Hockey is one of the major sports played around the world, which also features as a major event in Olympics and other major sports events. As a result, a large number of hockey players have been revered as shining stars, who have acquired fame and reputation all over the globe.
Here is a list of top 10 best hockey players of all time:
10. Ric Charlesworth
Ric Charlesworth, the former Australian hockey player, is considered as one of the greatest players of all times. He has the honor to have played for the team for five Olympic tournaments, including being the team captain in 1972 and 1988. Additionally, he led the team which won the London World Cup 1986. He was honored with several national awards in Australia for his glorious contribution to the sport.
9. Fergus Kavanagh
Next among the top hockey players in the world is the present day Australian team member, Fergus Kavanagh. He played a key role in the team for lifting the Delhi Hockey World Cup 2010 and The Hague World Cup 2014. He also brought home the gold medal from Delhi Commonwealth Fames 2010, in addition to two Olympics gold medals.
8. Ties Kruize
The former Dutch hockey player Ties Kruize is the next player to feature on this list. He is considered as the penalty corner specialist and had a large number of achievements during his career. These included gold medal at 1973 World Cup, silver medal at 1978 World Cup and two consecutive gold medals in Champions Trophy, in 1981 and 1982.
7. Hassan Sardar
Pakistani center forward, Hassan Sardar is regarded as one of the best players in the history of the game. He scored an amazing run of 11 goals in 1982 World Cup, which happened to be his first one, and was awarded the title of Man of the Tournament. Later in 1986, he led his national team to win the gold medal in the Summer Olympics of 1984.
6. Dhanraj Pillay
Dhanraj Pillay is a leading Indian hockey player, who has the honor of being the only player to lift four of each-the Olympic Gold medals, World Cups, Asian Games gold medals and Champions Trophies. He was also the only Indian player to feature in the World 11 Team in 1994 Sydney World Cup. Pillay also captained Team India to win gold medals at Asian Games 1998 and Asia Cup 2003.
5. Sohail Abbas
The next name among the best hockey players in the world is of the Pakistani super star, Sohail Abbas, who holds the record of being the highest scorer in the game and being the first player to cross 300 goal mark. He has also scored as many as 21 hat tricks and also a double hat trick, making him one of the most prodigious players of the game.
4. Teun de Nooijer
Tuen de Nooijer is a leading hockey star from Netherlands, who has received the title of FIH International Player of the Year three times. He has numerous achievements to his credit, being a member of Dutch team which won gold in Atlanta Olympics 1996 and Sydney Olympics 2000. As a captain, he got silver medals for his team in Athens Olympics 2004 and London Olympics 2012. He has played more than 400 matches for his national team.
3. Shahbaz Ahmed
Featuring next on the list of top 10 hickey players in the world is Shahbaz Ahmed, who is acclaimed as one of the best forwards in the history of the game. He became a part of Pakistan team in 1986 and captained the team which was the winner of the Hockey World Cup 1994. He also has the honor of being the only hockey player to be named as the Player of the Tournament in two consecutive World Cups, of 1990 and 1994.
2. Jamie Dwyer
The Australian hockey player Jamie Dwyer is one of the best hockey players in the world. He has been playing for the Australian national team since 2001, with his greatest achievement being the captain of the team which won the gold medal in the Summer Olympics 2004, in addition to being a part of the team which won the gold in the Commonwealth Games 2006. He has been honored with the title of FIH International Player of the year for five times.
1. Major Dhyan Chand
Major Dhyan Chand, the prolific Indian player, is undeniably on the top of the list of best hockey players in the world, besides being one of the most impressive hockey players to have featured in the Olympics. Under his able leadership, India was able to bag three consecutive gold medals in Olympics of 1928, 1932 and 1936. The Wizard, as he was nicknamed, scored nearly 1000 goals in his illustrious career.
Some other acclaimed hockey players are Manzoor Hussain Jr (Pakistan), Florian Kunz (Germany), Sean Kerly (UK) and Carina Benninga (Netherlands). All of them have made glorious achievements in the sport.
Santosh Kumar is a Professional SEO and Blogger, With the help of this blog he is trying to share top 10 lists, facts, entertainment news from India and all around the world.