5 greatest individual player rivalries of all time time

The game of football has been blessed with world-class players in every era. In every generation, there have been players who are simply a notch above the rest. When such players go toe-to-toe for trophies, records and the status of being the greatest of all time, we have ourselves a recipe for an intense rivalry.

Football clubs have their own rivals. As a result, great players who line up for rival clubs also end up absorbing the heat of the competition. Being pitted against top quality players tends to bring out the best in some individuals and therefore, such environments are crucial to a player's growth as well.

Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the greatest individual player rivalries of all time.

---

Honourable mentions: Iker Casillas-Gianluigi Buffon, Ruud van Nistelrooy-Thierry Henry

Iker Casillas and Gianluigi Buffon were two of the best goalkeepers in the first decade of the 21st century. Both players won the FIFA World Cup with their national sides and had illustrious club careers as well. The two gentlemen are widely adored in the world of football and they share a lot of mutual admiration as well.

Ruud van Nistelrooy used to be Manchester United's henchman during the time when Thierry Henry was running riot in the Premier League. Arsenal and Manchester United shared the most intense rivalry in the English top-division at the time and both elite strikers were at the center of it.

#5 Sergio Ramos - Gerard Pique

Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique were teammates on the international stage. The pair started the 2010 FIFA World Cup final against the Netherlands together as part of the same backline. They've played close to a hundred matches together for the Spanish national side.

But at club level, Ramos and Pique shared a heated rivalry. Both players have big personalities and their relationship started to deteriorate since 2015. Pique poked fun at Real Madrid after pipping them to the La Liga title in 2015. He went so far as to call Alvaro Arbeloa a 'cone' for his static defending.

Ramos hit back, saying Pique's actions and words would be detrimental to the Spanish national team. The two have clashed multiple times on the ground during several editions of El Clasico. At the end of the day, Ramos and Pique are two of the greatest defenders of the modern era.

#4 Johan Cruyff - Franz Beckenbauer

Johan Cruyff and Franz Beckenbauer are two of the greatest footballers of all time. They were certainly the greatest players of the 1970s and that's why it took only four iterations of their meeting for this to become one of the biggest rivalries of all time.

Beckenbauer and Cruyff were both exceptionally dynamic footballers who could do pretty much anything on a football pitch. Cruyff played for Ajax while Beckenbauer was Bayern Munich's main man. They first locked horns in the quarter-finals of the European Cup with both men captaining their respective sides.

The rivalry escalated as the Netherlands faced Germany in the final of the 1974 World Cup. The Germans pulled off a comeback win and were crowned champions of the world.

Cruyff led his Ajax side to three European Cup wins in 1971, 1972 and 1973. Beckenbauer did the same with Bayern Munich in 1974, 1975 and 1976. While Cruyff won the Ballon d'Or thrice in 1971, 1973 and 1974, Beckenbauer won it twice in 1972 and 1976.

#3 Patrick Vieira - Roy Keane

When you hear the words 'heated rivalry', the picture you'd get is of two stalwarts getting in each other's faces, fighting tooth and nail to get their team over the line. You'd think of two generals of war whose flaring tempers could so easily initiate a bloodbath. That's almost exactly what the Patrick Vieira - Roy Keane rivalry was like.

Both were strong personalities and captained two of the greatest forces in English football at the time - Arsenal and Manchester United. The infamous incident in the Highbury tunnel where Roy Keane and Vieira were shouting in each other's faces before being separated by the referees is quite unforgettable.

Their presence elevated the Arsenal-Manchester United rivalry as well. Both Keane and Vieira held themselves to high standards. Keane had won the continental treble with Manchester United and was a serial winner under Sir Alex Ferguson. Vieira captained the Arsenal Invincibles.

It is a rivalry that will always be celebrated for the sheer amount of emotion and aggression involved.

Read more on the Patrick Vieira - Roy Keane rivalry - The red mists of Keane and Vieira: A tale of two captains.

#2 Pele - Diego Maradona

Up until the days of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, most fans were in agreement that only two players were in the GOAT debate. Those players were Pele and Diego Maradona. Despite playing in entirely different eras and having never faced each other, they share one of the biggest rivalries in football.

Pele came from Brazil and Maradona hailed from Argentina. Both countries are rich in football heritage and are rivals on the pitch. Both Pele and Maradona led their national sides to World Cup triumphs. While Pele won three, Maradona had just the one win.

However, it is important to note that the Brazilian played with some of the best in the business. Maradona did it with a rather ordinary Argentinian side. During Maradona's rise, he started getting compared to Pele. In 2000, Maradona beat Pele to the FIFA's 'Player of the Century' award.

Pele was given the 'FIFA Football Family' Award. Maradona scoffed at this and said:

"In 2000 I won the Player of the Century award thanks to the people. Pele was second. He also came second behind [Ayrton] Senna as Brazil's greatest sportsman. The award that FIFA gave Pele isn't worth s---."

Both men have taken several shots at each other. Pele has openly criticized Maradona for being too reliant on his left-foot. He has also said that Maradona can only be compared to him once he scores 1000 goals in football.

After Pele once described himself as the 'Beethoven of football', Maradona hit back saying,

"Pele has said he's the Beethoven of football. I've never heard any Beethoven music in a match so, as I've told you before, anytime he takes the wrong pill he comes up with a crazy statement."

#1 Lionel Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo

Everything that has to be said about the greatest football rivalry of all time has been said. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of the greatest footballers of all time and their rivalry is one of the biggest blessings the game has received in recent times.

At the peak of their powers, Messi and Ronaldo were playing for arch-rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. They exercised a duopoly of sorts over the Ballon d'Or, the most prestigious individual award in football.

Messi has won the award a record six times while Ronaldo has five to his name. While Messi's Barcelona largely dominated La Liga during the course of their rivalry, Ronaldo's Real Madrid dominated the Champions League.

Messi and Ronaldo are two of the greatest goalscorers of all time. Theirs is a complete rivalry where both players pushed each other to become better and still maintained a great amount of mutual admiration. Both are icons of the game and have made sure that the GOAT debate will rage on for ages.