Rank your top 20 players of this century

harms

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btw.: I know you guys don't really rate defenders, but Phillip Lahm surely should make every single list. Most intelligent player Pep has ever worked with (his quote), even after he worked with Xavi and Iniesta.
I had to exclude Schweiny, Lahm and Alves alongside Modric, Carlos, Maldini... there’s just too much competition. As I said, it’s really more difficult to compile this list than to compile an all-time 20.
 

Invictus

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1. Lionel Messi
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
3. Xavi Hernández
4. Andrés Iniesta
5. Zinedine Zidane
6. Ronaldinho Gaúcho
7. Luis Suárez
8. Arjen Robben
9. Thierry Henry
10. Alessandro Nesta
11. Pavel Nedvěd
12. Andrea Pirlo
13. Phillip Lahm = Dani Alves
14. Ricardo Kaká
15. David Villa
16. Fenómeno
17. Luka Modrić
18. Francesco Totti
19. Luís Figo
20. Andriy Shevchenko

Goalkeepers:

1. Gianluigi Buffon
2. Manuel Neuer
3. Oliver Kahn
4. Iker Casillas
5. David de Gea
 

RooneyLegend

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Messi
Zidane
Ronaldinho
C Ronaldo
Henry
Ronaldo
Neymar
Kaka
Nedved
Rooney
Iniesta
Pirlo
Suarez
Xavi
Robben
Vieira
Totti
Ballack
T Silva
Buffon
 

Fortitude

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I like this thread @OutlawGER

1. Messi
2. C.Ronaldo (these two are interchangeable after C.Ronaldo's 3* CL winning set)
3. Xavi
4. Iniesta
5. Zidane
6. Ronaldinho
7. Henry
8. Eto'o
9. Robben
10. L Suarez
11. Nesta
12. Rivaldo
13. Ronaldo
14. Alves
15. Pirlo
16. Lahm
17. Rio
18. Villa
19. Kaka (due to his decline)
20. Shevchenko (due to his fade after leaving Milan)

Excluding keepers because they should probably have their own quantifiable list amongst themselves.
 

SharpshooterTom

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Suprised how low people are ranking Zidane, I know his career was split over the 90s/00s but I would say he's 3rd best overall. Outstanding in Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006. Shame he was injured for 2002 World Cup.

I would have Ronaldinho at #4, then Iniesta/Xavi etc.
 

Fortitude

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Suprised how low people are ranking Zidane, I know his career was split over the 90s/00s but I would say he's 3rd best overall. Outstanding in Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006. Shame he was injured for 2002 World Cup.

I would have Ronaldinho at #4, then Iniesta/Xavi etc.
Xavi's resume is practically perfect once he became a star. He's about the most rock-solid one on the entire list, and has an argument to be the literal #1 because, unlike all the other candidates, there is zero difference between his performance for club or country and the consistency with both is unparalleled. I thought about putting him at #1, but it is a bit hipsterish or makes a person look like they are 'hating' :rolleyes: on 'the 2'

Zidane went into overdrive in the 00's compared to the 90's, but that's compared to himself, not others.

Not a knock on him either, as he was known as inconsistent in the 90's and turned into a dependable player (in comparison) in the 00's, but still, his league consistency isn't a patch on those above him, and Xavi, Iniesta are not below him on the international stage during their peaks, either.
 

Treble

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Suprised how low people are ranking Zidane, I know his career was split over the 90s/00s but I would say he's 3rd best overall. Outstanding in Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006. Shame he was injured for 2002 World Cup.

I would have Ronaldinho at #4, then Iniesta/Xavi etc.
Still the previous century. He won the CL in 2002 and not much else. Compared to what Xavi and Iniesta won this century, it is not enough. Think Ronaldinho was better too.
 

Djcoops54

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Not much though to this but here goes.
Ronaldo
Messi
CR7
Zidane
Ronaldinho
Henry
Iniesta
Scholes
Rooney
Robben

that’s enough, my head is hurting now
 

AltiUn

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Still the previous century. He won the CL in 2002 and not much else. Compared to what Xavi and Iniesta won this century, it is not enough. Think Ronaldinho was better too.
How’s 2000 the previous century?
 

Bepi

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1. Messi
1. Cristiano
3. Buffon
4. Xavi
5. Zidane
6. Ronaldinho
7. Rooney
8. Pirlo
9. Tevez
10. Ramos
11. Del Piero
12. Robben
13. Ribery
14. Modric
15. Henry
16. Neuer
17. Aguero
18. Di Maria
19. Godin
20. Eto’o
 

Treble

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How’s 2000 the previous century?
Not hard to google:

The 21st (twenty-first) century is the current century of the Anno Domini era or Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. It began on January 1, 2001, and will end on December 31, 2100.
 

SharpshooterTom

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Still the previous century. He won the CL in 2002 and not much else. Compared to what Xavi and Iniesta won this century, it is not enough. Think Ronaldinho was better too.
Xavi and Iniesta won what they won because they worked in an excellent system with a world class team, they fed off each other, individually on their own (without the other) I don't think they won games single handedly as much as Zidane or Ronaldinho did. I rank Rivaldo as high as Iniesta or Xavi.

Zidane would be a top 10 overall in the history of the sport.

Most people would regard 2000 as being part of the 00s.
 

Chipper

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How’s 2000 the previous century?
Not my argument but I'm guessing it's the old "there was no year zero" thing that some people go with. Can apply to decades, centuries, millennia. It is actually correct too, the calendar went from 1 BC/BCE to 1 AD/CE.

If year 1 was the first year and a decade is 10 years long then year 10 was the last year of the first decade. That makes year 11 the first year of decade two. Fast forward in time and it applies to every decade, century or millennium, strictly they should all start with a 1 and not a 0.

Still I celebrated the millennium when 1999 became 2000 like most other people because who cares?
 

Fortitude

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Xavi and Iniesta won what they won because they worked in an excellent system with a world class team, they fed off each other, individually on their own (without the other) I don't think they won games single handedly as much as Zidane or Ronaldinho did. I rank Rivaldo as high as Iniesta or Xavi.

Zidane would be a top 10 overall in the history of the sport.

Most people would regard 2000 as being part of the 00s.
Xavi was the system. Everything orbited around him.
 

Gio

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  1. Messi
  2. Cristiano
  3. Xavi
  4. Ronaldinho
  5. Nesta
  6. Iniesta
  7. Henry
  8. Robben
  9. Suarez
  10. Schweinsteiger
  11. Vieira
  12. Pirlo
  13. Kaka
  14. Cannavaro
  15. De Bruyne
  16. Gerrard
  17. Ferdinand
  18. Alves
  19. Ballack
  20. Modric
All born after 1975 to avoid including Zidane, Rivaldo, Nedved and Figo who otherwise would have been ensconced in the top 10 (for me Rivaldo/Zidane around 4th/5th and Figo/Nedved around 8-10th). Luís Ronaldo out too for the reasons in the OP.

Neymar and Hazard will get there but light on big game pedigree to date.


GK
1 - Buffon
2 - Kahn
3 - Neuer
4 - De Gea
5 - Cech
 

Red Stone

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1. Cristiano Ronaldo
1. Messi
3. Xavi
4. Iniesta
5. Ronaldinho
6. Pirlo
7. Zlatan
8. Modric
9. Robben
10. Sergio Ramos
11. Neymar
12. Rooney
13. Busquets
14. Aguero
15. van Nistelrooy
16. Totti
17. Ribery
18. Henry
19. Eto'o
20. Scholes

There are so many more names I want to include :(

Consciously left out GKs. Neuer, Buffon, van der Sar, Casillas and De Gea are the top five of that lot.
 

paraguayo

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Is 2000 EURO part of this century? I'm including it

1-Messi
2-Cristiano
3-Ronaldinho
4-Henry
5-Iniesta
6-Xavi
7-Kaka
8-Ronaldo
9-Zidane
10-Ramos (just out of respect for the 3 UCL in a row)

that's it i'm tired
 

IRELANDUNITED

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Thought of creating this thread after seeing the "of all time" one. I think most of us are better in judging the best players of the past 20 years because many of us haven't seen the likes of Pele, Maradona, Puskas, Beckenbauer, etc.

I just do it off the top of my head, i will probably forget some good ones. And don't forget: Only of this century. So if a player had his peak in the 90s, but not in the 00s, he should not be on the list (or below).

Goalkeepers excluded. Or we even may add a top 5 goalkeepers of this century as well if you like.



1. Messi
2. C. Ronaldo
3. Ronaldinho
4. Ronaldo #9
5. Zidane
6. Robben
7. Xavi
8. Iniesta
9. Lahm
10. Henry
11. Pirlo
12. Kaka
13. Ballack
14. Ribery
15. Rooney
16. Ibrahimovic
17. Totti
18. Shevchenko
19. Roberto Carlos
20. Nedved


Well this was hard, and this list is probably shit. :lol:


GKs

1. Kahn
2. Buffon
3. Neuer
4. Schmeichel
5. Casillas

Roberto Carlos wasn't that good, Cafu was much better. Batistuta, Scholes and Keane should be in there also imo
 

NoPace

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Positional diversity, so I've gone for 20 outfield players, 2 per spot:

Cristiano (Ronaldinho)--Suarez(Henry)---Messi (Robben)
----------------Iniesta (Zidane)------Xavi-(Modric)-----------------
-------------------------Busquets(Pirlo)-----------------------------
Evra(Marcelo)----Nesta(Ferdinand)-Godin(Ramos)----Alves(Lahm)

For my top 20 I'd drop both left backs and Rio and add in Kaka, Neymar and spot 20 is a fight between Zlatan, Ribery, E'too, Pique, Rio and Makelele.

Zlatan's a weird one. If you pick just league football he probably sneaks into the top 5 but for CL football you'd prefer E'too or Ribery, so not sure how to decide between them.
 

Fortitude

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  1. Messi
  2. Cristiano
  3. Xavi
  4. Ronaldinho
  5. Nesta
  6. Iniesta
  7. Henry
  8. Robben
  9. Suarez
  10. Schweinsteiger
  11. Vieira
  12. Pirlo
  13. Kaka
  14. Cannavaro
  15. De Bruyne
  16. Gerrard
  17. Ferdinand
  18. Alves
  19. Ballack
  20. Modric
All born after 1975 to avoid including Zidane, Rivaldo, Nedved and Figo who otherwise would have been ensconced in the top 10 (for me Rivaldo/Zidane around 4th/5th and Figo/Nedved around 8-10th). Luís Ronaldo out too for the reasons in the OP.

Neymar and Hazard will get there but light on big game pedigree to date.


GK
1 - Buffon
2 - Kahn
3 - Neuer
4 - De Gea
5 - Cech
Eto'oooooooo?

Schweini, I can't believe I forgot! I think United has me wiping him from my first thoughts.
 

Enigma_87

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  1. Messi
  2. Cristiano
  3. Xavi
  4. Ronaldinho
  5. Iniesta
  6. Henry
  7. Zidane
  8. L. Ronaldo
  9. Figo
  10. Kaka
  11. Nesta
  12. Nedved
  13. Shevchenko
  14. Robben
  15. L. Suarez
  16. Zanetti
  17. Rooney
  18. Villa
  19. Rio
  20. Lahm
 

Gio

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Eto'oooooooo?

Schweini, I can't believe I forgot! I think United has me wiping him from my first thoughts.
I've probably got a bias to midfielders in my list, whereas most other folk are loading up on attackers. I only had two centre-forwards on there in Henry and Saurez, both of whom were in my eyes a level above the majority of other top strikers with their ability to create as well as plunder goals. Eto'o's Champions League credentials comfortably place him in the top 10, and his big-game pedigree is rare amongst strikers of the last two decades - which is why you probably rate him so highly. But I don't believe he had the domestic consistency of Henry/Saurez, nor arguably the likes of Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Aguero, Lewandowski, etc, who are guys he trumps at the business end of the season. There was a streakiness about his finishing at times which is why I'd put him 3rd-4th highest ranked centre-forward in the era. Similarly Shevchenko was unlucky not to make my list, but I reasoned that off with his best years spanning the late 1990s as well as the early 2000s.
 

Bole Top

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Is he really better than Suarez?
but this isn't between Eto'o and Suarez, especially since you could say the same for Suarez as well. I feel he was simply more influental for his teams in Europe and for his NT than some of the players that get mentioned here almost by default. for example, he's comfortably above Zlatan in my eyes. I would also put him above the players like Totti and Shevchenko, let alone Neymar, Hazard or RVP.
 

Vault Dweller

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1. CR7
2. Messi
3. Ronaldinho
4. Zidane
5. Xavi
6. Rooney
7. Iniesta
8. Henry
9. Zlatan
10. Scholes
11. Beckham
12. Pirlo
13. Kaka
14. Giggs
15. Keane
16. Bastian
17. Rio
18. Lampard
19. Gerrard
20. Crespo
 

Enigma_87

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These rankings always tend to have a bias against PL footballers.

I love Ballack but he makes the cut over Lampard? I don’t think so.
I'd comfortably rate Ballack ahead of Lampard.

Ballack was one of the best players at the 02 WC and generally had a solid 06 WC too. His international career ranks a lot higher compared to Lampard's. Also his feats at Leverkusen and Bayern were when he was at his peak and to me he's has shown more then too..

Naturally Lampard is the better player when it comes to purely comparing PL alone, but Ballack was over the hill then.
 

Fortitude

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I've probably got a bias to midfielders in my list, whereas most other folk are loading up on attackers. I only had two centre-forwards on there in Henry and Saurez, both of whom were in my eyes a level above the majority of other top strikers with their ability to create as well as plunder goals. Eto'o's Champions League credentials comfortably place him in the top 10, and his big-game pedigree is rare amongst strikers of the last two decades - which is why you probably rate him so highly. But I don't believe he had the domestic consistency of Henry/Saurez, nor arguably the likes of Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Aguero, Lewandowski, etc, who are guys he trumps at the business end of the season. There was a streakiness about his finishing at times which is why I'd put him 3rd-4th highest ranked centre-forward in the era. Similarly Shevchenko was unlucky not to make my list, but I reasoned that off with his best years spanning the late 1990s as well as the early 2000s.
Interesting. Came up huge for two clubs, one independent of peak Ronaldinho and shone at a time (age) and in a position few thought he would. At the least, that should assure him place, before his big game pedigree etc. is factored in?

Will be honest, didn't put much thought into this, which is why, in hindsight, I would probably switch a few out and put others in (like Ballack), but yeah, it is a tough exercise because of the decade crossover for a lot of players, plus a lot of players reaching a mean average in their banding compared to the shoo-ins in the top 5-10.
 

OutlawGER

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I'd comfortably rate Ballack ahead of Lampard.

Ballack was one of the best players at the 02 WC and generally had a solid 06 WC too. His international career ranks a lot higher compared to Lampard's. Also his feats at Leverkusen and Bayern were when he was at his peak and to me he's has shown more then too..

Naturally Lampard is the better player when it comes to purely comparing PL alone, but Ballack was over the hill then.
100% agree. Just want to add that Ballack had to change his role at Chelsea (because of Lampard) too. Ballack was more of a CAM/10 before he joined Chelsea and was in Germany known as the most dangerous goal scoring midfielder in the world. He especially scored many many important 1:0's. For Chelsea he played as a defensive midfielder. Obviously that also took away some of his strenghts.
 

Gio

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100% agree. Just want to add that Ballack had to change his role at Chelsea (because of Lampard) too. Ballack was more of a CAM/10 before he joined Chelsea and was in Germany known as the most dangerous goal scoring midfielder in the world. He especially scored many many important 1:0's. For Chelsea he played as a defensive midfielder. Obviously that also took away some of his strenghts.
He probably deserves some extra credit for being able to adapt his game to free up Lampard and show a level of self-sacrifice and positional discipline that neither of the top two English box-to-box midfielders of the same generation displayed.
 

OutlawGER

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He probably deserves some extra credit for being able to adapt his game to free up Lampard and show a level of self-sacrifice and positional discipline that neither of the top two English box-to-box midfielders of the same generation displayed.
And not even to mention that Ballack just turned 30 when he arrived in London. And without that horrible Boateng foul his career could have been even better.

Together with Lahm, Ballack has been the best german player of this century and because of his big losses (especially 2002 and 2008) his career is really underrated, even in Germany.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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Xavi was the system. Everything orbited around him.
This is true, Spain without Xavi have underwhelmed since he retired, like they're trying to replicate tika-taka but don't know how. Game against Russia at the last World Cup was a typical example, Xavi would have passed with much greater purpose. Barcelona's midfield has also been much inferior in the CL since Xavi left, they haven't won one since despite Messi being in top form, as they can't dominate in the same way any more. Obviously these are not entirely down to Xavi but it's no coincidence since he was the best game-runner of the modern era.