When it comes to international football, teams don’t get any bigger or better than Brazil. England may have given the world the sport, but Brazil perfected it and are widely regarded as the greatest footballing nation on earth.
Their haul of five World Cup crowns is more than any other team has managed and they have provided countless legendary players, performances and moments in the process of winning those titles. They are the host nation for this summer’s tournament and expectations are high that they could add a sixth title to their honours list by lifting the trophy for the first time since 2002.
10. Roberto Rivelino
Beating off a host of other footballing luminaries into 10th place is Roberto Rivelino, a man famed for pinpoint passes, exquisite skills and thunderous free kicks. Having spent most of his club career with Corinthians, Rivelino moved to Fluminense in 1973 and spent five successful years in Rio de Janeiro, winning back-to-back league titles in a team that is widely regarded as one of the greatest in the club’s history.
9. Jairzinho
Another hero of the 1970 team, Jairzinho arrived in the Brazil set-up with the nigh-on impossible task of acting as Garrincha’s successor. The winger will forever be remembered for his exploits in arguably the greatest team of all time as he scored in every single one of Brazil’s matches in the 1970 tournament to help his side to victory, becoming just the second player in history to do so and the only one when the tournament encompassed more than four games.
8. Socrates
While Socrates played through a barren spell by Brazil’s standards, the tall and elegant midfielder was at the heart of a side considered to be one of the greatest in the country’s history. Renowned for his extraordinary vision as well as his easily recognisable beard and headband combination, Socrates is most closely associated with Corinthians, although he also made more than 250 appearances for Botafogo in the first four years of his career.
7. Cafu
It takes a special player to have made the most appearances in a Brazil shirt, and Cafu’s mammoth tally of 142 caps on the international stage by no means flatters his ability. A tireless right-back, Cafu is the only player in history to have appeared in three separate World Cup finals, doing so consecutively in 1994, 1998 and 2002. At club level he won numerous domestic titles in Brazil and Italy as well as two Copa Libertadores, a Champions League and a Cup Winners’ Cup, making him one of the most decorated players in history.
6. Ronaldinho
At his peak, very few players in the history of football can claim to have matched Ronaldinho’s prodigious ability. His tricks and flicks delighted spectators and he was more than capable of adding the finishing touch to his fancy footwork.
During his time at Barcelona he was the undisputed best player in the world, winning back-to-back FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d’Or.
5. Romario
Once described as a “genius of the goal area” by the great Johan Cruyff, Romario is among the most prolific and clinical strikers in football history. His claim to have surpassed 1,000 career goals has been belittled by some due to the inclusion of goals from youth and friendly matches, but there is no doubt that he was the most feared striker on the planet at his peak.
4. Zico
Named the eighth-best player of the 20th century by IFFHS, Pele perhaps paid Zico an even bigger compliment by saying that the attacking midfielder was the one player who came closest to reaching his own level of ability.
Renowned for his impeccable passing and impossible free kicks, Zico was also a deadly finisher and ended his career with almost 500 club goals in less than 700 games. He also netted 48 times in just 71 matches for Brazil, making him the country’s fourth-highest goalscorer.
3. Ronaldo
There are those who believe that a fully fit Ronaldo was the greatest player to have ever played the game of football, and it is hard to argue. Indeed, had he enjoyed an injury-free career then he could well be sitting atop this list having still managed to win three FIFA World Player of the Year awards despite his troubles.
‘The Phenomenon’ burst onto the scene with electric performances at club level that earned him a spot in Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning squad, although it was four years later that his importance to the team was truly felt.
2. Garrincha
Born with a number of defects, ‘The Joy of the People’ succeeded against all of the odds to become one of the greatest players of all time.
His off-field problems did not detract from his success on the field, where he became an idol for both Botafogo and Brazil. Widely regarded as the greatest dribbler in the history of the game, he won a host of titles at club level as well as two World Cup crowns.
1. Pele
His tally of 1,281 career goals is the highest officially recognised by FIFA, while he is the only player in history to have three World Cup winner’s medals. He played significant roles in two of those successes, bursting onto the scene as a prodigiously-gifted teenager in 1958 before bowing out as the King of Football in 1970.