TalkSport (UK) channel chose Lionel Messi as the best player since the beginning of the 21st century, above Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane.
The 21st century is almost a quarter over, so TalkSport has compiled a list of the 25 greatest players of the past 25 years.
The list is based on individual and team achievements, with Brazil leading the way with five representatives: Ronaldinho (3rd), Kaka (8th), Dani Alves (10th), Ronaldo Nazario (17th) and Neymar (22nd).
France are second in the number of representatives, with Zidane (4), Thierry Henry (7), Kylian Mbappe (23) and Karim Benzema (25). Spain and Italy each have three players, with Andres Iniesta (5), Xavi (6), Sergio Ramos (13), Andrea Pirlo (11), Fabio Cannavaro (15) and Gianluigi Buffon (16). Buffon is also the only goalkeeper on the list.
Portugal and England each have two players. Cristiano Ronaldo is second on the list with five Ballon d’Or wins, while compatriot Luis Figo is 21st. Meanwhile, England have Wayne Rooney (20) and John Terry (25), although neither player has ever made the top three of the Ballon d’Or.
The Ballon d’Or winners not appearing on this list are Michael Owen, Pavel Nedved, Andriy Shevchenko and Rodri.
The remaining countries have one representative, including Argentina, Uruguay, Germany, Croatia, Sweden and Egypt.
Messi’s top spot on the list is no surprise, given he has won the Ballon d’Or a record eight times. “There can only be one winner, and that’s Messi,” writes TalkSport . “Many wanted Messi to win the World Cup to be considered the greatest of all time, and he did it in 2022. For those who have seen Messi play, few would disagree with his top spot.”
TalkSport is a British radio station, launched in 1995, which currently attracts 3.5 million listeners each week. It has an online newspaper version, launched in 2010, and is one of the most visited sports news sites in the UK.
List : 1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) 2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 3. Ronaldinho (Brazil) 4. Zinedine Zidane (France) 5. Andres Iniesta (Spain) 6. Xavi (Spain) 7. Thierry Henry (France) 8. Kaka (Brazil) 9. Luis Suarez (Uruguay) 10. Dani Alves (Brazil) 11. Andrea Pirlo (Italy) 12. Philipp Lahm (Germany) 13. Sergio Ramos (Spain) 14. Luka Modric (Croatia) 15. Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) 16. Gianluigi Buffon (Italy) 17. Ronaldo Nazario (Brazil) 18. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) 19. Mohamed Salah (Egypt) 20. Wayne Rooney (England) 21. Luis Figo (Portugal) Portugal) 22. Neymar (Brazil) 23. Kylian Mbappe (France) 24. John Terry (England) 25. Karim Benzema (France).
