Milan

Football has existed for ages, especially in Europe, and many players will go down in the annals of this sport’s history as great. But who are the best of the best, and what does the best starting lineup of European players look like? 

In this post, I’ll discuss the starting XI lineup, which includes the best footballers from that continent. 

This selection might spark some controversy among football fans. Nevertheless, I have carefully chosen the GOATs of European football based on their skills, overall contribution to the team, leadership ability, and the number of trophies they won during their lucrative careers. 

Football lovers, get ready!

Related: Best Football Teams Of All Time – Clubs That Dominated in Europe 

#GK – Gianluigi Buffon

The legendary Italian shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon has to go on this list as the best footballer in the goalkeeper position. Buffon has been saving goals since his debut in 1995 when he played for Parma. 

After six years at Parma, in 2001, he transferred to Juventus, and the club had big expectations since they signed him for a record-breaking sum of almost €53m. As we know, the rest is history. Buffon just became better as time passed by. 

He had no flaws as a goalkeeper. Given his lightning-fast reactions, he could save long-range shots and penalties and catch the ball from every position. Also, he proved himself to be a crucial figure in many matches. A great example was his memorable match in the 2006 World Cup against France when he made important saves.

In his long and successful career, Gianluigi has won a fair share of trophies: 1x World Cup winner, 10-time Serie A champion with Juventus, one Ligue 1 trophy with PSG, 1x UEFA Best Player, and many more. 

After almost three decades as a professional goalkeeper, Buffon retired in 2023 as a player of his boyhood club, Parma. 

#CB – Franz Beckenbauer

The starting XI of the best European footballers of all time wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t include “Der Kaiser” – Franz Beckenbauer. 

Some rare players possessed such an elite level of playing at multiple positions on the field. Franz started his career as a midfielder but was soon moved to being a center-back at Bayern Munchen. 

He basically introduced the role of the modern sweeper or libero to modern football. Being so quick and light on his feet with the ball allowed him to switch from the midfield to defense. 

Beckenbauer’s accolades speak for themselves. His most outstanding achievement was winning two World Cups. The first time was in 1974 when he led Germany as a player, and the second time was in 1990 as a German international football team manager. He also won the Bundesliga five times and the DFB Pokal four times. 

He was among the best Bayern Munchen football players ever, bagging 60 goals in 427 appearances from 1964 to 1977. He also played for Hamburg and retired as a New York Cosmos player in 1983. 

#CB – Franco Baresi

The position of the most superior center-back in Europe goes to another AC Milan player – Franco Baresi. He spent 20 years only playing for AC Milan. 

Baresi captained his club for over 15 years and was a captain for three years as a member of the Italy squad. Simply, he was the backbone of both teams. 

His immense leadership skills shined both through the club, AC Milan, and in Italy. Franco had an advanced comprehension of the game, where he could easily predict the attackers’ moves. It was very hard to get past him, as he could also intercept and tackle the ball with ease. Technically, he was the perfect center-back.

When it comes to his accomplishments, Franco has won the World Cup one time, the Champions League 1x, 6x Serie A champion, and much more. In 1997, Baresi retired as one of the best players of AC Milan. 

#RB – Lillian Thuram

On the right-back position, I’ve gone with one of the toughest French football players of all time – Lillian Thuram. His career began in 1991 when he started to play for Monaco. After five successful years, he was transferred to the Italian Serie A club Parma. 

He proved himself a consistent and reliable defender when Juventus picked him as their next right-back in 2001. Along with his teammates Cannavaro, Zebina, and Zambrotta, Juventus had one of the most feared defenses in Europe. 

With this robust build and technical prowess, Lillian effectively attacked and defended. 

Thuram was a key figure in the success of all the teams he played for. During his time with France, he won the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 UEFA EURO. 

As for the accolades as a club player, he won 1 UEFA Cup, 2x Serie A titles, 1 x Copa Italia, 1x Copa de France, etc. 

He retired in 2008 as a Barca player and is remembered as one of the best right-backs in European football history. 

#LB – Paolo Maldini

AC Milan and Italy football icon Paolo Maldini will go down as the greatest left-back ever to grace the football pitch. From the time he was in the youth squad to retiring as the only AC Milan player, Paolo “Il Capitano” Maldini has earned himself the status of a club legend. 

No one can deny that since he spent 25 years at Milan and had 647 appearances. Maldini is definitely the epitome of loyalty in football. 

Besides being a captain for Rossoneri, he demonstrated incredible leadership abilities that helped his team develop an impenetrable defense. He possessed great technique and tackling skills and was a nightmare for many opposing attackers. 

Paolo was also successful as a part of his team’s attacking side, scoring 29 goals as an AC Milan player. 

Paolo also played for Italy’s national football team, making 126 appearances and scoring seven goals. He lifted a plethora of trophies during his career. “Il Capitano” won the UEFA Champions League 5x, Serie A 7x, and numerous individual trophies for being the best defender. 

In 2009, Maldini retired; in his honor, AC Milan retired his shirt’s number – 3.

#DM -Lothar Matthäus

One of the most skillful and best football players in German history is Lothar Matthäus. He was a box-to-box midfielder who could both defend and attack with the ball. 

Matthäus was famous for his incredible stamina, passing skills, and ability to score goals from afar. He was just a tireless midfielder who could tackle in one moment and then go across the field and score a goal. In his career, he had scored more than 200 goals. 

He played for Bayern Munich and FC Herzoganauch in two different timelines. Lothar also spent time of his career in clubs like Inter Milan, Borussia Mönchengladbach, and New York MetroStars. He won a plethora of awards like 2x UEFA Cup, 7x Bundesliga, 2x DFB Pokal, etc.

He was captain for almost half of his total appearances as a part of the German national football team. Lothar appeared in five World Cups. He won the World Cup in 1990 and earned 150 caps for this team.  

Lothar also managed a couple of clubs like Rapid Wien, Partizan, Bulgaria’s, and Hungary’s national teams. 

#CM – Zinedine Zidane

A master of his craft, the well-known Zinedine Zidane deserved the spot in the best XI European football players. His precise passes and flawless skills with the ball presented an enigma for his opponents. Before Juventus, he had memorable stints at two French clubs, Cannes and Bordeaux. 

As a Juve player, he was just masterful in the midfield, helping the team win many awards like 2x Serie A championships and 1x Supercoppa.

After Juventus, Real Madrid snatched him for a whopping sum of €77.5m, and he was worth every cent. In his first season with the Galacticos, he scored the legendary volley goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League final. Real won by 2-1.

While playing for France, Zidane was also successful. He scored two headers in the final against Brazil in 1998. France destroyed Brazil 3-0 and won the World Cup. Two years later, France won the EURO 2000, with Zidane being named the UEFA Player of the tournament. 

He retired in 2006 after France’s defeat against Italy in the World Cup. That night, he headbutted Marco Materazzi and got sent off. 

Besides his accolades as a player, his accomplishments as a coach were absolutely incredible. “Zizou” helped Real to win 3x Champions League titles, 2x Spanish League titles, 2x Spanish Super Cups, and much more.

Zidane is certainly among the best midfielders in football’s history. 

#AM – Johan Cruyff

The attacking midfielder position has to go to the Dutch football genius – Johan Cruyff. 

Widely regarded as one of the best European footballers and the greatest Dutch player that ever stepped on the football pitch, Cruyff has been a vital figure in his clubs and when he played for the Netherlands. 

He was considered a revolutionary of football and implemented the “Total Football” philosophy into his style of play. Mainly, it relied on the flow of movement and collaboration. The tiki-taka that Guardiola used while coaching Barcelona drew inspiration from Cruyff Total Football. 

Also, the well-known Cruyff Turn has been used in Barca’s senior and youth squads. Elegance and fluidity were Johan Cruyff’s signature characteristics on the pitch. 

Let’s get back to Johan’s career path. His first club was Ajax, where he won many awards, like 9x Eredivisie and 6x Dutch Cup winner. He won the European Champion Club’s Cup with Ajax three years in a row, from 1971 to 1973. 

After 11 years at Ajax, he went to Barcelona, where he played from 1973 to 1978. He was both Barcelona’s and Ajax’s best footballer at the time. His accolades at the club were 1x La Liga champion and 1x Spanish Cup winner.

When we talk about what he accomplished for the national team, Cruyff won the award for being the best football player of the World Cup in 1974. The Netherlands won the 2nd place. He scored 33 goals in 48 appearances for the team. 

He was a manager at Ajax and Barca, where he won multiple trophies. Unfortunately, Johan Cruyff died in 2016, and football fans will always remember him as a football superstar who influenced the game greatly. 

#RW – George Best

As his last name suggests, George Best can be considered one of the biggest superstars of European football. This football icon from Northern Ireland caused more than a few headaches for the defenders on the opposing side. 

His talent for scoring goals was unmatched, bagging over 250 goals in almost 700 matches. In his prime, he was unstoppable with his dribbling skills and lightning-fast runs. 

He was one of the most famous football players when he was a part of Manchester United, winning the European Cup once and 2x league titles. Besides playing for the Red Devils, he had various stints at clubs such as Hibernian, AFC Bournemouth, Fulham, Los Angeles Aztecs, etc.  

When it comes to him playing for Northern Ireland, there haven’t been any accolades. 

Best struggled with alcoholism, which led to the downfall of his career and the waste of his one-of-a-kind talent.

George Best passed away in 2005. 

#LW – Cristiano Ronaldo

The only active football player on this list is the Portuguese legend – Cristiano Ronaldo. He deserves to be a part of the football GOAT debate with players like Messi, Maradona, and Pele. 

Football lovers around the planet, like yourself, know that Ronaldo reached great heights because of his discipline, hard work, competitiveness, and not just his talent. He possesses superb aerial skills, powerful shots, and high-level dribbling. 

Manchester United brought a young, promising Ronaldo from Sporting CP to their team in 2003. He had spent great six years with the Red Devils, scoring 103 goals in 236 appearances. He returned to United in the 2021/22 season and scored 19 goals.

In, 2009 Ronaldo transferred to Real Madrid for a giant sum of €94m. He spent 11 years at the club, scoring 311 goals in 292 appearances. During his time at Real, the rivalry between Messi and him will always be among the biggest in football history. 

From 2018 to 2021, he played for Juventus, scoring 81 times in 98 matches. No one can deny that Cristiano scores goals whenever he wants to. 

During his career, he amassed many trophies. Here are some:

• 5x Ballon d’Or winner
• 5x Champions League winner
• 2x La Liga winner
• 2x Serie A winner
• 3x Premier League winner

With the Portugal national football team, he won the EURO 2016. Since his 2003 debut for Portugal, Cristiano scored 128 goals in 205 caps with no signs of retiring.

Currently, he is a player of Al Ahli. Even though he has nothing to prove, CR7 still has a lot in his tank, as he is already one of the best football players of all time. 

#ST – Gerd Müller

The biggest name in European football when it comes to strikers has to go to the German goal-scoring machine – Gerd Müller. Nicknamed “Der Bomber,” he had a high football IQ and a knack for close-range finishes. 

Few players can go toe-to-toe with Gerd regarding the number of goals scored for the club and the national team. When it comes to the clubs, he scored 568 goals in 611 matches for Bayern Munich while bagging 68 goals in 62 matches for West Germany’s national football team. 

While playing for Bayern, he won many trophies, including four Bundesliga, four DFB Pokal, and three European Cups. He also won the World Cup with West Germany in 1974. 

Müller passed away in 2021 and is widely regarded as one of the best football strikers ever seen.