World Cup 2026: Pele, Maradona, Messi, Ronaldo – ranking the biggest World Cup legends

1. Pele, Brazil, World Cup winner 1958, 1962 & 1970.

Who else but the great Pele? The only man to win three World Cups, all in different decades and, for generations, the most iconic name in the sport.

Having famously told his father he would win him the World Cup after Brazil’s shock defeat by Uruguay at the Maracana in 1950, Pele was only 17 when he burst into the footballing world’s consciousness in 1958 with a semi-final hat-trick against France and two more in the final success over Sweden.

He was part of the Brazil squad that retained the trophy four years later, but missed most of the tournament through injury after scoring in the opening game – only later receiving a winners’ medal. In 1966, as the world’s greatest player, he was on the end of such rough treatment he vowed to never play in the tournament again.

Come 1970, though, Pele was back. Carrying the weight of his nation in Mexico, the forward was at his skilful, creative, innovative best, dazzling in yellow as the Selecao reached the final in style and then thrashed Italy 4-1 in the showpiece, Pele scoring the first and setting up two others.

Pele, of course, is the most legendary World Cup star of all time.