Who is the greatest player?

To mark its 50th edition, Champions magazine is compiling a list of the top 50 players to have graced

UEFA Champions League greats

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  Lionel Messi won his third final with Barcelona in 2011

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Who is the greatest UEFA Champions League player of all time? It is a simple question with no easy answer. To celebrate the 50th issue of Champions, the official magazine of the UEFA Champions League is asking players, coaches, supporters and UEFA.com users to help compile a list of the 50 best players to have graced the competition since the format was introduced in 1992/93.

The obvious candidates would include such talents as Raúl González, the competition's 71-goal top scorer who lifted the trophy three times with Real Madrid CF, and Paolo Maldini, the great defender who won five European Cup finals with AC Milan, the club he played for throughout his career.

Other candidates could be Edwin van der Sar, the only goalkeeper to win the UEFA Champions League with two different clubs (AFC Ajax and Manchester United FC), and Clarence Seedorf, the only player to conquer Europe with three clubs (Ajax, Madrid and Milan). Then there is a certain Lionel Messi.

And once you start thinking about players who may merit inclusion, the list seems almost endless: Zinédine Zidane, Ryan Giggs, Oliver Kahn, Andriy Shevchenko, Luís Figo all spring to mind. Fans in different countries may also have a particular favourite, be it Jari Litmanen, Roar Strand or Hakan Şükür. Tell us who you think is the greatest player to have played in the UEFA Champions League and why.