10 best ever dribblers in World Football

It is said that “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. But who can argue about the synonym for the game of football? Ah! “The beautiful game”, a game whose beauty transcends any race, creed, age, sex or the dividing lines that we have drawn on our earth for the sake of property a.k.a nations.

Football is a beauty that is to be experienced, felt and thoroughly shared. There are moments on the pitch in every game that defines the beauty that this game is and none more so than a successful dribble. A moment of sheer magic when the brain is in perfect harmony with the muscles to leave the defender baffled.

It’s an art form that requires perfection and a god given talent to perform it to perfection and even bigger balls to execute it at the big stage. There are only a few in the world of football who have excelled at taking this artform to the highest levels and earned the highest of laurels.

Here are 10 of the best dribblers that the world has ever seen (in no particular order).

Note: The views expressed in this article are of the author’s and not those of the site.

The inventor of the famous “Cruyff turn”, Johann Cryuff could arguably be said to be the advent of the “total footballer” as Holland gave us total football in the early 70s.

So dazzling was Cruyff on the field that many regarded him as the natural successor to Pele and he certainly didn’t do any injustice to the lofty expectations that people had of him. Though mainly a centre-forward by trade, Holland new line of football demanded more from every player and he delivered on all fronts.

He had the ability to drop deep and dazzle from midfield(something which was uncommon in those days) or appear on the wings and use his skills to bemuse his opponents.

His amazing poise and balance to go with astounding ball control and a great burst of speed made him a defender’s nightmare.

Roberto Baggio in action during the 1994 World Cup Final

Roberto Baggio’s career may have been cruelly defined by the fraction of a second his talent forsakes. The picture of “the divine ponytail” standing round the penalty spot with his head hung as Brazil celebrated their first World Cup triumph in more than two decades are one of the most well remembered moments.

But his legacy was that of a showman whose charisma on the ball should have met with a far better climax.

As a footballer won two Scudetti, a UEFA Cup, a Ballon d’Or and a World Player of the Year award; he scored 204 goals in 452 Serie A appearances and 27 in 56 internationals.

Italians are mostly known in world of football for their defensive schemes and disciplines. Roberto Baggio, however had other ideas. He was an entertainer from the get goes and dazzled the crowd with exquisite control and balance.

Two goals that might embody his presence on the field are the following.

Arguably the greatest the player that the world has ever seen and even then one of his skill has always been criminally underrated. The name of Pele is always associated with goals and the figure of an immaculate goal-getter is what brought him in our visions.

We have seen the finished and reveled in his legacy, but his ability to slice through the defence like a knife through hot butter remains till date unknown to many.

One of the biggest tragedies in world football would be the lack of video that is present of Pele’s time on the field; but even in the limited films there are, it should leave no doubt as to the ability that the Brazilian maestro had.

If there was anyone who got the closest to reaching the heights of Pele and Maradona, it was Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman led his side to two World Cup Finals, winning one in 1998 and the Euro in 2000.

"Zizou" was the embodiment of panache and calming brilliance on the football field. Unlike many others, Zidane didn’t have the explosive pace, but his subtle touches and ankle breaking spins at the centre of the touch lend the control to proceedings that his teams needed to succeed. He was the best, the quickest and the wittiest in the small spaces that the centre of the midfield affords and he still had time and play the perfect ball to the forward moving into space.

In his time with the French national team and even during his time at Real Madrid, he became the coherent factor that lead the “Galactico” to major silverware for four straight under Vincente Del Bosque.

Ronaldinho sparked on to the scene with a series of sparkling performances for the Brazilian national team; helping them to the 2002 World Cup. After that, the Brazilian genius would join Barcelona and the rest as they say is history.

The next four years would be remembered as the “age of Ronaldlnho”. Ronaldinho ruled the footballing world like Titans used to run their universe; with absolute power. There was no second who the best player during those years was.

But as it was with the Brazilian, the might was accompanied by a smile in his face that transcended to anyone that watched him play.

Ariel Ortega unlike many other on the list was not a complete package but when it came to close ball control, there were few who were better than this man. The enigmatic and often temperamental playmaker nicknamed El Burrito, “the little donkey” had the world at his feet but could never really take flight.

In fact, his most notable World Cup memory remains that of head butting Edwin van der Sar rather than of an exquisite flick of his left boot. Ortega never quite justified his talent with his overhaul of medals either club or international level but his skills, when looked back upon leaves most gasping for air.

As modern football contrives to produce even more and more tactical paroxysm to nullify the “threats”, there would always be someone in every generation to make all those plans seem like utter foolishness.

The current generation bodes of a couple of these geniuses, who can be credited with the “beautiful game” back. Amongst them, Lionel Messi stands out like a genius that we may not see again arrive at the scene for some time.

The diminutive left-footer much like his preceding Argentine genius, Diego Maradona has the ability to take the game by the scruff and alter it altogether with his nonchalant dribbling skills and mesmerize the crowd with his play.

Four FIFA Ballon D’or awards stand as a testament to the phenomenon that is Lionel Messi.

Nazário de Lima or as we fondly know him, Ronaldo like Pele is very much well-known for sumprtuos finishes but the Brazilian hitman was a rare breed; he combined the power of a typical centre-forward, the finesse of a playmaker and the dribbling skills of a winger.

Except for injuries, there was nothing that could stop him and nothing really ever did. Except for the Cheampions League medal, Ronaldo won everything there was to be won by the modern day footballer in Europe.

Diego Maradona wasn’t a once in a generation talent, he was once in a century talent. The joint winner for FIFA’s player of the century, the Argentine was a dribbler of the highest quality and a near complete player. His low centre of gravity allowed him take the most audacious of turns while his sublime control of the ball allowed him to do things that others could only dream of.

Maradona sealed his place in footballing folklore wit his performances at the 1986 World Cup, where he nearly single-handedly dragged Argentina to the title. He was a controversial figure, but adored and loved by everyone around the globe for his mercurial talent.

The left-footed genius is in fact credited with scoring The Goal of the Century, so called because it is often claimed to be the greatest individual goal of all time.

Garrincha, the Brazilian football legend was nicknamed “The King of Dribble” and aptly so. The Brazilian legend had a connection with the ball that many won’t believe unless and until they see real footage of his sublime skills at play. His close ball control and ability to do things with the ball garners even more praise when you factor in the difficult playing conditions and state of the grounds during his days.

Considered by many as the greatest dribbler ever to grace the football field, Garrincha had an air of confidence on the ball and an audacious nature that very few ever imagined. He would not only beat his man but humiliate him time and again to shatter all his confidence.

While most greats are remembered for their goals, Garrincha’s remembrance will always be attributed to his sublime touches and stupendous dribbles.