In football, there have been few truly magnificent players.

Players like Alfredo di Stefano and Pelé, who captivated the world with their unbelievable goalscoring ability in the early days of professional football were followed by others with a similarly unique quality such as Diego Maradona and Johann Cruyff.

There have been numerous others who at specific points were referred to as the best players of their generation. However, following the reign of Ronaldinho, there have only been two players as unquestionably skillful and captivating as the previous greats.

Lionel Messi, the only man to win three back-to-back World Player of the Year awards, has at only 25 years old accomplished more with FC Barcelona, the Argentina U-20 and Olympic teams, and as an individual goalscorer than almost every player who came before him.