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10 - Andres Iniesta

Poise, grace and a balletic brilliance.

While Andres Iniesta has all of those things in abundance, he also plays with a dogged determination that underlines all the bits on the football pitch that don’t necessarily win the headlines.

But don’t let that make you think the decorated midfielder hasn’t been partial to the odd blockbuster moment.

It’s impossible to discuss Iniesta without thinking of his extra-time winners in the 2008/09 Champions League semi-final at Chelsea and the 2010 World Cup final

The latter, of course, tops the lot among 26 major honours for club and country as he became one of the most integral players for two of the most dominant teams in living memory with Barcelona and Spain.

9 - Ronaldo

It’s hard not to think that Ronaldo has been a little short-changed by recent history.

If he didn’t share his name with one of the two best footballers to have ever lived, his legacy would probably be looked upon more favourably by the younger generation.

R9 was without doubt the best striker of his generation. You don’t get the nickname O Fenomeno for no reason.

The Brazilian ended his glittering career with 352 goals in 518 appearances, which translates to 0.68 goals per game.

Those figures were, until Lionel Messi and R9’s namesake Cristiano came along, as good as it got behind Pele.

He also rocked the most iconic hairstyle of a generation, so that’s something.

8 - Franz Beckenbauer

That it’s often harder for defenders to be considered among the best, most influential and most skilful players is testament to just how good Franz Beckenbauer was.

In terms of influence, it doesn’t get much bigger than Beckenbauer.

Originally a midfielder, his versatility saw him move back into defence where he literally invented a new position.

It’s not sensationalist to suggest that the modern-day sweeper role would not exist had it not been for the German.

He could play a bit, too, while his leadership on the pitch earned him the nickname Der Kaiser.

He is also one of just three people – along with Mario Zagallo and Didier Deschamps – to have won the World Cup as a player and a manager.

7 - Zinedine Zidane

The brilliance of Zinedine Zidane can be encapsulated in the moment that was arguably the peak of his career.

Yes, we’re talking about that volley or to use its proper name: the greatest Champions League goal that has ever been scored.

Plucking Roberto Carlos’ high cross out of the air, Zizou swivelled on the spot, arrow his boot at the ball and hammered it past Hans-Jorg Butt in the Leverkusen goal. That he did all of that with his weaker foot is a measure of footballer he was.

Winning the World Cup with your country – which Zidane also did – is good, but to do what he did at Hampden Park in 2002 is mind-blowing.

6 - Ferenc Puskas

Nobody is more synonymous with the Mighty Magyars team than Puskas, who scored 84 goals in 85 games between 1945 and 1956.

The forward had a starring role in what has since become known as The Match of the Century, in which Hungary beat England 6-3 at Wembley in 1953 – that was only England’s second home defeat ever.

He was a World Cup runner-up with Hungary in 1954, but also went on to be a legend for Real Madrid, winning three European Cups and five La Liga titles.

Without doubt, Puskas was the greatest Hungarian footballer of all time, and one of the greatest of any nationality.

5 - Johan Cruyff

It’s not often, if ever in a lifetime, that a footballer transcends the styles of play and tactics that have come before them.

The Total Football tactic honed by former Ajax coach Rinus Michels was revolutionary and helped the team win three straight European Cups from 1971 to 1973.

Johan Cruyff’s adoption of that style arguably moved the needle more than any of his predecessors, he was the Total Footballer.

His better understanding of what he needed to do and where he needed to be on the pitch made him the orchestrator of one of the most successful and influential teams in football history.

Nominally, Cruyff would play as a centre forward, but his eye for a pass also meant he was a phenomenal playmaker and he would also drop deep to confuse his markers or move out to the wing and still be unplayable.

4 - Pele

Pele was the first generation of the superhuman footballer.

While he clearly didn’t have the athletic advantages that Messi and Ronaldo have today, Pele still finished his career with a jaw-dropping number of goals.

He scored 77 goals in 92 appearances for Brazil and remains his country’s all-time leading scorer, but it was at club level where he really took the biscuit.

In 766 appearances for Santos and New York Cosmos, Pele racked up 709 goals.

That we can still compare Pele, whose career finished 45 years ago, with Messi and Ronaldo shows quite how far ahead of the game he was.

As the aforementioned Cruyff said about him, “Pele was the only footballer who surpassed the boundaries of logic.”

3 - Diego Maradona

How many other footballers have a religion dedicated to them?

The Church of Maradona was founded in Rosario, Argentina in 1998 on Diego Maradona’s 38th birthday and supporters follow a list of 10 commandments, the 10th being that you must name your first son Diego.

Maradona was larger than life as a character, and better than all those he faced as a player. If not for the ridiculous capabilities of the pair above him, he would unquestionably be top of this list.

To call him a genius with a ball at his feet simply does not do him justice. He was, and still is, a phenomenon on and off the pitch.

2- Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s legacy should forever be remembered for that of a player who can influence the outcome of game and drag his team to victory on his own.

He will likely finish his career with five Champions League winners’ medals, and it would have been impossible for his respective teams to have won any of those titles without him.

He is the Champions League’s all-time top scorer with 140 goals and Real Madrid’s as well, with 450 in 438 appearances.

Ronaldo is also the most physically impressive footballer to have ever played the game and can attribute some of his success to that at least.

But the reason he is where is he is on this list is because he makes the ordinary extraordinary and it’s hard to put your finger on exactly how he does it.

1 - Lionel Messi

No player has won the Ballon d’Or more times than Messi (seven), while only Dani Alves can top his trophy haul of 41.

After a training session as a teenager while Frank Rijkaard was Barcelona manager, the Dutchman described him as “an alien” because of how good he was.

In 2009, Pep Guardiola called Messi the greatest player he had ever seen.

In October 2013, meanwhile, Jorge Valdano said, “Messi is Maradona every day. For the last five years, Messi has been the Maradona of the World Cup in Mexico.”

But ultimately, there are no words that can truly explain the brilliance of Messi. He is simply the greatest footballer of all time.