For me, my childhood hero (also best player in history) will be Zinedine Zidane. I had few jerseys with his name :D One from national team and two or three from his clubs.

EDIT: BTW, don't you have a feeling that today football is, well, worse that in past. Maybe it's nostalgia but when I see players today, I see pretty ladies (created by sport labs and tens of specialists) that make too much money. Technology is slowly trying to take over, taking from us chance to ever experience something like Maradonas 'Hand of God' again and everything can be done if you have enough money.
Sure, back then players wasn't playing for nice word and hot meal, and people wanted to make money on that sport, but at least players itself was more real. They were actually warriors, like Zidane, Figo, Roberto Carlos or guys you have mentioned. They were real mans. And what do we have today? Actors, pretty ladies, and guys on hormones.