Who is the greatest player of all-time?

It’s a question football fans have been asking quite a lot in the past 10 years and, nine times out of 10, the answer is either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

The younger generation find it impossible to look past the two superstars who have dominated world football for the last decade.

For those a little older may remember watching the likes of Pele and Diego Maradona and think that Messi and Ronaldo simply cannot compare.

Of course, it is difficult to compare players of a different generation because the game has changed so much.

However, website ranker.com has allowed football fans to, well, rank the best footballers of all-time.

And after almost four million votes, we can reveal the top 100 footballers of all-time,

Ready?

Here goes:

100 | Clarence Seedorf

99 | Javier Zanetti

98 | David Silva

97 | Roger Milla

96 | Fabio Cannavaro

95 | Pavel Nedved

94 | Alan Shearer

93 | Sir Stanley Matthews

92 | Dani Alves

91 | Jurgen Klinsmann

100-91 summary

A nice mix of legendary and modern players. Two English legends make the top 100 with Shearer and Matthews getting the nod while one of the most successful players in football history, Dani Alves, makes the cut.

90 | Franck Ribery

89 | Cesare Maldini

88 | Michael Laudrup

87 | Socrates

86 | Xabi Alonso

85 | Edwin van der Sar

84 | Rui Costa

83 | Ruud van Nistelrooy

82 | Angel Di Maria

81 | Gheorghe Hagi

90-81 summary

Laudrup can perhaps consider himself unfortunate to only be considered the 88th greatest player of all-time having won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus. Meanwhile, current PSG star Angel di Maria could move up a few spaces by the end of his career.

80 | Petr Cech

79 | Paolo Rossi

78 | Miroslav Klose

77 | Filippo Inzaghi

76 | Hristo Stoichkov

75 | Hernan Crespo

74 | Sergio Aguero

73 | Gabriel Batistuta

72 | Robin van Persie

71 | Bobby Moore

80-71 summary

This section is all about legendary strikers, isn’t it? Stoichkov has probably been a victim of recency-bias because his best days came in the early 1990s. He surely deserves better. Good to see another Englishman in there.

70 | Bastian Schweinsteiger

69 | Eric Cantona

68 | Michel Platini

67 | Fernando Torres

66 | Marcelo Vieira

65 | David Villa

64 | Bobby Charlton

63 | Mario Kempes

62 | Paul Scholes

61 | Alessandro Nesta

70-61 summary

Manchester United fans will question the inclusion of Schweinsteiger but will love seeing the names of Cantona and Scholes. Meanwhile, Chelsea fans won’t agree with Torres being the 67th best player of all-time.

60 | Alessandro Del Piero

59 | Oliver Kahn

58 | Hugo Sanchez

57 | Isco

56 | Lothar Matthaus

55 | Thomas Muller

54 | Frank Lampard

53 | Eden Hazard

52 | Rivaldo

51 | Peter Schmeichel

60-51 summary

So, Lampard > Scholes then? It’s also interesting to see three current players just outside the top 50 in the form of Isco, Muller and Hazard.

50 | Arjen Robben

49 | Wayne Rooney

48 | Zico

47 | Thiago Silva

46 | Eusebio

45 | Dennis Bergkamp

44 | Luis Figo

43 | Robert Lewandowski

42 | Iker Casillas

41 | Phillip Lahm

50-41 summary

Eusebio only the 46th best player ever? Considering he’s a Ballon d’Or winner, that seems harsh. We’re not quite sure Silva deserves to be so high - especially when he’s above the likes of Nesta and Moore. Lewandowski is probably in the form of his life and is already 43rd in the list.

40 | Alfredo Di Stefano

39 | Toni Kroos

38 | Kaka

37 | Luis Suarez

36 | Romario

35 | Roberto Baggio

34 | Ferenc Puskas

33 | Samuel Eto’o

32| Lev Yashin

31 | Gerd Muller

40-31 summary

Some absolute legends here.

Di Stefano scored a crazy 308 goals in 396 matches for Real Madrid, while Puskas was even more impressive at the Bernabeu with 242 goals in 262 games. Then there’s Soviet goalkeeper Yashin, who FIFA named an award after.

30 | Francesco Totti

29 | Cafu

28 | Gareth Bale

27 | Manuel Neuer

26 | Sergio Ramos

25 | Steven Gerrard

24 | Didier Drogba

23 | Carles Puyol

22 | Raul

21 | David Beckham

30-21 summary

So the Scholes, Lampard and Gerrard debate has been settled. But what’s Bale doing up there in 28th? We don’t think so.

20 | Ryan Giggs

19 | Neymar

18 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic

17 | Thierry Henry

16 | Roberto Carlos

15 | Franz Beckenbauer

14 | Xavi

13 | George Best

12 | Luka Modric

11 | Gianluigi Buffon

20-11 summary

Now, we’re getting serious. Has Neymar done enough in his career to earn a top 20 spot? Probably not. Modric ahead of Xavi? We’re not having that either, despite a Ballon d’Or to the Croat’s name. Meanwhile, Buffon is the highest-rated goalkeeper.

10 | Andres Iniesta

9 | Johan Cruyff

8 | Zinedine Zidane

7 | Pele

6 | Cristiano Ronaldo

5 | Lionel Messi

4 | Ronaldinho

3 | Ronaldo

2 | Diego Maradona

1 | Andrea Pirlo

10-1 summary

There's a very controversial No.1 - Andrea Pirlo. A great player but c'mon...Putting him above Xavi (14th), Iniesta (10th) and Zidane (8th) is just wrong. Surely Messi and Ronaldo have got to be first and second?

There's plenty of talent in the top 10 but there's no way we're having Messi as the fifth best player of all-time.

Don’t blame us for this list. Blame the millions of football fans that voted for it!