[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-ranking-top-10-world-cup-legends-messi-maradona-pele":82,"category-counts-nav":94,"related-ranking-top-10-world-cup-legends-messi-maradona-pele":105},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":15,"badge":85,"author":86,"excerpt":87,"date":88,"readTime":89,"image":90,"imageAlt":83,"tags":91,"body":92,"_path":93},"Messi, Maradona or Pele: Ranking the 10 World Cup Legends","ranking-top-10-world-cup-legends-messi-maradona-pele","Feature","Marco Rossi","Breaking down the greatest players in World Cup history, from Pele's dominance to Messi's属于自己的 legacy.","2026-06-18","2 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F7ac9\u002Flive\u002Fb1f8a280-64c6-11f1-8e1d-bbbb1017d210.png",[9],"## The Ultimate Football Stage\n\nThe World Cup remains the ultimate crucible for sporting immortality. Every four years, the planet's finest battle for a trophy that transcends the sport itself. But who stands at the absolute pinnacle of the tournament's rich history?\n\nFrom **Pele's** unmatched dominance to **Lionel Messi's** crowning moment, naming the top 10 is a fierce debate. These are the legends whose performances on the grandest stage forever altered the beautiful game.\n\n### The Unshakable Criteria\n\nRanking the immortals demands more than raw talent. The criteria for greatness on this list:\n\n- **Tournament impact**: Did they drag their team to glory when it mattered most?\n- **Legacy output**: Did they define an entire era of the competition?\n- **Individual brilliance**: Iconic moments that echo through the decades\n\n## The Mount Rushmore Contenders\n\nAny discussion begins with the three definitive titans of the sport. Each holds a claim that sparks endless barroom arguments across the globe.\n\n**Diego Maradona** produced perhaps the most ferocious carry-job in 1986, single-handedly willing Argentina to the title in Mexico. The sheer audacity of his performances remains the gold standard for solo tournament dominance.\n\n> \"I want to be like Maradona was in '86. He carried the hopes of a nation on his back.\" — countless professional footballers\n\n**Pele** owns the ultimate resume. Earning **3 World Cup titles** across three different decades, the Brazilian phenomenon fundamentally changed how the world viewed attacking football.\n\n**Lionel Messi** finally shattered his international ceiling in 2022. Securing the trophy in Qatar provided the ultimate validation, completing a career arc that placed him firmly alongside the gods of the game.\n\n## The Rest of the Pantheon\n\nBeyond the holy trinity, the World Cup has minted countless other icons. The top 10 must account for revolutionary tacticians, ruthless finishers, and midfield generals who orchestrated history.\n\n### The Supporting Cast of Legends\n\n- **Zinedine Zidane**: Headbutted his way into infamy in 2006, but his 1998 masterpiece remains iconic\n- **Ronaldo Nazario**: The esteemed **8 goals** in 2002 completed one of sport's greatest comeback narratives\n- **Gerd Muller**: The ultimate penalty-box predator whose lethal finishing defined the 1970s\n- **Mario Kempes**: The driving force behind Argentina's 1978 triumph on home soil\n- **Lothar Matthaus**: The tireless engine of the **1990** West German machine\n- **Paolo Maldini**: Defensive perfection over decades of tournament football\n- **Cristiano Ronaldo**: The serial record-breaker whose World Cup goal tally speaks volumes\n\n## What Separates the Best\n\nThe difference between a great player and a World Cup legend is timing. The greatest stride onto the pitch when defeat stares them down and reverse the tide.\n\nLegacy at the World Cup is measured in **iconic displays**, **crucial goals**, and **defining moments** that withstand the test of time. The legends listed above delivered exactly that, ensuring their names are permanently etched into football folklore.","\u002Farticles\u002Franking-top-10-world-cup-legends-messi-maradona-pele",[95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[106,118,127],{"id":107,"stem":107,"path":108,"title":109,"category":15,"badge":85,"badgeType":110,"author":111,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":113,"date":88,"readTime":114,"image":115,"imageAlt":109,"tags":116,"excerpt":117},"national-league-clubs-reject-fa-academy-proposal","\u002Farticles\u002Fnational-league-clubs-reject-fa-academy-proposal","52 Clubs Revolt Against FA Academy Plan","category","Maya Chen","SportPulse Contributor","MC","1 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F0111\u002Flive\u002F183bcde0-6569-11f1-8e1d-bbbb1017d210.jpg","Women's National League, FA Women's National League","A coalition of 52 Women's National League clubs demands the FA scrap its proposal to inject top-tier academy teams into their pyramid.",{"id":119,"stem":119,"path":120,"title":121,"category":15,"badge":85,"badgeType":110,"author":122,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":123,"date":124,"readTime":89,"image":125,"imageAlt":121,"tags":37,"excerpt":126},"premier-league-2025-26-wild-start","\u002Farticles\u002Fpremier-league-2025-26-wild-start","Liverpool Survive Chaos, City Stumble: PL 2025-26 Wild Start","Alex Turner","AT","2026-06-10","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F9db02589a0998b99549669f486ddbc116af07bef\u002F0_0_5000_4000\u002Fmaster\u002F5000.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=d33b958be0cb2115432a450ba44e8b4e","Reigning champions Liverpool left it late in emotional wins while Man City suffered early defeats as the 2025-26 season kicked off with shock results.",{"id":128,"stem":128,"path":129,"title":130,"category":15,"badge":85,"badgeType":110,"author":131,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":132,"date":124,"readTime":89,"image":133,"imageAlt":130,"tags":37,"excerpt":134},"liverpool-season-from-hell-jota-death","\u002Farticles\u002Fliverpool-season-from-hell-jota-death","Liverpool's Nightmare: Jota's Death and a Season Unraveled","SportPulse Staff","SS","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F42915e43b2f3bdf59fad872740c4a6eb97a80d5b\u002F109_0_3389_2711\u002Fmaster\u002F3389.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=7c9aa1c5b4f91902e58ff80745495741","The death of Diogo Jota and a pre-season tragedy shattered Liverpool's title celebrations, triggering a dramatic decline under Arne Slot."]