If you’ve ever watched a soccer player perform intricately adroit footwork, deftly steal a ball from a player on the opposing team, or score a dazzling goal, then you know the amount of skill involved in soccer when played at its highest levels. Read on to learn about five of the most gifted players ever to hit the field:

 

Lev Yashin, 1929 – 1990

Yashin was a Soviet-Russian player widely considered one of the best soccer athletes in the history of the sport. He was particularly noted for possessing legendary talents as a goalkeeper, celebrated for his stunning reflex saves and for inventing the idea of goalkeeper sweeping. Yashin was voted Best Goalkeeper of the 20th Century by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

 

Michel Platini, 1955 – present

Michel Platini is a French player who, at the height of his game, was considered by many to be the best midfielder in Europe. He is known for his skilled and seamless ball handling skills, his highly accurate passes, and his stunning free-kick abilities. Platini holds the record for the most goals scored in European Championship final tournaments, among numerous other records and accolades, and he is currently the president of the Union of European Football Associations.

 

Gheorghe Hagi, 1965 – present

Gheorghe Hagi is a Romanian footballer that was celebrated as one of the most skilled attacking midfielders in Europe during the height of his athletic career. Many sports 

experts and fans consider him to be the greatest Romanian player of all time, as evidenced by the fact that he won his country’s “Player of the Year” award a whopping six times. He played for the Romanian national team in multiple World Cups and was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the Past 50 Years by the Romanian Football Federation.

 

Eusebio, 1942 – present

Eusebio is a Portuguese soccer phenom known for his dazzling talents as a forward and his general versatility in the sport. His speed, power, and ball-handing skills make him a remarkably prolific goalscorer. During an age when Portugal’s soccer team was often outshined by the teams of other European nations, Eusebio lifted Portugal into a notable position in the international scene. He is particularly famous for having scored an unforgettable goal from 40 yards away against Colombia in the 1994 World Cup.

 

Bobby Charlton, 1937 – present

Bobby Charlton is one of the most renowned English soccer players of all time. He is particularly famous for having been the captain of the only English team to win the World Cup and for two years as one of the most dazzlingly outstanding players for Manchester United. Charlton is considered a pioneer when it comes to shaping and defining the role of the attacker midfielder in contemporary soccer, and he is also known for remarkable long-range shot. He also captained Manchester United to victory as the winner of the European Cup in 1968.