10 Famous Soccer Players

By: Robin Raven

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Whether you love playing or watching the game, you'll want to read about these 10 famous soccer players. Read this list to be inspired by the game; you may find yourself wanting to watch some of these players in action. See if your favorite soccer player made the list.

Pelé. Pelé is widely regarded as the best soccer player of all time. Aside from the fact that he is the first player in all of history to be a part of three different World Cup-winning teams, he was awarded the FIFA Player of the Century award alongside Maradona in 2000.
Diego Maradona. Second only to Pelé, Diego Maradona may end up better remembered in future years, simply because we have video proof of the skills he showed on the field. In the 1986 World Cup against England, Maradona threaded through five defenders across sixty meters in ten seconds, scoring in what would later be called the Goal of the Century by FIFA.
Lev Yashin. Lev Yashin may very well be the best goalkeeper of all time. He revolutionized the way goalkeepers play, sweeping away loose balls before they could even start to pose a problem. With over 150 penalty saves, Yashin will be long remembered for his keeping abilities.
Mia Hamm. Mia Hamm is the only American on this list. Her gender is the only thing keeping her from most top ten soccer lists; if having won the FIFA World Player of the Year award twice in a row is not enough, consider that she has scored more international goals than any other player, male or female. Her 158 goals is 50 percent more than the top male scorer's, Ali Daei, with 109 goals.
Marta Vieira da Silva. Marta Vieira da Silva is the only person who has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award four times. Her nationality will not surprise you. Marta is Brazil's top female soccer player, and she is perhaps the best female soccer player in the world.
Franz Beckenbauer. Back when Franz Beckenbauer started playing sweeper for Germany, no one else had even thought of using it as an offensive position. Beckenbauer's revolutionary use of the position has made every defender since more important in getting the ball to the right side of the field.
David Beckham. David Beckham is one of the most famous soccer players in the world. If salary were the only consideration for the best player in the world, then Beckham would qualify. At $48.9 million per year, Beckham makes significantly more than the second-highest paid player, Ronaldinho, who makes $32 million per year.
Zinedine Zidane. Zinedine Zidane regularly makes even top five lists when it comes to the best players of all time, and rightly so. His leadership brought France victory in both the World Cup and the European Championship in 2000, a feat that had not been achieved since West Germany in 1974.
Johan Cruyff. Although Johan Cruyff did not invent the idea of Total Football, he was the first to propel the idea into the public awareness. His Dutch team in the 1974 World Cup did not win the final match, but the fact that they made second place while using a team of players who had no fixed position is considered a legendary feat.
Ronaldo. If this list were of the greatest contemporary soccer players, Ronaldo would top the list. He is the highest goal-scorer in the World Cup, and is one of a very few elite players that have been a part of three different World Cup-winning squads.