Who Is the Greatest Footballer of All Time?

It is the question that has started more arguments than any other in football. Is it Pelé, the only player to win three World Cups? Diego Maradona, who carried Argentina to glory in 1986? Lionel Messi, with his record eight Ballons d'Or and the 2022 World Cup? Or Cristiano Ronaldo, international football's all-time top scorer? There is no right answer, and that is exactly why posters of football's greatest players are so popular: everyone has their own GOAT, and they want to see them on the wall.

At 98 Types Studio in Camden, London, we have designed minimalist posters of more than 90 of the greatest footballers in history, alongside legends from Formula 1, tennis, boxing, rugby, basketball and more. This guide brings them together, country by country and era by era, so you can find the perfect poster for your wall or the perfect gift for the football fan in your life.

Every poster starts from £3, every order of three gets a fourth free, and every design is available from a small A6 print to A3 and as a framed print.

Seven Moments That Made Football Legends

Great players are remembered for great moments. These seven defined careers, and every player involved has a poster in our collection.

• 1974 – The Cruyff turn. Against Sweden at the World Cup, Johan Cruyff dragged the ball behind his standing leg and left his marker standing. Every child in every playground has tried it since.
• 1986 – Two goals in four minutes. Diego Maradona scored the 'Hand of God' and then dribbled past half the England team for the 'Goal of the Century' in the same quarter-final in Mexico City.
• 1998 – Two headers in Paris. Zinedine Zidane headed two goals in the World Cup final against Brazil, and France became world champions for the first time.
• 2002 – Redemption in Yokohama. Four years after the mystery of the 1998 final, Ronaldo Nazário scored both goals as Brazil beat Germany to win the World Cup.
• 2010 – Iniesta in Johannesburg. In extra time of the World Cup final, Andrés Iniesta volleyed the winner and Spain were champions of the world for the first time.
• 2018 – Bale's overhead kick. Gareth Bale came off the bench in the Champions League final and scored one of the greatest goals ever seen in a final.
• 2022 – Messi's crown. After a final many call the greatest ever, Lionel Messi finally lifted the World Cup, while Kylian Mbappé scored a hat-trick for France in defeat.

A row of moment posters makes a powerful hallway or staircase display. Add a small handwritten date label under each frame, and your wall becomes a timeline of football history.

The Revolutionaries: Players Who Changed How Football Is Played

Some players are remembered not just for what they won, but for how they changed the game.

Brazil: The Magicians

No country has produced more footballing magic than Brazil, and no section of our collection is more colourful.

Spain: The Golden Generation and the Next One

Between 2008 and 2012, Spain won two European Championships and the World Cup, playing some of the most beautiful passing football ever seen.

France: Zizou, Titi and Kylian

Italy and Germany: Defenders, Goalkeepers and Machines

Italy has given football its greatest defenders and goalkeepers. Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo and Francesco Totti won the 2006 World Cup, Paolo Maldini won five European Cups with AC Milan, and Federico Chiesa and Ciro Immobile lifted Euro 2020 at Wembley.

Germany's poster heroes range from Franz Beckenbauer, 'Der Kaiser', to 2014 World Cup winner Mesut Özil, Champions League final match-winner Kai Havertz and the brilliant young pair Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz.

The Unsung Legends: Goalkeepers and Defenders

Strikers get the headlines, but some of the most beautiful football posters celebrate the players who stop goals rather than score them.

In goal, Gianluigi Buffon won the 2006 World Cup and spent two decades as a Juventus icon, while Iker Casillas, 'San Iker', captained Spain to the 2010 World Cup and won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid. Both look fantastic on the wall of a young goalkeeper.

In defence, Paolo Maldini and Franz Beckenbauer are two of the greatest players in any position, while Sergio Ramos added a scorer's instinct, heading the 93rd-minute equaliser in the 2014 Champions League final. The modern greats are just as impressive: Virgil van Dijk, Rúben Dias, Jules Koundé, Achraf Hakimi and Roberto Carlos, the full-back who attacked like a winger.

Legends From the Rest of the World

• Argentina and Uruguay: beyond Messi and Maradona, choose Sergio Agüero, World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, Uruguay's record scorer Luis Suárez and Federico Valverde.
• Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Rúben Dias and João Félix.
• Netherlands and Belgium: Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp, Virgil van Dijk, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.
• Croatia, Poland and Sweden: Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modrić, record breaker Robert Lewandowski and showman Zlatan Ibrahimović.
• Africa: Mohamed Salah, Didier Drogba, Yaya Touré, Sadio Mané and Achraf Hakimi.
• Asia and the Americas: Son Heung-min and 'Captain America' Christian Pulisic.
• The British greats: George Best, Bobby Charlton, Gareth Bale, David Beckham, Alan Shearer and Steven Gerrard.

World Cup Winners in Our Collection: A Timeline

A World Cup timeline makes one of the most impressive football walls you can build. These are the World Cup winners you can find in our collection:

Tribute Posters: Remembering the Legends

Some of the most meaningful posters in our collection celebrate legends who are no longer with us. For many fans, these prints are a way of keeping a hero's memory alive, or of honouring a parent or grandparent who first told them the stories.

• Pelé (1940–2022), three-time World Cup winner and football's first global icon.
• Diego Maradona (1960–2020), the genius of 1986 and a hero in Argentina and Naples.
• Johan Cruyff (1947–2016), the father of Total Football and the architect of modern Barcelona.
• Franz Beckenbauer (1945–2024), 'Der Kaiser', world champion as player and manager.
• George Best (1946–2005), Manchester United's genius and Northern Ireland's greatest player.
• Bobby Charlton (1937–2023), England's 1966 World Cup winner and a symbol of Manchester United.

A tribute poster in a simple black frame makes a thoughtful gift for a lifelong fan, and a respectful centrepiece for any football wall.

Football's Greatest Nicknames

Many of football's legends are known as much by their nickname as their name, and fans love to see those nicknames celebrated. Here are some of our favourites from the collection:

• O Rei (The King): Pelé
• Der Kaiser: Franz Beckenbauer
• O Fenômeno: Ronaldo Nazário
• Zizou: Zinedine Zidane
• CR7: Cristiano Ronaldo
• Il Capitano: Francesco Totti
• L'Architetto: Andrea Pirlo
• San Iker: Iker Casillas
• El Mago: David Silva
• El Niño: Fernando Torres
• King Eric: Eric Cantona
• Gazza: Paul Gascoigne
• The Egyptian King: Mohamed Salah
• Starboy: Bukayo Saka
• Cold Palmer: Cole Palmer

Nicknames make posters feel personal. If the person you're buying for always calls a player by their nickname, that's a sign you've found the right poster.

Legends or Modern Stars: Which Should You Choose?

Legends are timeless. A poster of Pelé, Johan Cruyff or George Best will look just as good in twenty years as it does today, and every visitor will recognise the name. That makes legends the best choice for shared spaces such as living rooms, hallways and offices, and for older fans who grew up watching them.

Modern stars feel current and exciting. Children and teenagers follow Lamine Yamal, Vinícius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland every week on television, on social media and in video games. Their posters belong in bedrooms and games rooms.

The best walls mix both. Try a 'then and now' pair from the same country or position: Pelé and Vinícius Jr for Brazil, Zinedine Zidane and Kylian Mbappé for France, Xavi Hernández and Lamine Yamal for Spain, or Paolo Maldini and Virgil van Dijk for the defenders.

Beyond Football: The GOATs of Other Sports

The greatest-of-all-time debate is not only a football thing. Our collection includes the legends of many other sports, and a mixed sports legends wall is one of the most striking ways to decorate a games room, office or home gym.

• Boxing: Muhammad Ali, 'The Greatest', with Mike Tyson, Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Manchester's Ricky Hatton.
• Basketball: the eternal GOAT debate of Michael Jordan versus LeBron James, plus Kobe Bryant.
• Golf: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Seve Ballesteros.
• Cycling: Eddy Merckx, 'The Cannibal', Tadej Pogačar, Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins.
• Motorcycle racing: Valentino Rossi, Marc Márquez, Barry Sheene, Carl Fogarty and Isle of Man TT legend Joey Dunlop.
• American sports: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the NFL, Wayne Gretzky in ice hockey and Babe Ruth and Aaron Judge in baseball.

The GOAT Debates in Other Sports, Explained

Football fans are not the only ones who argue about the greatest of all time. These are the debates that fill pubs, group chats and dinner tables across Britain, and the posters that settle them on your wall.

Formula 1: Hamilton, Schumacher or Senna? Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record of seven world championships, while Ayrton Senna is remembered by many as the purest racing talent of all. Max Verstappen has added his own chapter with four titles. A four-driver F1 wall is one of the most popular combinations in our studio.

Tennis: the Big Three. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic dominated men's tennis for two decades, and Serena Williams is widely considered the greatest female player of the modern era. British fans will want Andy Murray alongside them, the man who won Wimbledon for Britain.

Basketball: Jordan or LeBron? The most famous argument in American sport. Michael Jordan won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls; LeBron James has rewritten the record books over more than two decades. Add Kobe Bryant, the Black Mamba, for a classic trio.

Boxing: is there a debate? For most fans, Muhammad Ali is simply 'The Greatest', the title he gave himself. But British fans will make a strong case for their own heroes, from Tyson Fury to Ricky Hatton.

Cycling: the Cannibal and the new king. Eddy Merckx won five Tours de France and five Giros. Tadej Pogačar is the first rider in decades to be compared with him seriously.

GOAT Gallery Walls Across Every Sport

Gift Ideas: The Right Legend for the Right Person

Football Legends Around the Home

• Living room: one large legend poster, such as Pelé or Johan Cruyff, in a simple frame above the sofa. It looks like art first and football second, which keeps everyone in the house happy.
• Home office: a pair of thinkers, such as Andrea Pirlo and Xavi Hernández, for calm and focus during the working day.
• Games room and man cave: a full GOAT wall across several sports, hung in a tight grid above the TV or bar.
• Kids' and teenage bedrooms: a mix of modern stars and one legend, such as Lamine Yamal, Vinícius Jr and Ronaldinho.
• Hallway and staircase: the World Cup timeline from this guide, in date order, up the stairs.
• Home gym: fighters and finishers: Muhammad Ali, Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović for motivation on every set.

Quick Reference: Football Legends by Country

Sizes, Frames and Gift Wrapping Tips

Every legend in our collection is available in several sizes: A6 for a desk or shelf, A5 and A4 for bedroom and gallery walls, A3 for a statement piece, and a 20 × 25 cm print with a black mount frame that is ready to hang. There is also a print-it-yourself option, where we email you the design to print at home.

For gifts, the framed 20 × 25 cm print is the most popular choice, because it can be hung straight out of the package. If you are buying a set, choose the same size and frame colour for every poster so they look like a collection. And if you are building a gallery wall, remember that every order of three posters gets a fourth free, so a set of four legends costs the price of three.

How to Find the Right Poster Quickly

If you already know the player you want, the quickest way to find their poster is to search for their name plus "poster 98types". Every player in our collection has their own product page with their story, all available designs and every size, from A6 to A3 and framed. If you are not sure who to choose, start with the person's favourite club or country, then pick one legend and one modern star from that team.

Prefer to see the prints in person? Visit 98 Types Studio at Market Hall, Camden Lock Place, Lower Floor, Stall 3, London NW1 8AL, open every day from 10am to 6pm. We are rated 4.9 stars from 261 Google reviews.

How We Design Our Football Posters

Every poster in our sports collection starts in our studio in Camden. We research each player's career and the moments fans remember most, then design a clean, minimalist layout with bold typography, a strong illustration and a limited colour palette inspired by mid-century graphic design. The aim is simple: a poster that a football fan instantly recognises, but that still looks like a piece of art on the wall.

Many players have several designs, such as action shots, celebrations, profiles or collector-card styles, so you can choose the one that matches the room or the person. Every design is printed in a range of sizes and can be ordered framed, and every product page tells the player's story, so you know exactly what you are buying. If there is a legend you cannot find in our collection, let us know at our stall: many of our newest designs started as customer requests.

About 98 Types Studio

98 Types Studio is an independent design studio at Camden Market in London. We design every poster in-house, with a clean, minimalist style inspired by mid-century graphic design, and we print sports, film, music and London art for homes all over the UK. Prints start from £3, orders are dispatched the same day where possible, and every order of three gets a fourth free.

Our sports collection covers football, Formula 1, rugby, tennis, boxing, golf, cycling, basketball, MotoGP, NFL, ice hockey and baseball, with new players and designs added every month. Come and see us at Market Hall, Camden Lock Place, Lower Floor, Stall 3, London NW1 8AL, open daily from 10am to 6pm.

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