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44. Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes may not be recognized as an example for fair play (with more than 120 yellow cards and 10 red cards), but is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation. Educated at the Manchester United training center, Scholes played more than 700 games with the club winning eleven Premier League…
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4. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane, nicknamed “Zizou” is one of the players who has won everything. Considered a national hero in France for his performance with the national team (even after the expulsion during the final of the 2006 World Cup), Zizou is famous for his performances at club level. With Real Madrid and Juventus, he won…
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48. Frank Rijkaard
Member of the legendary Milanese Dutch trio together with Gullit and Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard’s physical qualities and ability made him one of the key elements of the Rossoneri’s success. With Ajax, (261 games, 59 goals) Rijkaard won five Eredivisie (1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1993–94 and 1994–95), one UEFA Cup Winners’Cup (1986-87) and one Champions League…
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46. Enzo Francescoli
Nicknamed “The Prince” because of the elegance that he displayed on and off the field, Enzo Francescoli is considered as one of the best Uruguayan players of all time. With 73 caps, in which he scored 15 goals, he was the most capped outfield player of his national team. It was with River Plate that…
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45. Didier Deschamps
During his distinguished career, Didier Deschamps played as a midfielder for Nantes, Marseille, Juventus, Chelsea and Valencia and for the French national team. Thanks to his tenacity and stamina, Deschamps won two Champions Leagues (with Marseille in 1992-93 and Juventus in 1995-96), two Ligue 1s (1989–90 and 1991–92), three Serie As (1994–95, 1996–97 and 1997–98)…
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42. Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs is the most decorated player in the English football history. With 35 titles, Giggs is one of the best midfielders of all time and was voted “Best Manchester United player of all time” by the Manchester United supporters in 2011. Playing for Manchester United for 23 years, he won 13 Premier League titles,…
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36. Bastian Schweinsteiger
Voted best German player in 2013, Bastian Schweinsteiger is distinguished by his technical abilities, the accuracy of his passes and his powerful shot. He organises the midfield for his club and for ‘Der Mannschaft.’ With the Bayern, Schweinsteiger has played more than 480 games (up to November 2014) and won seven Bundesliga titles (2002-03, 2004-05,…
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32. David Beckham
David Beckham is one of the best English players of the 20th century. “Becks” (aka “Golden Balls”) played a key role during Manchester United’s domination of the Premier League at the end of the 1990s into the early 2000s. With Manchester United, he won six Premier League titles (1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2002–03),…
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31. Patrick Vieira
Recognized for his winning mentality, Vieira was tactically intelligent with incredible strength and stamina. With Arsenal (9 years in the club) he won three Premier League titles during the season 1997-98, 2001-02 and most famously as captain of the “Invincibles” who went unbeaten for the whole of the 2003-04 season. With the Gunners he also…
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30. Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit, with his athletic profile, his long shots, long runs and his speed, was one of the leading representatives of Total Football in its heyday. With Van Basten and Rijkaard, “The black tulip” was one of the greatest footballers at the end of 1980s. Gullit won three Eredivisie (1983-84, 1985-86 and 1986-87), two Champions…