- 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 midfielder of all time
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
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Diego Maradona | Football | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 1976–1997 | 92 |
| 15 | Rivaldo | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1991–2015 | 91 |
| 17 | Zico | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1971–1994 | 90.9 |
| 19 | Zinedine Zidane | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 1989–2006 | 90.6 |
| 69 | Michel Platini | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 1972–1987 | 88.1 |
| 105 | Kaká | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2001–2017 | 87 |
| 120 | Ronaldinho | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1998–2015 | 86.6 |
| 173 | Gianni Rivera | Football | 🇮🇹 Italy | 1959–1979 | 85.4 |
| 187 | Ella Toone | Football | 🏴 England | 2017–— | 85.3 |
| 264 | Gaëtane Thiney | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 2005–2023 | 83.7 |
| 282 | Raí | Football | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 1984–2000 | 83.3 |
| 287 | Emil Forsberg | Football | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 2010–— | 83.3 |
| 317 | Safet Sušić | Football | 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1974–1991 | 82.4 |
| 321 | Fran Kirby | Football | 🏴 England | 2010–— | 82.3 |
| 330 | Abedi Pelé | Football | 🇬🇭 Ghana | 1978–2000 | 82.1 |
| 359 | Youri Djorkaeff | Football | 🇫🇷 France | 1984–2006 | 81.6 |
| 381 | Bruno Fernandes | Football | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 2012–— | 80.9 |
| 386 | Michael Laudrup | Football | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 1981–1998 | 80.7 |
| 414 | Jay-Jay Okocha | Football | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 1990–2008 | 79.3 |
| 421 | James Rodríguez | Football | 🇨🇴 Colombia | 2010–— | 78.3 |
| 422 | Marco Reus | Football | 🇩🇪 Germany | 2006–— | 77.9 |
| 431 | Aleksandr Mostovoi | Football | 🇷🇺 Russia | 1986–2005 | 76.3 |
| 441 | Anders Christiansen | Football | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 2010–— | 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?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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