He turned 40 in January but while most have retired by that age and the rest have lost the majority of what made them great, Buffon has captained Juventus to five Scudetti and two Champions League finals in the last five seasons. Some statistics, should you need them: Messi has won 10 (TEN) La Liga titles. Three Super Cups. A brilliant midfielder who had everything: skill, tenacity, power, goals, energy. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, His defensive capabilities brought him to the fore at Barcelona before his attacking prowess made him such a weapon for Manchester City. LO, The greatest goalkeeper of the last two decades. TK, It’s difficult to define his importance to both Manchester City and Belgium but it’s safe to say he was one of the most important players of a generation. A complete player Vieira was a class above from the outset with his departure from north London leaving a hole that is still be filled. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. TK, Rarely seen in a Ballon d’Or winner it’s possible Modric remains somehow underrated with his consistent class perhaps overshadowed by the headline-grabbing achievements of those around him. LO, Over a decade at the heart of Barcelona's defence and undoubtedly one of the game's greatest ball-playing centre-backs, the Spaniard has won everything on offer: eight LaLiga titles, three Champions Leagues, countless cups as well as being a leader in both World Cup and European Championship successes.
JR, One of the few strikers on this list who can truly claim to be the complete forward, able to play wide or central, deep linking play or on the shoulder of the last defender, with the ability to sniff out scrappy goals and score beauties too.
Flashy and full of flair he was at home at some of the biggest clubs in the world. BB, A thrilling wide player able to slice opponents open with darting runs inside and clever movement to give and receive in and around the box. He is football. His selflessness, workrate and positional intelligence allowed him to lift a mostly dysfunctional Inter side over the years. A Ballon d'Or winner with Juventus and the spark for a tremendous Czech Republic side who should have won Euro 2004. All rights reserved. As gifted at making goals as he was at scoring them himself, Del Piero retired as Juve’s all-time appearance and scoring leader and a six-time Serie A champion. In voting for the greatest players of the 21st century, our team of ten considered a few broad factors: a player’s ability and the actual application of that ability; the consistency of that application; the level they reached; their influence on the competition and – of course – their level of achievement. But for his strained relationship with the French national team, he would have scored even more. He is the standard. JR, The four-time Premier League winner made over 300 appearances in England and made an enduring habit of thriving under pressure, winning the man-of-the-match award in Manchester United's Champions League final victory in 2008. The Century: This week, The Independent has been counting down the 100 best players of the last twenty years, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile.
LO, In his pomp Falcao was probably the best striker on the planet. The complete mould of defence and attack, under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, he remained untouchable for almost a decade. Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? His transformation from tentative full-back to galavanting winger brought him to the Premier League’s attention, and his destruction of Maicon at the San Siro introduced him to the world (and probably erased Maicon from this list, come to think of it). The Italian, 40 years old and the biggest casualty of the Azzurri's failure to qualify for this summer's World Cup, has long made it known he will only play on beyond this season's end if his team succeed in winning the competition.
Around the turn of the century, after winning Euro 2000 with France, Zidane swapped Juventus for Real Madrid where he was the ultimate Galactico, scoring one of the great Champions League final goals. BB, Zinédine Zidane is perhaps the most graceful player on this list, someone who seemed to glide through matches without ever drawing sweat. LO, A great goalscorer and a scorer of great goals, Del Piero was one of the finest all round forwards Italy has ever produced.
There may well be a handful of technically better centre-backs but his intangibles were vital to the culture at club and country where there was not a legacy of winning previously. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.
Buffon isn’t just the best since the turn of the millennium; he’s one of the very best goalkeepers the game has ever produced.
He played 725 times for Real Madrid, captaining the side for five seasons, winning three Champions League titles – the first of which came just days after his 19th birthday. Touted as the heir to Dino Zoff as a youngster, Buffon didn’t just live up to expectations but surpassed them. At his balletic and barracking peak, one of the world’s very best. Julio Cesar also proved to be the composed, consistent Brazil goalkeeper that Taffarel, Marcos and Dida could never quite be, earning 87 caps for the Selecao. Honourable mentions: Alisson Becker and Ederson Moraes. The most decorated goalkeeper in the history of Barcelona and the man between the posts for the team many regard as they greatest in the history of the game – Pep Guardiola’s Barca of 2008-2012. TK, Only the finest players in the world enjoy long and fruitful stints at clubs such as Juventus, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Injuries plagued his time in England with spells at Real Madrid and Bayern establishing himself as one of the greats of his generation. Xavi was the metronome and all-seeing eye at the centre of Barcelona and Spain’s rampant success, playing conductor and orchestra to eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, two European Championships and the star of the 2010 World Cup.
Messi produces so many pieces of play that would be the highlight of anyone else’s career if they were capable of them. His influence loomed just as large on the international stage, leading Spain to a European Championship and World Cup.
TK, One of the most deadly strikers in European history, Shevchenko’s peak came at AC Milan where he won the Champions League in 2003 and the Ballon d’Or in 2004. We asked ten of our football writers to identify the 50 greatest players of the past two decades, with each player assigned a number of points determined by their rank, before an overall list was then worked out. TK, One of the great villains of the game but a nasty, hard centre-back that would be very high on any great striker’s list of defenders he least wanted to play against. Perhaps the last true one-club man at one of Europe’s elite clubs. TK, The boy who sparkled at Sporting became a man at Manchester United and a god at Real Madrid. Il Guerriero has matured into a splendid holding midfielder, aggressive and dominant in the middle of the pitch but equally as effective arriving late into the box to complete attacks. Manuel Neuer is the best goalkeeper of the 21st century; his performances elicit the title. The Italy international is a product of the Parma youth academy, moving to Juventus in 2001 for €52 million, becoming Juventus' most expensive transfer at that point. Silva has never been flustered and can always be relied upon to stand up in the most opportune moments, a cornerstone of the Manchester City era and a candidate for their best ever player, despite the money lavished on various other superstars. We asked 10 of our football writers to select 50 players, with each pick awarded points contributing to a final score.
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