Ranking the 100 greatest footballers of the decade (2010-2019) | OneFootball

From Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi scoring every 10 seconds, Leicester City winning the Premier League and France becoming world champions, there was no shortage of memories in the last decade of football. The year 2010 kicked off with Inter Milan winning the Champions League and Spain capturing their first World Cup. These are two things that have not happened since.

The best football moments from the 2010s

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And here at GIVEMESPORT, we've been reminiscing on the years between 2010 and 2019, selecting everything from the most exciting games, finest teams, greatest goals, and even the best-looking kits. But we've now taken on our toughest and most important retrospective: counting down the top 100 footballers of the decade.

The decade in question saw some of the greatest football players in the entire history of the game, with two players, in particular, being in the conversation for being the greatest footballer ever. As you can imagine, picking the candidates and ranking them all wasn't easy, with football being a game full of differing opinions, but we have given it our best shot and think the results are quite solid.

With all that being said, join us in celebrating a remarkable decade of the 'beautiful game' by viewing and disputing our final list.

Considering Vardy started the decade as a non-league footballer, his rise to a Premier League champion and appearance-maker in the 2018 World Cup is simply staggering. His highest goal-scoring season came during Leicester's title-winning campaign in 2015/16, as he netted on 24 occasions in the league. His relationship on the pitch with Riyad Mahrez was vital to Claudio Ranieri's men securing the historic honour.

The English striker continued to impress for the remainder of the decade as he scored 51 Premier League goals in the following three seasons combined and started the 19/20 season in red-hot form - setting himself on his way to a 23-goal campaign. Vardy will forever be remembered as a Leicester City icon for his contributions to giving the fans a league title as well as Champions League football.

99 Keylor Navas

Navas hit headlines around the world with his stunning performance for Costa Rica at the 2014 World Cup with some unbelievable displays along the way as his nation defied all odds and reached the quarter-finals after topping a group that included England, Italy, and Uruguay.

These performances earned the shot-stopper a move to La Liga giants, Real Madrid, from Levante. The majority of his time spent at the Santiago Bernabéu saw Navas being underrated and largely underappreciated. Thibaut Courtois arrived from Chelsea to provide competition to the Costa Rica international and eventually took his place completely. Navas ended the decade by joining Ligue 1 side PSG to continue competing at the top level.

98 Fernando Torres

We only saw glimpses of a prime Torres during the decade, although he still scored over 90 goals after 2009, but the Spanish striker earned his place with a stunning trophy cabinet. Torres held the World Cup, European Championship, Europa League, and Champions League titles simultaneously in 2013 and won the Golden Boot at Euro 2012.

An ill-fated £50 million move from Liverpool to Chelsea in January 2011 was expected to be the final piece in the puzzle for the Blues as they chased more domestic success as well as a first Champions League title in the club's history. That plan did play out perfectly - with the Spaniard suffering from the number nine curse at Chelsea - as Torres and co lifted the biggest European trophy on the planet in 2012 after beating Bayern Munich in their own backyard. The Spaniard's contributions weren't quite as drastic as hoped, but he did seal the club's place in the final with a brilliantly taken goal at the Nou Camp in the semi-final.

97 James Rodriguez

How could we leave out a World Cup Golden Boot winner? Rodriguez became an instant superstar when he scored six times - including THAT volley against Uruguay - in the summer of 2014. The Colombian truly announced himself to the world of football during the tournament in Brazil, scoring six times as his country reached the quarter-finals. Rodriguez's ridiculous displays at the World Cup in 2014 were meant to be the start of a special career.

A big-money move to Real Madrid was sealed after taking the World Cup by storm, with massive expectations placed upon his shoulders to provide chances for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Things fizzled out towards the end of the decade in all honesty, but you can't ignore 37 goals and two Champions League titles with Real Madrid as well as decent spells at AS Monaco and Bayern Munich.

96 Rio Ferdinand

Ferdinand might have hung up his boots in 2015 after a terrible season with Queens Park Rangers, but he entered the decade as one of the best defenders on the planet. Had this list been based on the decade prior, he would have ranked a lot higher as Ferdinand was one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history as well as one of Manchester United's greatest players ever when at the peak of his powers.

Scoring in Sir Alex Ferguson's final game as Man United boss, the centre-back effectively brought his career at the top level to a close in a fitting way before embarking on two further underwhelming campaigns including the aforementioned year at Loftus Road. The Englishman squeezes his way onto the list after some world-class displays during the 2011 and 2013 Premier League title wins alongside another player who will feature further down...

95 Marco Reus

Now a bona fide Borussia Dortmund legend, Reus would be much higher on the list - as well as in possession of a World Cup winners' medal - if it wasn't for a series of heartbreaking injuries. There was a point where any club in world football would jump at the chance to lure the German away from Borussia Dortmund, but the injuries and Reus' loyalty to his club prevented this from materialising.

But despite being one of the most injury-prone players of the decade, the 30-year-old scored over 120 goals from midfield at Dortmund and was named Bundesliga Player of the Season three times within the years in question. The transition from a lightning-quick winger into a creative attacking midfielder was a huge testament to the technical ability the Dortmund hero possesses.

94 Mario Mandzukic

One of the most underrated strikers of the modern era and a man who was prolific everywhere he went: Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, and his nation, Croatia. The revered target man also had the distinction of scoring in two Champions League finals and the second of which - a bicycle against Real Madrid - will be replayed for decades to come.

In terms of team honours, the striker won four Serie A titles, two Bundesliga titles, and a Champions League trophy with Bayern Munich in 2013. Croatia were a breath of fresh air at the 2018 World Cup in Russia as they got all the way to the final before being beaten by France. Mandzukic led the line admirably throughout the competition and even scored in the final defeat.

93 Branislav Ivanovic

The Chelsea legend is arguably the Premier League's best right-back of the last 10 years, as well as a defender who always had an eye for goal, finding the net 34 times for the Blues. Not only was the Serbian an always reliable option at full-back but he could also slot seamlessly into centre-back. For a more modern comparison, see Joe Gomez at Liverpool.

Ivanovic won it all during the 2010s, finishing the decade with a Champions League title, Europa League crown, two Premier League trophies, two FA Cups, and a League Cup. He is often overlooked by many when discussing the best defenders in Premier League history, but we believe there is a genuine debate for him to at least be the backup right-back in an all-time Premier League XI.

92 Roberto Firmino

Look at Firmino's goal-scoring record, and you might be underwhelmed, but you know what the Liverpool man is all about if you've ever seen him play. 'Complete' doesn't even do him justice. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané will be the first people to explain the quality of the Brazilian during his Anfield tenure. Firmino's selfless nature and tireless work ethic were the epitome of Jurgen Klopp's successful Liverpool side.

His importance to the Reds winning the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup can't be articulated, and he even bagged the Copa América for good measure. The 2017/18 season was the most prosperous in front of goal for the former Hoffenheim man, as he found the net 15 times in the Premier League as well as 10 in the Champions League.

91 Andrea Barzagli

If it wasn't for their impermeable defender, Juventus would never have dominated Italian football this decade and Barzagli has played a massive role in that monopoly. The forever underrated centre-back won everything in the domestic game, it's just a shame that two Champions League final losses and a silver medal at Euro 2012 came in tandem.

For club and country, the defender spent a lot of his time flanked by both Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini in a back five. He is the least talked about member of the Italian trio, but this can't take away from his impact on the teams he played for. Barzagli called time on his career in 2019 after spending eight years with the Old Lady.

90 Ashley Cole

When you consider Cole was the best left-back in the world at the turn of 2010, it seems harsh that the Premier League legend barely made it into our top 100. However, we never saw the best of him again by the time Jose Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge and three years of world-class displays isn't enough to push him any higher.

Playing on the opposite side of the Chelsea back line to Ivanovic, Cole was still a great player in the opening years of the decade. His displays were not only defensively solid, but the Englishman was a real threat going forward. Cole's time with Roma and LA Galaxy have to be factored into the decision as those spells were very underwhelming, to say the least.

89 Maicon

From the best left-back in 2010 to the best right-back. Maicon was one of Inter's star performers during their Champions League triumph and scored a stunning goal from an almost impossible angle in that year's World Cup. To have been ahead of Dani Alves in the pecking order for the national side goes a long way to prove the talents of the full-back.

Like Cole, though, we had seen the best of Maicon by the time 2013 rolled around, and it was clear that father time was catching up with him when Gareth Bale turned him inside-out. A move from Inter Milan to Manchester City in 2012 was expected to be the fresh start his career needed, but instead, Maicon struggled with the overall pace of the Premier League and only lasted one season before heading back to Italy.

88 Jan Oblak

Oblak is revered by many as the best goalkeeper in the business and boasts an astonishing clean sheet record at Atletico Madrid with four consecutive La Liga Zamora Trophy wins. There were even times through the decade when the Slovenian was regarded as the best in the business, and to do so with the likes of Manuel Neuer and Gianluigi Buffon still on the go is impressive, to say the least.

Chuck in Europa League and UEFA Super Cup triumphs, and you have yourself a goalkeeper who seems destined to finish even higher when 2020s lists are penned in the future. By the time 2019 rolled around, Oblak was only 26 years old, meaning he still has plenty to give in the next decade of football.

87 Miroslav Klose

Klose reminded us all that age is just a number with four goals at the 2010 World Cup and then a further two strikes at Brazil in 2014 to make himself the competition's record goalscorer. However, the German did more than impress at the World Cup and produced some of the most prolific seasons of his career - scoring 63 times in 170 Lazio games - during the 2010s.

He would also have a very big shout for being included in a list for the prior decade (2000-2009), as his career spanned across both. He only played until 2016 as he decided to hang up his boots at the age of 38 which means he could have made it higher on this list had he played through all the years. His World Cup win with Germany in 2014 is the biggest accomplishment on his CV, and it came within the decade in question.

86 Danielle de Rossi

The fact De Rossi didn't win a single major honour this decade is an absolute travesty, but we're talking about a midfielder who doesn't need silverware to express his quality. The midfielder was just as good on the ball as he was off it, with an ability to throw in strong challenges when needed, but also knowing when to get his foot on the ball and dictate the tempo of a game.

De Rossi dominated midfielders many years his junior across 277 outings for AS Roma post-2010 and was picked in the UEFA Team of the Tournament during Italy's agonising Euro 2012 run. It would have been the icing on the cake of a marvellous career for De Rossi to have lifted a trophy with his country in the 2010s.

85 Didier Drogba

Starting the decade with the Premier League title and the Golden Boot after scoring 29 goals was pretty good going, but adding the Champions League to his collection two years later was even sweeter. Didier Drogba's first spell at Stamford Bridge drew to a close with a winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final after keeping his side's hopes alive during the 90 minutes with a last-minute header.

That inspired performance in Munich is enough to warrant Drogba's inclusion alone, even if he did fall off the radar with spells at Galatasaray and Montreal Impact before his retirement. Among that, the Ivorian did return to Chelsea as a hero, but his age didn't allow him to hit the heights he previously had done in a blue shirt.

84 Alisson Becker

Liverpool's number one won everything under the sun in 2019: Copa America, Champions League, FIFA Club World, Golden Glove, Yachine Award and FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year. He also had a good start to the 2019/20 season which would eventually culminate in the Reds' first Premier League title ever.

He may not have been a prominent name until the second half of the decade, but the Brazilian was impressing before his time at Anfield as he reached the semi-final of the Champions League in the 2017/18 season - with this being the campaign he was given wider recognition - before being beaten by his future employers, Liverpool, the following season. Alisson quickly climbed the ranks to become recognised as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

83 Samuel Eto’o

Barcelona were left kicking themselves for ever selling Eto’o - to bring in Zlatan Ibrahimovic - when he helped inspire Inter Milan to Champions League glory and scored 53 goals in just 102 appearances during his time in Italy.

The forward came back to haunt his former side as Inter knocked Barça out of the competition at the semi-final stage.

Then, after a bizarre transfer to Anzhi Makhachkala, we got to see one final world-class season from the Cameroonian as he notched 12 goals in the Premier League with Chelsea. He knew time was catching up to him during his time with the West London club as he even made famous an 'old man' celebration. Eto'o ended the decade by retiring from the game after having spells in Turkey and Qatar.

82 Romelu Lukaku

Does this mean Lukaku is better than Eto'o? By no means at all, but Lukaku has been more consistent over the decade in question and bagged over 100 Premier League goals for proof. Age of course helps that cause as the prime of the Belgian's career fell right in the middle of the years being taken into consideration while his former Chelsea colleague was hitting the last stretch of his playing days at the same time.

Over 50 goals for Belgium before his 27th birthday was a very impressive statistic to achieve as well as scoring bucket loads of goals for Everton, Manchester United and Inter Milan. Goodison Park is where he made a real name for himself after being overlooked at a young age at Chelsea. The clinical forward found the net 87 times for the Toffees across a loan spell in 2013/14 and then three years as a permanent Everton player. He finished the decade as one of the players with the highest combined transfer fees, showing many clubs appreciated his talents.

81 Antonio Di Natale

Imagine scoring more Serie A goals than any other striker this decade when you were playing for a club that qualified for the Europa League at best. Insane. At the turn of 2010, Di Natale was already in his thirties, but still managed to score more than 20 goals in five seasons and reached the Serie A Team of the Year three times in a row. In truth, Udinese have never been able to replace the goals and leadership of the Italian since his retirement.

It was rather remarkable that Di Natale didn't often feature in the plans of the national team managers throughout his career, although he did play a part in the Euro 2012 campaign that saw the Italians finish second. After gaining a reputation for being a talismanic figure at club level who loved to score goals, the Azzuri may have benefitted from using his services more effectively.