Your best 20 FWs/MFs/DFs in the last 20 years

Just reading numerous threads and thought I'd ask to see who are everyone's best (objectively as possible) players in the last 20 years - FWs, MFs, DFs/FBs. 20 players because there are just so many and less would leave out too many. And 20 years because going back more than that I wouldnt know enough to be able to judge or have a good enough opinion I think. Still will probably include or miss some due to the timing but its best efforts basis taking into account whether the years include the players peak years mainly. Also whether to be more specific and categories, etc., I guess not since it would probably bring up too much arguments and be too complicated to list.

Just a bit of fun but trying to gather as objectively as possible also what everyone thinks. Oh and for GKs, I never really focused on watching them as much so I'll just name a few, u can add more that you think deserves it.

Anyway, on the top of my head and just personal opinion:

Attackers:
R9
Messi
R7
Ronaldinho
Figo
Rivaldo
Neymar
Suarez
Van Nisterooy
Bale
Lewandowski
Batistuta
David Villa
Shevchenko
Higuain
Ibra
Del Piero
Bergkamp
Henry
Drogba

Midfielders:
Zidane
Xavi
Iniesta
Pirlo
Beckham
Giggs
Nedved
Kaka
Xabi Alonso
Vidal
David Silva
Yaya
Busquets
Makelele
Modric
Gerrard
Scholes
Seedorf
Robben
Ribery

Defenders/FBs:
Lahm
Cannavaro
Bonnuci
Chiellini
Alaba
Pique
Roberto Carlos
Cafu
Ramos
Puyol
Thuram
Nesta
Dani Alves
Marcelo
Cavarjal
Godin
Maldini
Zambrotta
Desailly
Stam

GKs
Buffon
Casillas
Neuer
De Gea
Ter Stegen
Navas
Cech
Van Der Sar

Must have been some I missed, looking forward to see your best players list and discussions

Too much work mate

ExtremistEnigma wrote:Too much work mate

^that.

Just looking through yours quickly, Totti is missing from your attackers list. Alaba's time to be there hasn't come (yet?), there were plenty of great defenders. Navas and Ter Stegen has no place anywhere near that list. Khan, Lehman, Chilavert, Schmeichel, Toldo, Dida, Julio Cesar, Handanovic, Curtois, etc.

Raúl and Eto'o are missing as well from the attackers.
As for midfielders Ballack and Schweinsteiger (+ arguably Kroos).
List of defenders is missing Boateng.

Robben is an attacker. You could say the same for a few others of your midfield list.

Yep those names u guys mentioned I have definitely thought about but thats why 20 players in each categories in 20 years still means some big names would miss out The ones I listed for me overall edged out the others. And if I put Robben in attacker another top name would miss out, best efforts basis I guess.

As I said also GKs I definitely not an expert on, Schmeichel definitely an all time great but I wasnt sure if his best years were after or pre 1997 for example. Dida was definitely not a great GK imho though.

Dida was head and shoulders above Navas or Ter Stegen, as were many other GKs of the last 20 years.

Apart from the ones u listed which I know of, any other ones?

Better than those 2? too many. They are not great and you are looking at 2 decades worth of football.

That list is missing Totti & Raul. Youre not allowed an opinion on those two, they just belong.
Chiellini or Pique over Barzagli is laughable.
And you cant leave off Rooney, and have David Villa and his 3 years of being relevant on there

FilthyLuca wrote:That list is missing Totti & Raul. Youre not allowed an opinion on those two, they just belong.
Chiellini or Pique over Barzagli is laughable.
And you cant leave off Rooney, and have David Villa and his 3 years of being relevant on there

David Villa won everything there is to win in football and has been consistently a top top striker for a decade. One of the best strikers in the last 20 years easily and sometimes gets overlooked because of his spell at Valencia where he was magnificent but didn't have the personnel to compete on the biggest stages ie. CL. Plain and simple world-class, both as a CF and LW.

Agree that you can't leave out guys like Raúl. Same is true for Ballack. They are just too good not to make the lists.

Btw I understand that listing Robben as an attacker means another attacker missing out on the list but that's life. He's not a midfielder so putting him in the midfield list means a midfielder misses out just to fit in more attackers.

Raul I admit never been a fan, obviously him being Real icon which I would never have much of a feeling for, and although for his longetivity, has he even been the best? Dont forget Spain only found their way after dropping him. Or put another way, who should I drop from the 20 listed to put him in? Same goes for Totti or Rooney who I definitely didnt include intentionally. I guess some prefer players who are on the top level for longer years but never really the best but for me maybe what counts more is being the best for maybe shorter span of years instead.

The same question for Ballack really, who should be dropped to include him?

Barzagli actually I would like to ask Juve/Serie A fans, who is the better between him, Bonucci and Chiellini, I probably dont watch enough to know for sure.

Hope to see your own list, yet to see someone post that

I'll let the others get on about Raul and Ballack.

You say you definitely didn't include Totti intentionally. By all of the metrics you gave (peak, longevity, etc.) it makes 0 sense to include any striker that made a career in Serie A over Totti in the last 20 years. None.

So feel free to take Batistuta, Shevchenko, Higuain, Ibra and Del Piero off the list cause they are/were all worse than Totti over this time span.

I'd at least have Raul over Higuain tbh

It's pretty obvious you never saw half of those players

Stick to your glory hunting rather than pretending you know anything about the history of this sport.

City and Barcelona fan

Another jibers alias

Anyway I didnt watch all of the leagues and that closely when I was younger, maybe some of you get good coverage+commentary+analysis over the years which is not what I get, so prior to Peps Barca I watched on and off some clubs and trying to keep up with what I can. Some poster like jibers probably are old farts who watched over many years or at least pretend to be

Totti or Del Piero, thats fine, we all have our own views and opinions depending I guess. Good to see all the inputs, but still no lists, come on.

Guy, Totti has been WC for 20 years. And at his peak, in the most competitive league maybe ever, he was the shit by any standard.

And rooneys been doing it at the highest level since he was 16. For years it was messi ronaldo and rooney.

You might be the only humam putting villa on that list ahead of rooney or raul.

I dont think you could make any valid argument in these cases, only "i just dont like the guy".

Ballack is easily above several names on your list. For example Vidal, Silva, Yaya.