The list was unveiled on 4 March 2004 during a gala ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London, England, as part of the celebrations commemorating the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body of football.
[1][3] The list contains 123 men and two women (Michelle Akers and Mia Hamm).
[4] He suggested the geographical spread of inclusions indicated the list came from then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter rather than Pelé himself.
BBC columnist Tim Vickery expressed similar assertions.
Marco van Basten and Uwe Seeler refused to take part in the project on a point of principle.