Dutch icon Marco van Basten has listed his picks for the greatest footballers of all time – and there are some surprises.
Van Basten is one of the greatest strikers of all time. In his generation, few players come close.
A prolific goalscorer for club and country, the Dutch icon knows a thing or two about great strikers.
His overhead kick for AC Milan in the 1992 Champions League will always be regarded as one of the best ever in the competition. Incredibly, it was one of four goals he scored that day.
Unfortunately, van Basten‘s later career was plagued by injuries. He was often on the treatment table, as an ongoing ankle problem stopped him from playing as much as he, and the spectators, would have wanted.
His final match for Milan was the 1993 Champions League Final, in which the Italian giants lost 1-0 to Marseille. Van Basten suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury towards the end of the match.
Despite rigorous rehabilitation amid hope of a glorious comeback, however, he announced his retirement from football in August 1995, at the age of just 30.
Marco van Basten chooses his seven greatest players
As an iconic striker, Marco van Basten is a good judge of world-class players.
In an interview with France Football, he named his top seven greatest footballers of all time. However, to much surprise, his top three didn’t include Lionel Messi.
The Dutchman instead opted for Pele, Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff.
He explained (quotes as per Marca): “Pele, [Diego] Maradona and [Johan] Cruyff are for me the three greatest players in history.
“As a kid, I wanted to be like Cruyff. He was my friend. I miss him. Pele and Maradona were also incredible.
“Messi is also a great player, but Maradona always had more personality in a team. Messi is not the one who puts himself at the front to go to war.”
The legendary striker also added special mentions for Cristiano Ronaldo, Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, completing his top seven.
The Messi v Ronaldo debate
In recent times, Van Basten has also weighed in on the Messi v Ronaldo debate.
Talking to the Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, he said: “Cristiano is a great player, but those who say he is better than Messi know nothing about football, or they are saying it in bad faith.
“Messi is one of a kind. Impossible to imitate and impossible to repeat. A player like him comes along every 50 or 100 years. As a kid, he fell into the football genius pot.”
Van Basten’s quality on the football pitch could not be questioned, but you get the feeling that his comments about the best players of all time will split opinion.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
