To celebrate the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)'s 50th anniversary in 2004, each of its member associations was asked by UEFA to choose one of its own players as the single most outstanding player of the past 50 years (1954–2003).
Award winners
The 52 players were known as the Golden Players. The list of players was released in November 2003, and they were recognized at UEFA's headquarters in Nyon. Players active at the time of announcement are marked by (*).
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{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Country !! Player !! Intl. Career !! Pos !! Caps !! Goals !!class="unsortable"| Clubs<sup>1</sup> !! Honours
|-
| || || 1963–1973 || FW || 28 || 4 || Partizani Tirana <small>(1960–1975)</small> ||
|-
| || Koldo || 1998–2009 || GK || 79 || 0 || FC Andorra<sup>2</sup> <small>(1994–2006, 2007–)</small> <br> CF Balaguer <small>(2006–2007)</small> ||
|-
| || <sup>3</sup> || 1979–1984 || MF || 34 || 6 || FC Ararat Yerevan <small>(1974–1985)</small> ||
|-
| || || 1974–1989 || MF || 83 || 10 || FK Austria Wien <small>(1972–1980, 1983–1989)</small> <br> F.C. Internazionale Milano <small>(1980–1982}</small> <br> A.S. Roma <small>(1982–1983)</small> ||
|-
| || <sup>4</sup> || 1965–1972 || FW || 50 || 19 || Neftchi Baku PFC<sup>5</sup> <small>(1963–1978) || Image:Silver medal icon.svg UEFA Euro 1972
|-
| || <sup>6</sup> || 1984–1994 || MF || 81 || 6 || FC Dinamo Minsk <small>(1981–1989)</small> <br> Juventus FC <small>(1989–1990)</small> <br> U.S. Lecce <small>(1990–1992)</small> <br> Gamba Osaka <small>(1993–1996)</small> || Image:Silver medal icon.svg UEFA Euro 1988
|-
| || || 1960–1974 || FW || 81 || 30 || R.S.C. Anderlecht <small>(1959–1975)</small> || Image:Bronze medal icon.svg UEFA Euro 1972
|-
| || <sup>7</sup> || 1977–1990 || AM || 54 || 21 || FK Sarajevo <small>(1973–1983)</small> <br> Paris Saint-Germain F.C. <small>(1982–1991)</small> ||
|}
- 1 - Clubs while playing for the national team
- 2 - FC Andorra are based in Andorra, but are members of the RFEF, not the FAF.
- 3 - Khoren Oganesian represented the USSR national football team, but was from the Armenian section of the country before its split in 1990.
- 4 - Anatoliy Banishevskiy represented the USSR national football team, but was from the Azerbaijani section of the country before its split in 1990.
- 5 - Neftchi Baku PFC was known as Neftyanik Baku PFC until 1968.
- 6 - Sergei Aleinikov represented both the USSR national football team and the CIS national football team prior to representing Belarus. He made 73 appearances and scored six goals for the USSR, four appearances for the CIS and four for Belarus.
- 7 - Safet Sušić represented the Yugoslavia national football team, but was from the Bosnian and Herzegovinan section of the country before its split in 1992. -->
- Albania – Panajot Pano
- Andorra – Koldo*
- Armenia – Khoren Oganesian
- Austria – Herbert Prohaska
- Azerbaijan – Anatoliy Banishevskiy
- Belarus – Sergei Aleinikov
- Belgium – Paul Van Himst
- Bosnia and Herzegovina – Safet Sušić
- Bulgaria – Hristo Stoichkov
- Croatia – Davor Šuker
- Cyprus – Sotiris Kaiafas
- Czech Republic – Josef Masopust
- Denmark – Michael Laudrup
- England – Bobby Moore
- Estonia – Mart Poom*
- Faroe Islands – Abraham Løkin
- Finland – Jari Litmanen*
- France – Just Fontaine
- North Macedonia – Darko Pančev
- Georgia – Murtaz Khurtsilava
- Germany – Fritz Walter
- Greece – Vasilis Hatzipanagis
- Hungary – Ferenc Puskás
- Iceland – Ásgeir Sigurvinsson
- Republic of Ireland – Johnny Giles
- Israel – Mordechai Spiegler
- Italy – Dino Zoff
- Kazakhstan – Sergey Kvochkin
- Latvia – Aleksandrs Starkovs
- Liechtenstein – Rainer Hasler
- Lithuania – Arminas Narbekovas*
- Luxembourg – Louis Pilot
- Malta – Carmel Busuttil
- Moldova – Pavel Cebanu
- Netherlands – Johan Cruyff
- Northern Ireland – George Best