FIFA 100

The FIFA 100 is a list compiled by Brazilian professional footballer Pelé featuring his choices of the "greatest living footballers" at the time of its release. The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London, England, as part of the celebrations commemorating the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body of football.

The figure 100 does not refer number of players nominated in the list, which is actually 125. Pelé was asked by FIFA to select 50 active players and 50 retired players from a shortlist of 300, but found it too difficult to limit himself and therefore picked 50 current and 75 former players. The list contains 123 men and two women (Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm).

The list was controversial. Writing in the Evening Standard, politician turned football pundit, David Mellor, felt the selections were politically motivated rather than being made on purely footballing grounds. He suggested the geographical spread of inclusions indicated the list came from then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter rather than Pelé himself. BBC columnist Tim Vickery expressed similar assertions.

Brazilian midfielder Gérson, who played alongside Pelé at the 1966 and 1970 FIFA World Cups, reacted to his omission by tearing up a copy of the list on a Brazilian television programme. Marco van Basten and Uwe Seeler refused to take part in the project on a point of principle.

Players + Image Player Nationality Position Status (in 2004) Gabriel Batistuta Forward Active Hernán Crespo Forward Active Alfredo Di Stéfano Forward Retired Mario Kempes Forward Retired Diego Maradona Midfielder Retired Daniel Passarella Defender Retired Javier Saviola Forward Active Omar Sívori Forward Retired Juan Sebastián Verón Midfielder Active Javier Zanetti Defender/Midfielder Active Jan Ceulemans Midfielder Retired Jean-Marie Pfaff Goalkeeper Retired Franky Van der Elst Midfielder Retired Carlos Alberto Defender Retired Cafu Defender Active Falcão Midfielder Retired Júnior Midfielder Retired Pelé Forward Retired Rivaldo Midfielder/Forward Active Rivellino Midfielder Retired Roberto Carlos Defender Active Romário Forward Active Ronaldinho Midfielder/Forward Active Ronaldo Forward Active Djalma Santos Defender Retired Nílton Santos Defender Retired Sócrates Midfielder Retired Zico Midfielder/Forward Retired Hristo Stoichkov Forward Retired Roger Milla Forward Retired Elías Figueroa Defender Retired Iván Zamorano Forward Retired Carlos Valderrama Midfielder Retired Davor Šuker Forward Retired Josef Masopust Midfielder Retired Pavel Nedvěd Midfielder Active Brian Laudrup Forward/Midfielder Retired Michael Laudrup Midfielder Retired Peter Schmeichel Goalkeeper Retired Gordon Banks Goalkeeper Retired David Beckham Midfielder Active Bobby Charlton Midfielder/Forward Retired Kevin Keegan Forward Retired Gary Lineker Forward Retired Michael Owen Forward Active Alan Shearer Forward Active Eric Cantona Forward Retired Marcel Desailly Defender Active Didier Deschamps Midfielder Retired Just Fontaine Forward Retired Thierry Henry Forward Active Raymond Kopa Forward Retired Jean-Pierre Papin Forward Retired Robert Pires Midfielder Active Michel Platini Forward Retired Lilian Thuram Defender Active Marius Trésor Defender Retired David Trezeguet Forward Active Patrick Vieira Midfielder Active Zinedine Zidane Midfielder Active Michael Ballack Midfielder Active Franz Beckenbauer Defender Retired Paul Breitner Midfielder/Defender Retired Oliver Kahn Goalkeeper Active Jürgen Klinsmann Forward Retired Sepp Maier Goalkeeper Retired Lothar Matthäus Midfielder/Defender Retired Gerd Müller Forward Retired Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Forward Retired Uwe Seeler Forward Retired Abedi Pele Forward Retired Ferenc Puskás Forward Retired Roberto Baggio Forward/Midfielder Active Franco Baresi Defender Retired Giuseppe Bergomi Defender Retired Giampiero Boniperti Forward Retired Gianluigi Buffon Goalkeeper Active Alessandro Del Piero Forward Active Giacinto Facchetti Defender Retired Paolo Maldini Defender Active Alessandro Nesta Defender Active Gianni Rivera Defender Retired Paolo Rossi Forward Retired Francesco Totti Forward/Midfielder Active Christian Vieri Forward Active Dino Zoff Goalkeeper Retired Hidetoshi Nakata Midfielder Active George Weah Forward Retired Hugo Sánchez Forward Retired Marco van Basten Forward Retired Dennis Bergkamp Forward Active Johan Cruyff Forward Retired Edgar Davids Midfielder Active Ruud Gullit Midfielder Retired René van de Kerkhof Midfielder Retired Willy van de Kerkhof Midfielder Retired Patrick Kluivert Forward Active Johan Neeskens Midfielder Retired Ruud van Nistelrooy Forward Active Rob Rensenbrink Forward Retired Frank Rijkaard Midfielder/Defender Retired Clarence Seedorf Midfielder Active Jay-Jay Okocha Midfielder Active George Best Midfielder Retired Romerito Forward Retired Teófilo Cubillas Forward Retired Zbigniew Boniek Midfielder Retired Eusébio Forward Retired Luís Figo Midfielder Active Rui Costa Midfielder Active Roy Keane Midfielder Active Gheorghe Hagi Midfielder Retired Rinat Dasayev Goalkeeper Retired Kenny Dalglish Forward Retired El Hadji Diouf Forward Active Hong Myung-bo Defender Active Emilio Butragueño Forward Retired Luis Enrique Midfielder/Forward Active Raúl Forward Active Rüştü Reçber Goalkeeper Active Emre Belözoğlu Midfielder Active Andriy Shevchenko Forward Active Michelle Akers Midfielder/Forward Retired Mia Hamm Forward Active Enzo Francescoli Midfielder Retired

Statistics

+ Footballers by nationalityRankNationality1152144135107783122161

+ Footballers by playing positionPositionGoalkeeper9Defender20Midfielder43Forward53

+ Footballers by birth decadeDecade1920s51930s71940s151950s221960s351970s371980s4

See also World Soccer's Greatest Players of the 20th Century World Team of the 20th Century

Notes

References