Greatest Footballers of the 2000s

[Andre]

well everybody doing a list like this so we may as well.

my picks for the first XI:

schmeicel

roberto carlos - maldini - sol campbell - cafu

makalele

horny ronaldo - zidane - kaka

henry (of arsenal) - fat ronaldo

subs: yorke, buffon, figo, eto, rio ferdinand, giggsy, raul, dinho (before de rum)

[JDB]

This is a hard one to pick because it have a grap of players who had their best spell from the mid-nineties to the mid-2000’s

Zidane stands out of course but you also have Nedved, Figo.

Then yuh have men like Messi and Ronaldo who start just before the mid 2000’s.

I would really need to look at players’ ages and careers to make a definitive statement but based on impact and/or durability my choices for those who must make the squad would be:

Henry, Eto’o, Villa, Ronaldo

Ronaldinho, Zidane, Nedved, C Ronaldo, Xavi, Ballack, Seedorf, Kaka

Cannavaro, Lucio, Ashley Cole, Walter Samuel, Zanetti, Maicon, Cafu, Puyol

Buffon, Casillas

First team

                    Casillas

   Cafu, Samuel, Cannavaro, Ashley Cole

                    Nedved

      Zidane,    Juninho,    Ronaldinho

                   Henry,  Eto’o


Notables up front (Drogba, Ruud, Raul, Torres, Crespo etc – too many ot mention really)

Notables in midfield(Vieira, Essien, Makalele, Messi, Riquelme, etc, again too many to mention)

Notables in defence and goal (Thuram, Kahn)

[dinho]

This is a hard one to pick because it have a grap of players who had their best spell from the mid-nineties to the mid-2000’s

Zidane stands out of course but you also have Nedved, Figo.

Then yuh have men like Messi and Ronaldo who start just before the mid 2000’s.

I would really need to look at players’ ages and careers to make a definitive statement but based on impact and/or durability my choices for those who must make the squad would be:

Henry, Eto’o, Villa, Ronaldo

Ronaldinho, Zidane, Nedved, C Ronaldo, Xavi, Ballack, Seedorf, Kaka

Cannavaro, Lucio, Ashley Cole, Walter Samuel, Zanetti, Maicon, Cafu, Puyol

Buffon, Casillas

First team

                    Casillas

   Cafu, Samuel, Cannavaro, Ashley Cole

                    Nedved

      Zidane,    Juninho,    Ronaldinho

                   Henry,  Eto’o


Notables up front (Drogba, Ruud, Raul, Torres, Crespo etc – too many ot mention really)

Notables in midfield(Vieira, Essien, Makalele, Messi, Riquelme, etc, again too many to mention)

Notables in defence and goal (Thuram, Kahn)

Good picks, but no Maldini?

[JDB]

Good picks, but no Maldini?

Tough call. Maldini is an all-time first team pick for me, along with Pele, Maro and comapny but the 2000's span the man entire 30's and he play most of it at CB and yuh could argue that stay at the dance too long. That plus the fact that he ent play no international ball is marks against him, but he come close to consideration and I wouldn't grouse against anybody picking him.

[spideybuff]

Schmeicel didn't basically retire after the '99 treble?

[Observer]

Only one striker in the 2000's name on every list Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima
Maldini without a doubt no debate
Walter Samuel who are we kidding! When Nesta not even listed.
Juninho is one of my favorite players, but Patrick Viera has done way more and achieved way more in 2000's.