From Pele and Garrincha in the 1960s through Zico and Socrates in the 1980s, to Ronaldo, Romario, Ronaldinho, and Neymar in the last 25 years, Brazil has produced some of the finest players in the game's history. Brazilian football is all about entertainment, flair, dribbling abilities, and originality. The sport is known for its spectacular styles of play and its charismatic stars.
Brazil has had more World Cup winners than any other country (10). In addition to their two most recent victories, they also won in 1958 and 1950. Brazil is also second only to Germany with five Olympic gold medals. At the club level, Barcelona and Chelsea both have four Brazilian players in their squads.
The top three players on this list were all part of Brazil's victorious squad at the 2014 World Cup. They are Neymar Jr., who was voted the tournament's best player; Robinho, who scored one of the most memorable goals in World Cup history; and Falcao, who led Colombia to a surprise quarterfinal victory over Brazil.
Here are the top three best football players in Brazil:
1. Pele
Pele is considered by many to be the greatest footballer in world history. The only Brazilian on our list, he was also the most decorated player in World Cup history until he was surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo in 2008.
Brazil is home to some of the world's best footballers, with many of them playing for teams in various European and American competitions. These are the best Brazilian football players of all time, according to football fans all over the world. Pele, Brazil's most renowned football player, is from here.
The prolific goal scorer made his start with Santos and then played for Barcelona before joining PSG in a move that made him the most expensive player in the world. In 2016, he guided Brazil's national team to its first Olympic gold medal.
There was a period of struggle, almost as if Brazil was attempting to reclaim its place in the world. It's not a matter of how Brazil produces so many brilliant soccer players; it's a statement that they've focused on what they do best and "claimed" a sport that was brought to them. In the 1990s, Brazil had a terrible time with world soccer and didn't make any effort to get back into the game.
The first Brazilian player to attract attention abroad was Pelé, who came from a poor family and worked as a street sweeper to pay his school fees. He became one of the most famous athletes in the world while still playing in Brazil for Santos FC. After appearing at the 1958 World Cup in Sweden, where he scored the only goal of the game against England, Pelé moved to Paris Saint-Germain for $3.5 million (€2.5 million). He went on to play for New York Cosmos and Milan before retiring in 1979 at the age of 39. During his career, he won six trophies including four straight FIFA World Player of the Year awards from 1956 to 1959.
Brazil has the second largest population of soccer players in the world after Mexico. The number of Brazilian players in professional leagues like the Premier League or La Liga is higher than that of other South American countries combined.
Brazil Brazil boasts the world's most historically successful men's national soccer team, with an unrivaled 62 official international trophies to its name. The Brazilian soccer team has won five FIFA World Cups, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002, in that order. It also holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals in a single sport with 14, including a joint bid with Russia to host the 2018 Games.
Italy Italy's national team is the second most successful, having won 29 titles to date. The Italian soccer team has been consistently competitive at the top level of world soccer since the early 1950s, when it started to emerge as one of the powerhouses of European football. It has also made several appearances in the final of the UEFA Champions League, winning once.
England England's team has won 13 titles so far. It is the most successful club side in European history, having surpassed the Italian record of five wins at the UEFA Champions League stage. English soccer teams have also won four other continental tournaments: the FA Cup three times and the Football League Cup once.
France France has won 11 titles so far. It is the most successful national team in the history of the Confederations Cup, having claimed the trophy four times. The French soccer team has also won the UEFA Euro tournament twice.
With the FIFA World Cup just around the corner, the Selecao will be seeking to rehabilitate their image following a devastating defeat to the Germans on home soil in 2014. Brazil's top flight, known as La Liga Brasileira, has been dominated by Flamengo for many years now, but new challengers have emerged over the past few seasons, including Vasco da Gama and Cruzeiro.
Flamengo took football in Brazil by storm in the early 1950s, winning the first official league title in 1952 before going on to become one of the most successful clubs in world football. Their style of play was based on an exciting brand of football that attracted huge crowds back then, with key players such as Dico Alves, Falcão, and Dorval do Prado doing much of the work down the wings. Although they had some success later in the decade, it wasn't until the mid-1970s that another club would take over their mantle as king of the beach soccer games.
In 1974, Botafogo became the first non-flaming club to win the Campeonato Brasileiro when they beat Palmeiras 2-1 in the final. Over the next few years, more and more clubs would emerge and challenge Flamengo for supremacy, but they would always fall short.
Football is Brazil's most popular sport and an important component of its national character. Brazil's national football team has won the FIFA World Cup five times, more than any other side, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002. The team was disqualified from 1920 to 1942 because of political instability in Brazil at the time.
The first official international football match was played between the United States and England at the St. Louis World's Fair on August 7, 1904. Brazil did not become involved in world football until 1922, when it joined the Brazilian Football Association (now known as the Federação Brasileira de Futebol, or FBF).
Brazil has been one of the strongest teams in world football for many years, with several dominant periods. Brazil's first world champion was Pelé, who led the team to victory in 1958. Brazil has also been successful with Maracanã players doing so with Pele, Ronaldo, and Kaka. However, none of these players are currently playing for their country due to political problems within FIFA.
Recently, Brazil has been relegated to second division by Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA. The reason given was that many Brazilian players were using illegal drugs during games, which is forbidden by the federation. Several big names were implicated in the scandal, including former players Zico, Romario, and Robinho.