Free Legends trivia questions with explained answers.
Before the highlight reels and the data, there were the legends — and this free quiz is a tour through the players who built the modern game. Pelé and his three World Cups. Diego Maradona dragging Argentina to glory in 1986, almost single-handed. Johan Cruyff inventing a turn, a philosophy and half of modern Barcelona. The greats whose names still set the standard everyone else is measured against.
It reaches back to the golden ages. Alfredo Di Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás at the great Real Madrid side that won the first five European Cups. Eusébio's 1966, George Best's genius, Garrincha's dribbling, Franz Beckenbauer reinventing defending as an art. Then the icons who carried it toward the modern era — Marco van Basten's volley, Roberto Baggio's penalty, the players who defined the 1980s and 90s before the millennium turned.
The questions span clubs, countries and World Cups, from the obvious — who won the 1986 World Cup's Golden Ball — to the harder corners of football history: specific finals, individual honours and the careers behind the names. It's a category that rewards anyone who's read the history, not just watched the recent seasons.
Every answer carries a short piece of context, so the quiz doubles as a refresher on why these players mattered. Try the free sample below, then play the full Legends bank in the app.
Ball IQ has 251 Legends questions — 37 easy, 116 medium and 98 hard.
20 sample questions. Tap “Show answer” to reveal the answer and the story behind it.
Zlatan Ibrahimović's iconic 27-metre bicycle kick in 2012 came against which country?
Answer: England
Ibrahimovic's overhead kick from around 30 metres sealed Sweden's 4-2 friendly win over England in 2012 — it won the FIFA Puskas Award for goal of the year.
Eric Cantona famously kung-fu kicked a fan at which ground?
Answer: Selhurst Park
Cantona leapt into the crowd at Selhurst Park in January 1995 and was banned for 8 months.
Which legendary player was nicknamed 'O Rei' — meaning The King?
Answer: Pelé
Pelé, a three-time World Cup winner with Brazil (1958, 1962, 1970), was universally known as 'O Rei' — the only player to lift the trophy three times.
Eric Cantona famously wore which squad number that became iconic at Manchester United?
Answer: 7
Cantona was assigned the Manchester United No. 7 when squad numbers were introduced for the 1993-94 season and made it iconic, later passing it to David Beckham and then Cristiano Ronaldo — a shirt also worn by George Best and Bryan Robson.
Which club did Bobby Charlton spend almost his entire career at?
Answer: Man Utd
Charlton spent 1956-1973 at Manchester United, surviving the 1958 Munich air disaster and winning the 1966 World Cup and 1968 European Cup; he held the club appearance and scoring records for decades.
Which Liverpool legend scored 346 goals for the club?
Answer: Ian Rush
Ian Rush is Liverpool's all-time top scorer with 346 goals — he won five league titles and five FA Cups.
Eusebio played his entire club career in which country?
Answer: Portugal
Eusebio — the Black Panther — spent his entire career at Benfica, scoring 473 goals in 440 games.
Dennis Bergkamp had a famous fear of which form of travel?
Answer: Planes
Bergkamp famously avoided all flights, earning him the nickname 'the Non-Flying Dutchman.'
Which legendary player received the first ever Ballon d'Or in 1956?
Answer: Matthews
Stanley Matthews of Blackpool won the inaugural 1956 Ballon d'Or, aged 41 — he's still the oldest winner.
George Best was voted European Footballer of the Year — in which year?
Answer: 1968
Best won the 1968 Ballon d'Or aged 22, ahead of teammate Bobby Charlton, the same year he helped Manchester United become the first English club to win the European Cup.
Which legendary striker scored 68 goals in 62 international matches for West Germany?
Answer: Gerd Müller
Müller averaged 1.1 goals per game — the third-best ratio in international football history among players with 50+ goals.
Which legendary player was banned from football for a year after testing positive for cocaine while at Napoli?
Answer: Maradona
Maradona tested positive after a March 1991 Serie A match with Napoli and was banned 15 months — the fall ended his glittering Naples spell, where he'd won two Scudetti.
Which three legends starred in the famous early-2000s Pepsi 'cowboy' advert?
Answer: Ronaldinho, Beckham, Ronaldo R9
The famous 2002 Pepsi advert featured Ronaldinho, David Beckham and Ronaldo R9 in a western-themed commercial.
Stanley Matthews won the FA Cup with Blackpool in 1953 — the match is named after him. How old was he?
Answer: 38
At 38, Matthews inspired Blackpool's 4-3 comeback from 3-1 down against Bolton at Wembley — his only FA Cup, forever dubbed the 'Matthews Final' despite Stan Mortensen's hat-trick.
Which legendary Argentine striker — 1978 World Cup winner — was nicknamed 'El Matador'?
Answer: Kempes
Mario Kempes — 'El Toro' and 'El Matador' — scored twice in the 1978 WC final vs the Netherlands.
Which West German captain lifted the World Cup as a player in 1974 and then as a manager in 1990 — both times with West Germany?
Answer: Franz Beckenbauer
'Der Kaiser' joined Zagallo as the first men to win the World Cup as both player and coach, a feat since matched only by Didier Deschamps.
Which Brazilian legend was arrested in Paraguay in 2020 for entering the country with a false passport, and detained for nearly six months?
Answer: Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho was detained in Paraguay in March 2020 along with his brother.
Ronaldinho was briefly imprisoned in 2020 — in which country?
Answer: Paraguay
Ronaldinho was arrested in Asunción in March 2020 for entering Paraguay on a falsified passport, spending around a month in jail before being moved to house arrest.
What was the nickname of AC Milan's legendary late-80s side under Arrigo Sacchi that won back-to-back European Cups?
Answer: Gli Immortali (The Immortals)
Sacchi's side was nicknamed Gli Immortali. Capello's 1991-93 Milan later earned the name Gli Invincibili (58-game unbeaten run).
Carlos 'Kaiser' Raposo had a professional football career from 1979-1992 without ever doing what?
Answer: Playing in a match
Carlos 'Kaiser' Raposo faked a 13-year career by signing short deals, feigning injury and befriending stars — his closest brush with action was a red card while warming up.