Football

Messi, Ronaldo and the Top 25 Men’s Footballers of the 21st Century

Wednesday, July 24, 2024 at 11:10 AM by Justin Williams 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are just some of the names who come up in the debate over the best players in the 21st century
Then there are rising stars like France captain Kylian Mbappé and legends from a different era like Ronaldinho
ESPN has ranked the game's legends, pitting some of the greatest players we've ever seen against each other

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The top 25 men's football stars of the 21st century have been announced and ranked. With some of the greatest footballers of all time gracing the field in the past two decades, today's fans have been truly fortunate.

Messi, Ronaldo and the top 25 men's footballers of the 21st century — Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are just some of the names who come up in the debate over the best players in the 21st century. Images: Robbie Jay Barratt/Ira Black/John Walton.
Source: UGC

Beyond Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, a wealth of incredible talents has emerged over the last 24 years.

So, where do they all stand in the top 25? ESPN polled their readers, gathering thousands of votes, and compiled a list of the top 25 stars of the 21st century.

Top 25 men's football players of the 21st century

Lionel Messi topped the list, with Cristiano Ronaldo coming in second. The debate over who should be first will continue, but there's no denying that these two have been the standout players of the 21st century, if not all time.

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Former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry secured third place, followed by his French teammate Zinedine Zidane and Real Madrid's Luka Modric.

Kylian Mbappe claimed the sixth spot, with Barcelona midfield legends Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez following in seventh and eighth.

Brazilians Ronaldo Nazario and Ronaldinho took ninth and tenth, respectively, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kevin De Bruyne, and Toni Kroos rounding out the list.

The first defenders to appear on the list are Sergio Ramos at 14th and Carles Puyol at 15th, both of whom were part of Spain's 2010 World Cup-winning team.

Reactions to the rankings:

Here are some of the reactions from fans:

@GingaBonitoHub:

"Yeah you guys are embarrassing, Ibrahimović can’t lace Neymar’s boots."

@Yemi_Mighty10:

"No way Neymar jr is number 20! He’s top 5."

@mvn_cr7_sc30:

"Worst list."

@BlazerLegndSefo:

"LMAO THIERRY HENRY AT 3."

@kofiadofo_69:

"Ronaldo should be first on the list."

@XtraDismo:

"Henry ahead of Zinedine Zidane."

@RonaldoW7_:

"Ronaldo should be number 1 Messi doesn't deserve to be in Top 10."

@MainnooUTD:

"The experts know nothing!"

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