When no one else could, these players had the ability to beat defenders and score vital goals:
10. Stanley Matthews:
Widely regarded as one of the greatest English footballers to have ever lived, this player quickly gained the nickname "the wizard of dribble”. He had incredible pace and it led Pelé to once say that Matthews was "the man who taught us the way football should be played."
9. Ronaldinho:
This Brazilian legend shot to fame during his time at Barcelona scoring 70 goals in 145 goals for the club. He brought football from the streets of Brazil onto the centre stage, and players couldn’t handle him. Him most famous trick was the ‘elastico’ where he would fool defenders by pushing the ball sideways but suddenly pulling the ball back the other way.
8. Zinedine Zidane
While Zidane was never the fastest player, he probably had the best ball control on this list. He didn’t need huge amounts of acceleration when he could control the ball as easily as he could. The player even had a move named after him called the “Zidane Roulette” which is a 360 degree turn he used to get around defenders.
7. Ronaldo
This Brazilian made a name for himself by managing to dribble past defenders and then going on to score a goal. Not many players have mastered the 'step-over’ as well as Ronaldo but it proved a match-winner time and time again.
6. Pelé
Besides being officially one of the greatest footballers to have ever lived with three World Cup medals, this player was great at dribbling. Being able to control the ball as well as he could, meant that around the box he was deadly.
5. George Best
Undoubtably one of Manchester United’s greatest ever players, having scored 137 goals in 361 games in a career that spanned over 10 years for the club. He had the ability to use the inside and outside of his boot so well that he could cut around players quickly and effortlessly.
4. Johan Cruyff
One of Cruyff's greatest strenghts was that he had the ability to spot the weakness in a defense. Like Zidane he had a move named after him called “The Cruyff Turn”. It would look like he was passing to a teammate but instead of kicking it he would turn 90 degrees and drag the ball with the inside of his foot behind his back leg. This unexpected turn always left defenders in the dust.
3. Garrincha
Garrincha was in the same World Cup winning team as Pelé in 1958 and 1962, and was widely regarded as the greatest dribbler ever. His incredible acceleration coupled with his amazing ball control meant that defenders were often left helpless, and unable to deal with this winger. At just 5ft 6inches the players low centre of gravity helped him weave around opposition.
2. Lionel Messi
Having won practically everything minus a World Cup, the four-time Balon d’Ore winner is unstoppable on his day. Messi has managed to score some simply mesmerizing goals, beating three, four, even five players before slotting it in the back of the net.
1. Diego Maradona
Maradona tops our list as the best ever dribbler for many reasons. While Messi is closing ever nearer to the same hights as his Argentinian counterpart, Maradona was the master of dribbling. He used a style of dribbling called “Gambetta” which he would use his body position to trick defenders into going the wrong way.