1. George Best

2. Pele

3. Diego Maradona

4. Yohan Cruyff

5. Franz Beckenbauer

6. Alfredo di Stefano

7. Zinedine Zidane and Ferenc Puskas

George Best:

According to experts he was the most gifted footballer ever to land on this Earth and Pele said him the greatest player ever to play this beautiful game.

A few quotes about and by George Best:

The irony is, as Michael Parkinson said, that "the only tragedy George Best has to confront is that he will never know how good he could have been."

as Tommy Docherty said: "George was a fantastic player and he would have been even better if he'd been able to pass nightclubs the way he passed the ball."

He once admitted that, when playing in America, he was living in a house by the sea. But as he had to pass a bar to get to the beach he never actually made it to the water.

"If I had been born ugly, you would never have heard of Pele."

"In 1969 I gave up women and alcohol. It was the worst 20 minutes of my life."

[When Michael Parkinson asked how soon before kick-off George had made love:] "Half time!"

"I've stopped drinking, but only while I'm asleep."

"They say I slept with seven Miss Worlds but I didn't. It was only four. I didn't turn up for the other three."

"(a reporter called Sue Mott while taking Best's phone number said: "God, do you realise half the women in the world would pay good money to get that number"): Best: "Half the women in the world have got it."

"I used to dream about taking the ball round the keeper, stopping it on the line and then getting on my hands and knees and heading it into the net. When I scored against Benfica in the 1968 European Cup final I nearly did it. I left the keeper for dead but then I chickened out. I might have given the boss a heart attack!"

"He was the most wonderful player, he could do things that no other player could do." (Former BBC Director General and lifelong Man United fan Greg Dyke)

"He was unquestionably the greatest. There was nobody to compare with him." (Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson)

"Don't die like me!" (reportedly the final message of George Best)

Pele:

Where do i start writing about the Pele, Brazil's finest product in terms of football and the same guy that's considered as being the best all time soccer football in the World? I could start with his achievements and countless records, but I'd rather leave them for later as the cherry on top of the cake.

Diego Maradona:

Diego Armando Maradona has enthralled both fans and critics during the long span of his career, from his debut in professional football during 1975 to his farewell match in November of 2001.

Throughout a quarter of a century, Diego has influenced a multitude of people including some of the top football players today. In addition to his brilliant skill, Maradona has stirred global controversy of unmatched magnitude. Regardless of his off field actions, Maradona was voted greatest on Internet polling.

Johan Cruyff:

A three-time European Footballer of the Year, Johan Cruyff was brains and beauty rolled into one. His vision and masterful technique made him the perfect leader for the Netherlands' "Total Football" generation who thrilled the watching world at Germany 1974.

Franz Beckenbauer:

He is the greatest defender ever to land on planet earth.He was born in Munich and started playing football with SC Munich '06, he joined the Bayern Munich youth team aged fourteen.

He made his debut with Bayern in the Bundesliga in June 1964 and with the national side just over a year later (September 1965) and played in his first World Cup in 1966. Bayern soon became a force in the new German league, winning the league cup in 1966-67 and achieving European success in the Cup Winners' Cup in 1967.

Beckenbauer became club captain for the 1968-69 season and led his club to their first league title. He began experimenting with the sweeper role around this time, he refined the role into a new form and became one of the greatest exponents of the attacking sweeper game.

Alfredo di Stefano

Alfredo di Stefano,to many football experts, was a player even greater than Pele.He was a player with extraordinary versatility and incredible stamina. He played on every possible position center forward midfielder and defence.

Zinedine Zidane:

Zidane was a member of the French Football Team in (Wc|1998), which France won, scoring two goals in the final against Brazil. Two years later, he led his country to a second major championship, winning (Ec2|2000).

He has been elected three times as FIFA World Player Of The Year (1998, 2000, 2003). Zidane is often considered to be the best footballer in the world, and perhaps one of the most talented players of all time. An elegant dribbler of the ball, Zidane's passing ability and perfect balance make him one of the best playmaker of All Time.

Ferenc Puskás:

He regarded by some as the best shooter in football history.Puskas scored an incredible 84 international goals in 85 matches and led one of the truly great international teams, the Hungarian team that revolutionized football in the 1950s. He Scored 514 goals in 529 matches in the Hungarian and Spanish leagues.