Comparing different eras in football is a thankless task . Where Robben was direct, obvious, powerful and bold, Ribery was deft, thoughtful and capable of the unexpected. Ferdinand was a ball-playing defender of the European school, rather than the bruising centre-halves more associated with the English school of thought. Picture: Colleen Petch, Sign up to all of Foxtel Now with a 10-day free trial. Shevchenko was great at an overachieving Dynamo Kyiv side in the 1990s, but its his time at AC Milan in the 2000s that earns him a place here. Premier League and Champions League victories have been the reward, while at international level the winger captained Egypt to their first World Cup in 28 years in 2018 and runners-up finishes in two Africa Cup of Nations. The greatest player of the last 20 years. Cechs individual records stack up high: he has the most clean sheets ever in the Premier League with 202, as well as the most in a single season, 24, while hes a four-time Golden Glove winner and has gone longer than any other keeper without conceding, 1,025 minutes in 2004/05. The team, captained by ruck legend Graham . The Belgians piles of goals and assists have fired the Citizens to three Premier League titles, five League Cups and the FA Cup, not to mention a bag of individual awards. The argument for Bale falls into three categories: his astonishing rise at Tottenham, his performances in finals for Real Madrid, and his unwavering commitment to Wales. Birthdate: June 24, 1987. 1 pick Sam Walsh with the Blues confirming hes a certain starter against Richmond. The Manchester United legend ranks among the greatest English midfielders of all time, and has earned praise from illustrious quarters. Cameron Smith and Billy Slater were a key part of one the greatest NRL teams of the 21st century. They (will) have a lot of youth and enthusiasm, Tuck said. LANCE FRANKLIN (HAWTHORN/SYDNEY SWANS), 2000-2020 stats: 300 games, 944 goals, 170 Brownlow votes, averaged 15.5 disposals, 2000-2020 CV: Two-time premiership Hawk, eight-time All-Australian (one as captain), one best and fairest, four-time Coleman medallist, 11-time club leading goalkicker. Jonathan Brown (Brisbane Lions) 20. Hird lived for the big games, winning Norm Smith honours in the club's 2000 Premiership victory as Captain as well as three ANZAC Day Medals. Haselby himself could hold his head high though with the former No. That's 22.5% of the greatest sluggers of this century, even with testing in place for 17 of the 21 seasons. Round 13 and 14 rising stars Brandon Starcevich (Brisbane Lions) and Giant Jake Riccardi both miss the age barrier by less than six months but all the other rising star winners are in as are North Melbournes Tarryn Thomas, Bailey Scott and Jack Mahony, while Adelaides Chayce Jones and Fischer McAsey join Lachlan Sholl in the squad. Even if you go back to the summer of 1933, when The Sporting News hailed baseball's first official . The 19-year-old - pick No.7 in the 2022 draft - provided a pinpoint kick inside 50 in the third term for Fergus Greene, who topped the goal count with three. Make sure you keep up to date with the latestAFLand AFL Fantasy articles andfollow my fan pages onFacebook,TwitterandInstagramto never miss a minute of the action! The Collingwood great will go down in history as one of the clubs greatest onballers. Few footballers have been this influential and even fewer have been quite so adored. Western Bulldogs acknowledge that we reside on traditional lands of the Kulin Nation. THE NUMBERS: 30 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal But the major honours soon flowed in after he joined Bayern Munich, winning the league and cup double three times, while he claimed the Premier League crown with Chelsea in 2010. Please refresh the page and try again. Whatever way you slice and dice the numbers, weve never seen a player like Ablett and that includes his father Gary Sr, who might still be the greatest player in VFL/AFL history yet had nothing on his sons insane, unprecedented ball-winning ability. 295. He is electric. He's still the only player to score in four FA Cup finals and he practically won Chelsea their first Champions League on his todd. The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 60-41. The star of the Lions three-peat dynasty, Voss would add to his already stellar career with record breaking season after season following the conclusion of the 20th century. Hes a player you just wanted to play for. The versatile forwards creativity and reliable goal return - hes hit double figures in eight of the last nine La Liga seasons for Real Sociedad, Atleti and Barcelona - have helped him earn domestic accolades like La Liga Best Player in 2015/16. Rahul Dravid (Ind) Key numbers (from Jan 1, 2000): 130 matches, 10,590 runs at 52.95 After being named as a co-captain in 1997 at 21 years of age, Voss lead the Lions to three successive premierships between 2001 and 2003. Considered one of the best football players in the world and a prolific goal scorer, Lionel Messi has shattered and created numerous records in his playing career. Or why not treat yourself? NY 10036. 1. 2 pick recording 30 touches against Geelong way back at the start of the 2000 season. The eight-time All-Australian and six-time Best and Fairest is deep into the twilight of his career, meaning he is a further step closer to being crowned an AFL legend and perhaps the greatest ever. Heres how it works. The dual Brownlow medalist has been the star of the Dockers for some time, transforming into the league's best contested possession player of the past decade. Then again, Buddy is no ordinary player or footy figure. 'Saint Nick' was everything a coach could ask for in a player. Inducted in 1987: Rod McGregor - 1905-1920 One of the brightest stars of his era, Rod McGregor was a four-time Premiership player for the Navy Blues in a 236-game career that stood as a club record for more than half a century. During Collingwoods stint at the bottom of the ladder in the late 1990s, Buckley was a rare shining light. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Pryor is of course known as one of the best running quarterbacks in OSU history, but check out his passing stats in 2010: 2,772 passing yards, a crisp completion percentage of 65.0, and 27 . Nobody could play football as if sat in a directors chair and Pasolini their way through a game. The Belgian was the youngest Ligue 1 Player of the Year winner ever in 2011, aged 20, after helping Lille win a league and cup double. (Mackenzie) is a great kid. The following players have been inducted into the Carlton Hall of Fame. Become a member to join in Australia's biggest sporting debate, submit articles, receive updates straight to your inbox and keep up with your favourite teams and authors. If youd like to view this content, please adjust your Cookie Settings. The Western Bulldogs Official App is your one stop shop for all your latest team News, Videos, Player Profiles, Scores and Stats delivered LIVE to your smartphone or tablet! You must provide an email address to create a Roar account, When using Facebook to create or log in to an account, you need to grant The Roar permission to see your email address, By joining The Roar you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. Remember the Titans is a heartwarming story of how, after the strife of The Civil Rights Movement, both blacks and whites came together to form a football team and defeat discrimination between each other. Throughout of the rest of the noughties, he simply oozed more of the class he'd displayed in the 90s. Goodes is a two-time Brownlow Medalist, two-time premiership player and three time best and fairest with Sydney. The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 100-81 The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 80-61 The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 60-41 The 100 best players of the 21st Century: 40-26 The . He later joined Inter Milan and was just as classy: intelligent, creative and with the ability to control the cauldron, he's one of his country's finest ever players. Watch Foxtel in an instant. featured alongside some of Australias most prominent sports journalists. THE NUMBERS: 32 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles A two-time Golden Boot winner, Salah holds the record for the most goals scored in a Premier League season with 32 and has been astonishingly prolific at Anfield, notching more than 20 goals in each of his five seasons. He was a key contributor in the Giants first AFL season, illustrating his talents from day one as he tied for the second most touches for his side in an expectedly ugly loss to the Swans. Anyone can contribute to The Roar and have their work You could be forgiven for not remembering Martin McGrath. Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. August 1, 2005. Ahead of the 2020 Draft, ESPN decided to look back at the last 20 No. Martin boasts two best and fairest honours, three All-Australian selections and 251 goals from his 225 game career. No one will ever forget the exhaustion and disappointment of the players as the final siren rang and neither team could claim victory. Dalziell held the disposals record for less than two years before another mature-aged player stole his thunder. Who is your club's best ruck of the 21st century? Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He may not have enjoyed the same level of success in an England shirt, but Terry was at least the only English player to earn a place in the 2006 World Cup team of the tournament. Of course, the criteria for eligibility is totally arbitrary. Still, were nit-picking. Horrie Clover - 1920-1924 & 1926-1931 Ignore the description#afl #afl2022 #goty #shorts #2022 #aflw #aflw #shorts #ytshorts #ytshort #yt For sheer consistency the only player that comes to Judd for mantle of best 21st century player is Gary Ablett Jnr, but his first season didn't set the world on fire. Patrick Vieira was the beating heart of every side he led, winning the Euros with France, a double and unbeaten title with Arsenal and covering more grass than just about any other teammate. San Iker still holds the clean sheet record in the Champions League and racked up over 1,000 professional matches in a two-decade career. Fyfe's Brownlow votes polling average is set at an astonishing 1.07 per game, meaning he is one of only two players to ever average getting into the best in every game he plays. Cornes might not be a match-winner like some of his 2004 premiership teammates, but he has an unmatched resume for any Port Adelaide player this century. The 21st century has provided a stage for new evolutions in the game of basketball. THE NUMBERS:28 disposals, 6 marks, 3 goals, 3 Brownlow votes Luke Hodge is as hard as they come, as much of a leader you want to play for out of anyone and I found it hard not to put him at no.1. Create your own Fantasy AFL team and compete for daily prizes on Draftstars its free to join so why not check it out? Best Performance: Chanderpaul scored five hundreds against Australia including one remarkable out-of-the-box effort - the fifth-fastest Test ton of all time, from just 69 balls as West Indies chased down a world record 418 in Antigua, 2003. And boy was this a tough job! As well all know, Rutten served as a key defensive pillar for the Crows until his retirement in 2014, but with nine goals (including one with his last kick in footy) to his name from 229 games, his first three kicks are something Rutten wont forget anytime soon. Eight of Scholes 11 Premier League titles came after the year 2000, as well as the 2007/08 Champions League triumph. Posted below are The Independent's 100 best players of the 21st century. 1 pick Sam Walsh with the Blues confirming he's a certain starter against Richmond. Picture: Phil Hillyard. There arent many players that can claim they were the best player on the field in their first AFL game. As we near the last Saturday in September, to help whet your appetite for the big day, here are the 10 Best AFL Grand Final Moments of the 21st Century in chronological order. 1 and No. It just seemed he wasnt as dynamic at Carlton compared to his West Coast days, while his ability to hit the scoreboard declined.