Soccer is a fun game to play and watch. Throughout the history of FIFA, many soccer players have etched their marks on the history of soccer with their great plays, kicks, and statistics. Here are the greatest soccer players who have led their teams to countless victories.
Lionel Messi
At the age of 21, Messi is considered one of the greatest football players of his time, having been nominated countless times as FIFA’s World Player of the Year. As of current, Messi has made 17 goals in 62 global events. Messi is likened to another soccer leader, Diego Maradona, who treats him as his ‘successor.’
Messi sank six goals in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, which made him the score leader of the season. The year after, he played for the FIFA World Cup and became the youngest Argentinian to have done so. By 2007, he took home the silver medal from the Copa America tournament. The following year, he and his teammates bagged the Olympic gold medal during the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo is deemed as the priciest player in the history of soccer. When he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid, he signed on a contact worth 80 million pounds.
Ronaldo broke another record on May 15, 2011 when he made the most goals – 51 – for the season. He smashed the record of FerencPuskas, who successfully made 49 goals for Real Madrid. By the end of the season, Ronaldo made 53 points, making him the first Real Madrid player to score more than 50 goals in a season. As for the La Liga, Ronaldo remains on the first place at 40 goals, sharing the top spot with Hugo Sanchez.
Wayne Rooney
In 2002, Rooney made his professional debut for the Everton team. Two years after, he was signed on by the Manchester United team for a whopping 25.6 million pounds. Rooney’s transfer worked wonders for Man U, as they managed to win the Premiere League for 4 times. Rooney also helped the team win 2 league cups, and the most coveted UEFA Champions league.
In 2009, Rooney was given the FWA Footballer of the Year and the PFA Players’ Player of the Year awards. In August of 2011, Rooney made his 150th goal, making him Man U’s highest pointer since the start of the Premiere League. Now, he is the third-highest paid player in the game, after Ronaldo and Messi.
Xavi
2008 has been a good year for Spanish footballer Xavi. That year, he was touted as UEFA’s Player of the Tournament, after helping the Spanish team win the elusive UEFA Euro 2008 cup. Two years after, he repeated the same feat, and became one of the finalists for FIFA’s 2010 Ballon d’Or honors. Xavi, who took home the award as World Soccer’s player of the year, made waves when he played in January 2011. It marked his 549th game appearance, matching the record held by Migueli. This has made him one of the most-played Spanish footballers of all time.