- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1945–1966
- Country
- 🇦🇷 Argentina
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 94.0
- Statistics
- 93.0
- Honours
- 93.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
GOAT Rank · 11
Greatest Football athletes who debuted in the 1940s
This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.
#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1943–1966
- Country
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 96.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1946–1962
- Country
- 🇺🇾 Uruguay
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1941–1958
- Country
- 🇦🇷 Argentina
- Peak
- 95.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1940–1958
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 92.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 85.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1940–1958
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1949–1967
- Country
- 🇫🇷 France
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1946–1961
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1946–1961
- Country
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1949–1966
- Country
- 🏴 Wales
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 85.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1946–1967
- Country
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | Football | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 1945–1966 | 92.9 |
| 16 | Ferenc Puskás | Football | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 1943–1966 | 91.8 |
| 20 | Juan Alberto Schiaffino | Football | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 1946–1962 | 91.2 |
| 60 | Norberto Méndez | Football | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 1941–1958 | 88.9 |
| 133 | Thomaz Soares da Silva | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1940–1958 | 87.2 |
| 155 | Gunnar Nordahl | Football | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1940–1958 | 86.6 |
| 158 | Raymond Kopa | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 1949–1967 | 86.4 |
| 181 | Nils Liedholm | Football | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 1946–1961 | 85.9 |
| 197 | Giampiero Boniperti | Football | 🇮🇹 Italy | 1946–1961 | 85.6 |
| 204 | John Charles | Football | 🏴 Wales | 1949–1966 | 85.6 |
| 376 | László Kubala | Football | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 1946–1967 | 82.9 |
Compare the leaders
Alfredo Di Stéfano vs Ferenc PuskásRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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