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There are perhaps two candidates for the title of world's greatest current footballer. One is the swaggering, arrogant Cristiano Ronaldo, and the other is a man you might walk past in the car park.

Lionel Messi's sublime skills are balanced by modesty and humility. You're as likely to catch him chatting to Barcelona's kit man as out at a fancy restaurant, and when he recently won the Ballon d'Or player of the year title for the second successive year, he said the best thing about the night was being there with his two Barcelona teammates, fellow nominees Xavi and Iniesta.

Wayne Gretzky

Ice hockey star Wayne Gretzky is generally regarded as the greatest player in the history of the NHL. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points (goals plus assists) in a single season.

Fans of other teams may scoff, but another Manchester United player surely deserves a place in any list of humble footballers.

Ryan Giggs has a list of achievements as long as his arm, and early in his career looked to be going down the David Beckham road to international fame. But then he switched lanes, shunning parties and celebrity girlfriends and focusing on football.

In 2007 he married his long-term partner in a ceremony notable for the absence of OK! And Hello! Magazines and today he lives quietly in Salford - where his two children were born - rather than in the mock Tudor splendors of the Cheshire football belt.

Drew Brees

Drew Brees, quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, was recently voted Sports Illustrated sportsman of the year. That was for a wonderful season on the pitch - Brees led the Saints to their first Super Bowl title in February 2010 - and a truly inspirational one off it.

Brees joined the Saints just after Hurricane Katrina in 2006, and was moved by the plight of the battered city. Since then his foundation has worked with nearly 50 New Orleans schools and organizations to aid in recovery.

Paul Scholes

Compared to some of his more stellar contemporaries, it's easy to forget the humble family man who retired from international football in 2004 and won't do a media interview unless Manchester United make him. Paul Scholes is a one-club player who has never agitated for a move and doesn't even employ an agent.

Scholes has a touch of steel about him - some of his two-footed tackles leave a lot to be desired - but in a world full of celebrity footballers, he is a man of immense talent and few pretensions.