7 of top 10

Michel Platini (1973-1987)

Three times European Footballer of the year, Michel Platini (1955) led France to two World Cup semi-finals and the 1984 European Championship title. At the club level he was most successful with Juventus, winning the European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup in 1985. One of the greatest passers of the ball in the history of the game, Platini was also a master of the free kick. It was a skill which he had perfected using a row of dummies during training. Platini displayed a remarkable goalscoring prowess for someone who was nominally a midfielder. He scored 68 goals in 147 league games for Juventus, and was crowned top scorer of the Serie A on three three occasions.