Best left-footed footballers of all time

Generally, owing to the natural finesse, toughness and skill in which they play football, people love left-footed players more frequently. Traditionally, players such as Roberto Carlos, Ryan Giggs, Diego Maradona, Alfredo Di Stefano and more lately, Lionel Messi are regarded as some of the finest players ever to have played in the football field, and one of the famous qualities shared by this elite community is the potential to amaze spectators with their mesmerizing ball skills. There is little in the world that emanates the class on a soccer pitch like a glorious left-foot footed player.

Seeing that nearly 80 per cent of all football players are mainly right-footed, left-footers are a special breed of football. There had been a time when left-footed footballers were only supposed to sprint across the left flank of the field and cross the balls to other players to score some goals.

Simply put, they were mainly left-backs and wingers, however over time, talented left-footed footballers arrived, who did just about everything from controlling the field to scoring interesting goals. The new side of the game saw the advent of the inverted wingers, giving left-footed players a fury.

Left-footed players have been immensely famous with the fans for years due to their rarity in the football world and because most footballers have a weaker left foot. In left-footed footballers, there is an innate beauty that cannot be described in words and it has been obvious over time.

Football history has presented the world with some interesting football stars with a much more attractive left foot, and the tradition persists today. In this article of SportMob we want to talk about the

best left-footed footballers of all time.

Greatest left-footed players in football history

An interesting fact about our list of best left-footed footballers of all time is that a lot of these players are from South America. To be more precise, Argentina and Brazil each have two players at our list of greatest left-footed footballers ever. So stay tuned to read more about them.

 Edgar Davids

Edgar Davids, one of the best left-footed footballers of all time was born on 13 March 1973 and he is originally from Paramaribo, Surinam, a main source of talent for Dutch footballers including Clarence Seedorf. As a teenager, he and his parents moved to Holland and settled in Amsterdam. His first ball kick was in the Ajax youth teams, then in 1991, he made his debut for the club.

Popular for his signature hairstyle with dreadlocks and safety glasses,

was among the best midfielders in Europe for most of the 1990s and 2000s. Enthusiastic, vibrant and technically very strong, in any squad midfield, Davids would've been a helpful instrument.

While he has spent some time at Tottenham, Barcelona, Inter Milan, A.C. Milan and Crystal Palace and then became player-manager of Barnet, his best football days were surely at Ajax and Juventus. During his career Edgar Davids won six league trophies in the Italy and Netherlands, and also one Champions League trophy, he has also won 74 caps for the Netherlands national team.

He was without a doubt one of those footballers who stayed in the memories of many generations of football supporters. Although Davids was not best technically, the quickest or the finest stylist with the ball, but he was an important figure for all the teams he'd played and is surely one of the

best left-footed football players of all time

.

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 Rivaldo

Brazilian attacker

, one of the best footballers of his generation and one of the

best left-footed footballers of all time

, brought so much joy to millions of people worldwide, particularly when he was part of the 'Three R's' in the Brazil national team. The Three R's was the title given to the three attackers of Brazil, consisting of Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo, who produced one of the most creative, talented and productive attacks in the football history.

Rivaldo's best days were in

, before turning to more of a tourist and then retiring in 2015, at the age of 43. In five different nations, he has won league trophies and he has also won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, and also the 1999 Ballon d'Or.

Many critics say that the peak days of Rivaldo was from 1998 to 2000 but that is not accurate to say given that he had a crucial role in the success of Brazil's team at 2002 World Cup. He was among the best left-footed soccer players ever. He was a free-kick and a PK expert.

He was really quick, he had great shoot accuracy, and he also had a fantastic vision. In 2 World Cup tournaments, he netted 8 goals and made 4 assists. Many believe that Rivaldo is amongst the most underrated players of all time.

Paolo Maldini

Paolo Maldini, definitely one of the best left-footed footballers of all time, is a symbol of loyalty and longevity. Maldini has played for

for 25 seasons, playing in 902 total matches. He became, over these years, an icon of the giant Italian club.

won 7 Serie A titles during his tenure with AC Milan, and also the UEFA Champions League, for an unprecedented five times. He is also a good example of "Old but Gold" as he has managed to win the UEFA Defender of the Year award while he was 39 years old.

Maldini has played for the Italian national team for 14 years, winning 126 caps and featuring in four World Cups. Whereas with his left foot Paolo Maldini was excellent, his right foot was similarly solid, making many people think that he was a right-footed player.

Throughout his career, Maldini played against all of the greatest players of his day, from Maradona in the '80s to this present era of Messi-Ronaldo, which started at the end of his playing days. He won matches over virtually all of them and is regarded widely as the best left-back of all time.

Definitely, Paolo Maldini is the pick of lots of people to be the best defender of all time and also one of the

best left-footed soccer players ever

.

Johan Cruyff

Bobby Charlton, George Best and a lot more can have their supporters, but Johan Cruyff would have been a common pick amongst tricky critics as the greatest European football player of the 20th century. Some might even go higher, placing the Dutchman at the same high level as the South American legends Diego Maradona, Pele and Alfredo di Stefano.

Cruyff, one of the

best left-footed footballers of all time

is the player most identified with the "Total Football" theory. The Dutch striker began his football career at Ajax where he assisted them to win 8 league titles and three European Cup trophies.

Before going on to Barcelona for five seasons, Johan Cruyff netted 190 goals in 240 games for Ajax. He assisted Barcelona to win a

tittle and netted 48 goals in 143 matches for them. Cruyff's willingness to play "Total Football" helped him to move across the field and take full control of the game.

In just 48 international games, he scored 33 goals for the Holland National Team. Furthermore, Cruyff was able to win the Ballon d'Or 3 times during his career, and there are no denying that he is indeed one of the greatest left-footed players in football history.

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Raul Gonzalez

Raul Gonzalez, one of the best left-footed footballers of all time was born in Madrid on 27 June 1977, he soon started his career at the age of 17, debuting in the First Division for

on 29 October 1994. It was at La Romareda, the stadium of Real Zaragoza, and Jorge Valdano was the manager of the Real Madrid at the time.

His debut wasn't the strongest a player should have had, with some clamorous goals lacking. Maybe another coach might not give another opportunity to him, but he was offered another chance by the Spanish-Argentine manager and Raul did not disappoint him. He was only a week away from scoring his first derby goal versus Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Raul is a true legend of Real Madrid and is generally considered as one of the best Spanish players ever.

spent 16 years playing for Real Madrid, appearing in 741 matches and scoring 323 goals, leading the club to achieve six trophies in the La Liga and three titles in the UEFA Champions League.

Raul, one of the most famous left-footed footballers in history is also the record appearance and record goals holder for Real Madrid. Raul Gonzalez played for Schalke, Al Sadd as well as for the New York Cosmos in the United States after leaving Real Madrid.

One of the best attackers ever to wear a Real Madrid jersey in the club's history. . Raul has netted 71 goals in 145 UEFA Champions League games, including the matches played with FC Schalke jersey, making him one of the top scorers in the tournament.

This Spanish superstar is definitely one of the best strikers and

greatest left-footed footballers ever

. Stay tuned for more best left-footed footballers of all time!

Ryan Giggs

Ryan Giggs, one of the best left-footed footballers of all time, was a single-club player. That would be a rarity in modern football as players, like hired gunslingers from the Wild West, are willing to sell themselves to the highest bidders. Still, Giggs, who undoubtedly had the chances to wear the jerseys of other clubs during his professional life, served all 24 years of his professional career at Old Trafford featuring for Manchester United.

Ryan Giggs' tenure in Manchester United even pre-dates the Premier League since he first played for them in the former First Division in 1990. It was obvious back then that Giggs was someone extraordinary. He played his first

match at only 17, coming in for the injured Denis Irwin Giggs won the first of 114 career English top-flight targets for Manchester United, two months back, when it gave its first start.

Ryan Giggs is one of the most famous left-footed footballers in history and also the most decorated players in the history of football. He won 13 titles in the Premier League, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, one Club World Championship and one Intercontinental Cup. Giggs primarily played as a left-winger, but he often played more at the center of the field at the end of his career.

He has spent his entire career in Man United, featuring in 963 games and also winning 64 caps for Wales. Giggs had an outstanding left foot, always providing Manchester United with brilliant left-footed crosses, exemplified by his 271

assists, which is a division record.

Ferenc Puskas

Not only Ferenc Puskas was one of the most talented players on this list, but he was also one of the best left-footed football players of all time. He barely shot the ball with his right foot or head, and he scored over 650 goals throughout his career. Puskas played for the Real Madrid Team during the 1950s and 60s and also the Hungarian team of the 1950s, two of the most successful teams in history.

He was the most important and the target striker of the two teams. For Real Madrid, he netted 242 goals in 262 matches and also 84 goals for Hungary national team in 85 games. One of the world's most exciting players, Puskas shocked the world with his international level ability, before transferring to La Liga.

He played a key part in Hungary's 6-3 and 7-1 wins over England. He won five titles in the Hungarian league, five titles in the La Liga, three European Cup trophies, one Olympic gold and in he was also 1954 World Cup runner ups.

And now we are going to see the top three

best left-footed footballers of all time

, stay tuned!

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Roberto Carlos

Roberto Carlos is definitely one of the

best left-footed players of all time

, but some claim that the Brazilian left-back is the guy who reshaped the position of left-back. One of the very first defenders to completely break down the left flank and enter the attack line was Roberto Carlos.

In a game against France in 1997, Carlos hit one of the best left-footed free kicks, earning him the nickname of Brazil's left-footed free-kick expert.

Throughout his career, Carlos won 125 caps for Brazil, scoring 11 times. He has participated in three World Cups and assisted Brazil to win the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

Carlos' performance was also at the highest level at his clubs, where he netted 47 goals for Real Madrid in 370 games.

, one of the best left-footed soccer players ever has scored 94 goals in 740 senior games throughout his professional career.

As one of the

famous left-footed footballers in history,

Carlos led Real Madrid to win 4 La Liga and 3 UEFA Champions League titles. In 1997, the left-footed Brazilian superstar finished as the FIFA World Player of the Year Award runner-up.

Lionel Messi

is definitely one of the

best left-footed footballers of all time

and he will always be on top of this list. No one actually can deny the fact that he has a magical left foot. Except for his incredible club success, Messi's lack of titles with Argentina has been a tragic part of his career for years now, but even the toughest critics would admit that he still has the best left foot in the game.

Surprisingly, Messi's left foot has tattoos with his first kid's handprint, the name of his son, Thiago, and the famous No. 10, together with a sword and a football, and if this brings more strength to his still strong foot remains largely unknown.  But the fact is that Messi has had a left foot among legends since his emergence into the football world.

The mystical Argentinian will light even the saddest hearts as he attacks through the defenders of the opponent. His amazing balance, his unfathomable dribbling and his lightning pace make him the most dangerous player in the world.

, surely one of the

greatest left-footed players in football history

, makes all of his opponents scared when he has the ball on his left foot.

And now, get ready for number 1 player on the list of the greatest left-footed footballers ever.

Diego Maradona

It's another Argentinian who beats Lionel Messi to take the first place in our list best left-footed footballers of all time, and probably the biggest ever. One day, Messi could well overtake Maradona, but as things currently stand, Maradona is on top of the best left-footed football players of all time's list.

The fearsome attacker had everything he wanted to be the god of football. The entire universe knew what he might do in '86, but they were still unable to prevent the little magician from doing that.

One of the most skilled athletes in history is

. He had an explosive speed, extraordinary close control, a magnificent vision, and a fiery strike. All these components made a maestro who was absolutely unplayable on his era. 

Maradona's left foot scored some of the biggest goals of football history and made some of the most iconic moments in the history of football. During his career, Diego Maradona won club titles in Argentina, Spain and Italy and also he has won the 1986 World Cup.

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