Pele
Before Messi and Ronaldo, there was Pele. The Brazilian superstar is one of the greatest players ever to play the game.
Pele notched a record 760 official goals and 1,281 goals overall. Reuters dubbed him "Athlete of the Century" in 1999.
While younger fans may certainly relate to Messi, Ronaldo and Beckham, there is no question that Pele helped pave the way.