With just over two weeks until the 23rd men's Fifa World Cup in North America, The Independent sports team has ranked the top 50 players in the tournament's history. This list is based solely on performances in the World Cup, not overall career achievements. Notable absentees include Cristiano Ronaldo, who despite being one of football's greatest, does not feature due to his World Cup performances.
50. Fritz Walter (West Germany)
World Cups: 1954, 1958. Winner 1954. 11 games, 3 goals. Best moment: Lifting the World Cup as an unexpected winner. Walter inspired the "Miracle of Bern" after West Germany's shock victory over Hungary in the final.
49. Vava (Brazil)
World Cups: 1958, 1962. Winner both. 9 games, 7 goals. Best moment: Brace in the 1958 final to turn the game against Sweden. One of only four players to win two World Cups in just two appearances.
48. Leonidas (Brazil)
World Cups: 1934, 1938. Third place 1938. 5 games, 8 goals. Best moment: Hat-trick including two in extra time against Poland in 1938. Won Golden Boot and Golden Ball in 1938.
47. Didier Deschamps (France)
World Cup: 1998. Winner. 6 games, 5 clean sheets. Best moment: Lifting the trophy as captain. Conceded only in the match he missed, keeping clean sheets in the final against Brazil.
46. Daniel Passarella (Argentina)
World Cups: 1978, 1982, 1986. Winner 1978, 1986. 12 games, 3 goals. Best moment: Lifting the World Cup as youngest captain at age 25 in 1978. Only Argentine to win two World Cups.
45. Rudi Voller (Germany)
World Cups: 1986, 1990, 1994. Winner 1990, runner-up 1986. 15 games, 8 goals. Best moment: Brace against Belgium in 1994 last-16. Scored in the 1986 final despite losing.
44. Antoine Griezmann (France)
World Cups: 2014, 2018, 2022. Winner 2018, runner-up 2022. 19 games, 4 goals. Best moment: Man of the match in the 2018 final, scoring a penalty. Key playmaker in France's second golden era.
43. Martin Peters (England)
World Cups: 1966, 1970. Winner 1966. 9 games, 2 goals. Best moment: Scoring England's second goal in the 1966 final. His inclusion transformed the "wingless wonders."
42. Ronaldinho (Brazil)
World Cups: 2002, 2006. Winner 2002. 10 games, 2 goals. Best moment: Lobbing David Seaman in the 2002 quarter-final. Assisted Rivaldo's equalizer before scoring the winner.
41. Didi (Brazil)
World Cups: 1954, 1958, 1962. Winner 1958, 1962. 15 games, 3 goals. Best moment: Controlling the 1958 semi-final against France, allowing Pele to shine. Nine assists in World Cups, known for the folha seca free-kick.
40. Roberto Carlos (Brazil)
World Cups: 1998, 2002, 2006. Winner 2002, runner-up 1998. 17 games, 1 goal, 7 clean sheets. Best moment: Free-kick against China in 2002. Redefined the full-back role with pace and power.
39. Roger Milla (Cameroon)
World Cups: 1982, 1990, 1994. Quarter-finalist 1990. 10 games, 5 goals. Best moment: Two goals against Romania in 1990 at age 38. Became Africa's first global star, with iconic corner-flag dance.
38. Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany)
World Cups: 1990, 1994, 1998. Winner 1990. 17 games, 11 goals. Best moment: Lifting the trophy on debut. Scored in every tournament, captaining in 1998.
37. Gordon Banks (England)
World Cups: 1966, 1970. Winner 1966. 9 games, 6 clean sheets. Best moment: "Save of the century" from Pele in 1970. Kept four clean sheets in 1966.
36. Philipp Lahm (Germany)
World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014. Winner 2014. 20 games, 10 clean sheets. Best moment: Captaining Germany to World Cup glory in 2014. Pioneered the inverted full-back role.
35. Ferenc Puskas (Hungary/Spain)
World Cups: 1954, 1962. Runner-up 1954. 6 games, 4 goals. Best moment: Scoring in the 1954 final despite injury. Led the "Magical Magyars" before the Miracle of Bern.
34. Sandor Kocsis (Hungary)
World Cup: 1954. Runner-up. 5 games, 11 goals. Best moment: Four goals against West Germany in group stage. Won Golden Boot, first player to score two hat-tricks in one tournament.
33. Rivaldo (Brazil)
World Cups: 1998, 2002. Winner 2002, runner-up 1998. 14 games, 8 goals. Best moment: Lifting the World Cup as joint-top scorer in 2002. Scored in every game up to the semi-finals.
32. Lev Yashin (USSR)
World Cups: 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970. Semi-finals 1966. 12 games, 4 clean sheets. Best moment: Keeping Brazil to 2-0 in 1958. Only goalkeeper to win Ballon d'Or, known as the Black Spider.
31. Thomas Muller (Germany)
World Cups: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022. Winner 2014. 18 games, 10 goals. Best moment: Hat-trick against Portugal in 2014. Golden Boot in 2010, Silver Boot in 2014.
Join us on Wednesday for players ranked 11-30, and Thursday for the top 10 reveal.
