Ronaldinho is the best footballer born in 1980 and Lionel Messi in 1987, while Samuel Eto’o was beaten by a Swede born in 1981.
dpa
From Hideraldo Bellini (born 1930) to Günter Netzer (1944), Roberto Baggio (1967) and Ronaldinho (1980) to the 17-year-old Lennart Karl. Here are the 79 best footballers of their year.
30s: Garrincha, Vava, Seeler and a Sir
Hideraldo Bellini becomes world champion with Brazil in 1958 and 1962 as captain. Igor Netto, Olympic champion in 1956, European champion in 1960, and captain of the USSR, also had no chance of getting past him. England goalkeeping legend Gordon Banks should not be missing from the list, but he was born in the same year as his England World Cup winning colleague in 1966. 1937 like Sir Bobby Charlton, Ballon d’Or winner in 1966, Manchester United icon and survivor of the Munich air disaster. The rest of the best players of the 30s? Almost all Brazilians.
1968: Bobby Charlton wins the European Cup with Manchester United.
IMAGO
From 1930 to 1939
- 1930: Hideraldo Bellini (Bra)
- 1931: Raymond Kopa (F)
- 1932: Zito (Bra)
- 1933: Garrincha (Bra)
- 1934: Vava (Bra)
- 1935: Omar Sivori (Arg/It)
- 1936: Uwe Seeler (D)
- 1937: Bobby Charlton (Eng)
- 1938: José Altafini “Mazzola” (Bra)
- 1939: Valery Voronin (USSR)
40s: Pelé, Eusebio, Cruyff and Netzer
Italy’s goalkeeping legend Dino Zoff loses the duel against his predecessor Eusebio. Italian football icon Luigi Riva and Brazilian Jairzinho are beaten by the elegant German playmaker Günter Netzer. The world and European champion left his mark on football with his style of play and his personality off the pitch. He is regarded as football’s first pop star. The inner-German duel between Franz Beckenbauer, born in 1945, and “bomber” Gerd Müller is won by the Kaiser. And the Northern Irishman George Best prevails against the inventor of the Elástico, the Brazilian Rivelino. Best, the brilliant dribbler and bon vivant, is the best footballer born in 1946.
The German world star Günter Netzer played for GC in 1977.
KEYSTONE
From 1940 to 1949
- 1940: Pelé (Bra)
- 1941: Bobby Moore (Eng)
- 1942: Eusebio (Por)
- 1943: Wolfgang Overath (D)
- 1944: Günter Netzer (Germany)
- 1945: Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)
- 1946: Georg Best (Ireland)
- 1947: Johan Cruyff (Ned)
- 1948: Antonin Panenka (Czech Republic)
- 1949: Ruud Krol (Ned)
50s: Platini, Zico, Kempes and a Mexican
Karl-Heinz Rumeningge? No, the best player born in 1955 is the Frenchman Michel Platini. In no other decade has this award been shared among as many nations as in the 1950s. As many as 10 nationalities are represented. The closest race is for the 1951 World Player of the Year, with Germany’s World and European Champion Paul Breitner, Holland’s Johan Neeskens, Scottish striker Kenny Dalglish and England’s Kevin Keegan all in contention. All would be worthy representatives of the vintage, we choose …
French playmaker and superstar Michel Platini.
KEYSTONE
From 1950 to 1959
- 1950: Grzegorz Lato (Poland)
- 1951: Kevin Keegan (England)
- 1952: Roger Milla (Cam)
- 1953: Zico (Bra)
- 1954: Mario Kempes (Arg)
- 1955: Michel Platini (F)
- 1956: Paolo Rossi (It)
- 1957: Preben Elkjaer Larsen (Dan)
- 1958: Hugo Sanchez (Mex)
- 1959: Bernd Schuster (D)
60s: No place for Lineker or Rijkaard
Those born in 1960 are out of luck. That’s when golden-footed Diego Maradona was born. The same goes for the great Milan libero Franco Baresi and England’s legendary striker Gary Lineker. It is also the decade in which the Dutch European champions Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit were born. And why is Frank Rijkaard, the third member of the super Dutch team, missing? Because, like his buddy Gullit, he was born in 1962. The year 1967 could provide material for discussion: Roberto Baggio? Paul Gascoigne? Or Matthias Sammer? Baggio. Incidentally, in 1969, the year of his birth, a Swiss player at least made it onto the shortlist.Stéphane Chapuisat fails to make it past titan Oliver Kahn.
On June 29, 1986, Diego Armando Maradona made himself immortal in Argentina.
KEYSTONE
From 1960 to 1969
- 1960: Diego Maradona (Arg)
- 1961: Lothar Matthäus (Germany)
- 1962: Ruud Gullit (Ned)
- 1963: Peter Schmeichel (Dan)
- 1964: Marco Van Basten (Ned)
- 1965: Gheorghe Hagi (Rum)
- 1966: Romario (Bra)
- 1967: Roberto Baggio (It)
- 1968: Paolo Maldini (It)
- 1969: Oliver Kahn (Germany)
70s: A Finn between Zidane and Beckham
Several world stars were born in 1972: Portugal’s Luis Figo, the Czech Pavel Nedved and the Brazilian Rivaldo. But the trio have no chance. Unfair if you were born in the same year as the footballer of the decade Zinédine Zidane. The 70s are otherwise dominated by Italians. Fabio Cannavaro beats Roberto Carlos in the 73s, Gianluigi Buffon beats Didier Drogba in the 78s and Andrea Pirlo beats Michael Owen in the 79s. And Alessandro Del Piero, born in 1974, is unrivaled. The biggest surprise between Zidane, the Italians and David Beckham is Jari Litmannen (born 1971). The Finn relegates Roy Keane and Pep Guardiola to the places of honor.
David Beckham after his goal against Ecuador at the 2006 World Cup.
KEYSTONE
From 1970 to 1979
- 1970: Cafu (Bra)
- 1971: Jari Litmanen (Fin)
- 1972: Zinédine Zidane (F)
- 1973: Fabio Cannavaro (It)
- 1974: Alessandro Del Piero (It)
- 1975: David Beckham (Eng)
- 1976: Ronaldo (Bra)
- 1977: Thierry Henry (F)
- 1978: Gianluigi Buffon (It)
- 1979: Andrea Pirlo (It)
80s: King Zlatan, CR7 and Messi
Croatia’s Luka Modric and England’s Wayne Rooney are undoubtedly among the best footballers of their decade. But they don’t make it to the best footballer born in 1985. That award goes to the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, Cristiano Ronaldo. In his 80th birthday year, Ronaldinho wins out over Xavi. The 1983 and 1984 age groups are hotly contested, with the Brazilian Dani Alves winning against Philipp Lahm and Franck Ribéry in the former category. In the latter, Andrés Iniesta comes out on top against the Dutchman Arjen Robben and the German Bastian Schweinsteiger. And 1989? Gareth Bale or Thomas Müller? The Welshman by a wafer-thin margin.
Big mouth, big performances: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores spectacularly against France at Euro 2012.
KEYSTONE
From 1980 to 1989
- 1980: Ronaldinho (Bra)
- 1981: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Swe)
- 1982: Kaká (Bra)
- 1983: Dani Alves (Bra)
- 1984: Andrés Iniesta (Sp)
- 1985: Cristiano Ronaldo (Por)
- 1986: Sergio Ramos (Sp)
- 1987: Lionel Messi (Arg)
- 1988: Robert Lewandowski (Pol)
- 1989: Gareth Bale (Wales)
For years, Frenchman Paul Pogba was regarded as the exceptional player born in 1993, but the 32-year-old Frenchman has not exploited his full talent. The English striker Harry Kane has long since overtaken him. The question is more difficult with the 92-year-old: Neymar or Mohamed Salah? We opt for the Brazilian ball wizard. Those born in the late nineties are currently at the peak of their careers, so there could very well be shifts.
The Brazilian ball wizard Neymar is currently back in his home country.
Christophe Ena/AP/dpa
From 1990 to 1999
- 1990: Toni Kroos (Germany)
- 1991: Antoine Griezmann (F)
- 1992: Neymar (Bra)
- 1993: Harry Kane (Eng)
- 1994: Bruno Fernandes (Por)
- 1995: Joshua Kimmich (D)
- 1996: Rodri (Sp)
- 1997: Ousmane Dembélé (F)
- 1998: Kylian Mbappé (F)
- 1999: Gianluigi Donnarumma (It)
Noughties: From Haaland to Karl
From now on, we have to hold our finger in the air, so to speak. Because the 2000s are (hopefully) still a long way from reaching their career peaks. Nevertheless, the first trends are already emerging: Norwegian goal monster Erling Haaland, for example, seems to have little competition. The race is still more open in the 2001 category. The Frenchman Michael Olise, the Englishman Bukayo Saka, the Ecuadorian Moises Caicedo or the Brazilian Rodrygo? Olise is in the fast lane. In the 2003 squad, England’s Jude Bellingham is currently battling it out with Germany’s Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Among the youngest, the prodigies Lamine Yamal (born in 2007) and Lennart Karl (born in 2008) are currently in the lead.
Norwegian Erling Haaland is a goal machine and a force of nature.
Darko Bandic/AP/dpa
From 2000 to 2008
- 2000: Erling Haaland (Nor)
- 2001: Michael Olise (F)
- 2002: Pedri (Sp)
- 2003: Jude Bellingham (Eng)
- 2004: Joao Neves (Por)
- 2005: Désiré Doué (F)
- 2006: Myles Lewis-Skelly (Eng)
- 2007: Lamine Yamal (Sp)
- 2008: Lennart Karl (D)
