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How it works
Four things to know: how you vote, what GOAT Friday is, who plays in it, and what the rating on every player means.
01
How voting works
You see two players. Tap the one you think was greater. That’s one vote.
On a phone you can swipe, on a computer use the arrow keys. Not sure? Skip the duel.
No account needed. Every day you can vote in random duels between players of the same era and position, plus one trait, one rivalry and one position across all eras. On Friday the all-time vote opens.
POSITIONNo.10
PLAYER—
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DiegoMaradona
02
GOAT Friday
One day, midnight to midnight Warsaw time. The 100 qualifiers meet in one all-time vote, any position against any position.
It’s the only day the all-time table moves, and there’s no daily limit.
Friday’s own table only ranks players with at least 5 duels that day, so a couple of lucky results can’t crown anyone.
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Next one…
Players100
Vote limitNone
03
Who qualifies for GOAT Friday
The best 100 by position rating (the ELO number, explained below), picked inside four eras: 15 from 1930s–60s, 20 from 1970s–80s, 30 from 1990–2009 and 35 from 2010–now. Older eras send fewer, newer eras more.
Across the eras that makes 7 keepers, 11 centre backs, 6 right backs, 6 left backs, 6 No.6s, 9 No.8s, 14 No.10s, 16 wingers, 10 second strikers and 15 strikers.
Each player counts in his main position and his own era only, and position duels only pair players of the same era. When players are level, an editors’ order decides who goes first.
The list locks on Thursday evening. Ratings carry over, so last week’s form still counts.
Keepers7
Centre backs11
Right backs6
Left backs6
No.6s6
No.8s9
No.10s14
Wingers16
Second strikers10
Strikers15
Total100 players
04
What ELO means
It’s an ELO rating, the system chess has used for decades. Every player starts at 1,000.
When you pick a winner, he takes points from the loser. Beat a much stronger player and you take a lot; beat a weaker one and you take a little.
Between two established players rated 1,200 and 1,000: 5 points if the favourite wins, 15 if the underdog does. New players move faster until their rating settles. Each table keeps its own ratings.
All-time duels so far…
All-time #1 right now…
Next GOAT Friday…
Today’s trait · rivalry…
Also good to know
Traits and rivalries
Six trait ladders (Best Dribbler, Best Finisher, Best Passer, Best Engine, Best Dead-Ball Specialist, Best Long Shot) and fifteen rivalries. One trait and one rivalry are open in the Arena each day, in a fixed rotation, and that’s the only place to vote on them. A rivalry asks a few questions about one pair; its page shows the crowd’s answers. Every table and rivalry page stays visible all the time.
Accounts
Never needed to vote. An account is an email and a password. It keeps your votes on every device, puts your name on your share card, and lets you pick a display name. When you sign in, the votes you cast anonymously in that browser can be attached to your account.
What protects the rankings
Every vote counts the same, with or without an account. One browser can cast at most 30 votes a minute, and era voting allows 100 a day in your browser, the daily all-eras position 50 more (GOAT Friday is unlimited). The vote log can only be added to: nobody visiting the site can read, change or delete it. Ratings are never edited by hand. They only change when someone votes. If we ever remove votes from an obvious bot, we’ll say so here.
Questions, or think something’s being gamed? makeyourgoat@gmail.com