1. Diego Armando Maradona
The god of football. “El pelusa” and his legacy around the world is unprecedented, a true legend in every football team he played for and adored by fans in Napoli (ITA) and of his beloved Boca Juniors (ARG). Unfortunately, Maradona passed away on the 25th of November 2020 but his legacy is eternal and will live on in the hearts and minds of Argentinians and football fans all over the world.
2. Lionel Messi
One of the stars of the modern era and the top goalscorer for both Argentina and Barcelona. ‘La pulga’ and his left-footed dribbling has drawn comparisons with his compatriot Maradona. Messi has won a record six European Golden Boots and six Ballon D’or awards as well as countless trophies with Barcelona. He is already regarded as one of the best footballers of all time. The only remaining thorn in his side was not winning the Copa Libertadores and the World Cup, which he has now done.
3. Alfredo Di Stefano
A man with saintly status in Real Madrid. Gifted with speed, power and tremendous skill, it is said that he could play in any position on the pitch; he was at the helm of the Real Madrid squad that dominated La Liga and the European Cup during the 50s. ‘The blond arrow’ scored over 800 goals in his career and in 2003 was voted the fourth best player in the last 50 years by France Football Magazine behind his compatriot Maradona, Pele and Cruyff. Di Stefano died in 2014 at the age of 88.
4. Mario Alberto Kempes
Heavily supported by his father, who used to take him to training, ‘el matador Kempes’ started his career at the tender age of 8. A prolific striker whose career defining goals in front of a home crowd in Buenos Aires’ ‘El Monumental’ led Argentina to a 3-1 victory over the Netherlands and secured their first World Cup in 1978.
5. Juan Roman Riquelme
Brilliance, elegance and talent. These words sum up Riquelme and his career perfectly. Often considered the greatest player to wear the blue and yellow of Boca, Juan Roman was named Argentine Footballer of the year by FIFA 4 times.
6. Gabriel Omar Batistuta
Supremely gifted with a predatory nose for goals, Batistuta scored 58 goals in 76 matches. ‘Batigol’ is Argentina’s leading scorer in World Cups, with a whopping 10 goals to his name.
7. Daniel Passarella
‘El kaiser’ is the only player to have been in the squad for both of Argentina’s world cup victories (1978 & 1986). Daniel ‘El gran capitan’’ played 70 games and scored 22 goals, and is possibly the best ‘number 6’ to have played in the White and Sky Blues.
8. Carlos Tevez
tevez saves west ham from relegation and won trophies with both manchester teams. Despite some dosgy agents who made terrible decisions for him, his teams loved him for playing like a rabid dog, rarely standing still, rarely complaining to his team-mates, always making life difficult for his opponents.
9. Sergio Aguero
Widely considered as one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the best players in Premier League history, Argentine Sergio Agüero won the Premier League Golden Boot. In November 2017, Agüero became Manchester City's all-time highest goal-scorer, scoring his 178th City goal against Napoli. He was named to the PFA Team of the Year in 2017–18 and 2018–19. He is currently the 4th highest goalscorer in Premier League history, and the highest non-English scorer in the history of the competition, with 180 goals in the division. He also holds the record for most hat-tricks in the Premier League.
10. Ubaldo Fillol
Considered by many the best Argentinian goalkeeper ever, ‘el pato’ wore the ‘albiceleste’ in a total of 58 games and played an integral role in winning the Championship in 1978 where he also won the goalkeeper of the tournament.
And others we should consider...
Javier Zanetti
The second most capped Argentine of all time (145). ‘il Capitano’ enjoyed great success in Italy with Inter Milan, where he won everything possible. When he finally hung up his boots, the club decided to retire the number 4 in his honour.
Juan Sebastian Veron
Commanding Argentina’s midfield between 1996-2010, he was awarded 73 caps. In 2004, Veron was included in the list of the fifa’s 125 greatest living footballers. Nowadays, ‘la brujita’ is chairman of his childhood club Estudiantes de la Plata.
