The greatest footballers of 2000s ranked by fans | OneFootball

Highlights

The 2000s were full of legendary players and European football was the centrepiece to the brilliance on show week in week out. The likes of Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry were at the peak of their powers and showcasing their unbelievable talent on the world stage.

Later on in the decade, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo emerged on the scene to strut their stuff, while beginning their path to football domination, which is now slowly fading out. Now that the aforementioned two have now vacated the European scene, the baton has been passed onto Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland as their rivalry is the latest to unravel in football, with them poised to become the next duo set to take football to new heights.

Of course if you’re old enough to remember when baggy, long sleeve shirts were commonplace, then you’ll be well aware of the brilliance oozing out of this list. For those that don’t, well, there’s always YouTube.

But who were the greatest players of the noughties? If only there was a way for fans to vote. Oh wait, there is! Football fans over on Ranker have voted for the very best of the decade. Check out the top 18 below...

18 Iker Casillas

A truly legendary goalkeeper who won everything there was to win at Real Madrid and with Spain. Now working as Vice Chairman for Los Blancos, his love for the sport is clearly not fading – and why would it?! He managed to win everything there was to win during his heyday, not least the World Cup. Having racked up the club’s second-greatest number of appearances, there’s no doubt he’ll be long remembered as one of their best-ever players, which is not all so typical for someone in his position. Ever so dominant throughout this decade, he thoroughly deserves a spot on this list, and is still regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers to ever play the sport.

17 Francesco Totti

Roma’s one-club phenomenon picked up 307 goals in 786 games and was an adored figure around the Italian capital, despite leading his side to just one Serie A title. Also a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, there was no stone left unturned in the Italian’s career – apart from a Champions League medal, of course. The nature of his dedication towards a club that often struggled to match the success of his rivals is very hard to come by in the current era of football and given that many top European clubs would’ve shown their interest over the years, to stay put and rack up such a healthy number of goals and games for your boyhood club is what dreams are made of.

16 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The charismatic Swede had a remarkable career plying his trade at the highest possible level, which saw him score over 550 goals for club and country. Before pulling the curtains on his glittering career, the journeyman played for a host of top tier sides including Barcelona, Manchester United and both clubs based in Milan. Best known for his acrobatic knack when scoring goals, his highlights reel is a joy to watch. What’s most interesting about the former talisman is his self-indulging personality. Make no mistake, Zlatan’s talent was special and maybe that’s why he believes he’s the greatest footballer to ever live.

15 Alessandro Nesta

Nesta was a colossal defender who was excellent at the back for most of the decade, helping AC Milan win 10 trophies while at the San Siro. The 78-cap Italy international was, somewhat, overshadowed by his partner in crime Paolo Maldini but real football fans will be able to comprehend his importance to Milan in a time when they were a dominant force at the pinnacle of football: the Champions League. He became a two-time winner of the trophy during his career and given he was one half of the most feared central defensive partnership in mankind, the imperious defender has every right to be on this list.

14 Dennis Bergkamp

Is Bergkamp the most technically gifted footballer in Premier League history? He's up there, that's for sure. The defter part of Arsenal’s iconic striker partnership alongside Thierry Henry, his goal against Newcastle United was a staple piece of his toolkit and proved his goalscoring ability in abundance. Bergkamp is one of those players that blissfully slots into the ‘criminally underrated’ category and has the brilliance of Henry to thank for that. Also a key part of the Netherlands' concept of Total Voetbal – pioneered by the great Rinus Michels – Bergkamp’s ability to connect the dots with the ball at his feet cannot be overlooked. Even Geoff Shreeves admitted that the Dutchman is the best player to ever play in the topflight with his two-minute loving admission going viral back in August.

13 Kaka

The Brazilian was playing at an extraordinary level at AC Milan. Only the sport’s greatest players can claim that they were the best in the world at one point. Kaka can as he gleefully looks at the 2007 Ballon d'Or in his trophy-ladened trophy cabinet. A player well worthy of his place on this list, his assist for Andriy Shevchenko against Liverpool in the iconic 2005 Champions League will remain etched into the competition’s lore for just how sublime it was – an expertly-placed, line-splitting pass to his forward is a true showing of the midfielder’s capabilities to spark life into what seemed a dormant situation.

12 Andrea Pirlo

The personification of elegance – he just made football look so, so easy. A dying breed of midfielders, the graceful Italian's knack of orchestrating the tempo of the game and picking out passes Paul Scholes would be in awe at was second to none. Hailed for his visionary passing range and exemplar attitude, Pirlo was one of the key figures in AC Milan’s glory years as a football entity. He was a maestro, a perfect professional if you will, and encompassed everything a central midfielder should strive to be. A player that elicits nothing but jealousy from other players because of just how effortlessly untouchable he was.

11 Roberto Carlos

Carlos will always be remembered as a remarkable left-back who could take a lethal free kick. But that wasn’t all. Winning much of what the sport has to offer, the Brazilian gem was as well-rounded as they came, running up the flank like it was going out of fashion while ensuring his defensive duties were well-fulfilled. Thanks to his tree trunk-like legs, he packed enough power to defy the laws of physics, which was perfectly illustrated by his free kick against France, one that left ex-Manchester United stopper Fabien Barthez wondering what day it was. Many have tried to recreate what he did that day, including Carlos himself last year.

10 Gianluigi Buffon

Just when many thought Buffon would continue playing until he was physically unable to, the Italian legend – at the age of 45 – decided to call time on his career – and what a career it was at that. Buffon enjoyed a 28-year career and his most notable spell came for Juventus between 2001 and 2008, before he enjoyed a sensational second stint from 2019 to 2021. A mainstay between the sticks for the Old Lady during both spells, he managed to rack up a whopping 685 appearances, which contributes to his mind-blowing 970 games in net overall. A goalkeeping great held in the highest regard, we hope you’re enjoying your well-earned days in retirement, Gianluigi!

9 Xavi Hernandez

Xavi just falls behind his midfield partner at Barcelona, Iniesta, but truthfully, either part of the double act could stake their own case for being Barcelona’s greatest-ever midfielder. It’s all about personal preference, we guess. They formed an extraordinary duo for the Catalan giants and led them to a plethora of honours across their years of lining up alongside each other. To this day, they are both widely considered to be two of the greatest La Masia products ever. Lifting an eye-catching 32 trophies during his 875-game career with Barça, Xavi's high footballing IQ can certainly be put down as one of the very best. When compared to his positional peers over the years, there’s no doubt that his technique, vision and overall ability to dictate the tempo sits him on a perch high up.

8 Paolo Maldini

Maldini enjoyed an extraordinary career that saw him still excelling for AC Milan in his 40s. Known as a ‘true’ defender, the one-club man walked so the likes of Sergio Ramos and Virgil van Dijk could run. Deployed either at left back or more centrally during his playing days, his versatility made him such a key player for both club and country as he lapped up countless honours. A defender so good at doing his job that tackling wasn’t even a viable option.

7 Andres Iniesta

It really does come as a surprise that Iniesta never won a Ballon d'Or – perhaps he has a certain former teammate to blame for that, however. A remarkable footballer that embodies the La Masia ways, he became one of the most technically outstanding midfielders the sport has ever witnessed. Able to be impactful in the final third, too, Iniesta proved his worth by netting Spain’s World Cup-winning goal in 2010. But that was just one of a handful of moments as to why the small-statured composer can consider himself a true footballing great and not just in the La Liga.

6 Thierry Henry

The enigmatic Frenchman was perhaps the greatest player in ever grace the Premier League. He was a vital part in aiding Arsenal to their famous invincible season in 2003/04 and just an all-round cult hero of the club, who was dedicated to the cause for eight years before joining Barcelona. More than just a potent threat from a goalscoring standpoint, Henry was deceivingly quick, and his dribbling ability was like that of a winger – perhaps because he spent some of his career terrorising right-backs. A truly magnificent player at every club that had the pleasure of homing the footballing great, it’s no surprise to see him held in such high esteem by fans across the globe.

5 Cristiano Ronaldo

Ronaldo had emerged into one of the world's best players at the end of the 2000s, winning his first Ballon d'Or trophy in 2008. Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer has been battling it out with Lionel Messi for the last two decades as football fans and pundits alike decipher which abnormally good footballer is the undisputed GOAT. Many will say Messi, but the maths experts think Ronaldo. Will we ever know who's the best? While it will forever remain largely up for discussion, he has – throughout the entirety of his wonderful time on the pitch – given football fans so, so much joy. Now plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, he became a rightful trailblazer for a long line of footballers who travelled to the Middle East since.

4 Zinedine Zidane

Zidane ended his career on a sour note after his infamous red card in the 2006 World Cup, but that shouldn't take away from what a sensational midfielder he was. The large-statured Frenchman could glide – almost like he was on ice - with such poise and elegance of someone of a more diminutive size, and he treated the ball like it was his prized possession. His goal against Bayer Leverkusen – we urge you to look it up if you’re sat scratching your head – was quite simply an incredible feat, but it is those moments that set him apart from the rest. What a footballer.

3 Ronaldo Nazario

Despite suffering two serious knee injuries, Ronaldo – more commonly nicknamed R9 – was no doubt one of the most technically gifted footballers the world had ever seen. Able to pick apart a stubborn defence with ease, it really is a shame that injuries kept him out of so many games, marring a career that could’ve reached unrivalled levels. Typically categorized among football’s very best – namely Pele and Diego Maradona – Ronaldo had an aura that set him head and shoulders above the rest. A simply sublime player, and his moniker ‘R9’ is a fitting name for such a prolific player.

2 Lionel Messi

Messi has been voted the 2nd greatest player of the 2000s, despite only being 13 at the turn of the millennium. No doubt that he and his lifelong foe Ronaldo are the greatest players of the following decade and, the way he's going, he could be the greatest player of the 2020s too. The pint-sized magician ticked off the final achievement left as he stormed his nation, Argentina, to 2022 World Cup glory in Qatar. His ability to weave in and out of defenders, essentially leaving them in the dust like mere bystanders, and sparking a moment of magic out of nothing are key parts of his game. Oh, and we almost forgot, he has seven Ballon d’Or’s to his name.

1 Ronaldinho

It seems as if football fans have discounted the usual parameters of goals and assists and have instead purely based their votes off how players looked when they played. And in the case of Ronaldinho, the word ‘freakish’ springs to mind. A truly unique footballer, R10 could do things with a football that people can only dream of. The time enjoyed at his peak was – perhaps – shorter than most, but you cannot deny that he was truly unstoppable at his at the height of his playing days. The silky feet. The boots. The audacity. His showreel highlights is the stuff of legend, as are his five most important goals.