Franz Beckanbauer played against both; Pele and Johan Cruijff, and Beckenbauer as stated more than once that after Pele comes Cruijff. Trust me, Franz Beckenbauer knows far more about football than anyone of those AFS clowns, Beckenbauer played on the pitch alonside legends as Pele and Cruijff, and Beckenbauer knows the sport unlike the guys-in-suits who think they know better than the actual legends themselves.
No it's not that Carlos Valderrama is one of my favourites, it's just that the World Cup 1990 is well recorded in history, and I don't know if you watched it, but both Gheorge Hagi and Carlos Valderrama played in it. And guess what, Carlos Valdderrama showed more class than George Hagi in that World Cup, Carlos Valderrama was the reason Colombia was the only team that didn't lose against Germany (with the likes of Rudi Voller and Klinsman).
Gregory you must ask yourself, ¿Could it be that Carlos Valderrama played most of his career in South American Football?? That is very obvious, The AFS guys completely underrate players from South American football, and they also underrate the Copa Libertadores a Cup that unlike the Champions League doesn't haves dinasties - like for example, Alfredo di Stefano and Real Madrid who won 5 straight Champions League/European Cup (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960), that as never happened in the Copa Libertadores's history not even when Pele's Santos was the dominating club in the world.
In fact Eric Cantona a football legend haves Carlos Valderrama in his all-time best 11. Why would that be, Eric Cantona played with and against plenty of legends, he only played for 2 or 3 seasons with Carlos Valderrama and he regards Carlos Valderrama as one of the best players he ever played with. Only true class would impress a legend such as Eric Cantona.
And Ronaldo was outstanding, everybody knows it, but Ronaldo was the best player in the world when he played for PSV and Barcelona, afer that came Inter, and in Inter with his serious injury and all that Ronaldo was never the same player again. 3 years of outstanding play does not wins you 2nd best player of all time, I'm sorry but that's unnaceptable. Alfredo di Stefano was outstanding through out his career, and the same goes for Johan Cruijff, Roberto Baggio, and many others..
This are basi facts about football; Alfredo di Stefano and Johan Cruijff are both better than Ronaldo, that's not even arguable. George Best was an alcoholic throughout his career and this limited his great potential. But nevertheless, George Best is widely recognised as the player with the greatest potential of them all, when George Best was in his prime nobody touched him, not even Ronaldo in his Barcelona days (wich only lasted 1 season by the way, season 1996-97).
And it is another very basic fact about football that Roberto Baggio is better than Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Francesco Totti, Luis Figo, David Beckham, Pavel Nedved, Ronaldinho, Gheorge Hagi, Dennis Bergkamp, and many others.. As for Ronaldo and Roberto Baggio, statistically speaking Roberto Baggio is better (more goals and more assists than Ronaldo), in his performances Roberto Baggio was also better; he scored, he created goals, he scored free-kicks, he scored penalties, he made corners, he had pace, he had technique, he had dribbling, he was a very complete player.. Only Italian attacker to have won a 'World Player of the Year' award, it wasn't for nothing that he won both the 'European Player of the Year' and 'World Player of the Year awards' in 1993. Roberto Baggio was also the best young player in the 1990 World Cup, he was the best player in the 1994 World Cup, and he showed his class again in the 1998 World Cup. Roberto Baggio is the only Italian player to have scored goals in 3 World Cups, of course fact remains he never won a World Cup, nevertheless he never had a partner such as Rivaldo.
Lastly, were is Fernando Hierro (one of the best Spanish player ever), were is Mat Le Tissier (the midfielder with most goals in the EPL history), and were is George Best???
Johan Cruijff; "Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing".