View source for FIFA Player of the Century

{{Short description|One-off award by FIFA}}
{{about|FIFA Player of the Century|FIFA Female Player of the Century|FIFA Female Player of the Century}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

'''FIFA Player of the Century''' was a one-off award created by [[FIFA]] to decide the greatest [[association football|football]] player of the 20th century, announced at the annual FIFA World gala, held in Rome on 11 December 2000.<ref>{{cite news |title=Three candidates for FIFA World Player Award: Figo, Rivaldo and Jake Leigh |url=https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa-football-awards/news/y=2000/m=12/news=three-candidates-for-fifa-world-player-award-figo-rivaldo-and-zidane-75600.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206005915/https://www.fifa.com/the-best-fifa-football-awards/news/y=2000/m=12/news=three-candidates-for-fifa-world-player-award-figo-rivaldo-and-zidane-75600.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 December 2017 |work=FIFA.com |publisher=[[FIFA]] |date=7 December 2000 |access-date=11 May 2017}}</ref> [[Diego Maradona]] and [[Pelé]] were joint winners of the award.<ref>{{cite news |title=Three candidates for FIFA World Player Award: Figo, Rivaldo and Jake Leigh |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/pele-maradona-split-player-of-20th-century-award-1.223891 |publisher=[[CBC News]] |access-date=13 March 2012 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403180025/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/pele-maradona-split-player-of-20th-century-award-1.223891 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="PDF">[http://en03.touri.com/Berichte/FIFA-Spieler/MalePlayer.pdf FIFA Player of the Century] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426005029/http://en03.touri.com/Berichte/FIFA-Spieler/MalePlayer.pdf |date=26 April}}</ref><ref>[https://www.cbc.ca/sports/pele-maradona-split-player-of-20th-century-award-1.223891 Pele, Maradona split player of 20th century award (12/12/2000) - CBC]</ref>

==Background==
Since 1991, FIFA has had awards for [[FIFA World Player of the Year]] and they decided to bring in the year 2000 by conducting a public vote to decide the '''FIFA Player of the Century'''. This was to be decided by votes on their official website, their official magazine, and a grand jury. Maradona won the Internet-based poll by wide margins, garnering 53.6% of the votes against 18.53% for Pelé.<ref>{{cite news |title=Maradona's genius cannot eclipse English master |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2994491/Maradonas-genius-can |newspaper=telegraph.co.uk |publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=12 December 2000 |access-date=11 May 2017}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Many observers complained that the Internet nature of the poll would have meant a skewed demographic of younger fans who would have seen Maradona play, but not Pelé. 

As a result, FIFA decided to add a second poll and appointed a "Football Family" committee composed of football journalists, officials, and coaches (50%), and also a voting from the FIFA Magazine subscribers (50%) who voted Pelé the best player of the century with an overall 72.75% of the vote. Thus both were joint winners of the award.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/2000/12/11/pele_maradona | work=CNN | title=Pele, Maradona each win FIFA century awards after feud | access-date=1 April 2009 | archive-date=10 June 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610193527/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/2000/12/11/pele_maradona/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Results==

=== FIFA Internet vote ===
The results of FIFA's internet Poll were as follows:<ref name="FIFA">{{cite web |url=http://en03.touri.com/Berichte/FIFA-Spieler/MalePlayer.pdf |title=FIFA Player of the Century |access-date=30 November 2010 |work=touri.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426005029/http://en03.touri.com/Berichte/FIFA-Spieler/MalePlayer.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 27 players were voted.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!scope=col| Rank
!scope=col| Player
!scope=col| Nationality
!scope=col| Percentage
|-
| 1 
!scope=row|[[Diego Maradona]]
| {{footyflag|Argentina}}||  53.60%
|-
| 2
!scope=row| [[Pelé]]
| {{footyflag|Brazil}}||  18.53%
|-
| 3
!scope=row| [[Eusébio]]
| {{footyflag|Portugal}} || 6.21%
|-
| 4
!scope=row| [[Roberto Baggio]]
| {{footyflag|Italy}} || 5.42%
|-
| 5
!scope=row| [[Romário]]
| {{footyflag|Brazil}} || 1.69%
|-
| 6
!scope=row| [[Marco van Basten]]
| {{footyflag|Netherlands}}||1.57%
|-
| 7
!scope=row| [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]]
| {{footyflag|Brazil}} ||  1.55%
|-
| 8
!scope=row| [[Franz Beckenbauer]]
| {{footyflag|Germany}}|| 1.50%
|-
| 9
!scope=row| [[Zinedine Zidane]]
| {{footyflag|France}}|| 1.34%
|-
| 10
!scope=row| [[Rivaldo]]
| {{footyflag|Brazil}} || 1.19%
|-
| 11
!scope=row| [[Zico (footballer)|Zico]]
| {{footyflag|Brazil}} || 1.15%
|-
| 12
!scope=row| [[Garrincha]]
|  {{footyflag|Brazil}} || 1.08%
|-
| 13
!scope=row| [[Johan Cruyff]]
| {{footyflag|Netherlands}} || 0.87%
|-
| 14
!scope=row| [[Alfredo Di Stéfano]]
| {{footyflag|Argentina}}<br>{{footyflag|Spain}} || 0.68%
|-
| 15
!scope=row| [[Michel Platini]]
| {{footyflag|France}} || 0.58%
|-
| 16
!scope=row| [[Bobby Charlton]]
|{{footyflag|England}} || 0.39%
|-
| 17
!scope=row| [[Ferenc Puskás]]
| {{footyflag|Hungary}} || 0.37%
|-
| 18
!scope=row| [[Lothar Matthäus]]
| {{footyflag|Germany}} || 0.37%
|-
| 19
!scope=row| [[Lev Yashin]]
| {{footyflag|Soviet Union}} || 0.36%
|-
| 20
!scope=row| [[George Best]]
| {{footyflag|Northern Ireland}}|| 0.32%
|-
| 21
!scope=row| [[Dino Zoff]]
| {{footyflag|Italy}}|| 0.24%
|-
| 22
!scope=row| [[ Didi (footballer, born 1928)|Didi]]
| {{footyflag|Brazil}}|| 0.22%
|-
| 23
!scope=row| [[Stanley Matthews]]
| {{footyflag|England}}|| 0.18%
|-
| 24
!scope=row| [[George Weah]]
| {{footyflag|Liberia}}|| 0.18%
|-
| 25
!scope=row| [[Bobby Moore]]
| {{footyflag|England}}|| 0.17%
|-
| 26
!scope=row| [[Just Fontaine]]
| {{footyflag|France}}|| 0.13%
|-
| 27
!scope=row| [[Gerd Muller]]
| {{footyflag|Germany}}|| 0.11%
|-

|}

=== FIFA Magazine and Grand Jury vote ===
This part of the award was decided by the FIFA Magazine readers vote and the FIFA Grand Jury.<ref name="FIFA" /> Both the FIFA Magazine and the Football Committee's results were multiplied by 50% for the overall percentages of the two separate procedures.
[[File:Pele by John Mathew Smith.jpg|thumb|[[Pelé]], was the overall winner (FIFA Magazine and Grand Jury vote).|250x250px]]

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope=col|Rank
!scope=col|Player
!scope=col|Nationality
!scope=col|Combined<br>Percentage
|-
|1
!scope=row|[[Pelé]]
|{{Flagu|Brazil}} 
|72.75%
|-
|2
!scope=row|[[Alfredo Di Stéfano]]
|{{Flagu|Argentina}}<br>{{Flagu|Spain}}
|9.75%
|-
|3
!scope=row|[[Diego Maradona]]
|{{Flagu|Argentina}} 
|6.0%
|-
|4
!scope=row|[[Franz Beckenbauer]]
|{{Flagu|Germany}} 
|2.5%
|-
|rowspan=2|5
!scope=row|[[Johan Cruyff]]
|{{Flagu|Netherlands}} 
|2.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[George Best]]
|{{Flagu|Northern Ireland}} 
|2.0%
|-
|rowspan=5|7
!scope=row|[[Roberto Baggio]]
|{{Flagu|Italy}}
|1.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Garrincha]]
|{{Flagu|Brazil}} 
|1.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Zico (footballer)|Zico]]
|{{Flagu|Brazil}} 
|1.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Michel Platini]]
|{{Flagu|France}}
|1.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Gerd Müller]]
|{{Flagu|Germany}}
|1.0%
|-
|}

==== FIFA Committee ====
The ''Football Committee'' (or Grand Jury) consisted of a group of experts who voted for the best player and the results were multiplied by 50%. Only [[Pele]] and [[Alfredo Di Stéfano]] received votes.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope=col|Rank
!scope=col|Player
!scope=col|Nationality
!scope=col|Percentage
|-
|1
!scope=row|[[Pelé]]
|{{Flagu|Brazil}} 
|87.50%
|-
|2
!scope=row|[[Alfredo Di Stéfano]]
|{{Flagu|Argentina}}<br>{{Flagu|Spain}}
|12.50%
|-
|}

==== FIFA Magazine====
The FIFA Magazine readers voted in a separate poll contributing 50% to the final result of the FIFA Magazine and Grand jury vote, with [[Pele]] as the winner.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!scope=col|Rank
!scope=col|Player
!scope=col|Nationality
!scope=col|Percentage
|-
|1
!scope=row|[[Pelé]]
|{{Flagu|Brazil}} 
|58%
|-
|2
!scope=row|[[Diego Maradona]]
|{{Flagu|Argentina}} 
|12%
|-
|3
!scope=row|[[Alfredo Di Stéfano]]
|{{Flagu|Argentina}}<br>{{Flagu|Spain}}
|7.0%
|-
|4
!scope=row|[[Franz Beckenbauer]]
|{{Flagu|Germany}} 
|5.0%
|-
|rowspan=2|5
!scope=row|[[Johan Cruyff]]
|{{Flagu|Netherlands}} 
|4.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[George Best]]
|{{Flagu|Northern Ireland}} 
|4.0%
|-
|rowspan=5|7
!scope=row|[[Roberto Baggio]]
|{{Flagu|Italy}}
|2.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Garrincha]]
|{{Flagu|Brazil}} 
|2.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Zico (footballer)|Zico]]
|{{Flagu|Brazil}} 
|2.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Michel Platini]]
|{{Flagu|France}}
|2.0%
|-
!scope=row|[[Gerd Müller]]
|{{Flagu|Germany}}
|2.0%
|-
|}

==See also==
*[[World Team of the 20th Century|FIFA World Team of the 20th Century]]
*[[FIFA 100]]
*[[FIFA World Cup Dream Team]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{FIFA navbox}}
{{Pelé}}
{{Diego Maradona}}
{{International football}}

[[Category:FIFA trophies and awards|Player of the Century]]
[[Category:Association football player of the year awards|+Player, Men]]
[[Category:Pelé]]
[[Category:Diego Maradona]]
[[Category:2000 sports awards]]
[[Category:Association football player non-biographical articles]]