FIFA 100

The FIFA 100 is a list of Brazilian footballer Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, England, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body of football.

Pelé in 2008

The figure 100 refers to the 100th anniversary of FIFA and not the number of players listed, which is actually 125; Pelé had been asked to select 50 active players and 50 retired players, for a total of 100 players, but found it too difficult to limit the number of former players to just 50.[1] The list contains 123 men and two women (Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm). At the time the FIFA 100 was selected, 50 of the players were still active, with the remaining 75 retired from the game.

Criticism

Some football observers have questioned the selection methodology of the list. David Mellor, politician turned football pundit, wrote in his column in the Evening Standard that he felt the selections were politically motivated rather than made on purely footballing grounds.[2] He suggested that the selections looked as if they came from the pen of Sepp Blatter rather than Pelé. As evidence for this, Mellor noted the wide geographical spread of the selected players: a true selection would be more heavily biased to South America and Europe, he argued. Such assertions were also forwarded by BBC columnist Tim Vickery.[3]

One of Pelé's old teammates, the former Brazil midfielder Gérson, reacted to his omission from the FIFA 100 by tearing up a copy of the list on a Brazilian television programme. Marco van Basten and Uwe Seeler refused to take part in the project on a point of principle.[4]

List

Following is the list of the "FIFA 100" greatest living footballers as nominated by Pelé in March 2004.[5][6][7]

  • Players active at the time of announcement are marked by (*). As of April 2023, Gianluigi Buffon is the only still active player on the list.
Nat. Player Pos. Born Died
 ARGGabriel Batistuta* FW 1969 n/a
 ARGHernán Crespo* FW 1975 n/a
 ARGAlfredo Di Stéfano FW 1926 2014
 ARGMario Kempes FW 1954 n/a
 ARGDiego Maradona MF 1960 2020
 ARGDaniel Passarella DF 1953 n/a
 ARGJavier Saviola* FW 1981 n/a
 ARGOmar Sívori FW 1935 2005
 ARGJuan Sebastián Verón* MF 1975 n/a
 ARGJavier Zanetti* DF/MF 1973 n/a
 BELJan Ceulemans MF 1957 n/a
 BELJean-Marie Pfaff GK 1953 n/a
 BELFranky Van der Elst MF 1961 n/a
 BRACarlos Alberto DF 1944 2016
 BRACafu* DF 1970 n/a
 BRAFalcão MF 1953 n/a
 BRAPelé FW 1940 2022
 BRAJúnior MF 1954 n/a
 BRARivaldo* MF 1972 n/a
 BRARivelino MF 1946 n/a
 BRARoberto Carlos* DF 1973 n/a
 BRARomário* FW 1966 n/a
 BRARonaldinho* MF/FW 1980 n/a
 BRARonaldo* FW 1976 n/a
 BRADjalma Santos DF 1929 2013
 BRANílton Santos DF 1925 2013
 BRASócrates MF 1954 2011
 BRAZico MF/FW 1953 n/a
 BULHristo Stoichkov FW 1966 n/a
 CMRRoger Milla FW 1952 n/a
 CHIElías Figueroa DF 1946 n/a
 CHIIván Zamorano FW 1967 n/a
 COLCarlos Valderrama MF 1961 n/a
 CRODavor Šuker FW 1968 n/a
 CZEJosef Masopust MF 1931 2015
 CZEPavel Nedvěd* MF 1972 n/a
 DENBrian Laudrup FW 1969 n/a
 DENMichael Laudrup MF 1964 n/a
 DENPeter Schmeichel GK 1963 n/a
 ENGGordon Banks GK 1937 2019
 ENGDavid Beckham* MF 1975 n/a
 ENGBobby Charlton MF 1937 n/a
 ENGKevin Keegan FW 1951 n/a
 ENGGary Lineker FW 1960 n/a
 ENGMichael Owen* FW 1979 n/a
 ENGAlan Shearer* FW 1970 n/a
 FRAEric Cantona FW 1966 n/a
 FRAMarcel Desailly* DF 1968 n/a
 FRADidier Deschamps MF 1968 n/a
 FRAJust Fontaine FW 1933 2023
 FRAThierry Henry* FW 1977 n/a
 FRARaymond Kopa MF 1931 2017
 FRAJean-Pierre Papin FW 1963 n/a
 FRARobert Pires* MF 1973 n/a
 FRAMichel Platini MF 1955 n/a
 FRALilian Thuram* DF 1972 n/a
 FRAMarius Trésor DF 1950 n/a
 FRADavid Trezeguet* FW 1977 n/a
 FRAPatrick Vieira* MF 1976 n/a
 FRAZinedine Zidane* MF 1972 n/a
 GERMichael Ballack* MF 1976 n/a
 GERFranz Beckenbauer SW 1945 n/a
 GERPaul BreitnerMF/DF1951n/a
 GEROliver Kahn* GK 1969 n/a
 GERJürgen Klinsmann FW 1964 n/a
 GERSepp Maier GK 1944 n/a
 GERLothar Matthäus MF/SW 1961 n/a
 GERGerd Müller FW 1945 2021
 GERKarl-Heinz Rummenigge FW 1955 n/a
 GERUwe Seeler FW 1936 2022
 GHAAbédi Pelé FW 1964 n/a
 HUNFerenc Puskás FW 1927 2006
 ITARoberto Baggio* FW/MF 1967 n/a
 ITAFranco Baresi DF/SW 1960 n/a
 ITAGiuseppe Bergomi DF 1963 n/a
 ITAGiampiero Boniperti FW 1928 2021
 ITAGianluigi Buffon* GK 1978 n/a
 ITAAlessandro Del Piero* FW 1974 n/a
 ITAGiacinto Facchetti DF 1942 2006
 ITAPaolo Maldini* DF 1968 n/a
 ITAAlessandro Nesta* DF 1976 n/a
 ITAGianni Rivera MF 1943 n/a
 ITAPaolo Rossi FW 1956 2020
 ITAFrancesco Totti* FW/MF 1976 n/a
 ITAChristian Vieri* FW 1973 n/a
 ITADino Zoff GK 1942 n/a
 JPNHidetoshi Nakata* MF 1977 n/a
 LBRGeorge Weah FW 1966 n/a
 MEXHugo Sánchez FW 1958 n/a
 NEDMarco van Basten FW 1964 n/a
 NEDDennis Bergkamp* FW 1969 n/a
 NEDJohan Cruyff FW 1947 2016
 NEDEdgar Davids* MF 1973 n/a
 NEDRuud Gullit MF 1962 n/a
 NEDRené van de Kerkhof MF 1951 n/a
 NEDWilly van de Kerkhof MF 1951 n/a
 NEDPatrick Kluivert* FW 1976 n/a
 NEDJohan Neeskens MF 1951 n/a
 NEDRuud van Nistelrooy* FW 1976 n/a
 NEDRob Rensenbrink FW 1947 2020
 NEDFrank Rijkaard MF/DF 1962 n/a
 NEDClarence Seedorf* MF 1976 n/a
 NGAJay-Jay Okocha* MF 1973 n/a
 NIRGeorge Best MF 1946 2005
 PARRomerito FW 1960 n/a
 PERTeófilo Cubillas FW 1949 n/a
 POLZbigniew Boniek MF 1956 n/a
 POREusébio FW 1942 2014
 PORLuís Figo* MF 1972 n/a
 PORRui Costa* MF 1972 n/a
 IRLRoy Keane* MF 1971 n/a
 ROUGheorghe Hagi MF 1965 n/a
 RUSRinat Dasayev GK 1957 n/a
 SCOKenny Dalglish FW 1951 n/a
 SENEl Hadji Diouf* FW 1981 n/a
 KORHong Myung-bo* DF 1969 n/a
 SPAEmilio Butragueño FW 1963 n/a
 SPALuis Enrique* MF 1970 n/a
 SPARaúl* FW 1977 n/a
 TURRüştü Reçber* GK 1973 n/a
 TUREmre Belözoğlu* MF 1980 n/a
 UKRAndriy Shevchenko* FW 1976 n/a
 USAMichelle Akers MF/FW 1966 n/a
 USAMia Hamm* FW 1972 n/a
 URUEnzo Francescoli FW/MF 1961 n/a

See also

References
  1. "Fifa names greatest list". BBC. 4 March 2004. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
  2. Mellor, David (5 March 2004). "Sing up for Ken, a true Blues man". Evening Standard Ltd. p. 77.
  3. Vickery, Tim (8 March 2004). "Pele pays price for popularity". BBC. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
  4. Davies, Christopher (4 March 2004). "Pele open to ridicule over top hundred". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  5. "FIFA 100". Best Football Players Ever.
  6. "The Fifa 100". The Guardian. 4 March 2004.
  7. Pele's list of the greatest on BBC Sport, 4 March 2004
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