this worldcup at 38

[@blast2686]

@@azuesky_ decent team but terrible manager

[@starwave8228]

Eric Cantona, Roberto Baggio, Pavel Nedved, John Barnes , Hiristo Stoichkov , Andrei Shevchenko , Peter Schmeichel , Brian Laudrup , henrik Larssen , Paul Gascoigne, Marco Van Basten - some of my favourites who have never won the WC.

[@stephenduke412]

Paul Scholes

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Yes! Stoichkov was dominant in the ‘94 WC. Fun fact - cantona never played at a WC. Neither did Jean Pierre Papin. France missed both ‘90 and ‘94 before winning in ‘98.

[@AblemanSy]

Brian Laudrup? You mean Michael for sure. Brian was decent, but not that special.

[@patrickexiler9255]

@@SKa-tt9nm Papin played in Mexico in 86

[@BloodyofHistory]

Maldini

[@thargoff]

Well done, a worthy list! Afaik Puskás was nationalised by Spain, like di Stefano, and actually played at the 1962 WC, the one you mentioned that di Stefano couldn’t participate in.

[@Daneelro]

BTW good effort from HITC Sevens to properly pronounce his name, but both "s"-es should be pronounced as an English "sh", not just the one at the end.

[@IchigoKurasaki666]

Didn’t realise before that Puskas and Yashin legitimately look like twins

[@wolfpackpete6408]

I wasn't aware Puskas missed 2 years of playing. He would've likely been the all-time top scorer if this hadn't been the case.

[@gyorkshire257]

Re. Yashin: Growing up in Leeds in the 80's, 20 years after he retired, whenever we were playing football in the park, the keeper could shout "Russian Goalie" and that meant they were allowed to play out and only come back to their area when they were needed. That is his true legacy.

[@MC-xv2tn]

Brilliant

[@balramsharma2590]

I didn't understand

[@missioncardiac7599]

A great list. I feel lucky that I have managed to see a few of these players live: in chronological order: Distefano and Puskas with Real Madrid, Zico and Platini. (have also seen Pele and Maradona). All of them in friendly/exhibition matches though, but still.

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

Great for you, which player impressed you the most among those you watched? Would also like to know your top 10, if you have something like that in your mind.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Amazing!

[@F1Krazy]

On a similar note, could you do one about the greatest players never to play at the World Cup at all? A full XI would be interesting, I can think of several forwards and midfielders who fit the bill but no defenders.

[@YeTism]

George Best and Di Stefano stand out.

[@archstanton6102]

Giggs?

[@soundscape26]

Defenders will always require a bit more research.

[@anteveic327]

@@YeTism Litmanen and Weah too

[@soundscape26]

@@anteveic327 Cantona and Rush.

[@afellownerd]

You should do 7 best players who never won the champions league next

[@superstar_h_gamer5211]

Ronaldo Nazario

[@hatim3453]

Maradona comes first then R9 nd Zlatan

[@superstar_h_gamer5211]

@@hatim3453 maradona had few chances tho Ronaldo had a chance and didn't

[@mashar1]

Vieira

[@hatim3453]

@@superstar_h_gamer5211 then Buffon nd R9

[@ricardohurtado5646]

The next generation will claim its “greatest footballer of all time”. Zico had some amazing speed and foot power, gracefully moving past opponents. Platini was a true artist, every game a tour de force. There was never a more prolific and consistent goal scorer than Puskas, his team made football look like child’s play.

[@deuscaritasest1278]

Yah . . Zico n Cruijff Platini amazing.

[@actiondrexx]

Exactly. And the next and the next. Personally, I don't think Messi is the greatest but among the greats

[@atmmoggio8393]

@@actiondrexx I have watched Messi since he was like 17. He is clearly only second to Pele, no caps. I think making a top ten list would be problematic, but guys like Cruff, Puska, Yashin, Backenbeur, Zico, Maradona, Gard Muller would make it.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

@@actiondrexxI’ve watched football since 1986 and read the extensively about it’s history stretching back to 1930. Messi is the greatest ever and it isn’t close. Maradona had the most dominant stretch (1985-1990), but Messi has been better across his career.

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

@@atmmoggio8393 Can't say I watched Messi since the beginning but he was the clear goat for me before I looked into Pelé. They are the top 2 for me. Similar players in my top 10 as well, apart from gerd Muller. His overall gameplay apart from goalscoring isn't worthy of a top 10. Di Stefano, Eusebio, Platini etc. are much better picks.

[@wobblertv8083]

When I was a 16 year old kid during the 82 world cup . me and my mates here in England were blown away by Zico .

[@reintaler6355]

Or that Brazil team in general, I bet

[@soundscape26]

Agreed. Zico is one of the players that don't get enough love.

[@wobblertv8083]

@@reintaler6355Best team never to win the world cup .Was gutted when boring Italy knocked them out , Even more than when England went out of the competition .But Italy had the striker who on that day just caught fire .

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

2nd best Brazilian of all time for me, top 15 minimum.

[@mendosjosh2245]

F.Y.I. Di Stefano has won an international tournament with Argentina the South American Championship (Now Known as Copa America) in 1947.

[@lester_the_molester]

Thank God Messi has avoided ending up on this list.

[@andythecrimson8877]

😁

[@liberatedentrepreneur149]

Easy when the refs get him to glory 🤷🏼

[@commieslayer7046]

@@liberatedentrepreneur149 agreed the euro 2016 and the three peat was rigged for penaldo.

[@BIadelores]

@@liberatedentrepreneur149 I agree I can't believe refs and Fifa rigged the Euro 2016 the way they did, unacceptable.

[@PessiFlopOfPsg]

Easy because the refs saved pessi

[@FoodFolksandGuns]

I would include Modric on the honorable mentions list

[@user-op6ig1dr3l]

Denis Law, Bobby Charlton and George Best were all winners of the Ballon d'Or all playing for the same team. Extraordinary !

[@Yastradamus1]

7 successful signings made on the back of an impressive World Cup

[@kieronparr3403]

Are there any?

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Puskas to Real (even though it didn’t happen immediately after the WC). - dominant Gary lineker to Barca in ‘86 - great start to his career there, bad last year. Hagi to Barca in ‘94 - when he played he was great, but oft injured. Limited by 3 foreigner rule.

[@Micek1911]

Not having Modric on this list or even on the honorable mentions is CRAZY.

[@Micek1911]

@@DDeglane16 He mentioned Wayne Rooney😭 Call me when Wayne Rooney wins 3 UCL's in a row, a balon d'or and carries his country to the world cup final💀

[@Micek1911]

@@DDeglane16 Watch the video again

[@wandilemtambo9962]

Also for what must be the millionth time I'm asking you to make a top 7 playmakers of all time list. As it's one of the few general all time bases you haven't covered.

[@Godplayzdice]

DeStefano, Puskas, Eusebio, George Best, Cryuff, Platini, Zico, Van Baasten, Güllit, Baggio, Maldini, Laudrup, Robben, George Weah, Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro, Modric, Debruyne, Neymar, Marcelo, Dani Alves, Zlatan. You can add Salah and Haaland in the list in few years.

[@RockySanz54]

Glad that you put Di Stefano on top who's the most complete footballer being a CF/SS on paper only as he dropped as deep as the DM position and started the play while also scoring loads of goals. His RMCF goalscoring record stood for more than 50 years

[@obitouchiha4739]

And to think he held that record while playing deep.

[@anthonyghazi774]

awww i really thought Baggio was gonna be mentioned, oh well the seven you said were very good as well so i cant really complain

[@momotheone9700]

I appreciate you opinion and you explanation of this list alfie.

[@crosleybendix97]

West Germany prevented so many greats from possibly lifting a World Cup.

[@mashiah1]

Please do - best XI who never played in the world cup

[@Beansontoast93911]

That’s good I like that

[@soundscape26]

Nice one

[@MikoyanGurevichMiG21]

George Weah is leading that line for sure.

[@soundscape26]

@@MikoyanGurevichMiG21 Ian Rush, Eric Cantona and George Best good contenders as well.

[@michaelscott7166]

Dixie Dean, the first number 9, would be in with a shout.

[@mafiousbj]

Zico was unlucky to share a decade with Maradona and a country with Pele and Garrincha, otherwise he may be talked about way more

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

He's a top 15 player for me, maybe top 10 and 2nd best Brazilian ever. If he won the WC in '82 he would be more common pick in people's top 10.

[@amirilan4435]

How about 7 greatest footballers never to feature in the WC, there are some good exemples such as Weah sr. Yossi Benayoun Frederic Kanoute And im sure there are much more

[@Banquet42]

Giggs Haaland?

[@soundscape26]

@@Banquet42 Haaland still has a shot at it... he's young and the WC will be expanded to 48 teams so Norway surely has a chance going forward.

[@olayinkaamara385]

He's done this video already back in 2018. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoXUgYhjqrmgY68

[@amirilan4435]

@@olayinkaamara385 :0 i was unaware

[@olayinkaamara385]

@@amirilan4435 Fair enough 👍

[@jonasfrohwitter8553]

As a German I’m biased, but emitting Uwe Seeler from the list is a crime. He should arguably be in the top 7 instead of Zico. But not even an honorable mention is incomprehensible

[@SKa-tt9nm]

I’d personally throw in Karl Heinz Rummenigge ahead of Uwe, but would be curious to get your thoughts on why Uwe was better? I also briefly thought about both Bernd Schuster and Toni Schumacher. One quit the national team too early but was dominant in the early 80s and the other was the best goal keeper in the world for much of that decade. But was controversial for a variety of reasons.

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

@DDeglane16 agree with your praise of seeler and him being better than rummenigge but Zico was much better all round player.

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

@DDeglane16 I see you were just trying to show the qualities of seeler, my bad for misinterpreting your comment.

[@PrimeZonSteam]

Brilliant video 🎉 Insane to think about the netherlands and how they even with Cruyff could not win one final. I somehow feel like he didn’t take it too hard though😅 P.S all though the source material might be a bit scattered “the rise, fall and rise again for KÍ-Klaksvíkar Ítrottafelag” in the Faroe islands and the increasing number of wins/points in european matches for multiple teams in the division,over the past decade, could be an interesting video. Merry christmas🎉

[@thesweeperkeeper4830]

The Dutch got drunk with some prostitutes the day before the final

[@jvillanueva2978]

Netherlands would have won in 78 had Cruyff had played I think.

[@thesweeperkeeper4830]

If Cruyff played in 78, I have no doubt we would have won

[@SKa-tt9nm]

@@simonpitt8145bottled what? He didn’t play.

[@DScott-nk1lo]

CR7, Cruyff, Di Stefano, Eusabio, Platini, Yashin, Puskas

[@hellowalkman4506]

Nice list. I'd also add: - Steve Bloomer - Leonidas da Silva - Josef Bican - Zizinho

[@F1Krazy]

I'm not sure Steve Bloomer should count, he retired 16 years before the first World Cup was even held

[@hellowalkman4506]

@@F1Krazy i understand but he's arguably the greatest footballer born in the 19th century.

[@gumdeo]

Bloomer, the first superstar of the game.

[@Not_Thebadguy]

The best country never to win was the netherlands, they've had several superteams, imagine facing an attack of Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten, and Ruud Gullit for example.

[@AholeAtheist]

Sneider, van Persie and Robben. It's sad, really.

[@AblemanSy]

Frank Rijkaard wasn't really part of the attack though.

[@Not_Thebadguy]

@@AblemanSy Yeah, I know, midfielder, no? It's close enoug in my opinion.

[@AblemanSy]

@@Not_Thebadguy Yeah, defensive midfielder. Great player of course, but not an attacker :)

[@TheKalaxis]

If this was a 22 man squad, then Eusebio would have been in it for sure

[@matthewsantos6282]

Eusebio should’ve easily been in the top 7

[@kamaaljones258]

@@matthewsantos6282 100% one of the all time greatest

[@kamaaljones258]

@@matthewsantos6282 100% one of the all time greatest

[@matthewsantos6282]

@@kamaaljones258 Definitely top 10 of all time for me alongside: Ronaldo, Messi, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff, Di Stefano, Beckenbauer, Puskas and Platini. I'd probably have Eusebio either 8th or 9th

[@dhaanushl6465]

@@matthewsantos6282 Yes. Eusebio 1 World Cup 9 Goals. Cristiano Ronaldo 5 World Cup 8 Goals.

[@prasannabalaji1886]

I didnt forget his tears in euro 2004 final😭😭😭

[@chestersabajo5527]

Ronaldo?)

[@simon_reacts1236]

He was the closest to reach World Cup in 2006 but only lost by a penalty in the semi final

[@dhaanushl6465]

He won 2016 Euros so 2004 pain is dead

[@prasannabalaji1886]

@@dhaanushl6465 those tears were the fuel to 2016 success

[@iganpparamarta8813]

Maldini didn't even win any Euro considering the talents he played with. Wish he was included in 2006 team even without playing time he'd have at least a medal, like R9 in 1994.

[@ryanergo754]

I am pretty sure Zico has Paulo Rossi shaped nightmares to this day.

[@joachimhovgaardramlau3064]

Best player each decade from the 1870s to the 2010s

[@martinmadlmayr9947]

Great Video. I miss Roberto Baggio though…

[@YeTism]

Pretty much every Dutch player to ever exist. Cruyff, Robben, Van Basten, Gullit, etc.

[@steve4812]

Lmao

[@ricardohurtado5646]

It’s crazy that this tiny nation consistently produces this much talent, and yet they are treated like footnotes.

[@PessiTheFraud]

@@ricardohurtado5646 Argentina stole the WC from them

[@gumdeo]

Rijkaard, Neeskens, Johnny Rep (best name ever).

[@captainfalconmain6576]

@@PessiTheFraudyou clearly didn’t pay attention to the much

[@malthuswasright]

My first guess was Eusebio, and I still think he should have made the list. Though I can't think of who I'd drop from this very fine 7.

[@dr.strangelove4665]

the image of wayne rooney gave me an idea. 7 great strikers who severely underachieved at the world cup

[@nightprowler6336]

Not even mentioning Roberto Baggio???? The Man Who Died Standing.

[@NEELZE99]

Who?

[@ryanergo754]

For me personally, he is worse than everyone in this 7. But, he could have made the honorable mentions in place of those fraud English players.

[@nightprowler6336]

@@ryanergo754 worse? Stfu. Watch how Baggio played, he played the same style Messi plays and dribbled defenders same way. The only difference is that Messi won UCL and World Cup, Baggio won none.

[@ramkhatiwoda3671]

damn not mentoning baggio

[@roboi2241]

One common denominator in Puskas (54), Yashin (66), Cruyff (74), Platini (82+86) and up to last week Messi (2014) not winning the World Cup. The Germans.

[@gumdeo]

Yes, for all but Yashin. Even if the USSR reached the final, they were not going to beat England at Wembley.

[@roboi2241]

@@gumdeo Russia might not have beaten England and France might not have beaten Italy in 82 or Maradonna's Argentina in 86. The point was they never got the chance because of the Germans.

[@jasonjones5357]

I agree with all of those picks and the 7 honourable mentions. The only thing I disagree with is Maradona fighting for the bronze. He was more skilled than Pele and Messi; no one has ever had Maradona's skills. He could do with a golf ball which most premier league players today couldn't do with a football.

[@jakobkristensen9445]

No. Messi and Pelé are so much ahead of Maradona in both longivity, club career and individual awards (Pelé has 7 retrospectively, while Maradona has only 2).

[@pp3917]

Glad to see this list was finally updated for Messi to no longer be on the list

[@gmain1977]

Ruud Guilet could sweeper, winger , front man at a top level. To me Pele and Maradona are top 2 . Maldini best defender of all time I think.

[@mrfoofoo69]

Video idea : what the hell happened to South African football after the 2010 world cup. Can't even qualify for the African Cup of nations now, and the head of our FA who was found guilty of bribing fifa for the 2010 tournament is still in charge...

[@TheBullet0012]

Technically Cristiano hasn't officially retired, so who knows. But it's probably very unlikely with him being at the 2026 WC

[@daleviker5884]

If he's at the 2026 world cup it will be as a spectator. (Come to think of it, a lot like his 2022 world cup.)

[@han6061]

....

[@HarshvardhanKanthode]

@@daleviker5884 It was quite a sad year for him, if he was just a few years younger he could have had a great WC with this Portugal Squad. It seems his confidence got broken after he got benched by Ten Hag

[@antonioytm]

Bro Ronaldo i by far greatest player who never won WC

[@gerardomalazdrewicz7514]

@@antonioytm "Ronaldo" is R9, and won 2 WC. Di Stéfano (as you admitted) and Cruijff (as you forgot) are are arguably GOAT contenders (unlike Cristiano), and neither won the WC.

[@soundscape26]

The Platini x Zidane comparison is quite interesting. Honestly can't put one over the other. Happy Holidays! 🎄

[@areebsiddiqui758]

Zidane is a legend and a breathtaking footballer to watch but also MASSIVELY OVERRATED.

[@JayTechZM]

@@areebsiddiqui758 how was he overrated

[@soundscape26]

@@areebsiddiqui758 What? 🤔

[@areebsiddiqui758]

@@JayTechZM The world cup win massively inflated his stock. He didn't even deserve to win the Ballon'dor that year, he wasn't the best player that season, just had a good tournament. Juventus was where Zidane had his best years and was known for going missing for extended periods. He came up with magical moments but was never consistent, even at his bests. A lot of people don't like stats but if we measure Zidane's output he was bang average. His goal and assist record was nothing special for the player he was built up to be. The Zidane Madrid signed was already declining and past his best. At Real he was known for a few iconic moments beyond which he was below par. One of the weakest of the so called Galatico signings Real made but people hold him up in such high regard because they only remember the highlights and the elegance. Recency bias and aesthetics are the only reason people even rate Zidane. In truth he wasn't half the player Platini was. Then there's the delusional folk who try and put him in the GOAT debate BeCAuSE hE wAs sO ClAsSy. Just because a player is easy on the eye, people make them out to be a lot better than they actaully are and Zidane is the perfect example.

[@JayTechZM]

@@areebsiddiqui758 I was expecting the stats retort. To say he was massively overrated based on goal involvement stats would be minimising his impact alone. That's the issue I have with the current generation of football enthusiasts who boil down a players impact to just stats when stats are their to compliment the eye test. His impact was beyond goals and assists but his movement and football brain superceded his statistics. He's rightfully rated for what he did on the pitch. The France v Brazil 06 match speaks volumes of what he did. Sure he assisted a goal, but even if he didn't he put on a clinic that is regarded as one of the greatest individual performances in football history and he had many of those without scoring or assisting. France themselves were on the verge of missing that very world cup until he came out of retirement and pulled them to Germany. After he retired France were garbage till around euro 2012- WC 2014, so no. I'll comfortably disagree with you on him being overrated.

[@wolfman9028]

1960 European Cup Final Eintracht Frankfurt vs. Real Madrid: 3-7. Puskás and Di Stefano were two of only three players to have scored a hat-trick in a European Cup final, with Puskás being the only one to ever score four goals. Enough said….. 0:05 0:05 The other was Pierino Prati for Milan in their 4-1 victory over Ajax in 1969.

[@yasin_GD]

You should do one for the worst players to have won the world cup

[@BitigoBlack]

Lol... Khedira jumps to my mind.

[@anthony8900]

@@BitigoBlack Kevin Großkreutz is even on the same roster. Sami Khedira as one of the worst players to ever win the WC is one of the worst takes i've ever seen lol.

[@yasin_GD]

@@BitigoBlack nah he was quality

[@RaduIosif]

Mustafi

[@areebsiddiqui758]

@@BitigoBlack Did you actually just say that or do you not know who Sami Khedira actually is?

[@1955DodgersBrooklyn]

7 greatest players who never played in the World Cup would be interesting. George Best, for sure. In this generation it’s no longer Bale, maybe Jan Oblak?

[@tarikelnageh511]

Eric.Cantona, George Weah

[@rays8346]

Who cares about winning World Cup Cryuff achieved more then Pele everything Barcelona have today is thanks to him that blueprint will stay forever TRUE LEGEND

[@jesuisunstroopwafel]

I suggest a Best XI current and a Best XI all-time players whose countries never qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

[@bury_the_elite65294]

Excellent video as always Alfie. Fun fact about Puskas; he was also an excellent coach. He even went to Australia in the late 1980s-early 1990s to coach National Soccer League powerhouse South Melbourne. IIRC he won the league & the cup competitions with SMFC, and two Dockerty Cups (a cup competition open only to teams based in the State of Victoria). One of the players in that South Melbourne squad was Socceroo star Ange Postecoglou, who rates Puskas as his biggest playing AND coaching influence. P.S. Any chance of doing a video about the recent debacle at the Melbourne Victory vs Melbourne City derby? For those who missed it, that A-League match had to be called off in the first half because of morons from a Victory supporters group throwing missiles (one of which, a metal bucket, struck the City goalie in the head, leaving him with a deep gash in his face) & invading the pitch. I'm actually a Victory fan myself, and to say these criminal filth are an embarrassment to the club AND the game, is a massive understatement... :/

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

Great of you to mention his coaching abilities. He also coached greek giants Panathinaikos to their first ever ucl(european cup at the time) final in 1971. They lost in the final to Cruyff's Ajax.

[@pascallovic]

Can’t believe that 3 times Ballon d’OR winner Marco van Basten didn’t make the cut or the honorable mentions.

[@obitouchiha4739]

And instead he puts a bunch of English players.

[@dimitrijensk2845]

With the greatest respect to Ronaldo, I think Cruyff is the greatest to never win it.

[@solid_ice6639]

Ronaldo is far better than cruyff and it’s close between him and messi

[@gerardomalazdrewicz7514]

@@solid_ice6639 R9 is not far better than Cruyff. Cristiano is not better than Cruyff.

[@solid_ice6639]

@@gerardomalazdrewicz7514 you never watched cruyff played ronaldo is far better it’s not even a conversation

[@alyjam]

@@solid_ice6639 Ronaldo won the World Cup though.

[@solid_ice6639]

@@alyjam I meant the better ronaldo cr7

[@willisianturi1499]

Congratulations to Argentina for winning the 2022 World Cup. Now, the citizens of Argentina are smiling. Lionel Messi brought Argentina to the championship because of the factor of bringing in the name Diego Maradona.

[@wandilemtambo9962]

Loved this video Alfie, pretty much a re-affirmation of your prior greatest of all times list, and can't say I disagree.

[@bigsmoke4592]

funny how the first half of this list all were the best player of the tournament but then got kicked out by west Germany

[@connorupton4200]

Interesting thought based on the start of this video. If Messi was born in say Albania, would you get Albanian players who are like Julian Alvarez, who were inspired by Messi and wanted to be like him. Because there was a picture of kid Alvarez posing with a younger Messi. So I wonder if in this hypothetical situation, that would happen but in Albania and make that national team better.

[@dinamomagreb]

Messi wouldn't get anywhere near the amount of attention he has gotten if he was Albanian.

[@MsRooney456]

The way your talking about Ronaldo in this is crazy

[@RyuzakiTaiyou]

Best German players in the premier league of all time. (Day 433) I will not give up until the video is made or Alfie himself tells me to stop. Everyone else telling me that will be ignored. If you don't believe my number, just go back to the previous videos. I'm at the bottom most of the time, but I'm there.

[@user-op6ig1dr3l]

I saw Law, Best and Charlton three of the most gifted players I witnessed at Old Trafford and Highbury. Well worth mentioning all three. What about Slim Jim Baxter of Glasgow Rangers and Wee Jimmy Johnstone of Glasgow Celtic ? By the way Alfredo Di Stefano urged his Real Madrid team to at first buy Tommy Taylor of Manchester United ( sadly killed at Munich ) in 1957 and then Baxter and Johnstone later. Finally its worth wondering how great Duncan Edwards might have been had not Munich taken him from us at the age of 20. So, so sad !

[@fifaelregala2610]

Puskas should be higher than 4th imo, criminally underrated player with insane longevity.

[@vb2388]

He wasn’t as complete as Di Stéfano, Messi, Pelé etc

[@fifaelregala2610]

@@vb2388 thats a only during his older days when he focused more on scoring. In his pomp was a very complete player

[@realmadridkingsofeurope1394]

@@fifaelregala2610 from what I’ve seen from him, he wasn’t He was known more for his goalscoring than anything else

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

Undoubtedly better than cr7.

[@antonioytm]

@@vb2388 Well complete doesn't mean greatest.

[@jackhewitt600]

We need a video ranking every team that should have won a trophy eg Tottenham under Pochettino , Belgium under Martinez

[@YeTism]

Maldini is the best player to never win the world cup, just based off the fact alone that i assumed he won a world cup in 2006.

[@ImGodTheMaryBanger]

Lol if it weren't for a dive against Australia Italy would have had to go to penalties. Admittedly Italy were likely to win that but the dirty tactics came out before 90 was up... Lololol Maldini 06 🤣🤣🤣🤣 had to cheat against a terrible side like Australia 😂😂😂😂😂

[@bryngefferies7530]

Ronaldo has been a first Class professional for over 22 years that has won everything in the game accept the World Cup! Bring him back to Man Utd to be a player/assistant Manager to Ole or Outsider like Zidane cos we gladly have him back at our club!

[@depekthegreat359]

So what when they have never won the FIFA World Cup trophies,they have been the all time greatest respective players to have ever pioneered this sport with the number of respective accolades which they have won in their entire respective careers,good friends!!!:-D

[@jakobkristensen9445]

Great video. As always you have a great knowledge, and you are by far my favorite football historian on KZbin. But I have one problem... To answer the "Is it necessary to win the World Cup to be considered the greatest of al time" question... Some people are saying that a player should win the WC to be considered GOAT, while you are taking the complete opposite direction by saying that he could have been from Albania. The truth should be somewhere in the middle. The most fair solution would be to suggest that to be considered the GOAT you should at least equal you own countries best result. Let me give some examples. - Are you from teams like Germany, France, Argentina and Brazil which have won the World Cup before, THEN YES! You have to win the WC to be the single greatest player ever. - Are you from Netherlands or Portugal it will probably be enough to win silver or bronze "to pass the World Cup test". Had George Best had a greater longivity and passed through to the quarterfinals in a World Cup, it should have been enough to make him a GOAT-contender too. - But lets take a modern example. A lot of people are expecting a Haaland vs Mbappe era for the next decade. But Haaland are from Norway and will never have a realistic chance to win the World Cup. Thats right!! But that doesn't mean that he doesn't have to do anything at the WC at all. Mbappé has won the WC and equalled Frances best result. Norways best result was Round of 16 in 1998. So For Haaland to equal Mbappés WC win, Haaland at least has to get Norway to another round of 16. That said, they will both have to win a lot of Champions Leagues titles and a lot of ballon d'ors and dominated an football era too, to even be included in the GOAT-debate. If not, then this "have they done enough at the world cup to be possible GOAT-contenders" talk are not even relevant. - And what if a player is from Sierra Leone? Or Luxembourg? Then they will probably have to qualify for a continental championship or at least make it to the play-off qualifying round for a big tournament AND win a lot of ballon dors and Champions League titles. The World Cup achievements is a fine parametre to judge the greatest of all time, but it has to be done in relative terms, and to even be included to this debate a player must have been dominant force in football for many years and won a lot of titles individually and at club level.

[@ThrE3-GeS]

CR7 is the best player of all time with or without world cup

[@alyjam]

[@mmartijn78]

Cruijff is was at everything.

[@ThrE3-GeS]

@@mmartijn78 cruiff has Not 5 ballon de or, not 5 champions league titels and no european champions he is also not fifa all time top scorer. He has no chance

[@niallfoody97]

Could you do a list of the 7 greatest players to never play in the world cup.

[@etme1000]

Ferenc Puskas. What a legend.

[@alextabet9247]

CR7, Cruyff, Platini and Yashin would be my top 4.

[@williamlee7672]

I would have put Baggio ahead of Zico.

[@ChubbyChecker182]

I think you need another list, this time of players who also never won the Euros or Equivalent... I do think Ronaldo winning that is very close to winning the World Cup for example.

[@soundscape26]

Some argue that winning the Euro is harder than winning the World Cup... I think Alfie himself did a video on that last year.

[@soundscape26]

@@JonasRodgers Just because it has Brazil, Argentina and the odd African surprise? The Euro is more levelled. His video made a good case for it looking at both sides, but the World Cup worth 3 Euros, no way.

[@alyjam]

Maybe. But the audience is absolutely massive for the world cup and that's when CR7 always struggled. For many people who are not really into football, "Ronaldo" is the Brazilian guy who won the world cup.

[@soundscape26]

@@alyjam For younger people, sub-30 mostly, Ronaldo is CR7, not Ronaldo the phenomenon. He stopped playing at the highest level some 15 years ago already.

[@daleviker5884]

"Some argue that winning the Euro is harder than winning the World Cup". And many argue that the earth is flat, too.

[@chanendlerbong]

Ronaldo should have been a no.1 on this list

[@gerardomalazdrewicz7514]

But he won 2 World Cups. Cristiano is too high on this list.

[@antonioytm]

CR7 by far better than all of these

[@dinisfonseca6305]

No way that anyone is more naturally gifted than CR7 except for Messi and Maldini, even less so for Zico

[@waynekasmar4401]

He's a naturally gifted athlete rather than a footballer.

[@dinisfonseca6305]

@@waynekasmar4401 oh right because he was born super strong and super fast kinda like Hulk(the green one, not the brown man) mixed with the Flash... no fkn way dude

[@lil_zadeh6064]

It’s so weird that Messi will not be in these lists anymore

[@vb2388]

Yes, cause Messi is a World Cup Winner Sorry, just wanted to write that…still feels weird 😅 Like DiCaprio winning the oscar after a long time…needs time to getting used to

[@lil_zadeh6064]

@@vb2388 so true it will take some time to get used to it cause his ENTIRE career he has had the pressure of being in Maradonas shadow and people telling him he can’t be the goat until he wins the World Cup now that he’s done it it feels weird because it feels like 15 years of football has been leading up to this moment

[@vb2388]

@Netaji-The British Slayer yes even I agree with that

[@matija5555]

Because he got 5 -6 penalties just to make people like you happy.

[@vb2388]

@@matija5555 I thought Messi couldn’t score pens, “he succumbs to pressure”, then how did he score 2 pens in the QFs of the World Cup against Netherlands, another pen in the SFs of the World Cup against Croatia and 2 pens in the Final of the World Cup against France ….he didn’t miss a single pen in the KO Stages of the World Cup

[@orphanblackops4608]

It’s not going to happen but have a team in the WC of players whose country did not qualify.

[@abcdefgh-ijk]

Roberto baggio?

[@JoDyMa]

DAY 64: Hey Alfie, could you do a video on the life, career, controversies and tragedy of Justin Fashanu. It'd be your best video yet and it's a criminally underheard story. ❤️

[@benjamindillard2391]

I would have put Eusebio at 7 over Zico, but very minor. Great list.

[@CSLucasEpic]

First off, I do not disagree with the list, in fact I 100% agree with it. Second, I would add this names to it, or at least to the honorable mentions: Leonidas Da Silva and George Weah.

[@shottskies]

Interesting vid but Heskey is a notable omission from this list.

[@badabing8884]

😂

[@1630revelloify]

I was hanging in there for the Neil Franklin reveal. Sad now.

[@HannahHäggAutisticTransWoman]

Ronaldo has 118 international goals which is most of anyone has done for their men's football/soccer national team.

[@SKa-tt9nm]

We know. Doesn’t make him the best player.

[@obitouchiha4739]

Ronaldo also has the most games in history, don't forget that.

[@DeadZeppelin822]

Once you find out that every World Cup since France 98’ has been rigged (as well as Uruguay 30’, Italy 34’, Argentina 78’, Mexico 86’) it gets really hard to watch videos like this

[@DeadZeppelin822]

@@JonasRodgers Benito Mussolini hand picking the refs and threatening them with violence for the 34 World Cup isn’t a conspiracy. Argentina being taken over by a dictatorship and then subsequently being awarded the 78 world cup, which they somehow won, isn’t a conspiracy. Ronaldo being poisoned hours before the 98 World Cup final isn’t a conspiracy. Brazil being handed the 02 World Cup as compensation for 98 isn’t a conspiracy. Rewatch Zidanes performance in the 06 final. He knew France had been payed to lose and he was pissed. Not a conspiracy. Russia and Qatar bribing FIFA officials for the right to host the world cup isn’t a conspiracy. Qataris as well as FIFA officials saying they wanted to see Messi lift the world cup. Not a conspiracy. Messi’s blatant handball. Not a conspiracy. Argentina facing no punishment for their violence against Netherlands. Not a conspiracy. Messi being awarded a penalty in almost every single game in Qatar. Not a conspiracy. Messi trash talking the refs after the game and receiving no punishment. Not a conspiracy. Frances squad getting mysteriously sick before the final. Not a conspiracy. The evidence is right in front your face it’s just more comfortable to ignore it.

[@BloodyofHistory]

@@DeadZeppelin822 and earth is flat right

[@DeadZeppelin822]

@@BloodyofHistory can’t argue so you mock

[@BloodyofHistory]

@@DeadZeppelin822 because there is no point in arguing about conspiracy theories.

[@DeadZeppelin822]

@@BloodyofHistory not a single one of those is a conspiracy theory. Just undeniable facts. Couldn’t disprove them if you tried

[@raistormrs]

what about zlatan? just asking.

[@BennyBoy025]

This channel only considers players who played before coloured TV and where each player has about 5 clips available to watch of them. And calling them buzz words like tenacious. I fully respect the amount of effort and work he puts into the videos but there is a very clear bias against players who played post 2000.

[@soundscape26]

And Van Basten, and Baggio, and Weah... the list would go on.

[@amooolusina6978]

@@BennyBoy025 Zlatan is not close to all those players he mentioned.. Zlatan does not even have the UCL..C'mon

[@amooolusina6978]

@@soundscape26 Van Basten was great, and Baggio was spectacular. However, they are not better than all those football greats mentioned in this video of his.

[@soundscape26]

@@amooolusina6978 Yes, I meant those weren't included either... Zlatan was not that special of a miss.

[@silvesta5027]

Honourable mentions: every Dutch player

[@Mezzi1488]

Puskas is extremely underrated, for me the third best player in history after Messi and Pele

[@SKa-tt9nm]

Probably the greatest pure goal scorer ever, only Gerd Muller is in the conversation.

[@gumdeo]

Best European-born player, for sure.

[@BloodyofHistory]

@@SKa-tt9nm cr7 in

[@ParthPatel-no7kc]

@@SKa-tt9nm Puskas was a left forward for the most part of his career and not a 9, his playmaking abilities were very impressive. Miles better overall than gerd muller. Eusebio is also better than muller.

[@saadmeer6293]

I am surprised that Roberto Baggio wasn't in that list

[@erfquake8415]

As a Messi fan the fact that Ronaldo isn’t number 1 is crazy who is de stefano

[@Lshadows1388]

🤡

[@alyjam]

Whata re you talking about? Ronaldo won the World Cup in 2002. Watched it on TV.

[@CxstaOfficial]

he should def be there

[@obitouchiha4739]

Ronaldo won the World Cup in 2002 though.

[@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716]

Batistuta, Bergkamp, roberto baggio, z Gianfranco Zola, luis enrique, sergio augero, david ginola, and......phil jones are great players who never won the wc.

[@diegocontreras3349]

I know Mexico isn’t such a powerhouse but I think Hugo Sanchez deserved an Honorable Mention

[@motorsportfan1246]

Let’s be real, the likes of the Netherlands and Portugal aren’t on the same level internationally as Brasil, Argentina, Spain, Italy etc…

[@tfe1788]

As amazing as Hungary, Portugal and Netherlands are: I agree they cannot compete with Germany, Italy, England, Argentina and especially Brazil….