Power rankings: Ranking the top 10 footballers of all time

#7 Zinedine Zidane

For those who don’t believe that magic exists, watching Zinedine Zidane is a must. The Frenchman wasn’t someone who scored a bucketload of goals, but a silent commander who could decide games at will with a kind of elegance that few can claim to possess.

Gifted with a first-touch and a ball control that was second to none, Zidane was the greatest artist the beautiful game has ever produced.

A reason why Zidane has a place amongst the pantheon of footballing greats is because of his distinct style of play. He made the game look easy than it actually is, with a sort of intricacy in his approach.

The Frenchman’s ability to grab the game by the scruff of its neck is well-documented in history. His emphatic performances against Brazil in the 1998 and 2006 World Cups, where he single-handedly won the game for France on both the occasions, are regarded amongst the greatest individual performances of all time.

Zidane won the World Cup once, 3 Ballon d’Ors, 3 league titles and the UEFA Champions League once in a glorious career. And oh, let’s not forget his revolutionizing and historic Champions League treble as a Real Madrid manager.

Unless he fails to stay true to his legacy as a coach, why, Zinedine Zidane could well be another Johan Cruyff in the making.