Watching the Euros has got me thinking about players like Shaqiri... for Switzerland, Xherdan has consistently been brilliant at major tournaments - always doing something spectacular. There are other players too who seem to have played their best football at International level as opposed to club level - some candidates might be Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay, Patrick Schick, or Alvaro Morata. Naming these player would be a great exercise on journey to establishing who the best players - strictly at the competitive international level - have been over the years. Historically, some players have been great at international level - an example might be Miroslav Klose - while being good but below that same level in the club career. Some have been the opposite - thinking somebody like Lewandowski, who despite playing for a weaker country has never put together a good tournament showing like a similar striker such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) - who have excelled at club football but struggled for their country. Then, you have players who seem to be equally great at club level and international level - thinking of Zidane, Modric, Pirlo, Xavi, Villa, Di Maria, Kane, Sneijder, Robben, etc... I've surely missed many. I put a lot of value on players who are able to excel at both club level and international level (even if not everyone has an equal playing field, such as Haaland playing for Norway vs Mbappe for France) as I think it demonstrates football intelligence, on and off-field character, leadership, and adaptability. It sometimes makes me think, if the best players in history got together for a schoolyard style match, drafting players to teams one-at-a-time and playing with no coaches and minimal tactics, who would stand out and dominate the others? Below, I will compile a shortlist of players who have been outstanding at the international level in recent times. I hope other will chip in with names so that we may gradually establish who have been the best players in history on the international stage.
Naming Griezmann together with players like morata, depay & etc. is crazy and just shows how underrated player he is
I think Morata at his best and especially Depay (albeit merely in the French league) also belonged to the best players in their league but yes, Griezmann is something else. Although you can say for France he is maybe the best 'hole player' in the world, playing and delivering for the best team in the world. At club level you can argue that per the Peter Principle, he didn't make it at the very top. Atletico is a ~75 points team in a league where 100+ points is possible. It helps maybe there are similarities in playing style between Atletico and France, and like Pogba, helped by the different characteristics of international football. Zidane is you can argue in the same boat. Many believe as a Serie A player he wasn't better as Rui Costa or Nedved; his club career not better than Del Piero, Laudrup or Bergkamp.
Griezmann is one of the top 20-25 greatest international country players of all time, his club career is not phenomenal i agree but its still good, his 22/23 league campaign was very impressive and this season he did well in most of the big games, right now atletico is realy a mid level team and cant compete.
Here are some players from more recent times that I can remember playing well for their countries, probably at a least one major tournament: I am certainly missing some players, especially form smaller nations. Buffon, Donnarumma, Zambrotta, Nesta, Cannavaro, Maldini, Vieri, Pirlo, De Rossi, Chiellini, Bonucci, Totti, Del Piero Casillas, Puyol, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Busquets, Alonso, Fabregas, Silva, Xavi, Iniesta, Torres, Villa, Raul, Hierro, Isco Davids, De Boer, Van der Sar, Bergkamp, Robben, Sneijder, Van Bommel, Van Bronckhorst, Van Persie, Wijnaldum, Depay, Gakpo Sammer, Brehme, Klinsmann, Bierhoff, Klose, Frings, Ballack, Kahn, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Khedira, Kroos, Hummels, Neuer, Ozil, T. Muller, M. Gomez, Kimmich, Musiala Zidane, Deschamps, Viera, Desailly, Lizarazu, Henry, Lloris, Barthez, Petit, Pires, Abidal, Ribery, Kante, Pogba, Griezmann, Giroud, Mbappe, Varane Ashley Cole, Beckham, Terry, Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Gerrard, Rooney, Kane, Walker Rui Costa, Figo, Deco, Ronaldo, Carvalho, Pepe, Nani Modric, Rakitic, Mandzukic, Srna, Perisic Courtois, Kompany, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Hazard, Meunier, Scifo Nedved, Baros, Rosicky, Schick, Cech P Schmeical, K Schmeical, Erikson, Shaqiri, Xhaka, R. Rodriguez Ibrahimovic, Larsson, Forsberg Batistuta, Riquelme, Zanetti, Ayala, Veron, Messi, Cambiasso, Tevez, Aguero, Higuain, Mascherano, Di Maria, Paredes, Otamendi, E. Martinez Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Lucio, Gilberto Silva, Dani Alves, Neymar, Marcelo, Thiago Silva, Casemiro, Coutinho, Alisson Forlan, Cavani, Suarez, Godin Alexis Sanzhez, Vidal, Bravo, Vargas R. Marquez, Ochoa, Alexis Sanchez, Vidal, C. Bravo, E. Vargas, Drogba, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure, Eto’o, Bale, Ramsey, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Lewandowski, Cuadrado, James Rodriguez, Gyan Asamoah, Akinfeev, Arshavin, C. Ayala, Gamarra, Stoichkov, EValencia, Paulo Gurerro, Mane, Koulibaly, Salah, Keylor Navas, Honda, Keane
I Griezmann is indeed an underrated player. Of course, I wasn't comparing him as a player to Morata or Depay, just stating that all three players have been great at international level and have probably played their best football for their national teams.
So if we agree with @ffff15 that Griezmann is a top 25 NT player of all-time, where does he rank, and who makes up the other 24 players? Shortlist of contenders: Yashin Zoff Meier Buffon Kahn Casillas Neuer Moore Facchetti Beckenbauer Krol Passarella Scirea Bergomi Brehme Koeman Maldini Sammer Desailly Cafu Roberto Carlos Thuram Cannavaro Puyol Ramos Pique Chiellini(?) Bonucci(?) Hummels(?) Pepe(?)? Bozsik Didi Charlton Overath Neeskens Platini Matthaus Rijkaaard Zidane Ballack (?) Pirlo Xavi Iniesta Sneijder Modric Kroos Kante (?) Orsi Meazza Schiaffino Puskas Kocsis Pele Garrincha Riva G. Muller Cruijff Rummenigge Maradona Gullit Van Basten Baggio Romario Klinsmann Rivaldo Ronaldo Bergkamp Robben Villa Forlan (?) C. Ronaldo Messi Griezmann Neymar (?) My knowledge of pre-war players is a bit lacking, but this is what I've come up with. I'll do a preliminary ranking and make changes and people contribute more to the discussion.
My top 30 post war (without order) Pele Garrincha Maradona Becenbauer Zidane Messi Cruyff R9 Platini Rivaldo Gerd Muller Didi Matthaus Mbappe Griezmann Baggio Romario Hagi Cubillas Charlton Fritz Walter Dzajic Kocsis Rivelino Kempes Pirlo Modric Xavi Giresse Robben?