Football nations don't come much more significant than Argentina. As three-time World Cup winners and 16-time champions of Copa America, the South American giants have the gold to prove it.
World Cup wins are just one part of Argentina's influence. While the domestic league has its own storied past and an undeniable draw for football romantics, the greatest Argentina players have been exported to some of the top leagues in Europe.
Some of the finest players ever to grace the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A have been brought in from Argentina, a long-established career path that delivers the goods more often than not. FourFourTwo has ranked the best Argentina players of all time...
20. Guillermo Stabile
Top scorer at the first ever World Cup, Guillermo Stabile led Argentina to the final in 1930 and had a huge impact in just four games for his national team.
Given his chance after first-choice striker Roberto Cherro suffered an anxiety attack, Stabile scored a hat-trick against Mexico. He then netted twice versus Chile, hit two more in a 6-1 win over the United States and was on target again in the final as Argentina lost 4-2 to Uruguay. He never played for his country again but scored eight goals in just four appearances and later coached Argentina for almost two decades.
19. Emiliano Martinez
A goalkeeper for big moments, Emiliano Martinez was key to Argentina's Copa America triumph in 2021, saving three penalties to lead his team to a shoot-out win over Colombia in the semi-finals and keeping a clean sheet in the final against Brazil.
Martinez saved two penalties against the Netherlands in the last eight of World Cup 2022 before denying France's Randal Kolo Muani with a major intervention late in the final. He saved another penalty from Kingsley Coman as Argentina became world champions for the third time.
18. Omar Sivori
He didn't have a very long international career with Argentina but Omar Sivori is regarded as one of the nation's most talented players. His Albiceleste days ended prematurely when he moved from River Plate to Juventus, a transfer that made him ineligible – South American teams didn't select players based in Europe – but helped the Buenos Aires titans to complete their stadium.
Sivori was a big loss on the pitch for club and country. He went on to play nine times for Italy but coached three clubs in Argentina and, briefly, the national team.
17. Javier Zanetti
Javier Zanetti is one of Argentina's most-capped players, having appeared in 142 matches for the Albiceleste between 1994 and 2011.
A tireless right-back, wing-back or midfielder, Zanetti played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups but was surprisingly left out of the squads for 2006 and 2010. He also played over 850 games for Inter Milan in a long career spent almost entirely in Italy.
16. Diego Simeone
The first player to reach 100 caps for Argentina, Diego Simeone was a combative and fiercely competitive midfield player who represented his country with distinction between 1988 and 2002.
Simeone played for Argentina at three World Cup tournaments and was also part of the team that won Copa America in both 1991 and 1993.
15. Osvaldo Ardiles
One of the most important players in Argentina's maiden World Cup win in 1978 was Osvaldo Ardiles, an elegant midfielder who played for his country between 1975 and 1982.
He played for Argentina more than 50 times and scored eight senior international goals. In England, he's best remembered as a cult hero after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur and a bewilderingly varied managerial career.
14. Jorge Valdano
Jorge Valdano spent most of his playing career in Spain and the striker's international appearances were therefore limited after leaving Newell's Old Boys in 1975.
But he was a key player in Argentina's second World Cup win in 1986, scoring four goals in the tournament. He netted in the final against West Germany, starting a move deep in his own half and finishing it off after running the length of the pitch.
13. Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero's absence from the World Cup 2022 squad was sadly enforced by a recently diagnosed heart problem. Argentina's third-highest scorer had to retire ahead of his time but was present in Qatar to celebrate with his teammates.
The five-time Premier League winner, who scored more goals in the division than all but five players, scored 41 international goals in 101 Argentina caps, helping them to win Copa America in 2021 and reaching the World Cup final in 2014.
12. Daniel Bertoni
A three-time winner of the Copa Libertadores with Independiente, Daniel Bertoni was a talented winger who later played successfully in Italy with Fiorentina, Napoli and Udinese.
Bertoni appeared 31 times for Argentina between 1974 and 1982, scoring 12 goals, and is best remembered for netting the third goal as the Albiceleste beat the Netherlands 3-1 to win the 1978 World Cup on home soil.
11. Claudio Caniggia
Famed for his pace, his long blond hair and his partnership with Diego Maradona for Argentina, Claudio Caniggia was perhaps vital for his country in a way he wasn't for most of his clubs.
He was instrumental in Argentina's run to the World Cup final in 1990, linking up with Maradona and scoring crucial goals against both Brazil and Italy. He was also a scorer at World Cup 1994 and won Copa America alongside his revered future Boca Juniors teammate in 1991.
10. Alfredo Di Stefano
Real Madrid legend and legitimate football icon Alfredo Di Stefano only represented Argentina on a handful of occasions but is considered one of the most influential and most impactful players of all time.
Di Stefano scored six goals in his six appearances for Argentina and won the South American Championship in 1947. He was denied the chance to play at the 1950 World Cup as Argentina withdrew in qualifying due to player strikes and a dispute with the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF). Later, he was barred after turning out for a Colombia XI and went on to play for Spain, although never at a World Cup.
9. Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria was a target for criticism in his homeland for much of his international career but will now be remembered for decisive goals in major tournament finals for Argentina.
Di Maria scored the winner against Brazil in the final of Copa America 2021, netted again in a 3-0 Finalissima victory over Italy in 2022 and then opening the scoring in the World Cup final against France later that year. After his goal handed Argentina gold at the Olympics in 2008, Di Maria's status is now assured.
8. Ubaldo Fillol
Widely considered to be Argentina's greatest goalkeeper of all time, Ubaldo Fillol played in three World Cups for the Albiceleste and was a winner in 1978.
After making his Argentina debut at World Cup 1974, Fillol was named as the best goalkeeper in 1978 en route to the trophy, saving a crucial penalty in a second round clash with Poland. He went on to feature in the qualifiers ahead of Mexico 1986, but was not called up for the tournament.
7. Jorge Burruchaga
Not many players in the history of football can say they have scored the winning goal in a World Cup final. Jorge Burruchaga can.
The attacking midfielder hit the winner for Argentina against West Germany in the 1986 final and was important again as Carlos Bilardo's side finished as runners-up in 1990. Burruchaga won 59 caps and scored 13 goals in total.
6. Oscar Ruggeri
Oscar Ruggeri won 97 caps in an 11-year international career for Argentina and took part in three World Cups with the Albiceleste.
A no-nonsense and competitive centre-back, Ruggeri was part of the Argentina team that won the World Cup in 1986 and was involved again as Bilardo's side reached the semi-finals four years later. He also won the Copa America in 1991 and 1993.
5. Gabriel Batistuta
With 56 goals in 78 appearances, Gabriel Batistuta was Argentina's top scorer until he was overtaken by Lionel Messi in 2016.
Batistuta won the Copa America twice, finishing as top scorer in the 1991 edition and netting both in a 2-1 victory against Mexico in the 1993 final. Considered one of the greatest strikers in history, Batigol had a prolific career in Italy's Serie A and also played in three World Cups for his country.
4. Daniel Passarella
One of greatest central defenders of all timeDaniel Passarella was the first Argentinian player to lift the World Cup trophy and he is also unique among his countrymen as the only Argentina player to have won it twice.
Passarella captained Argentina to glory in 1978. He was replaced by Diego Maradona as skipper in 1983 but helped the Albiceleste qualify for World Cup 1986. He did not play a single minute in Mexico due to illness but finished with a winners' medal regardless. In all, he won 70 caps and scored an incredible 22 goals.
3. Mario Kempes
Mario Kempes played in three World Cups for Argentina and is best remembered for his performances as the Albiceleste won the trophy in 1978, when he was in his first spell at Valencia in Spain.
Kempes netted six times in the tournament – including twice in the final against the Netherlands – and finished as the tournament's top scorer. In total, he played 43 times for Argentina and scored 20 goals.
He played the rest of his club career in Argentina, Spain, Austria, Indonesia and Chile before taking on coaching roles all over the world.
2. Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona was the world's best player for much of the 1980s and led Argentina to their second World Cup triumph in Mexico in 1986.
His extraordinary solo goal against England is regarded as the greatest in the tournament's history and he scored five overall in the tournament. He set up Jorge Burruchaga for the winner against West Germany in the final and would lead Argentina to another final in 1990 before leaving World Cup 1994 in disgrace.
1. Lionel Messi
The best ever. After winning a gold medal with Argentina's Under-23 team in 2008, Lionel Messi had to wait a long time for major trophies to arrive with the senior side. They eventually did and he made it happen.
Messi led Argentina to the Copa America title in 2021 and the World Cup in Qatar a year later, finishing as the best player in both tournaments. Previously, he had lost in four finals. He kept going and has now scored over 100 goals for his national team.
