The best footballers of the 00s
Ranking the finest players on the planet during the first decade of the 21st century
From remarkable league campaigns to memorable international tournaments, the 00s were another great football decade.
The first decade of the 21st century was also teeming with great players – truly extraordinary players, even.
Here, FourFourTwo counts down the best of them...
32. Pavel Nedved
A Serie A champion with Lazio and Juventus in the early 00s, Pavel Nedved goes down as one of the finest Czech players of all time.
Ballon d’Or winner ahead of Thierry Henry and Paolo Maldini in 2003, Nedved – who helped his country to the Euro 2004 semi-finals – was a complete midfielder, excelling in a variety of roles.
31. Paul Scholes
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes spent his entire career at Old Trafford, winning a mountain of major trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Scholes’ extensive haul of silverware included no fewer than 12 Premier League titles – half of which came between 2000 and 2009, a period which saw him firmly establish himself among the world’s best midfielders.
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30. Francesco Totti
Another iconic one-club man, Francesco Totti is the greatest player in Roma’s history, making a total of 786 appearances for the Giallorossi.
The wonderfully versatile Italian attacker won all of his career team honours during the 00s, most notably the 2000/01 Scudetto and the 2006 World Cup – where he registered the most assists in the tournament.
29. Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba joined Chelsea from Marseille in 2004, and he went on to become the first African player to score 100 Premier League goals, winning the 2006/07 and 2009/10 Golden Boots.
A member of the Blues side which ended the club’s 50-year wait for a top-flight title in 2004/05 under Jose Mourinho, Drogba inspired the Ivory Coast to qualification for their first ever World Cup in 2006.
28. Ashley Cole
One of the best left-backs of all time, Ashley Cole enjoyed immense success with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in the early 00s, starring in their 2001/02 double-winning season and 2003/04 Invincibles campaign.
The England international – who featured at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, and Euro 2004 – joined Chelsea in 2006 – and the silverware just kept coming.
27. Samuel Eto'o
Having failed to break through at Real Madrid, Samuel Eto’o joined Real Mallorca in 2000 and was soon banging in the goals – prompting Barcelona to sign him for €24m in 2004.
And the Cameroon legend went from strength to strength at Barca, racking up 130 goals in 199 appearances over the next five years – and going out on a high by winning the treble under Pep Guardiola in 2008/09.
26. Patrick Vieira
Famously feisty but also technically tremendous, Patrick Vieira is right up there with the greatest midfielders ever to grace the Premier League.
Captain of Arsene Wenger’s history-making Arsenal Invincibles of 2003/04, Vieira began the 00s by helping France to victory at Euro 2000 – before being named Premier League Player of the Season for 2000/01.
25. Nemanja Vidic
Hardly a household name when he joined Manchester United from Spartak Moscow in 2006, it didn’t take long for Nemanja Matic to mark himself out as one of the most formidable centre-backs around.
A two-time Premier League Player of the Season winner – scooping the first of those awards in 2008/09 – the Serbian great starred as United lifted three straight English titles between 2007 and 2009, as well as the 2007/08 Champions League.
24. Ruud van Nistelrooy
Few 21st-century strikers have been as devastatingly clinical within the confines of the 18-yard box as Ruud van Nistelrooy – who scored 149 of his 150 Manchester United goals from inside the area.
A 2002/03 Premier League champion and Golden Boot winner, Van Nistelrooy left United for Real Madrid in 2006 – and the goals continued to flow freely. As we said: clinical.
23. Rio Ferdinand
Rightly or wrongly, English centre-halves had often been seen as somewhat unrefined until Rio Ferdinand came along. Distinctly ‘continental’ in his style of play, Ferdinand changed things.
Signed from Leeds for almost £30m in 2002 – a deal which made him the most expensive British player ever – Ferdinand helped Manchester United to four Premier League titles and the Champions League before the end of the 00s.
22. David Beckham
One of the most instantly recognisable sportspeople of the era, David Beckham starred for Manchester United, Real Madrid and England over the course of the 00s.
The Premier League’s leading assist provider in 2000/01, Beckham’s best moments of the decade came on the international stage – and there were none more notable than his 93rd-minute free-kick equaliser against Greece to clinch 2002 World Cup qualification.
21. John Terry
Chelsea’s greatest defender of all time and one of the best in Premier League history, John Terry was a rock at the back all through the 00s, winning two Premier League titles and two FA Cups (and scoring a decent amount of goals for a centre-back).
At the 2006 World Cup, where England went out in the quarter-finals to Germany, Terry was the only Three Lions player to be included in the team of the tournament.
20. Andriy Shevchenko
Signed after some red-hot goalscoring form for Dynamo Kyiv in the late 90s, [?] Andriy Shevchenko quickly became a legend at AC Milan – for whom he bagged 173 goals until leaving for Chelsea in 2006.
A 2002/03 European champion and the 2004 Ballon d’Or winner, Ukraine’s best ever player enjoyed the best goalscoring season of his Milan career as he netted 34 times across the 2000/01 campaign.
19. Alessandro Nesta
Having risen to prominence at Lazio – who he helped to the 1999/2000 Serie A title – iconic Italian centre-back Alessandro Nesta joined AC Milan in 2002.
There, he would go on to cement his legend, winning every major trophy on offer – while also lifting the 2006 World Cup with the Azzurri (although injury kept him out of the knockout stages).
18. Frank Lampard
One of the great Premier League midfielders, Frank Lampard got into double figures for goals in ten straight league campaigns for Chelsea, beginning in 2003/04.
The following season, the England star scored the goals which clinched the Blues their first top-flight crown for half a century, as well as providing the most assists in the division and winning the prestigious FWA Footballer of the Year award.
17. Steven Gerrard
Frank Lampard’s elite contemporary – and his international midfield partner – Steven Gerrard became renowned for pulling Liverpool out of the mire with inspirational captain’s performances throughout the 00s.
Of course, none were more significant than his contribution to the Miracle of Istanbul, as Rafael Benitez’s Reds fought back from 3-0 down at half-time to beat AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final.
16. Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon played for almost 30 years, racking up over 1,100 career appearances – and his best years were the 00s, when he became a legend at Juventus and lifted the 2006 World Cup with Italy.
The most expensive goalkeeper of all time when he joined Juve from Parma in 2001, Buffon came second in the 2006 Ballon d’Or and won Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year seven times during the decade.
15. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
A formidable centre-forward and a formidable character, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored freely wherever he went, firing Ajax and Inter Milan to multiple league titles between 2002 and 2009.
The Swedish icon was nominated for the Ballon d’Or six times over the course of the 00s, and found the net at Euro 2004 (with the goal of the tournament, an audacious backheeled lob) and Euro 2008.
14. Kaka
Belonging to a select group of players to win the World Cup, Champions League and Ballon d’Or, Kaka was at the peak of his powers during his time at AC Milan from 2003 to 2009.
A 2002 world champion with Brazil, Kaka dazzled with his dribbling ability and defence-splitting passes – among numerous attributes which earned him the 2007 Ballon d’Or ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
13. Fabio Cannavaro
Captain fantastic and a rock at the back as Italy marched to glory at the 2006 World Cup, Fabio Cannavaro was among the very best centre-halves of his generation.
One of the best players never to win the Champions League, his World Cup exploits saw the Juventus great become the first ever defender to receive the Ballon d’Or.
12. Wayne Rooney
An all-time great for both Manchester United and England, it all began for Wayne Rooney in 2002 – when he veritably burst onto the scene with his iconic screamer of a winning goal for Everton against Arsenal.
Within two years, he had joined United for almost £30m and was tearing it up on the international stage at Euro 2004 – before claiming the PFA Young Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons.
11. Iker Casillas
Thrust into Spain’s team for the 2002 World Cup after incumbent number one Santiago Canizares injured his toe on a broken aftershave bottle, Iker Casillas’ stock rose dramatically throughout the 00s.
A two-time Champions League winner before even turning 21, by the end of the decade, the Real Madrid favourite had cemented his status as one of the finest goalkeepers in the history of the game, captaining Spain to their first major honour at Euro 2008.
10. Andrea Pirlo
There were few more satisfying sights on a 00s football pitch than that of Andrea Pirlo metronomically spraying the ball around an AC Milan or Italy midfield.
Twice a European champion with Carlo Ancelotti’s Rossoneri, Pirlo – who was dubbed “a genius” by none other than Johan Cruyff – was pivotal to his country’s 2006 World Cup triumph, dispatching the opening penalty in the final shootout against France.
9. Luis Figo
Once the dust had settled on his incendiary transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid in the summer of 2000 (if it ever did), Luis Figo cracked on with proving he was one of the top players on the planet.
That much was acknowledged as the winger scooped the 2000 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first Portuguese winner since the legendary Eusebio some 35 years earlier.
Figo then received the FIFA World Player of the Year award the following year.
8. Andres Iniesta
An undisputed legend for both Barcelona and Spain, Andres Iniesta enjoyed immense success with club and country during the latter half of the 00s.
Already a Champions League winner under Frank Rijkaard in 2005/06, the remarkable midfielder got his hands on the trophy again under Pep Guardiola three years later – and starred in Spain’s maiden major tournament triumph at Euro 2008 in between.
7. Xavi
Andres Iniesta’s midfield teammate and tempo-setter supreme, Xavi shared in all of the aforementioned successes – and he finished Euro 2008 as Player of the Tournament.
Perhaps the greatest deep-lying playmaker of all time, Xavi was all about keeping things ticking. “That’s what I do: look for spaces,” he said. “All day. I’m always looking.” A master.
6. Zinedine Zidane
Inspirational in France’s 1998 and Euro 2000 victories, Zinedine Zidane was in his prime around the turn of the century, scooping his second and third FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2000 and 2003.
Eminently graceful on the ball, his £46m switch from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001 smashed the world transfer record – and he went on to help Los Blancos to Champions League glory with that jaw-dropping volley in the 2002 final.
(We should probably mention a certain event from the 2006 World Cup final, too…)
5. Cristiano Ronaldo
The definition of starlet when he arrived at Manchester United in 2003, Cristiano Ronaldo was a bona fide superstar within a matter of years, collecting his first Ballon d’Or in 2008.
Having got his hands on every major trophy available with Sir Alex Ferguson’s United – and the 2007/08 Premier League Golden Boot with 31 goals – Portugal’s greatest ever player moved on to Real Madrid in 2009 and continued to solidify his legend.
4. Lionel Messi
Probably the greatest player of all time, it’s somewhat hard to believe that Lionel Messi made his professional debut for Barcelona way back in 2004 – before earning his first Argentina cap the following year.
By the end of the 00s, La Pulga (The Flea) had won three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues and his first Ballon d’Or – and really, the diminutive magician from Rosario was only just getting started…
3. Ronaldo
Zinedine Zidane’s great contemporary – and Galactico teammate at Real Madrid from 2002 to 2006 – Ronaldo’s finest hour came as he inspired Brazil to glory at the 2002 World Cup.
Top scorer at that tournament with eight goals – including both in the final against Germany – O Fenomeno won his third FIFA World Player of the Year award and second Ballon d’Or the same year.
2. Thierry Henry
One of the very best players ever to grace the Premier League – or any league – Thierry Henry was nothing short of electric during his time at Arsenal, where he shone blindingly brightly from 1999 to 2007.
A two-time Premier League champion – including as an Invincible in 2003/04 – Henry kicked off the decade by helping France to Euro 2000 victory, before claiming an incredible four Premier League Golden Boots – among countless other individual accolades.
1. Ronaldinho
Few players in the history of football have been as profoundly entertaining to watch as Ronaldinho – who turned on the style and then some for Brazil and Barcelona throughout the 00s.
From his bamboozling free-kick against England en route to 2002 World Cup victory, to his unbelievable toe-poked goal against Chelsea in 2005 – the year he picked up the Ballon d’Or – Ronaldinho made the game a more joyful place.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
