- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1976–1997
- Country
- 🇦🇷 Argentina
- Peak
- 98.0
- Dominance
- 95.0
- Statistics
- 91.0
- Honours
- 93.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
GOAT Rank · 23
Greatest Football Attacking midfielders of all time
This ranking is led by Diego Maradona, Rivaldo and Zico. GOAT Rank currently ranks 23 eligible Football attacking midfielders using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Diego Maradona ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 92.0.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1991–2015
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 95.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1971–1994
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1989–2006
- Country
- 🇫🇷 France
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 90.0
- Statistics
- 89.0
- Honours
- 92.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1972–1987
- Country
- 🇫🇷 France
- Peak
- 93.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 89.0
- Honours
- 89.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2001–2017
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 96.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1998–2015
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 93.0
- Dominance
- 87.0
- Statistics
- 87.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1959–1979
- Country
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2017–active
- Country
- 🏴 England
- Peak
- 91.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2005–2023
- Country
- 🇫🇷 France
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1984–2000
- Country
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 84.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2010–active
- Country
- 🇸🇪 Sweden
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1974–1991
- Country
- 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2010–active
- Country
- 🏴 England
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1978–2000
- Country
- 🇬🇭 Ghana
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 78.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1984–2006
- Country
- 🇫🇷 France
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 84.0
- Longevity
- 86.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2012–active
- Country
- 🇵🇹 Portugal
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 86.0
- Honours
- 76.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1981–1998
- Country
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- Peak
- 86.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 80.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1990–2008
- Country
- 🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 78.0
- Statistics
- 76.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2010–active
- Country
- 🇨🇴 Colombia
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 76.0
- Statistics
- 78.0
- Honours
- 78.0
- Longevity
- 72.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2006–active
- Country
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 72.0
- Statistics
- 82.0
- Honours
- 70.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 1986–2005
- Country
- 🇷🇺 Russia
- Peak
- 80.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 76.0
- Honours
- 72.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- Football
- Career
- 2010–active
- Country
- 🇩🇰 Denmark
- Peak
- 32.0
- Dominance
- 26.0
- Statistics
- 30.0
- Honours
- 20.0
- Longevity
- 46.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Diego Maradona | Football | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 1976–1997 | 92.0 |
| 22 | Rivaldo | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1991–2015 | 91.0 |
| 24 | Zico | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1971–1994 | 90.9 |
| 27 | Zinedine Zidane | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 1989–2006 | 90.6 |
| 95 | Michel Platini | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 1972–1987 | 88.1 |
| 143 | Kaká | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2001–2017 | 87.0 |
| 159 | Ronaldinho | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1998–2015 | 86.6 |
| 226 | Gianni Rivera | Football | 🇮🇹 Italy | 1959–1979 | 85.4 |
| 243 | Ella Toone | Football | 🏴 England | 2017–active | 85.3 |
| 339 | Gaëtane Thiney | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 2005–2023 | 83.7 |
| 364 | Raí | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1984–2000 | 83.3 |
| 369 | Emil Forsberg | Football | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2010–active | 83.3 |
| 417 | Safet Sušić | Football | 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1974–1991 | 82.4 |
| 424 | Fran Kirby | Football | 🏴 England | 2010–active | 82.3 |
| 434 | Abedi Pelé | Football | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 1978–2000 | 82.1 |
| 472 | Youri Djorkaeff | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 1984–2006 | 81.6 |
| 508 | Bruno Fernandes | Football | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 2012–active | 80.9 |
| 514 | Michael Laudrup | Football | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 1981–1998 | 80.7 |
| 557 | Jay-Jay Okocha | Football | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 1990–2008 | 79.3 |
| 582 | James Rodríguez | Football | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 2010–active | 78.3 |
| 586 | Marco Reus | Football | 🇩🇪 Germany | 2006–active | 77.9 |
| 611 | Aleksandr Mostovoi | Football | 🇷🇺 Russia | 1986–2005 | 76.3 |
| 668 | Anders Christiansen | Football | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 2010–active | 30.6 |
Compare the leaders
Diego Maradona vs RivaldoRead 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?
According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.
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