A veteran of four World Cups, scorer of 1,283 first-class goals - 12 of them in World Cup final tournaments - a member of those magical Brazilian squads that won soccer's greatest prize in 1958, 1962 and 1970. But just as a collection of notes do not make a Beethoven symphony, statistics cannot capture the majesty of those glorious Brazilian sides. This was football played to a samba beat. Beautiful skills, astonishing speed and ball control - and of all those great players in the yellow and green shirts, Pele was the greatest of them all. He was lithe, agile, strong and seemed to be able to make the ball do as he pleased. Blessed with a stunning shot and an ability to soar above defences, he was expected to perform some astonishing feat of trickery every time he was in possession.Three decades on, the chants may be different. But it was the Brazil of Pele which gave them to the world.

By many he is the greatest Football player of all time. He was born on October 30th 1960 in Lanus outside Buenos Aires. There he played for Los Cebollitos (The little onions), before he joined Argentinos Juniors. At 16 he was Argentina's youngest-ever international when he played against Hungary. Two years later he captained the World Youth Cup winners and was soon transferred to Boca Juniors for £1.000.000. The success continued and he was voted South American Player Of The Year in 1979 and 1980

Franz Beckenbauer is the only man to have won the World Cup both as a player and as a manager. His roll of honour is unique. Captain of West Germany when they won the World Cup and the European Championship, he also led his club, Bayern Munich, to three successive European Cups and also to the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Garrincha was as brilliant on the pitch as he was wild off of it. He is known as the greatest dribbler in soccer history. Even though he was born with crippled legs and retained a distorted left leg even after an operation, he never let this affect his wonderful ball skills, making some of the most beautiful soccer performances ever

Michel Platini was beyond compare as a creative mid-fielder, his record of 68 goals in 147 league games for Juventus is remarkable. Michel Platini is only the second player (after Johan Cruyff) to win three European Footballer of the Year awards. In 1987 Platini was appointed the French national coach, which he relinquished after the 1992 European Championship. He was the co-organizer of the 1998 France World Cup. Platini is recognised as the greatest scorer in the history of the French national team.

Cruyff was one of a number of youngsters who emerged with Ajax of Amsterdam in the late Sixties and came to dominate European and world football in the early Seventies. Cruyff was the most outstanding of them all and was seen by many as the natural successor to Pele as the world's greatest player. He won a hat-trick of European Cups with Ajax, the World Clubs' Cup and was three times European Footballer of the Year. At their peak, the Dutch side he captained were the most exciting and talented team in international football, yet, strangely, they never won a major trophy during his reign.

Eusebio was the top scorer at the 1966 World Cup (9 goals) held in England. Here his lightning fast acceleration and wonderful dribbling skills earned him acclaim. His trademark was a spectacular shot, which allied to his powerful running and dribbling skills, made him one of the most dangerous strickers of his era. After scoring 38 goals in 46 games for Portugal, he had to end his first class career in 1974, when at age 32, he injured his knee so badly he was advised never to play again. In Eusebio's spectacular career he played 715 games and scored 727 goal.

Born, Artur Antunes Coimbra, known as Zico, was the youngest of three footballing brothers. Zico needed a diet of anabolic steriods and vitamins to build himself up, but it was his natural talent that made him a superstar. In spite of his great ball skills, a sharp mind and thunderous shots, he failed to win the World Cup with Brazil in three attempts (1978, 1982 and 1986).

Arguably the best football player in the World Cup 1998 and in the world right now. His presence and play making ability is unmatched