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Top 10 player rivalries in football history

Many of us automatically think of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when the word "rivalry" is mentioned, whether on purpose or accidentally. Actually, there have been a lot of "rivals" throughout the history of world football.
Leey
By: Leey

1. Pele and Diego Maradona

Pele and Diego Maradona

Brazil’s #10 vs. Argentina’s #10: who is superior? Actually, there is no clear answer to this. But it is difficult to argue that both of them are among the most well-known figures in 20th-century football history.

These men never met on the field, and their careers barely overlapped, despite all the arguments about who was better and all the angry words spoken (and there have undoubtedly been some harsh words). Pele, then 37, was winding up his playing career with the New York Cosmos in 1977, and Diego Maradona, at 16, was only beginning his career with Argentinos Juniors. Even so, they did not play the same position.

The fact that Pele and Diego Maradona are regarded as two of the best players in history is the only explanation for the existence of this rivalry. But rather than stopping there, both men appear to be driven by a strong desire to be acknowledged as "the best player of all time," and neither seems able to escape the other's shadow.

2. Ronaldo and Messi

Ronaldo and Messi

More than ten years had passed since Ronaldo and Messi began their historic race against one another. Ronaldo and Messi have enjoyed incredible success at the club level over the course of a decade, shattering innumerable records.

The debate between Pele and Maradona may be intractable, but that between Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi is different. The two players were in direct competition with one another and had similarities in age and style. Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo faced off when Real Madrid and Barcelona played in La Liga. They faced off against each other (injuries and suspensions permitting) at least twice a year, and in the time between those matches, they were already involved in a shootout that seemed to go on forever, scoring absurd amounts of goals against La Liga's lesser stars.

Although they had moved to other clubs and were no longer competing there, the comparisons remained. Despite that, football fans will ideally see two players spur each other on to greatness by raising the bar and then raising it again. When it's all said and done, we might be remembering the greatest player-versus-player rivalry ever.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo-era Messi's will come to an end soon, like it or not, in order to make room for other exceptional talents like Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland.

3. Gerd Muller, Klaus Fischer, and Jupp Heynckes

Gerd Muller, Klaus Fischer, and Jupp Heynckes

In the 1960s and 1970s, this triumvirate deeply ingrained itself in the minds of German football fans.

Gerd Müller (365), Klaus Fischer (268), and Jupp Heynckes (220) are the three players with the most goals in Bundesliga history. It's interesting that Müller, Fischer, and Heynckes all competed in the Bundesliga at the same time, specifically from the late 1960s through the end of the 1970s.

Müller, a striker for Bayern Munich, finished as the top scorer in the Bundesliga a remarkable four times and shared the title three times, making him the undisputed winner of this three-way competition. However, Fischer and Heynckes were both consistently scoring for 1860 München and Schalke 04 throughout that time, as well as for Hannover 96 and Borrusia Mönchengladbach. They were either putting pressure on Müller or even outscoring him, as Heynckes did in 1975 and Fischer did in 1976.

4. Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer

Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer

Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer represented two distinct playing styles, German and Dutch, respectively.While the Germans have always been renowned for their superior physical prowess, unmatched tactical acumen, and defensive prowess, the Netherlands have always sought out the creative side of football.

Johan Cruyff, the ultimate offensive playmaker, led the Dutch team to three straight European Championship victories between 1971 and 1973 while playing for Ajax, an Amsterdam-based club. The driving force behind the dominant Bayern Munich team of the 1970s, which also included striker Gerd Muller, was Franz Beckenbauer.

The fights between the two players soon spread from their individual clubs to their respective national teams. The 1974 World Cup final, in which Cruyff's Netherlands fell to Beckenbauer's West Germany with a score of 1–2, was their most noteworthy matchup. It was hailed as the greatest football game ever played.

5. Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira

Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira

The conflict between the two captains, Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira, has historically dominated games between Manchester United and Arsenal. That is a result of the fierce, unafraid-of-collision personalities that these two athletes have. Two strong, warrior-like leaders who could also play a little and make some nasty tackles

6. Rudd Van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry

Rudd Van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry

In the Premier League, two superb attackers competing for two rival teams, Manchester United and Arsenal, have competed for accolades over the years.

Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry were actively scoring goals while Keane and Vieira competed to shout the loudest and kick each other the hardest. The focus of attention was on which of these two strikers could lead his side to success throughout the first few seasons of the new century. Rudd Van Nistelrooy, with his deft placement, strength, and merciless finishing, or Thierry Henry, with his blazing speed and capacity to outmuscle a goalkeeper one on one.

Both men were given a little more encouragement by the other, and they both scored absurd amounts of goals and won titles. In 2002–03, Van Nistelrooy scored 44 goals across all competitions, and the following year, Henry answered with 39 goals as Arsenal won the Premier League without a loss. In a wonderful little parallel, Henry and van Nistelrooy both moved to Spain within a season of one another: Henry to Barcelona in 2007 and van Nistelrooy to Real Madrid in 2006.

7. Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos

Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos

One of the most notable moments in Super Classic games is always the clash between Pique and Ramos. Additionally, they frequently use "unpleasant" language toward one another in the press and on the field.

Surprisingly, the two are excellent and work well together when representing their country, greatly aiding Spain's outstanding performances at the EURO and World Cup.

8. Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon

Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon

The two greatest goalkeepers of the contemporary era are Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas. Men who have consistently produced saves for club and nation while upholding the highest standards

Casillas is three years younger than Buffon. At the age of 18, Buffon started to establish himself in the AC Parma shirt, and Casillas closely followed that ascension to help steer his own career.

Who is better? In terms of organizing his defense and controlling his box, Buffon excels. It's arguable that Casillas excels at making those apparently unattainable game-changing saves. However, that does not imply that either is lacking in any area.

After matching Buffon's 2010 World Cup victory, Casillas now has the most medals in his collection. However, he still has two Champions League and two European Championship winners' medals to polish. Buffon has won the World Cup and the Serie A, but he could have won many more medals if he hadn't remained steadfastly loyal to Juventus following their 2006 court-ordered relegation.

Despite the difference in achievement or playing style, Buffon and Casillas are deserving of being considered the two greatest goalkeepers of the modern era.

9. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard

Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard

The two best English midfielders in the Premier League era are Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Twenty Premier League matches between Liverpool and Chelsea pitted Gerrard and Lampard against one another (in the season with Manchester City, Lampard and Gerrard did not meet).

Lampard dominated as a result, recording 10 victories, 3 ties, and 7 losses. Gerrard only had one goal, compared to Lampard's three.

10. Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland

Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland

The successors of Messi and Ronaldo are predicted to be Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. Both forwards are gifted players with an impressive scoring history. While Mbappe had the World Cup title when he was 20 years old and many achievements at club level, Halaand is one of the most excellent goal hunters in the Premier League.

Additionally, Mbappe and Haaland are players for two of the greatest teams in Europe, PSG and Manchester City, respectively. Despite their youth, this pair's rivalry promises to be just as alluring as that of the two seniors.

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Leey
Written by: Leey
Leey is the reporter for Betimate. She currently has a series of articles about football. She specializes in researching football data to come up with evaluations about the tournament and predictions about the matches.

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