World's ten best field hockey players ever

These top field hockey players are the epitome of what can be achieved with devotion, hard effort, and a positive team spirit.

The 1956 Olympic gold winning Indian hockey team. (Image:Twitter)
By Kshitij Ojha | Jan 28, 2023 | 6 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The top field hockey players have proved that they can be fierce competitors while remaining committed to the game’s team spirit. These top field hockey players are the epitome of what can be achieved with devotion, hard effort, and a positive team spirit.

Major Dhyan Chand

He was an Indian field hockey player who is largely recognised as one of the best in history. He was recognised for his exceptional ball handling and goal-scoring abilities, as well as winning three Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932, and 1936, during a period when India dominated field hockey. His impact extended beyond these successes, as India won field hockey in seven of the eight Olympics from 1928 to 1964. For his excellent ball control, Chand was known as The Wizard or The Magician of hockey. He played internationally from 1926 to 1949, scoring 570 goals in 185 matches according to his book, Goal, and around 1000 goals in his whole local and international career. He was dubbed “hockey’s Muhammad Ali” by the BBC. In 1956, the Government of India bestowed upon Chand India’s third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan. Every year on August 29, his birthday is observed as National Sports Day in India. Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest athletic honour, is named after him.

Gonzalo Peillat

Peillat represented Argentina in the Summer Olympics in 2012. Gonzalo won a bronze medal at the 2014 World Cup, where he was the tournament’s leading scorer with ten goals, and a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. His most notable accomplishment was winning the gold medal for Argentina in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He finished the tournament with 11 goals, making him the competition’s leading scorer. Peillat left the Argentine national team in January 2019 after a disagreement with head coach German Orozco. Peillat obtained German citizenship in late February 2022. He was later chosen to represent Germany in the 2023 Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup.

Sohail Abbas

He was a former Pakistani professional field hockey player who played as a full-back. He is regarded as one of the finest players of all time and holds the record for most international field hockey goals (348). He is popularly renowned as the “King of the Drag Flick” because of his lethal flicks with tremendous accuracy and speed in front of the goal from penalty corners. Abbas began his professional career in Pakistan and has since played in Malaysia, the Netherlands, Germany, and India, most notably for the Dutch club HC Rotterdam. After representing Pakistan at the juvenile level, Abbas made his international debut in the February 1998 Test series against India. He scored his first senior international goal in the series’ second match, a 2-1 victory. Abbas has 315 caps for Pakistan, scoring 348 goals, including 21 hat-tricks, which is an international record. He represented Pakistan at the 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010 FIH Hockey World Cups, as well as the 2000, 2004, and 2012 Summer Olympics, where he was the top scorer for Pakistan.

Balbir Singh Dosanjh

He was a hockey player from India. He won three Olympic gold medals, playing a vital role in India’s victories in London (1948), Helsinki (1952) (as vice-captain), and Melbourne (1956) (as captain). He is largely recognised as the best hockey player of all time, a modern-day Dhyan Chand and a hockey legend, and is widely regarded as the sport’s finest ever centre-forward. He still holds the Olympic record for most goals scored by an individual in an Olympic men’s hockey final. Singh established this record in the gold medal game of the 1952 Olympics when he scored five goals in India’s 6-1 victory over the Netherlands. Singh scored 246 goals in 61 international appearances.

Jamie Dwyer

He is a field hockey player from Australia. In Perth, Western Australia, he presently plays for the YMCC Coastal City Hockey Club in the Melville Toyota League. He also played in the Australian Hockey League for the Queensland Blades. He made his juvenile debut for Australia in 1995 and his senior debut in 2001. He has appeared in over 350 Australian matches and scored over 220 goals. He represented Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he earned a gold medal, as well as the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, where he won bronze medals. He also represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games in 2006, where he won a gold medal, and the Commonwealth Games in 2010, where he also won a gold medal.

Women hockey players

Luciana Aymar

She was an Argentine field hockey player recognised for her exceptional technique and athleticism. In 1977, she was born in Rosario. As my number one pick, it’s easy to start watching her movies and never stop! Her speed and dribbling ability make her one of the finest players in hockey history. During the summer Olympics in London in 2012, she made headlines. Aymar served her country as a role model at the Olympics, winning multiple medals. Aymar has been named the world’s top female hockey player more than seven times. Aymer was named a world hockey legend by the International Hockey Federation in 2008.

Maddie Hinch 

Maddie earned the FIH best goalie in the world title three years in a row from 2016 to 2018. She plays hockey for both England and Great Britain. She has been the goalkeeper for the Dutch club Stichtsche Cricket en Hockey Club for three years. Maddie Hinch won gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, saving four penalties in a shoot-out with the Netherlands. Her remarkable performance, save four penalties against the Netherlands in 2016, was viewed as the key reason Britain won gold in 2016. Grays hockey equipment maker named a goalkeeping hockey line after her and collaborated with her to build new hockey keeper equipment.

Stacey Michelsen

She was born in 1991 in New Zealand. She is currently one of the most well-known athletes in the sport of hockey. She has made significant contributions to the success of her county’s squad. Stacey was raised with other elder siblings who enjoyed playing hockey, so she caught the bug and improved her talents. Michelson was chosen to join New Zealand’s national squad after graduating from St. Cuthbert’s College in Auckland in 2009. She continued to concentrate on the game in order to enhance her skills. The International Hockey Federation awarded her the best junior player of the year in 2010. Her desire to earn a gold medal kept her going. Stacey suffered an injury in 2013, which harmed her career.

Eva De Goede

De Goede is regarded to have it all as a goal scorer and passer. Eva De Goede, the 2019 FIH player of the year, is one of the most well-known female hockey players in the world. Eva was born in the Dutch town of Zeist in 1989. Eva is mostly a midfielder for the Dutch national team. Eva loved hockey before she became famous. She first gained attention while playing for AH&BC, a local club. She drew the attention of Dutch officials after winning bronze in a provincial competition. Following that, she was invited to join the national team. In 2008, Eva joined the Netherlands national women’s hockey team. She actively participated in the Summer Olympic event in the same year, where they won the gold medal. Eva represented her country once more at the 2012 Summer Olympics, which were held in London. They were crowned champions and handed the gold medal once more. However, the Dutch squad did not fare well during their participation in 2016. Despite this, they finished second in the competition and received silver medals. She has appeared in over 200 games for the Dutch national team.

Ellen Hoog

She began playing hockey in 2002 with Amsterdamsche hockey club, the Netherlands’ oldest hockey team. She subsequently worked her way up the ranks and made the national hockey team. In August 2005, Ellen was crowned European champion in Dublin. The Dutch woman competed in the women’s world cup of field hockey in 2006, where she helped her country earn the gold medal by winning the title. Ellen Hoog has been named the most celebrated female hockey player in the last decade. The Dutch player won the gold medal after competing in the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012. During the final versus New Zealand, she scored the game-winning shot, putting her country in first place.