Greatest footballers ever? The ratings (and story) behind every FUT 20 Icon
One major improvement to FIFA Ultimate Team over the past few years was the introduction of ICONs.
Previously known as Legends and an Xbox exclusive, ICONs allow FUT players to add some of the greatest footballers in history to their squads.
With every passing year there are new ICONs added and for FIFA 20 a massive 90 are involved and each player has four versions of their card – ‘Base’, ‘Mid’, ‘Prime’ and ‘Prime Moments’.
But how does each ICON rate for these categories? We broke down every ICON rating for FIFA 20 and, because these numbers don’t wholly do justice to the players they represent, have provided a brief note as to why they are deemed worthy of ‘icon’ status.
Goalkeepers
Lev Yashin
- Ratings: 89/91/94/95
Nicknamed the Black Spider and widely considered the greatest goalkeeper ever (Yashin is the only ‘keeper to ever win the Ballon d’Or and has an award named after him). Spent his entire club career with Dynamo Moscow and won the European Championships in 1960 with the Soviet Union.
Peter Schmeichel
- Ratings: 86/90/92/93
Made a name for himself at Manchester United, winning 15 honours with the club including the 1999 treble. Schmeichel also helped Denmark win the European Championships in 1992.
Edwin van der Sar
- Ratings: 87/89/91/92
Another former Man Utd goalkeeper. Van der Sar tasted glory pretty much wherever he went, in Netherlands, England and Italy. Among his honours are eight league titles and two Champions Leagues.
Jens Lehmann
- Ratings: 85/88/90/91
Will forever be remembered as the goalkeeper in Arsenal’s Invincible season. But Lehmann also holds the record for longest time without conceding in the Champions League, going 853 minutes between 2005 and 2006.
Defenders
Paolo Maldini
- Ratings: 88/92/94/95
One of the greatest defenders of all time, both at left-back and centre-back. Maldini was a one-club man, spending his entire senior career (which began in 1984 and fell one year short of spanning four separate decades) with AC Milan. Won seven league titles and five Champions Leagues, including two as captain, and came third in the Ballon d’Or awards on two occasions.
Franco Baresi
- Ratings: 88/91/93/94
Another Italian Ballon d’Or runner-up and one-club-man Milan legend. The Milan team Baresi captained were European Cup finalists in five out of seven seasons under Arrigo Sacchi and Fabio Capello (1989 – 1995). Also won the 1982 World Cup but didn’t make an appearance at the tournament proper.
Carlos Alberto
Ratings: 87/90/93/94
An attacking full-back like no other during his time. Carlos Alberto captained Brazil as they won the World Cup in 1970 scoring in the final against Italy (some consider it the most iconic goal in football history).
Fabio Cannavaro
- Ratings: 87/89/92/94
One of the more recent Italian legends. Fabio Cannavaro led the national side to the World Cup in 2006 and received the Ballon d’Or as recognition of his heroics (he remains the last defender to win it, as of 2019). He also added two Uefa Cups and two Spanish titles.
Bobby Moore
- Ratings: 87/89/92/93
England’s World Cup-winning captain of 1966 and the greatest defender Pele ever encountered, whose statue welcomes visitors to Wembley. He amassed 108 caps for the national team, a record that stood till David Beckham surpassed it in 2009. Moore spent most of his club career at boyhood team West Ham but was a national treasure; a BBC poll conducted in 2002 placed him 69th on a list of the 100 Greatest Britons, just ahead of Jane Austen.
Alessandro Nesta
- Ratings: 88/90/92/93
Yet another legendary Italian defender. Nesta spent most of his club career in Serie A with Lazio and Milan, winning three league titles and two Champions Leagues. Also won the World Cup in 2006 with Italy, thought the achievement was bittersweet in that he missed the knockout stages through injury.
Carles Puyol
- Ratings: 86/90/92/94
A man synonymous with Barcelona. Puyol rose through La Masia to become one of the club’s most successful players. Alongside his footballing talent, Puyol is known for his character and leadership skills. Xavi once described this as “the key” to Barcelona winning six league titles and four Champions Leagues to add to his World Cup and European Championships with Spain.
Javier Zanetti
- Ratings: 87/88/92/94
Zanetti made a name for himself at Inter Milan, playing right-back for the Serie A club although he also featured in midfield. While at Inter, Zanetti won five league titles and the Champions League among other trophies.
Ronald Koeman
- Ratings: 85/88/91/93
Koeman enjoyed success with Ajax, PSV and Barcelona during his club career, winning the European Cup with the latter. If his 90 shot rating on FIFA strikes you as unusual for a defender, take a look at the match-winning goal he scored as the “Dream Team” secured Barcelona’s first-ever European Cup (see below). He also won the 1988 European Championships with Netherlands.
Laurent Blanc
- Ratings: 85/89/91/92
Blanc played for several big clubs during his career including Napoli, Barcelona, Inter, Marseille and Man Utd. He also won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with France.
Roberto Carlos
- Ratings: 86/88/91/93
One of the best left-backs of all time, and the scorer of goals against Tenerife and France that defied physics. Carlos made his name as part of the Real Madrid side that won three Champions League titles. He also achieved legend status for Brazil by winning the World Cup in 2002.
Marcel Desailly
- Ratings: 87/88/91/93
Another of France’s winners in 1998 and 2000, Desailly also tasted success at club level, winning two Champions Leagues at Marseille and AC Milan as well as league titles at the latter and an FA Cup with Chelsea.
Fernando Hierro
- Ratings: 86/89/91/92
Hierro spent the majority of his playing career at Real Madrid, winning five league titles and three Champions Leagues. He also featured 89 times for Spain but those came during a low period for the nation. Memorably made Bolton the last club of his playing career in 2005, where he played under Sam Allardyce.
Rio Ferdinand
- Ratings: 85/88/90/92
Once the most expensive defender in football, Rio Ferdinand was part of the Manchester United side that looked to dominate England, winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Sol Campbell
- Ratings: 85/87/89/91
Another member of Arsenal’s Invincible’s squad, Campbell helped the Gunners win two league titles and two FA Cups before adding another of the latter at Portsmouth.
Gianluca Zambrotta
- Ratings: 86/87/89/91
During his playing career, Zambrotta represented the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and AC Milan winning three league titles before helping Italy win the 2006 World Cup.
Midfielders
Zinedine Zidane
- Ratings: 91/94/96/97
One of the greatest midfielders players ever. Pele once described him as “the master”. Was named World Player of the Year on three separate occasions and also won the Ballon d’Or once. In terms of trophies, Zidane won three league titles, the Champions League, World Cup and European Championships.
Ruud Gullit
- Ratings: 86/90/93/94
Few symbolised the versatility at the heart of ‘Total Football’ better than Gullit, who enjoyed success wherever he played (Feyenoord, PSV, Milan, Sampdoria and Chelsea, most notably). He won seven league titles and two Champions Leagues as well as the 1988 European Championships with Netherlands. He won the 1987 Ballon d’Or.
Lothar Matthaus
- Ratings: 88/91/93/94
Mattaus is Germany’s only recipient of FIFA’s World Player of the Year award ever and their most-capped player of all time, reaching 150 appearances by the time of his retirement after helping them win the 1980 European Championships and 1990 World Cup (both as West Germany). He also won several honours at club level, including seven Bundesligas with Bayern Munich. Diego Maradona considered him his greatest rival.
Ryan Giggs
- Ratings: 87/89/92/94
A Man Utd legend, Ryan Giggs holds the record for most Premier League medals, winning the title 13 times, and assists, having set up 162 goals. He also won four FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.
Andrea Pirlo
- Ratings: 88/90/92/94
Oozing class in midfield, Pirlo spent a large part of his playing career at AC Milan, winning two Champions Leagues but also won five league titles with Juventus. Pirlo also boasts the World Cup in 2006 among his honours.
Kaka
- Ratings: 87/89/91/94
The young star of Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning squad, Kaka also won two league titles and the Champions League representing AC Milan and Real Madrid. He won the Ballon d’Or in 2007 before Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo came to dominate it.
Michael Ballack
- Ratings: 86/89/91/93
Representing Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and Chelsea during his career, Ballack was regarded as one of the best midfielders of his time and won the league with three of his four clubs.
Socrates
- Ratings: 87/89/91/93
Easily recognisable for his beard and the headbands on which he would often display political messages, the late Dr. Socrates (nicknamed thus because of his medical degree) spent most of his club career in Brazil and so is known to European audiences mainly for his exploits with the national team; some believe the 1982 team he captained is the greatest never to win a World Cup.
Steven Gerrard
- Ratings: 86/89/91/93
Mr. Liverpool. Gerrard spent most of his career with the English club, captaining them to glory in the Champions League in 2005. He was also part of England’s ‘Golden Generation’ under Sven-Goran Eriksson. Zidane said of him in 2009: “Is he the best in the world? He might not get the attention of [Lionel] Messi and Ronaldo but, yes, I think he just might be.”
Juan Roman Riquelme
- Ratings: 87/89/91/92*
Riquelme spent most of his career with Boca Juniors, winning 10 trophies including three Copa Libertadores, but he also represented the likes of Villarreal and Barcelona in Spain.
*Riquelme’s base and mid-ICON cards have not been released yet
Gheorghe Hagi
- Ratings: 85/89/91/92
The greatest Romanian footballer of all time, Hagi enjoyed league success in Romania and Turkey but also represented both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Jointly holds the record as Romania’s top scorer with 35 international goals, having played at three World Cups (1990, 1994, 1998). Only two players outscored him at the ’94 tournament, where Romania reached the quarter-finals.
Michael Laudrup
- Ratings: 85/89/91/92
Laudrup was a world-class playmaker during his career and was part of Barcelona’s “Dream Team” under Johan Cruyff, winning four league titles and a European Cup. He also won league titles at Ajax, Juventus and Real Madrid.
Pavel Nedved
- Ratings: 86/89/91/93
Many feel Nedved is one of the more underrated midfielders of his generation when looking back. He was a big part of Czech Republic’s international growth. He enjoyed his best successes in Italy with Lazio and Juventus, winning three league titles and won the Ballon d’Or in 2003.
Paul Scholes
Ratings: 87/89/91/92
One of England’s greatest-ever midfielders, Scholes was part of Man Utd’s Class of ’92 and went on to make 718 appearances for the club during which he won 11 Premier Leagues and two Champions Leagues. “Scholes is a spectacular player who has everything,” Xavi once said, adding that “if he had been Spanish then maybe he would have been valued more.”
Clarence Seedorf
- Ratings: 85/88/91/93
A complete midfielder who represented the likes of Real Madrid, Ajax and AC Milan. Seedorf is the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs. He was also part of Netherlands side that reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup and Euros 2000 and 2004.
Patrick Vieira
- Ratings: 86/88/91/92
Vieira will largely be remembered for his spell at Arsenal, where he won three league titles including the Invincible season in 2003/04. He also won the World Cup and European Championships with France in 1998 and 2000 respectively.
Michael Essien
- Ratings: 85/87/90/92
Essien spent a large part of his career at Chelsea, winning two Premier Leagues, four FA Cups and the Champions League although he did also win Ligue 1 twice at Lyon. He fell narrowly short of winning Afcon with Ghana in 2008 and 2010.
Rui Costa
- Ratings: 85/88/90/91
One of Portugal’s best-ever players, Rui Costa enjoyed success in his club career with Benfica, Fiorentina and AC Milan, most notably winning the Champions League with the latter.
Pep Guardiola
- Ratings: 85/87/90/91
Guardiola was also part of Cruyff’s dream Barcelona team, winning six league titles and the European Cup.
Deco
- Ratings: 85/87/90/91
Another Portuguese Champions League winner, Deco tasted success with Porto and Barcelona, winning league titles in Portugal, Spain, England and Brazil. Also finished runner-up in the Ballon d’Or in 2004, behind Andriy Shevchenko.
Roy Keane
- Ratings: 86/88/90/91
One of the Premier League’s greatest midfielders, Keane won seven league titles with Man Utd and a further 12 other honours for the Red Devils and Celtic.
Frank Lampard
- Ratings: 86/88/90/92
The Premier League’s highest-scoring midfielder, Lampard scored 177 goals in the competition with only four players managing more. Lampard is also Chelsea’s all-time top scorer with 211 goals, which helped the club win a number of trophies including the 2012 Champions League.
Jari Litmanen
- Ratings: 85/88/90/91
“Dennis Bergkamp was brilliant for Ajax, but the best No.10 we ever had was Jari,” Rijkaard is quoted as having said in 2003. As well as Ajax, Litmanen represented the likes Barcelona and Liverpool during his club career, albeit less successfully despite winning the 1995 Champions League with the former. He is regarded as Finland’s greatest-ever player and nicknamed ‘The King’ to some, or ‘Merlin’ to others.
Claude Makelele
- Ratings: 85/87/90/91
One of a few players to have a position named after them, Makelele enjoyed success largely in Spain and England, winning league titles with Chelsea and Real Madrid as well as a Champions League at the latter.
Jay-Jay Okocha
- Ratings: 85/87/90/91
So good they named him twice, Jay-Jay Okocha spent a lot of his career embarrassing defenders with his skills. Few were more electric and audacious than Bolton’s former fan favourite. The Nigerian also represented the likes of PSG, Bolton and Eintracht Frankfurt, winning a handful of minior trophies.
Marc Overmars
- Ratings: 86/88/90/92
Playing for the likes of Ajax, Arsenal and Barcelona, Overmars won four league titles and was part of the Ajax side that lifted the Champions League in 1994/95.
Emmanuel Petit
- Ratings: 85/88/90/92
A World Cup winner with France in 1998, Petit scored the third goal in the final win over Brazil and added the 2000 European Championships to his cabinet. He also won a league title at Monaco and Arsenal.
Robert Pires
- Ratings: 85/88/91/92
Another part of France’s successful sides in 1998 and 2000, Pires also won two Premier Leagues with Arsenal including the Invincible campaign.
Frank Rijkaard
- Ratings: 86/88/90/91
One of the best players of his generation, Rijkaard tasted success with Ajax and AC Milan, winning three European Cups/Champions Leagues as well as the 1988 European Championships with Netherlands.
Juan Sebastian Veron
- Ratings: 86/88/90/91
He may be remembered more for his unhappy spell in England, but Veron was an exceptional player in his time and has two South American Footballer of the Year awards to prove it. He won league titles with Lazio, Man Utd and Inter Milan.
Gennaro Gattuso
- Ratings: 85/87/89/90
A general in midfield, Gattuso spent most of his playing career at AC Milan, winning two league titles and two Champions Leagues. He was also integral for Italy as they won the 2006 World Cup.
Hidetoshi Nakata
- Ratings: 85/86/88/90
One of Japan’s greatest ever players (in fact he was dubbed Japan’s David Beckham), Nakata made his name in Europe when he helped Roma win Serie A in 2000/01.
Attackers
Pele
- Ratings: 91/95/98/99
Pele was a goalscorer extraordinaire, reportedly scoring over 1,000 goals during his career. He was also part of Brazil’s successful side which won three World Cups between 1958 and 1970. He was the joint-winner of a one-off award created by FIFA to celebrate the greatest player of the 20th century. As for who he shared it with… Well, before it was Messi and Ronaldo, it was Pele and the next guy on this list…
Diego Maradona
- Ratings: 91/95/97/99
Pele’s long-time rival for status as the world’s greatest player, Maradona was key to Argentina winning the World Cup in 1986 and added two league titles at Napoli, as well as a spell with Barcelona. In the words of Lionel Messi: “Even if I played for a million years, I’d never come close to Maradona. Not that I’d want to anyway. He’s the greatest there’s ever been.”
Ronaldo
- Ratings: 90/94/96/97
Arguably the greatest goalscorer of his generation, Ronaldo regularly found the net for the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSV and Inter Milan, winning two Ballon d’Ors and the World Cup twice with Brazil.
Johan Cruyff
- Ratings: 89/91/94/96
The master of Total Football, Cruyff was successful with both Ajax and Barcelona, winning nine league titles and three European Cups. He also won the league with Feyenoord and won three Ballon d’Ors.
Garrincha
- Ratings: 90/92/94/95
One of Pele’s Brazilian teammates, the late Garrincha won two World Cups in 1958 and 1962. He is regarded as one of the best dribblers of all time, if not the best, and spent all of his club career in Brazil. Known as ‘the Joy of the People’, a former Brazil teammate once described him as “football’s answer to Charlie Chaplin.” Renowned south American footballer writer Eduardo Galeano believed “no one made more people happy” in the history of football than Garrincha.
Roberto Baggio
- Ratings: 89/91/93/94
Baggio is the only Italian player to score in three World Cups, bagging nine goals in 1990, 1994 and 1998 (no compatriot has more goals in the competition). He also won two league titles with Juventus and AC Milan. ‘The Divine Ponytail’ won the Ballon d’Or in 1993 but is perhaps, unfortunately, known almost as well for missing the penalty that lost Italy the World Cup final in the following year.
Ronaldinho
Ratings: 89/91/94/95
The best player of his era, and the inspiration of countless of the world’s best active players today, Ronaldinho won the Ballon d’Or in 2005 to go with his two league titles and Champions League win at Brazil. Also won the league at AC Milan and 2002 World Cup with Brazil.
George Best
- Ratings: 88/90/93/94
Best spent most of his club career with Man Utd, winning two league titles and the European Cup. He also received the Ballon d’Or in 1968, aged just 22.
Eusebio
- Ratings: 89/91/93/94
A Portugal and Benfica legend, Eusebio’s goals helped the Lisbon club win 11 league titles and the European Cup, beating Real Madrid in the final. Eusebio also finished the 1966 World Cup as top scorer and won the Ballon d’Or in 1965.
Thierry Henry
- Ratings: 87/90/93/95
Some feel this man is the Premier League’s greatest-ever foreign player. No player managed more assists within a single season than the 20 Henry posted in 2002/03 and only five players have scored more goals in the division than the Frenchman, who was part of Arsenal’s Invincibles side. Henry also won the World Cup and European Championships with France and Champions League at Barcelona.
Marco van Basten
- Ratings: 89/91/93/94
Forever remembered for his volley in the 1988 European Championships final, Van Basten split his club career between Ajax and AC Milan, winning six league titles and two Champions Leagues across Netherlands and Italy.
Dennis Bergkamp
- Ratings: 87/90/92/93
Another Dutchman who will be forever remembered for a goal (or maybe two), Bergkamp enjoyed a very successful club career with Ajax, Inter Milan and especially Arsenal, winning four league titles including the Premier League in 2003/04 as part of the Invincibles.
Rivaldo
Ratings: 87/90/92/93
Part of Brazil’s wonderful team in late 1990s and early 2000s, Rivaldo scored five goals as the nation won the World Cup in 2002. At club level, the Brazilian represented the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan alongside a host of other clubs, winning 21 trophies including the Champions League. In terms of personal honours, he won the Ballon d’Or in 1999. Having represented 14 different clubs, Rivaldo might just be the greatest ‘journeyman’ in football history.
Kenny Dalglish
- Ratings: 87/90/92/93
When Liverpool dominated England and Europe, Dalglish was key to the attack, helping the Reds win six league titles and three European Cups alongside other trophies. They even named a stand after him. He was also been part of Celtic’s successful side in the 70s.
Emiliano Butragueno
- Ratings: 87/90/92/93
Butragueno spent the majority of his club career with Real Madrid, winning six La Liga titles with Los Blancos, scoring 171 goals. His legend is perhaps not as famous as others due to the fact he the Madrid team he played in never won a European Cup, but the official website nonetheless describes him as “football genius” who “turned football into an art form” (hence the 93 dribbling rating). He expressed his talents for goalscoring with Spain through 26 goals in 69 appearances.
Alessandro Del Piero
- Ratings: 87/90/92/94
A truly iconic No.10. In 19 years at Juventus, Del Piero established a reputation himself as one of the fiercest yet beloved forwards in Europe, winning six Serie A titles and the Champions League to add to his 2006 World Cup medal with Italy.
Raul
Ratings: 86/88/92/93
One of the greatest strikers of his generation. Raul scored 323 goals in 741 games for Real Madrid, winning six La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues. He remains Spain’s second-highest scorer with 44 goals in 102 caps.
Miroslav Klose
- Ratings: 87/89/91/93
The World Cup’s all-time top goalscorer. Klose scored 16 goals in the tournament and ended his international career with glory in 2014. At club level, Klose split his career across Kaiserslautern, Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich and Lazio, winning eight trophies.
Didier Drogba
- Ratings: 87/89/91/93
The man for the big occasions. Drogba was part of Chelsea’s side that enjoyed success between 2004 and 2012, scoring nine goals in nine cup finals including the equaliser – and eventual winning penalty – as the Blues won the 2012 Champions League. He is also a legend with the Ivory Coast, too, scoring 65 goals in 123 games, but retired the year before they won the 2015 Afcon.
Patrick Kluivert
- Ratings: 86/88/91/92
Kluivert was part of Ajax’s Golden Generation, and so duly blended the power of a striker with the first-touch of a playmaker and the dribbling ability of a jinky winger. Kluivert scored the winner in the 1995 Champions League final aged just 18. He added two league titles to that success and went on to win trophies at Barcelona and PSV, as well as being Netherlands’ all-time top scorer.
Gary Lineker
- Ratings: 87/89/92/93
England’s third-highest goalscorer with 48 goals in 80 caps, Lineker was the first Englishman to win the World Cup Golden Boot, doing so in 1986. At club level, representing the likes of Leicester, Everton, Barcelona and Tottenham, Lineker scored over 200 goals.
Luis Figo
- Ratings: 88/90/92/93
A Ballon d’Or winner in 2000, Luis Figo was one of the greatest wingers of his generation, representing Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. He once became the world’s most-expensive player when he signed with Real Madrid to become a ‘Galactico’. Barcelona fans acknowledged this achievement by throwing a severed pig’s head at him in El Clasico.
Hristo Stoichkov
- Ratings: 87/90/92/93
Stoichkov represented a number of clubs during his career but will largely be remembered for his time at CSKA Sofia and Barcelona, scoring over 200 goals and winning 23 trophies in total, including a Champions League at the latter, as well as with the Bulgaria team that reached the 1994 World Cup semi-finals; ‘El Pistolero’ was in fact joint-top scorer at that tournament, alongside Oleg Salenko.
Hugo Sanchez
- Ratings: 87/89/92/93
Butragueno’s partner in crime. Spending four years with Atletico Madrid and seven with Real Madrid, Sanchez remains the fourth-highest scorer in La Liga history with 234 goals – including a spell with Rayo Vallecano. In total for club and country, Sanchez scored over 500 goals and won eight league titles.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
- Ratings: 86/90/92/93
The sixth-highest goalscorer in Champions League history, Van Nistelrooy scored 56 goals in the competition for Manchester United, Real Madrid and PSV. The Dutchman won 10 trophies during his career including five league titles and won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2002/03.
Michael Owen
- Ratings: 86/88/91/92
Owen broke through the Liverpool set up in the late 1990s and became one of the brightest young players in the world. He would win the Ballon d’Or in 2001 having finished Premier League top scorer twice before his 20th birthday, adding nine club trophies.
Alan Shearer
- Ratings: 87/89/91/92
The Premier League’s all-time top scorer with 260 goals. Shearer was England’s goalscoring extraordinaire and still holds a number of records. With three Golden Boots to his name, Shearer also won the Premier League with Blackburn in 1994/95.
Ian Rush
- Ratings: 87/89/91/92
Another Liverpool legend, Rush is the club’s all-time top scorer and helped the club to five league titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups and two European Cups, scoring 229 goals for the Reds.
Andriy Shevchenko
- Ratings: 86/88/91/93
At his peak, Shevchenko was one of Europe’s best strikers, particularly during his time at Dynamo Kyiv and AC Milan. The Ukrainian won a host of club trophies including the 2002/03 Champions League and also won the Ballon d’Or in 2004.
David Trezeguet
- Ratings: 86/89/91/92
Trezeguet scored goals wherever he went for both club and country, and helped Juventus and Monaco to league titles during his career. But he will be remembered most for scoring the golden goal in France’s 2-1 win over Italy to win Euro 2000, adding to his 1998 World Cup winner’s medal.
Hernan Crespo
- Ratings: 85/87/90/92
Once the world’s most expensive player, Crespo was a prolific goalscorer, representing the likes of Parma, Lazio, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Chelsea, winning trophies across the globe.
Luis Hernandez
- Ratings: 85/87/90/92
A Mexican legend, Hernandez spent most of his career in his native country, scoring over 100 goals. He was also part of the Mexico squad that won the Confederation Cup in 1999 and two Gold Cups.
Filippo Inzaghi
- Ratings: 85/87/90/91
Italian goalscorer Inzaghi spent his entire career in his native country and represented the likes of Parma, Atalanta and Juventus before becoming part of the furniture at AC Milan. Inzaghi won two Champions Leagues at the Rossoneri including in 2007 when he scored both goals in the final against Liverpool. Sir Alex Ferguson was said Inzaghi was “born offside” but this is just a consequence of the type of game played by ‘Super Pippo’, who in utilising his poacher’s instincts made his living on the edge of opposing defences.
Henrik Larsson
- Ratings: 86/87/90/92
One of Sweden’s greatest-ever players, Larsson endeared himself to the fans of clubs the world over. This includes spells at Celtic, where he won four league titles; at Barcelona, where he assisted the two match-winning goals in the 2006 Champions League final and taught Samuel Eto’o “how to become invisible”; and Manchester United, where Ferguson noticed “they would say his named in awed tones”.
Christian Vieri
- Ratings: 86/88/90/91
During his career, ‘Bobo’ represented some of Italy’s biggest clubs including Juventus, Lazio, Inter Milan and AC Milan. His sole season in La Liga (1997-98) with Atletico Madrid resulted in a Pichichi Trophy for finishing the division’s top-scorer. He was named Serie A Footballer of the Year the following season after signing for Lazio and winning Uefa’s Cup Winners’ Cup. All in all, he scoring just under 200 goals and won seven trophies.
Gianfranco Zola
- Ratings: 85/87/90/92
Zola learned how you take a free kick from Maradona at Napoli and passed on some of those lessons to Frank Lampard at Chelsea, where he spent a memorable seven years. During this spell, he set the Premier League alight with his flair and became one of the best foreign players in the division. In 1998, the Italian came off the bench and scored within a minute to win the Cup Winners’ Cup.
John Barnes
- Ratings: 86/87/89/91
A Watford, Liverpool and England legend, Barnes was a flying winger who barely gave defenders a moment’s rest. During his career Barnes won eight trophies and was named FWA Footballer of the Year twice. Several years ago, he was voted England’s greatest-ever left-footed player by readers of The Times.
Ian Wright
- Ratings: 85/87/89/90
Wright was loved wherever he played, not just for his persona but also his goalscoring, netting over 200 goals during his career. The Englishman is Arsenal’s second-highest goalscorer and helped the club to a Premier League, two FA Cups, the League Cup and Cup Winner’s Cup.
