The 10 greatest European players of the 21st century have been ranked in order

• Many of the best footballers to grace the hallowed turf were prominent in the 21st century.
• Europe, in particular, produced lots of wonderfully gifted players who had significant impacts on world football.
• Luka Modric, Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo all feature among the top 10 European players of the 21st century.

The 21st century has seen some of the greatest players in football history. Since the year 2000s, generational talents have blossomed into the best footballers the world has to offer.

In particular, Europe has produced many world-class players who have enjoyed wonderful careers in the beautiful game. While Lionel Messi is widely regarded as the greatest of all time, the Argentine is better compared to those from his own continue, which also boasts incredible talent.

That said, below is a list of the 10 best European players to have featured in the 21st century. A lot of football is opinion-based and subjective. Therfore, in order to come to the below conclusions, the following factors have been taken into consideration.

Ranking Factors

• Statistical Information (Goals, Assists, Clean Sheets etc.)
• Major Honours Won (Team)
• Individual Accolades (Ballon d’Or, Team of the Year etc.)
• Importance to Their Teams

Gareth Bale

Southampton, Tottenham, Real Madrid, LAFC

For a time, Gareth Bale was a sheer force of nature for both club and country. For a short period while at Tottenham, there was a mean joke doing the rounds about him – with Bale playing 24 Premier League games before even winning a game for the north London club. He soon showed his class, perhaps most memorably at Spurs with a stunning hat trick at San Siro against Inter Milan.

The nine seasons he spent at Real Madrid brought an onslaught of high points, particularly in the Champions League, a competition the Welshman had a huge affinity with given he won it five times – scoring three goals in two finals. His first goal in the 2018 final against Liverpool, a spectacular overhead kick from the edge of the box, will live long in the memory. Bale was also a huge part of the Welsh side that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016, the first tournament Wales had qualified for since 1958.

Alessandro Del Piero

Juventus, Sydney FC, Delhi Dynamos

Alessandro Del Piero had to deploy a lot of patience in his career. A supremely gifted attacking player, he won plenty of silverware with Juventus in the 1990s, but at the end of the decade, he ruptured his anterior and posterior ligaments. It took him time to return and when he did, there was disappointment and criticism, missing several guilt-edged chances in the final of Euro 2000, that France would eventually win.

Del Piero recovered and remained a hugely entertaining player, but less of an all-out athlete than the era had all too often produced. The Italian was scintillating when in top form, and he ended up making vital contributions to Italy’s 2006 World Cup win. None less so than the goal he scored against Germany in the semi-final.

Luka Modric

Dinamo Zagreb, Tottenham, Real Madrid

Luka Modric can consider himself the greatest ever Croatian player. Given the superb players they’ve had over the years, that is quite an accolade. His longevity and desire to remain at the top are evident in his nigh-on 800 club appearances over the last 24 years.

Small in stature, but big in heart and blessed with wonderful vision, Modric got Croatia as close as they have ever been to their first international honour. The 2018 World Cup Final was a bridge too far, although Modric and co. went down all guns blazing by four goals to two. His club record remains highly impressive, with five Champions League winners medals with Real Madrid, along with an array of domestic titles and cups.

Paolo Maldini

AC Milan

Asked recently about who was better, Cafu, or a long list of other extremely talented full-backs, Roberto Carlos repeatedly said Cafu, until Paolo Maldini was mentioned and the Brazil icon agreed that Maldini was better. The Italian was one of the best players of the 1990s and 2000s.

He played his entire career for AC Milan, a career that spanned an astounding 25 years. Remarkably, Maldini won the Champions League across three different decades, captaining Milan to victory in 2003 and 2007. It seemed unjust that he retired from international football without having won an international honour, but seldom has a defender had so many glowing reviews from the great and the good of how strong and intelligent a defender he was, not just one of the best of the 2000s, but one of the greatest ever.

Xavi

Barcelona, Al Sadd

It says a lot when a player with as long and distinguished a career as Toni Kroos doesn’t make the list. There’s simply not quite enough room, certainly not to leave out Xavi, who enjoyed 17 glorious years with Barcelona while playing an astonishing 767 games.

The highlight of this era was the period between 2008 and 2012, when his career was awash with club and international honours, including three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, two Euros and the 2010 World Cup. Alongside his club and international teammate Andres Iniesta, he was a player who was rarely caught in possession, yet forever dictating the play.

Kylian Mbappe

Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain

Unlike most on this list, Mbappe is still playing, and there is a strong argument that he’s yet to reach his peak. He’s achieved the most so far in his career on the international scene. If scoring in a World Cup final while still a teenager in France’s 2018 World Cup win over Croatia wasn’t enough, he superseded that performance by scoring a hat-trick in the World Cup final that followed in 2022.

His second goal in that match was a combination of skill, desire and precision that took the match to extra time. The French lost on penalties, but the forward’s performance will live long in the memory. The explosive goalscorer is set to continue his legacy in the famous white shirt of Real Madrid and start his journey towards moving up this list.

Andres Iniesta

Barcelona, Vissel Kobe, Emirates

Something of a reluctant superstar, but very much the conductor of the all-conquering Barcelona and Spain sides. Along with Xavi and Sergio Busquets, the midfield trio dominated the world of football for the best part of 14 years. With a career crammed full of honours, Iniesta’s finest moment was his Man of the Match performance in the 2010 World Cup Final, in which he scored the winner.

If that wasn’t enough, he was also Man of the Match in the final of Euro 2012, which saw Spain beat Italy 4-0, and Iniesta was also named Player of the Tournament. This is before we even get to his achievements with Barcelona, a team that gave huge amounts of pleasure to the eye. A nine-time La Liga champion, the genius midfielder was a joy to watch in his prime years at Camp Nou.

Thierry Henry

Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona, NY Red Bulls

Speed and grace don’t always go hand in hand, but when Henry was at his peak for Arsenal, he had both in equal measure. He arrived in north London as a promising winger, but Arsene Wenger quickly converted him to a striker, a position he had played growing up. The magnificent Frenchman went on to become one of the best centre-forwards the English game has seen, who, when partnered with Dennis Bergkamp was at times simply unplayable. One of his two Premier League titles at Arsenal included the famous 2003/04 ‘Invincible’ season.

He was 30 when he moved to Barcelona in 2007, and maybe slightly past his peak, but still in form that many would dream of, being an integral part of the Barca side that won the domestic league and cup double and the Champions League in 2009. Although lacking the number of club and individual honours of some on this list, Henry was a special case.

Zinedine Zidane

Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus, Real Madrid

It says a lot about Zidane that, after winning the World Cup in the 1990s, it could be argued he was more influential in the 2000s. The incredible midfielder began the century by helping France win the Euro 2000. Zidane simply glided past the opposition, with his dribbling ability mixed with his wonderful skill set. A man who delivered big moments in big games, the Real Madrid icon scored a memorable volley for Los Blancos in the 2002 Champions League Final.

Named FIFA World Player of the Year twice in the 2000s, it may come as a surprise he only won one Ballon d’Or. Aged 34, he rolled back the years in the 2006 World Cup, in which he was named Player of the Tournament, inspiring France to beat Spain, Brazil and Portugal to reach the final. Zidane scored a nonchalant Panenka penalty in the showpiece event and was memorably sent off during extra time. France went on to lose on penalties, but Zidane’s legacy as one of the greats of the game still stands.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, Al-Nassr

Unlike so many of his counterparts on this list, a World Cup winners medal has eluded Ronaldo, with Portugal not having progressed further than the semi-finals. He did, of course, win Euro 2016, albeit getting stretchered off after only 25 minutes in the final. But the forward’s career is one of staggering high numbers, with 200 plus caps for his country and almost 900 career goals. He’s a man who has won as many Champions League titles with Real Madrid as two of his former clubs (Manchester United and Juventus) combined.

It’s his sheer drive to continue delivering that sets him apart. Known at times to talk about himself in the third person, Ronaldo is not someone who could ever be accused of lacking confidence and self-belief, who would no doubt not be surprised to see his name at the top of the rankings.

All statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt (Correct as of 04/06/2024)