Top 10 greatest World Cup players

The World Cup has been showcasing the champion footballers successful the satellite connected the grandest signifier for the champion portion of a century.

Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards discussed the taxable successful the latest Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast.

You tin perceive to the podcast connected BBC Sounds and person your accidental by ranking your choices astatine the bottommost of this page.

Gary Lineker (Richards: 10th, Shearer: 9th)

Lineker scored 10 goals successful 12 World Cup appearances for England

England's all-time starring World Cup goalscorer, Lineker recovered the nett 10 times successful 12 games successful the 1986 and 1990 tournaments. Lineker scored six to triumph the Golden Boot successful 1986 and deed different 4 successful 1990 to assistance Bobby Robson's broadside scope the semi-finals, losing successful a shootout to West Germany.

Richards: Ten goals successful 12 appearances is bully going.

Shearer: He made 12 World Cup appearances and scored 10 goals. He won the Golden Boot and made the quarter-final and semi-finals.

Lineker: I person nary thought what I americium doing connected this list...

Johan Cruyff (Richards: 6th, Shearer: 10th)

Cruyff helped the Netherlands bushed Argentina and Brazil astatine the 1974 World Cup earlier losing to West Germany successful the final

Arguably the top subordinate ne'er to person won the World Cup, the three-time Ballon d'Or victor scored 3 goals to assistance the Netherlands scope the 1974 final, falling to West Germany. Cruyff retired successful 1977, a twelvemonth earlier the Dutch mislaid successful the last again, to hosts Argentina successful 1978.

Richards: He has a crook named aft him, helium has to beryllium special.

Shearer: He lone played successful 1 World Cup and this is based solely connected their World Cup performances. In nary mode americium I saying Lineker is simply a amended subordinate than Cruyff, it's conscionable his World Cup grounds puts him ninth.

Bobby Moore (Richards: 9th, Shearer: 6th)

Moore is hoisted aloft by his England team-mates aft the 1966 World Cup final

A titan successful England's World Cup history, Moore captained the Three Lions to glory astatine the 1966 tourney connected location soil. After Moore's decease successful 1993, Pele said the West Ham fable was the toughest defender helium ever faced during his career.

Richards: You spot the videos and perceive astir however large these players were.

Shearer: He captained England astatine 22. I person seen footage of him, but to beryllium made skipper aft his 12th headdress aged 22, that says however bully helium indispensable person been. He besides won the World Cup, amazing.

Gerd Muller (Richards: 7th, Shearer: 7th)

Muller scored the winning extremity successful the 1974 final

One of the top goalscorers the World Cup has ever seen, Muller scored 10 times to assistance West Germany to a third-place decorativeness successful 1970 and struck 4 successful the triumphant 1974 campaign, including the victor successful the final. Muller scored 14 goals successful 13 World Cup appearances.

Shearer: Fourteen goals successful 13 World Cup appearances, 10 successful 1 World Cup. Wow.

Lineker: He was similar [Sergio] Aguero, a punishment country player, unbelievably agile and a existent poacher. The extremity that won the World Cup against Cruyff's Holland - it epitomised Muller. The mode helium wriggled and turned, helium was a fantastic player. His numbers are close up there. My heroes were Frank Worthington, Peter Shilton and Muller was my planetary hero.

Franz Beckenbauer (Richards: 8th, Shearer: 5th)

Beckenbauer captained West Germany to football's top prize successful 1974 earlier winning it arsenic manager successful 1990

As captain, 'Der Kaiser' captained West Germany to the World Cup rubric connected location ungraded successful 1974, beating the Netherlands successful the final. Beckenbauer is besides 1 of lone 3 men (with Brazil's Mario Zagallo and France's Didier Deschamps) to person won the World Cup arsenic a subordinate and manager.

Lineker: He was the archetypal sweeper and came retired of defence with the ball.

Zinedine Zidane (Richards: 5th, Shearer: 8th)

Zidane scored doubly successful the 1998 World Cup last arsenic France bushed Brazil 3-0

Zizou's World Cup vocation started perfectly, scoring doubly successful the last to assistance France triumph connected location soil. Injury restricted him to conscionable 1 quality successful Les Bleus' mediocre 2002 defence, but helium was backmost to his champion successful Germany 4 years later, inspiring Raymond Domenech's broadside to the final, wherever Zidane scored and was memorably sent disconnected for headbutting Italy's Marco Materazzi successful the thorax arsenic France mislaid connected penalties.

Richards: Technically, helium was 1 of the champion ever.

Shearer: Best subordinate I ever played against. The equilibrium was unbelievable, helium was incredible.

Lothar Matthaus (Richards: 4th, Shearer 4th)

Matthaus is 1 of lone 3 players to person played successful 5 World Cups alongside Mexico's Antonio Carbajal and Rafael Marquez

Germany's most-capped subordinate of each time, Matthaus captained West Germany to occurrence astatine Italia '90, beating a Maradona-led Argentina successful the final. Matthaus is 1 of lone 3 players to person played successful 5 World Cups and holds the grounds for astir matches played with 25.

Richards: To spell to 5 World Cups is incredible, and helium won one.

Shearer: He played successful 5 World cups and made 25 appearances. I played against him astatine the 2000 Euros and it was his past crippled erstwhile we bushed them 1-0. Fantastic player.

Ronaldo (Richards: 3rd, Shearer 2nd)

Ronaldo was the World Cup's all-time starring goalscorer with 15 until Germany's Miroslav Klose surpassed his people successful 2014

Another Brazilian icon, Ronaldo lifted the celebrated trophy twice: successful 1994 and 2002. While helium did not diagnostic successful Brazil's 1994 win, helium scored 4 times to assistance them scope the 1998 final, wherever helium was near retired of the line-up lone to beryllium restored earlier kick-off. France won that twelvemonth but Ronaldo genuinely near his people 4 years later, scoring 8 times - including 2 successful the last against Germany - arsenic Brazil reclaimed their presumption arsenic satellite champions.

Shearer: He was unbelievable, we person talked astir Ronaldo truthful galore times. Braziliance. Another crushed I had him 2nd was 19 appearances, 15 goals and 5 assists.

Diego Maradona (Richards: 2nd; Shearer: 3rd)

Maradona captained Argentina to their 2nd World Cup astatine Mexico '86

Like Pele, the precocious Argentine played successful 4 World Cups, captaining his state to their 2nd World Cup successful 1986. Maradona was virtually unstoppable successful Mexico that year, scoring 5 goals, including 2 against England successful the quarter-final: the 'Hand of God' extremity and a superb idiosyncratic effort that ranks among the tournament's top ever strikes. Having mislaid the 1990 last to West Germany, Maradona's World Cup playing vocation ended successful disgrace successful 1994 erstwhile helium was sent location for failing a cause test.

Lineker: Before Messi came on determination was ever that statement betwixt Brazil and Argentina, who was the champion Pele oregon Maradona?

Pele - (Richards: 1st, Shearer: 1st)

Pele scored 4 goals successful Brazil's 1970 World Cup win, including the opener successful the 4-1 triumph implicit Italy successful the final

Seen by galore arsenic the eventual World Cup player, Pele was conscionable 17 erstwhile helium helped Brazil triumph the 1958 tourney successful Sweden. The legendary striker would spell connected to triumph the 1962 and 1970 World Cups too, winning the Golden Ball for champion subordinate astatine the latter. Pele scored 12 goals successful 14 World Cup matches crossed 4 tournaments for Brazil.

Richards: Pele has to beryllium the winner.

Shearer: You can't ideate coming from Brazil astatine that age, that pressure. They are expected to triumph each tournament, each lucifer they play in, helium has ace stardom wherever helium goes. Amazing player.

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