Players like Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar aren’t for sure, because defending should also be in the conversation. The Camavinga memes had me thinking, is there a player who was/is actually really good at everything, or at least most things inside the pitch?
Gullit, Yaya Toure, Matthaus and in general box2box players could do anything from defending to scoring. Pogba when he was world class is a good example. Defenders who scored regurarly like Ramos, Hierro or Koeman, even fullbacks like Marcelo or Dani Alves are exceptional on many things.
Another fun pick would be Jorge Campos, the goalkeeper who also played as an attacker sometimes.
Carles Puyol.
Played CB for Barca, but could also plate fullback or RB; and always went forward to assist with attacks
At youth level he started as a GK, then switching to a forward due to a shoulder injury.
At La Masia, he switched from forward to defensive midfielder. And eventually to a more permanent defensive role
But at every level, no matter what position he played, Puyol was the heart of the team almost always becoming Captain
IMO, he embodies the total-football mentality of a gritty defender. A true pleasure to watch